Premier Construction 18-3

Roma Publications

Volume 18 - Issue 3

Site Audit Pro

Sinclair Meadows

The UK’s first carbon negative housing community

Gatwick

Improving Gatwick’s main runway

The professional inspection iOS app from Veam Studios.

University Church of St Mary the Virgin

Historic restoration nears completion

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Contents PREMIER CONSTRUCTION

Dear readers, In this edition of Premier Construction we showcase a fantastic selection of projects, from the installation of a new visitor centre at Archerfield Estate; to the construction of a new health centre in Morpeth; and the refurbishment of a John Lewis store in Milton Keynes.

The Archerfield Walled Garden project comprises the restoration of a B Listed wall and the construction of a new building to house a number of family friendly facilities on the Archerfield Estate, Dirleton.

The new build element of the project includes a cafe bar/restaurant, a farm deli, a micro-brewery and a craft shop with additional gallery space.

As part of the project an area of the site will also be allocated for use as a market garden to grow fresh produce that will subsequently be used in the cafe/restaurant kitchen, sold within the farm shop and to restaurants across East Lothian.

Meanwhile, an £18 million project to construct a brand new health centre in Morpeth, Northumberland is currently underway.

The new health centre is being built to relocate existing services into a new and improved facility and will incorporate two GP practices – Greystoke and Gas House Lane – as well as a range of services hosted by Northumbria NHS Trust, including x-ray, podiatry, physiotherapy and dental services. As well as new premises for the two GP practices the centre will also provide an integrated working facility for the staff and patients of Morpeth’s third GP practice, Wellway.

Discussing the project, Northumberland County Council Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing, Councillor Ian Lindley, said: “This is an exciting development in health services. The health centre will provide high-quality healthcare and the modern equipment will help GPs to do diagnostic testing in the surgery which will save people from having to travel.”

Finally, a multi-million pound refurbishment scheme for the Milton Keynes branch of John Lewis has reached completion.

The refurbishment project comprised a complete reworking of the site’s existing departments – including fashion, home and consumer electronics – along with the introduction of a new beauty spa – the Beauty Retreat – and an espresso bar. Now that work on the project is complete the refurbishment has modernised and transformed the shopping environment for John Lewis customers in thecentre:mk.

Join us now as we celebrate the developments that continue to shape our landscape.

Alex

University Church of St Mary the Virgin...........................................................10 Archerfield Estate Visitor Centre......................................................................12

South West Penzance Watersports Centre..........................................................................14 Audley Inglewood Retirement Village..............................................................15

North West Southlands High School...................................................................................17 Manchester Metrolink.......................................................................................20 Tesco Salford...................................................................................................21

North East U-Mix Centre......................................................................................................24 Redcar Beacon.................................................................................................26 Morpeth Health Centre......................................................................................27 Sinclair Meadows.............................................................................................28

Midlands & East Anglia Buxton Crescent Hotel and Thermal Spa.......................................................36 Regal Cinema.....................................................................................................37 Wollaston Baptist Church.................................................................................38

London & South East John Lewis........................................................................................................40 Gatwick Airport.................................................................................................47 University of Chichester....................................................................................50

Scotland Dumfries House.................................................................................................54 Heriot-Watt University......................................................................................56 Loch Ryan.........................................................................................................57 Dalmuir Park.....................................................................................................61 Hatston Pier......................................................................................................62

Wales Bishopton Comprehensive School................................................................69 Ebbw Vale.........................................................................................................70

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Managing Director: Marcus Howarth Editor: Alex Wiggan Assistant Editor: Siân Davies Production Manager: Kelsie Howarth Advert Co-ordinator: Nicola Owen and Sarah Goater

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

Volume 18 • Issue 3

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Bird’s Nest stadium engineer joins Salford as visiting professor

An engineer who took technology from the aerospace industry and applied it to the construction of the iconic Beijing Olympic stadium has been appointed as a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor of Innovation at the University of Salford.

Martin Simpson, who works as an Associate Director for Arup, will be specialising in the University’s drive to promote building information modelling (BIM) to the construction industry ahead of major government reforms.

Martin will be joining the University’s School of the Built Environment, which has the UK’s largest team of researchers devoted to BIM. Martin said: “I am very enthusiastic about taking this role as a Royal Academy of Engineering Professor of Innovation with the University of Salford.

“I’m passionate about the philosophy and technology of BIM, as it is emerging as a new paradigm to reduce waste and increase efficiency within the construction industry. I am looking forward to working closely with the BIM experts at the University of Salford and bringing these together with the knowledge and experience of Arup as a world leading consultant in the built environment.”

National Construction College’s 21st Century makeover Brand new, state-of-the art accommodation facilities have opened at the National Construction College campus, in Bircham Newton, West Norfolk.

The £5.1m facilities, built by Morgan Sindall, were opened by Henry Bellingham MP on 18th October and form the first phase of a 10 year re-development project that is being implemented to ensure world-class accommodation at Europe’s largest specialist training college.

In addition to the new accommodation – comprising 80 en-suite rooms each with Wifi access – the development includes a new Energy Centre housing a cutting edge biomass boiler, which will generate sufficient energy for a sustainable environment for all the new trainee accommodation.

At the opening of the new accommodation, Mr Bellingham, said: “This new accommodation is a real step forward for the NCC and will help ensure that trainees have the best opportunity to succeed on the courses they follow. I congratulate the NCC on their achievement with this project. The Bircham Newton campus has a strong reputation across the construction industry and the investment in new accommodation will ensure that they can continue to support coming generations in developing a successful career in construction.”

Mr Bellingham was joined for the opening by guests including Garry Sandell, Deputy Mayor of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, who was once a trainee bricklayer at the college.

Discussing the importance of the project, Andy Walder, Director of the National Construction College, said: “We believe that it is essential for our trainees to have access to the best living and learning facilities possible while they are with us. We take the welfare and wellbeing of our students extremely seriously and this new accommodation will help us deliver excellence in construction training in a safe, comfortable and attractive environment.

“With this kind of facility we can ensure that we are delivering a well-trained and qualified workforce – helping to make the UK’s construction industry more productive in the long term.”

For more information about the NCC visit www.cskills.org/training.

Crossrail continues Crossrail has marked a major milestone in the construction of London’s new rail line with the lowering of a 550 tonne tunnelling machine into a 40 metre deep shaft in east London.

The delicate operation was undertaken ahead of tunnelling for Crossrail’s eastern section of the new rail line and required one of the largest cranes in Europe to lift the equivalent of 280 London taxis.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “The transformational force of Crossrail is now coming ever nearer to central London. With every twist of these giant boring machines we are unleashing the huge economic opportunities stemming from this ambitious infrastructure project.”

Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail’s Chief Executive added: “This is a significant milestone for Crossrail’s progress in east London. When Crossrail is completed it will dramatically improve transport in east London and bring places like Custom House and Abbey Wood to within 20 minutes of London’s major employment areas.”

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Roof topping ceremony for new pathology building Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust has celebrated a key milestone for its new Pathology building with a traditional roof topping ceremony.

The jointly funded £8 million development involves a two storey extension to the current pathology building on the Heartlands Hospital site to accommodate a new centralised core laboratory. The facility will also house a stateof-the-art molecular biology laboratory for the diagnosis of infectious diseases and genetically acquired conditions.

The team of 400 laboratory medicine and Health Protection Agency (HPA) staff working in the laboratory currently turn around more than 2.6 million clinical sample requests every year for the Hospital Trust and GPs in the surrounding community. The extension will increase the laboratory’s capacity in line with demand, whilst modernising the services provided for patients and public health.

Completion of the building work was marked by Lord Philip Hunt, the Trust’s Chairman who placed the last tile on the building’s roof, thereby completing this key stage of the building development.

Lord Hunt commented: “I’m thrilled to see the progress on the Heartlands pathology complex. Providing an excellent patient experience is at the core of what we do. This new development allows us to provide an improved service including an increased amount of samples turned around every year and 24 hour service for local GPs.”

Heating with Needo Needo is a new, exciting energy efficient radiator which incorporates the latest ACS technology.

The NEEDO electric heating system includes a handheld wireless controller (the My NEEDO) – which displays real-time energy consumption – and offers users the ability to monitor the power usage of each individual radiator or zone.

NEEDO offers unrivalled programming and monitoring options and as no plumbing is required installation is inexpensively simple. The range – which comes in 3 different styles – is available in a choice of 6 power outputs and 9 colours and has already been featured on TV’s 60 Minute Makeover.

NEEDO is the European brand of Zoppas Industries; a spokesperson for Zoppas Industries, said: “A few years ago, Zoppas realised that the majority of electric radiators for which we were producing components were essentially adaptations of traditional wet systems and we set about designing a ‘pure’ electric system where everything was geared around the fact that it was electrically controlled.

“Not only is the look of the radiators important, but the energy efficiency too. In a world where we are all encouraged to become ‘greener’ NEEDO is the obvious choice. Think how much you could save by reducing your electricity consumption by 25%.”

NEEDO is a leader in the manufacture of heating elements and electronics for domestic and industrial applications and invests heavily in research and development.

For more information on NEEDO please visit: www.intelligentheat.co.uk or call 0845 163 0055.

Solar Special for Enfinity Trade Enfinity’s Trade division – part of the Enfinity Group – is celebrating its fifth birthday by offering MCS accredited installers some excellent promotions on its range of PV modules, inverters and PV packs.

Explaining the special anniversary offer, Martin Allman, UK Trade Manager, said: “We are keen to do our bit to help our installer customers to be as competitive as they can be. Enfinity Trade’s fifth birthday presents an opportunity to offer some great promotional deals on modules, inverters and PV packs. We are committed to further increasing our market share and are looking forward to further developing our trading relations with the leading PV installers across the UK.” Martin added: “Whilst there are a number of companies dropping out of the solar PV sector, at Enfinity we remain committed to giving our installer partners dedicated service and value for money as we look to further develop the Enfinity brand.”

Enfinity Trade provides high quality solar energy solutions at very competitive prices and with sustainable supply. The division has so far supplied over 110MW of PV modules as well as thousands of inverters, mounting systems equipment and other electrical ancillaries.

Further information on the special anniversary promotion is available from Enfinity UK on 01249 700490, by emailing tradeuk@enfinity.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.enfinity.co.uk.

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Invaluable restoration for Oxford church A £5.5 million project to restore a 13th Century church in Oxford is nearing completion.

Situated on High Street, the work is currently being undertaken at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin. The project comprises the internal conservation and refurbishment of the church, including the repair of ancillary spaces, along with the restoration and conservation of external stone work, including pillars.

In addition, new facilities – including a platform lift, DDA compliant toilets and a new kitchen – are also being installed on the site to improve provisions for visitors.

Swindon-based company, Beard, is the main contractor on the project, whilst conservation, heritage and listed building specialists Caroe Architecture is providing all architectural services on the site. Since work started on the project, Oliver Caroe, the lead architect at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin has been appointed as the architect at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Funding for the restoration project is being provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund, with additional funding from Clore Duffield and the University of Oxford.

Project Coordinator, Sophie Slade, said: “University Church of St Mary the Virgin is one of the oldest churches in Oxford and dates back to 1280. The work being undertaken on this site marks the first major programme of repairs, conservation and refurbishment since the 1890s.

“There is a programme of conservation, refurbishment and repairs across the entire Church complex and new facilities are being installed to make certain parts of the building much more accessible.

“The project is a Heritage Lottery Funded scheme under the

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title Education, Heritage and Renewal for the 21st Century. The scheme consists of three strands: construction, interpretation and education. I’m overseeing all three of the elements, with £3.4 million being allocated for the construction side of the project.”

Work began on the restoration project in November 2011.

Internal work on the site has taken place on the side chapel, the tower – including its base – the chancel, the cafe and the old library. All of the work required the erection of birdcage scaffolding and a team of conservators have worked from the top of the church downwards, cleaning and repainting stonework and finishes.

All the monuments and stain glassed windows on the site have also received an extensive clean, whilst a team of electricians has worked across the entire building, stripping out the existing wiring and replacing it with new cabling.

An intelligent lighting system – featuring dimmable controls – is also being installed.

Discussing the extensive restoration process, Sophie Slade said: “The project has been very challenging and with hindsight we may have looked at alternative ways to continue the church’s ongoing operations. We always understood the work might be a little difficult at times, but the programming of this project has been a little bit more complex than anyone realised.

“Once the phase involving the nave area commenced and the space was filled with a birdcage scaffold, shared occupancy became more challenging. During this phase it has been more difficult to welcome visitors into the church as it made the building look less inviting.

“Restoring access to the tower also took a little longer than envisaged, so a temporary route had to be installed as the tower is one of the most popular visitor attractions, with approximately 300,000 visitors per year.”

In addition to the current work on the site, some external landscaping is also set to take place in the church yard to improve access for wheelchair users.

Sophie Slade said: “This restoration work is part of a much wider scheme, with the interpretation and education side of the project being included to increase access and information for visitors.

“We do not want the site to become a museum rather we want

visitors to be able to understand the history of the church. We are lifting the standard of information that is available, allowing visitors to access it more readily.

“We are working with a number of schools in the area and we are also appointing a number of heritage volunteers who will be on site, welcoming visitors on a regular basis. The volunteers will be able to provide even more information regarding the unique history of the church and how the site sits within the wider context of Oxford.”

The restoration of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin is currently scheduled to reach completion in December 2012.

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New visitor attraction in Archerfield Estate A £2 million project to install a new multi-use visitor attraction on the historic Archerfield Estate is currently underway.

The Archerfield Walled Garden project comprises the restoration of a B Listed wall and the construction of a new building to house a number of family friendly facilities on the Archerfield Estate, in Dirleton. The new build element of the project will include a cafe bar/restaurant, a farm deli, a micro-brewery and a craft shop with additional gallery space.

As part of the project an area of the site will also be allocated for use as a market garden to grow fresh produce that will subsequently be used in the cafe/restaurant kitchen, sold within the farm shop and to restaurants across East Lothian.

Work began on the project in July 2012. David Miller Contracts Ltd is the main contractor on the project, whilst James Clydesdale & Associates is providing all architectural services on the site.

David Miller Contracts Ltd Managing Director, David Miller, said: “On this project we are involved with pretty much every aspect of the site with the exception of mechanical and electrical works, so that includes groundworks through to steel fabrication, erection and roofing.

“We have been involved with similar projects to this in the past so working on a site such as this is very important to us. The Archerfield Walled Garden is currently our largest project. We

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have an excellent working relationship with Archerfield Estates Limited, the client on this project and we hope to continue this as we complete the remaining work on the site.”

The significant investment for the Archerfield Walled Garden project by the Archerfield Estates is testimony to the company’s

belief in the significant potential for a quality development in East Lothian.

The single storey building being constructed on the site measures 1,404 sq metres and is being built from a steel frame with timber cladding. Once work is complete on the building, the facility will be heated using a biomass boiler, whilst a number of additional energy efficient schemes, such as the inclusion of LED lighting, will also be incorporated into the site.

As work is taking place on the historic landscape of the Archerfield Estate, all work is being conducted sensitively and in conjunction with Historic Scotland who have provided support and guidance to the design team. The local council has also been supportive of a project that is anticipated to create over 25 full-time equivalent positions once work is complete.

Archerfield Estates Chief Executive, Fraser Niven, said: “Before work began on the project we conducted a feasibility study to decide what would provide the most viable business opportunities in the area. Various ideas were put forward, but the micro brewery, cafe and retail elements were the facilities which proved most popular during the research stages.

“Three crafted ales are already being brewed in preparation for the launch of the new visitor facilities. The ales are being marketed under the Archerfield Fine Ales brand and we anticipate more to come in the future.”

Spokesman for Economic Development and Tourism, Councillor John McMillan, added: “The plans for a micro-brewery and retail space at Archerfield are very exciting and offer further employment opportunities within East Lothian.

“In recent years the council has led a strong marketing initiative focusing on the county’s food and drink products and the addition of a micro-brewery will, I’m sure, complement the existing quality producers.”

To date, the steel frame of the new building has been erected and the roof and drainage systems are currently being installed.

Once the structure has been completed the internal fit-out will take place to create the unique elements of the site, including the micro-brewery.

Fraser added: “This is a long term trading business for Archerfield Estate so it is commercially important for us. We are working closely with the community to ensure that we cater for everyone and we believe this site is going to be a very successful visitor attraction for East Lothian.

“The project brings the walled garden element of the site back to life through the addition of an exciting new hospitality facility and as the Archerfield Estate is situated between two villages we are making the site very child friendly to encourage local families to come and visit us.

“In addition, we are working with a social enterprise offering opportunities for people with special needs to work in the gardens which is also another exciting aspect to the project.

We anticipate that this element will help make the Archerfield Walled Garden a very significant development for this area of Scotland.”

The project is currently scheduled to reach completion in March 2013.

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New watersports centre makes a splash A project to create a brand new watersports centre for Penzance has reached completion.

The Penzance Watersports Centre project comprised the demolition of a 1970s Penzance Canoe and Sub Aqua Clubs clubhouse and the construction of a new, modern watersports centre. With work complete on the project the centre will now become a central hub for sporting activities where young people from the local community will have the opportunity to learn a range of watersports.

The centre boasts changing rooms, improved storage for equipment, a kitchen and bar, as well as general clubhouse space that is to be used by the Penwith Partnership. A chairlift, providing access for disabled visitors was also installed on the site, whilst new equipment includes kayaks, rowing boats and paddle boards.

The £500,000 facility replaces the existing Penzance Canoe Club building, which was situated towards the end of the Grade II Listed Albert Pier at Penzance Harbour. The new centre has been developed and maintained by the Penwith Partnership of Cape Cornwall, Hayle, Humphry Davy and St Ives Schools, Mounts Bay Academy and Penwith College.

Commenting on the new development, Director of Penwith College, Martin Tucker, said: “This facility enables young people within the partnership and the wider community to have opportunities to learn a range of watersports and make use of the fantastic natural resources

available in West Cornwall.”

Cathedral Builders was the main contractor on the project, whilst Capita Symons was the project manager. St Ives-based architectural practice, Poynton Bradbury Wynter Cole was responsible for all architectural services on the site.

Cathedral Builders Managing Director, Robin Gulliford, said: “Our work load is spread amongst various sectors and we have been working with Penwith College, mainly on historic buildings, but it was great to maintain our relationship with them on a project like this which has created such a cost effective solution.

“The project was completed within the time perimeters which met the educational needs of the building and has proved a successful project for both Cathedral Builders and Penwith College. Everyone is pleased with the development and it was great to be involved with this landmark project.”

The creation of the new centre has been viewed as a significant boost for sporting provision in the area, which not only increases club memberships, but will also stimulate interest in sporting events in Penzance.

The centre is home to Penzance’s already established canoe and sub-aqua clubs and is also being used to deliver a range of outdoor activities, alongside education programmes during term time. Penwith College will also use the facility for its surfing and kayaking academies.

Penzance Canoe Club Committee Member Richard Uren, said: “We have handed over the lease of the building to the partner-

Cathedral Builders Formed in 1996, Cathedral Builders is one of the South West’s most prestigious construction companies. Cathedral Builders’ diverse portfolio of projects includes residential, commercial, civil and industrial schemes, including Downholm, Carricktreath and Carn Tommen in St Mawes, Wendron in Helston and Treneere Manor for Truro & Penwith College.

Clients of Cathedral Builders include ClearFlow, National Trust and English Heritage and with a team of highly qualified tradespeople amongst its staff, Cathedral Builders is widely acknowledged as one of the best contractors in the county.

Poynton Bradbury Wynter Cole

ship and we will continue to have access to it while contributing to the running costs.

“It means we will have a first-class watersports facility in Penzance for the Penwith Partnership and for the clubs which will become a centre of excellence for Watersports.”

Founded in 1973, Poynton Bradbury Wynter Cole is one of the largest architectural practices in the region, with projects ranging from £2 million through to £30 million. The company’s past projects include Portminster Hotel, Fistral Surf Centre, WCH Treatment Centre, Newquay Sports Centre and of course Penwith Watersports Centre.

Based in the Old Sail Lofts in St Ives Conservation Area, Poynton Bradbury Wynter Cole continues to invest in both training and equipment and prides itself on its wide range of skills which has made it an expert in masterplanning, conservation, sustainability and innovation.

Berkshire becomes home to a new luxury retirement village Audley Inglewood Retirement Village in Kintbury, Berkshire is being built in the place of a former Champneys Health Spa. The £12 million project for Audley Retirement Villages involves the complete rebuild of the original hotel building and additional development to create 85 apartments and nine cottages.

The main house will contain 30 of the apartments along with various facilities including a swimming pool, fitness room, spa, restaurant, lounge and library. In total, the development will create 94 properties (85 apartments and 9 cottages). Audley Retirement enables residents to live an independent and healthy later life in their own homes and in a like-minded community with access to the facilities of the Audley Club and flexible care packages.

The original building was not listed and was in poor condition so a new build means that the retirement village will benefit from features such as modern energy efficiency.

Inglewood House will be sensitively rebuilt and a recreation of the original building and will use some of the original features that have been preserved and protected.

The stone work façade will replicate the original façade of the main house detail by detail and is worth in excess of £1 million.

Construction began in October 2011 and the project will be completed in April 2013, with nine units to be handed over before the end of 2012. Already there is a show apartment which is open for viewings.

The main contractor is Cowlins and the building will be a mixture of three and four stories and a combination of concrete, stone and rendered finished with a mansard roof.

David Driscoll, Property and Business Development Director at Audley Retirement Villages commented: “As with all Audley projects it is an elegant and slightly eclectic mix; our interiors really are focused to complement the size and scale of the property.

“The residential apartment specifications include Siematic Kitchens, Villeroy and Boch Sanitary ware and Hansgrohe fittings. We aim to give high end quality in all that we do.

“The Inglewood village is set within grounds which also incorporate a former cricket pitch, a wood land, meadows, a folly

and clock tower, a superb walled garden and an extensive lime tree avenue.

“The site also has an interesting past, having been a private home, a Catholic seminary, as well as a luxury spa. While it has been enjoyed by a range of groups across the years, we look forward to opening the site back up to the local community and in sympathetically restoring the beautiful Victorian building.”

Audley is also retaining and redeveloping the formal gardens to the rear of the main house.

David added: “The project is a key scheme for Audley’s business; it is one of a new breed of luxury villages where we strive to offer the very best of locations, facilities and service.

“We would hope that this project would give back some pride to the community as rebuilding such an iconic building after so many years of neglect can only be good for the community. It will have a member’s only Audley Club for the spa and swimming pool, and a restaurant, bistro and bar open to the public.”

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N o r th We s t Construction News

Call our news team on 01706 719972

Flagship Primark store undergoes extensive refurbishment A project to refurbish Primark Manchester continues to make great progress.

The extensive scheme is currently taking place across three-storeys of a six-storey building on Manchester’s Market Street. Each floor of the building covers an area of approximately 2,500 sq ft and work includes the modernisation of the sales floor across all three levels, improvements to the point of sale areas and refurbishment of back of house facilities.

In addition, changing rooms and display units are also receiving an upgrade to bring the site’s facilities in line with the brand’s target customer of fashion conscious under 35’s, whilst stylish lifts and escalators provide improved access to each floor. Air conditioning has also been installed at the site.

Work on the Primark Manchester Refurbishment project also involves the complete redesign and installation of lighting and emergency lighting, submains distribution, small power distribution and mechanical containment and wiring, along with the installation of fire alarm systems and telephone and data wiring.

All of the work on the Primark Manchester Refurbishment project is being undertaken whilst the store remains open to the public. In order to facilitate the works, areas of the site have been sectioned off whilst the improvement scheme takes place, however the store has remained operational at all times.

An entrance to the flagship store – located opposite Piccadilly Gardens – has already re-opened to the public and demonstrates a bright and very stylish entry point for customers. Meanwhile as the internal layout of the site has been reworked a substantial number of new partitions have been installed into the site to improve retail space.

Primark has over 150 stores throughout the UK, with additional sites in Ireland, Spain, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria. As well as providing customers with a full range of dedicated lines which includes menswear, womenswear and childrenswear, the brand also stocks accessories, gifts and homewear.

The refurbishment scheme for Primark Manchester joins similar high-street retail refurbishment schemes that are taking place in the city centre, including reworked stores for H&M and Marks & Spencer. Meanwhile a number of new stores have recently opened for Levi’s, Hollister, Superdry and Lego.

The Primark Manchester Refurbishment project is currently scheduled to reach completion in spring 2013. ISG is the main contractor on the project, whilst Anthony O’Connor & Sons Ltd is

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involved with a number of the structural alteration works on the site.

Manchester-based company, Anthony O’Connor & Sons Ltd is conducting a number of structural alteration works on the site, including the strip out of balustrades and handrails, the removal of fixtures and fittings and the creation of new floor openings for lift shafts.

Commenting on the company’s involvement with the project, Anne Barton, Anthony O’Connor & Sons Ltd said: “Working on the refurbishment scheme at Primark Manchester is very important to us; it is a different challenge and one that we are enjoying being a part of.”

Southlands High School expands Chorley Southlands High School is benefitting from a new £2.8 million music and art block.

The project will see a number of temporary classrooms being demolished to make way for the extension to the existing

school buildings, which will include 3 large specialist art rooms, a resource area and a sewing machine work room.

There will also be outdoor work spaces and a school gallery to exhibit student and visiting artists work.

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N o r th We s t The project began in October 2011 and was completed in September 2012 and was funded by Lancashire County Council.

The main contractor was Bramall Construction Ltd, based in Manchester. Bramall Construction are part of Keepmoat Ltd, a leader in community regeneration throughout the North of England. Bramall Construction specialise in the regeneration and construction of public sector housing throughout Yorkshire, Humber, East Midlands and the North West.

The architect is the Warrington-based Ellis Williams Architects.

They have worked on a wide range of education projects, including The Manchester Communication Academy and de Montfort University.

Their involvement with the promotion of good design includes being founding members of the LSC RIBA Forum and RIBA Award judging panelists.

The block is a steel frame two storey construction of approximately 1080 sq m, with lightweight SFS panelling internally and PCC floors and stairs.

The extension also has some full height glazing and a large glazed wall with folding doors to allow external performances during summer. The building takes advantage of as much natural lighting as possible in its design.

Externally, work has been done on a tarmac play area with seating and planting. There is now also a large flat decked area which will be used to teach students outside.

The project is part of a building and refurbishment programme at Southlands High School which has seen a number of improvements over the last couple of years.

A new science block was completed in August 2011, featuring six state of the art science labs, and auditorium and a new ICT suite. This also included a new reception and conference room.

An extension has doubled the seating capacity in the school’s dining room and several suites of classrooms have been refurbished.

Andy Swain from Lancashire County Council said:

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“The performance area of the new building is equipped with IT and audio visual equipment as well as professional dressing rooms to give pupils real life experience of performing, editing and recording.

“The project has been procured on a design and build basis and all parties have worked well together to achieve the results within the confines of the budget and the aspirations of the school. It is a very important project for us.”

Innova Design Solutions Innova Design Solutions is a leading supplier of educational and commercial furniture. They are specialists in the design and manufacture of inspirational furniture for laboratories, food technology rooms, ITC spaces, libraries, toilets and receptions.

On Southlands High School, Innova provided a contemporary look to the arts rooms, textile areas, performance space, music rooms and toilets. To highlight the students artwork a monochrome theme was followed but in each area a colour accent was used to lift the spaces.

The arts block interiors followed successful installations to the new science block, dining area and English and Mathematics classrooms.

Pete Smith, the company’s director, said: “Countless studies have shown that children learn best via a wide-range of teaching methods, in a spacious and comfortable yet stimulating environment.

“We know the importance of the classroom, and the amount of time spent there by both students and staff. An inspirational environment is the backbone to achieving quality learning.

“We believe an effective learning space should encourage the student to become involved, whilst also being a safe place to learn. The right environment can also increase productivity, reduce fatigue and increase creativity.”

Veka Mixing Plant Work has begun on a new £4 million mixing plant at VEKA’s Burnley Head Office.

Once finished the plant will be the most technically-advanced mixing plant in the UK. Veka Plc is a worldwide manufacturer of UPVC windows, composite and UPVC doors systems.

VEKA MD David Jones said: “The new mixing plant will be fully automated, meaning it will be capable of processing almost double our current capacity in tonnes, which will allow for future growth and expansion. The new mixers and coolers are the most technically-advanced available.

“In the past we have bought in ready-mixed compound powder; however as part of our investment to the UK since last year’s acquisition of Bowater Building Products, we will now mix our own on-site, which will be transferred to the extrusion lines via the silos in the newly-built powder feed system.

“As we strive to maintain our number one position in the industry, the VEKA UK Group will continue to invest in the UK market.

The recent multi-million pound investments into a new powder feed system and now the mixing plant demonstrates our long term commitment to the UK and our customers.”

The project started, in terms of design, in September 2011 and is due to be completed around February 2013.

The main contractor is Craig Hambling Ltd and the consultant engineer is Francis A Bradshaw Partnership.

Senior Partner Peter Calvert from Francis A Bradshaw Partnership spoke to Premier Construction about the project.

He said: “The extension to the existing factory complex will comprise of a steel framed five storey construction with concrete floors incorporating service and lift shafts, an underground basement, advanced mixers, coolers and an additional four storage silos

for raw materials. Externally there will be a further six silos built adjacent to the new building together with a concrete hardstanding and specialist drainage systems.

“This mixing plant has environmentally friendly elements to it, for example it will reduce the amount of material that gets delivered to various parts of the country, it now can all come to this factory site. Therefore it will reduce the number of vehicle movements on the roads.”

The building is a large addition to the existing Veka factory, at around 26 metres high and covers an area of 25 metres by 25 metres.

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N o r th We s t Peter added: “It’s a complex project by the very nature of the fact that the plant and equipment going in is complex itself.

“It was important to be involved as it’s an exciting project and we’re delighted to be involved in something which is at the forefront of the production of plastics in the UK. It’s an interesting and challenging project.

“I have done mixing plants before but as technology moves on, so therefore the building structure must move on, and along with it the layout of the building.

“The project is still going forward and there’s still a lot to do but it’s gone very well so far.”

Craig Hambling Ltd Formed in 1979, Hambling Construction has successfully operated from its current Accrington base for almost 30 years. The Director’s have built a professional team of management and highly skilled operatives, many of which were trained in-house and remain with the company.

Contracts are regularly undertaken throughout northern England and partnering arrangements in place with an ever in-

creasing number of key clients. Specialist fit-out projects utilise their advanced workshop facilities.

The company has a proven track record in understanding the particular demands of public and private sector clients. It prides itself on the dedication of its workforce and compliance with the standards of quality, health & safety and best practices within the industry.

Hambling Construction is Constructionline registered, hold accreditations with CHAS, Investors in People and are ISO 9001 certified.

A reputation for commitment and attention to detail has the earned the company much recognition with a cross-section of clients including local authorities, healthcare trusts, education bodies, housing groups, government departments, police authorities and public & private companies of all sizes.

Following the acquisition of Burnley based contractors R Pilling and Son Ltd early in 2012, Hambling Construction now has the scope to undertake an even broader range of projects, particularly those with a Civil Engineering bias.

Metrolink: Connecting Manchester A multi-million pound scheme to triple Manchester’s Metrolink tram network continues to make good progress.

In 2009, a £1.5 billion fund was agreed for 15 transport schemes to take place in Greater Manchester. The fund included improving existing Metrolink services and extending the current ser-

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vice to nearby towns, including Oldham and Rochdale.

The 14 mile extension to Oldham and Rochdale runs along the Central Park railway corridor in East Manchester and joins the former Oldham loop rail line between Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale. During the works a number of new Metrolink

stops are being constructed, including Monsall, Central Park, Hollinwood, Derker, Newhey and Rochdale Railway Station.

In addition, brand new Park and Ride facilities are also being installed at Hollinwood and Derker, whilst existing facilities at Shaw, Crompton and Milnrow are receiving an overhaul. The improvement and expansion scheme will ensure smoother journeys, a more reliable service and access to towns not previously catered for.

Currently under construction, the Metrolink extension through Oldham town centre diverts the existing service from the Oldham Rochdale line near the Westwood business park to head north and run parallel to Featherstall Road. The route then moves east, following Middleton Road, before heading south towards Manchester Street roundabout and joining the Oldham Rochdale line at Mumps.

The Oldham extension includes four new stops – at Westwood, King Street, Union Street and Oldham Mumps – and is currently scheduled for completion in 2014.

Meanwhile, work continues on the Rochdale line, taking the service from Rochdale Railway Station along Maclure Road towards a new Metrolink stop on Smith Street. Once complete, the extension will provide a link from the Railway Station to the town centre.

As part of the work to build the new Metrolink Oldham and Rochdale lines, almost 100 bridges and structures are being refurbished.

Laing O’Rourke and VolkerRail are delivering the civil and rail infrastructure requirements of the scheme. Thales UK is providing all the electrical systems and engineering works, including power and overhead line equipment and the tram management system.

Manchester’s Metrolink network opened more than 16 years ago and provides services to key locations around the city, including MediaCityUK – the new home of the BBC. At present the busiest section of the network is the city centre track, which accommodates up to 250 trams a day however this will increase to 400 trams once the new service is fully operational.

In addition to the extensions, city centre stops at St Peter’s Square and Piccadilly Gardens are to be upgraded. The Piccadilly Gardens stop is being widened to increase the passenger capacity, whilst the stop at St Peter’s Square is being lengthened to improve access for double-length trams.

During the works Manchester City Council has granted permission for 24 hour working hours in some parts of the city centre, in order to increase progress on the scheme. However all work is being carried out in accordance with the Construction Code of Practice and will not take place between 11:30pm and 7:30am, in certain areas of the city.

For more information about Metrolink, or the latest updates to the ongoing works, please visit: www.metrolink.co.uk.

Regenerating Salford: Every little helps The construction of a brand new 24-hour Tesco Extra store and linked petrol station in Salford has reached completion.

Located within Salford Precinct, the £22 million development has been constructed as part of plans to regenerate the area of Salford in Greater Manchester. Construction and interior fit-out company, Patton Group was the main contractor on the project, whilst Smith Smally Architects provided all architectural services on the site. Birchall Ltd was the mechanical and electrical engineer on the project.

Work began on the store in March 2012 and reached completion in early November 2012, with the store officially opening on 17th November. The project was funded by Tesco’s and its development partners The Santon Group.

The 100,000 sq ft site comprises a Tesco Extra store, a sixpump petrol station and associated landscaping. The new store was built using a steel frame construction, with timber cladding on the external elevations, and features roof lights and a ‘wind catcher’ ventilation system.

Prior to work taking place on the project the site housed an old school and a church which were owned by Salford City Council.

These structures were demolished prior to work commencing on the new development.

Discussing the challenges of the project, Tesco Stores Limited Store Development Manager, Bernard Owens, said: ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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N o r th We s t “The new Tesco Extra store was constructed in a highly populated area of Salford, so this was quite a congested site.

However to combat any problems with disruption for local residents, the Patton Group worked closely with neighbours and residents – which included setting up forums – to ensure that everyone effected by the work was informed as to the progress of the development.

“The ground conditions on the site also proved problematic.

We had to use a lime stabilisation process on the ground to rectify the situation, but due to the bad weather this year, especially in Manchester, we had to repeat the process on a number of occasions.

“There were a few restrictions in terms of the working hours on the project and this was a very tight programme of works.

Construction could only take place between the hours of 8am and 6pm each day, but we adhered to this and completed the project on time.”

Bernard added: “It was vital that we got this store completed on time as it forms an important part of the proposed regeneration scheme in Salford. The store will provide services to customers in the local area and will encourage major regeneration projects to take place in the Salford area.

“Tesco Extra Salford looks great and has been expertly delivered by the Patton Group.”

Tesco has over 3,000 stores and currently employs over 300,000 employees. The company has the widest range of products for any food retailer and its own brands Tesco Finest and Everyday Value are two of the largest food brands in the UK. In April 2012 the company announced a £1 billion commitment plan to improve the shopping experience for its customers throughout 2012/2013. The scheme to build a better Tesco experience includes providing a better range of products and improving services and staff.

For more information on Tesco please visit: www.tesco.com.

Fitness first: Improving Marl Pits Sports Complex A £2.6 million project to extend and improve leisure facilities at Marl Pits Sports Complex has been completed.

Work began on the Rossendale-based project in February 2012 and officially reached completion, on time and within budget, on October 30th 2012.

Kier was the main contractor on the project, whilst KKA Architecture provided all architectural services on the site.

Funding for the project was provided through the Prudential.

The project comprised the erection of a single-storey extension to house changing facilities, office accommodation, a fitness studio and a group fitness room. Alterations were also made to the internal layout of the existing building to improve pool side provisions with the refurbishment of the existing male and female changing area and the addition of accessible and unisex changing facilities.

The new extension was built from blockwork with a render finish and curtain walling, whilst the roof was formed in a singleply roofing system with welded standing seam trim and feature soffit, with an aluminium flashing detail to the gable ends. The extension is L-shaped in design and measures 31.2m (south elevation) x 36.9m (east elevation) with a building depth of 11.1m, providing a total area of 612 sq m.

In total the complex, located on Newchurch Road, now covers an area of 1,694 sq m.

Commenting on the importance of the Marl Pits project and its legacy, Rossendale Council Leader, Alyson Barnes, said: “This not only provides improved sports and leisure opportunities for local people but will help to make publicly funded leisure

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facilities in Rossendale more sustainable.

“The improvements at Marl Pits will provide some great new opportunities for local people to get fitter and healthier.”

As part of the project some landscaping work was also undertaken on the site which included the reconfiguration of the existing car parking area to include provisions for disabled drivers, parent & child parking and motorcyclists. Four multipurpose outdoor pitches – located towards the rear of the development’s swimming pool building – were also installed on the site.

Martin Kay, Rossendale Leisure Trust, said: “The project forms part of Rossendale’s wider programme of leisure investment, aimed at delivering first class public leisure to the Borough. The proposal was in response to the Rossendale Leisure Review and supports the Council’s pledge to improve health issues through exercise.

“The successful completion of the project has created new, modern, fit-for-purpose sport and leisure facilities and high quality buildings which the borough of Rossendale can be proud of. We have provided services which meet the ever-increasing needs of customers and will increase customer satisfaction of sports and leisure facilities.”

Martin added: “Marls Pits is a huge sporting footprint for the community of Rossendale. Like many existing and traditional sports complexes the facility has its issues and its areas that needed support.

The improved car parking scheme coupled with the new facilities on the swimming pool side hopefully shows all users that we are serious in supporting the whole scheme whilst ensuring that

things start working towards sustainable and affordable leisure provisions.

“On a pure business footing, the work conducted on the Marls Pits Sports Complex project ensures that the pool is sustainable and will contribute significantly to the overall business plan for the Leisure Trust.”

In addition to Marl Pits, Rossendale Leisure Trust manages a range of facilities including Haslingden Sports Centre and Haslingden Swimming Pool. The Trust has an ever expanding development team, working across a variety of sport and healthy lifestyle schemes, with projects ranging from the highly successful ‘Girls in Sport’ to ‘Sportivate’.

For more information about Rossendale Leisure Trust, please visit: www.rltrust.co.uk.

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Sporting stars support Sheffield’s U-Mix Centre After 12 years of planning, the U-Mix Centre in Sheffield is nearing completion.

The youth and sports facility, which will provide a wide range of activities and services for young people, has been in the making since 1996 when the charity Football Unites Racism Divides (FURD) was founded.

Howard Holmes, founder of FURD and now the Strategic Development Officer told Premier Construction about the project.

“Ever since the charity started we’ve been looking to try and develop some facilities for young people to be able to play football properly. But it’s grown into a much wider youth work project.

“Now our organisation is working in conjunction with other partners to provide activities at the centre. We’ve signed an agreement with the City Council to provide various services here and will create a programme of the various activities to encourage private sector development and support where we can.

“It’s been about 11 or 12 years in the making really, in terms of the planning involved and trying to get the funding together, which reflects the fact that the project is multi-faceted. It’s very much a dream come true in terms of the facilities.”

As well as floodlit artificial grass football facilities and changing rooms the centre has a kitchen, dance studio, recording studio, rehearsal space, gym, training rooms, a positive activities area and a resource centre.

The centre is a joint project between FURD and Sheffield City Council. Sheffield Futures, who help run the careers and youth service in the city, have also been involved.

Regarding funding, the project has been a combined effort through a number of funding pools.

Howard explained: “The main funder is the Department of Education through their Myplace programme which was started under the last government – a major chunk of the money has come from there.

“The City Council has also put money into schemes like the play equipment, which has come out of the Playbuilder programme that the council administer through government funding.

“The Football Foundation awarded £350,000 towards the cost of the football facilities and the changing rooms.”

Building on the project began in the spring of 2011 and was handed over to the charity in May 2012. The centre is a new build in a former green space.

William Birch & Sons Ltd was the main contractor on the rectangular building, which has an industrial, modern look. The architect was Cath Basilio.

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From the open entrance hall, a corridor goes down the full length of the building. There are large patio doors which open onto the outside sports facilities and the industrial pipes and fittings within the building have been left exposed to give it a modern feel. There are stone features within the building to give the appearance of a dry stone wall and wood panelling has also been used.

Howard said: “There were some terraced houses on the land which were knocked down over 30 years ago and it was used by some groups informally, but the site itself was starting to become quite unsafe. There were quite a few collapsed cellars from where the houses had been before – we used to coach on the land and you would come down in a morning and find there was suddenly a hole in the ground from where it had subsided.

“It wasn’t a very pleasant area – it was dark and people rarely walked across after dark even though it was a short cut. There was some evidence of substance misuse so the whole area has been massively improved. It’s a fantastic looking space now.

“Young people have been involved in every part of the planning process, and were helped by Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis to secure funding for the centre.”

Howard added: “The young people have been involved at every stage of the planning and design process for this and in particular lobbying politicians when it looked doubtful that we would secure funding.

“The young people met with Jessica Ennis who was actually brought up within a javelin’s throw of the centre. She’s very supportive and met with the young people at a time when we thought we might lose the funding – she helped give the centre a lot of really good publicity.

“We’re waiting for a date in her diary so she can come and officially open the centre, along with Kyle Walker, who we recommended to Sheffield United 13 years ago. He now plays for Tottenham Hotspur and England – and is an ambassador for the project.

“Trying to get an Olympic gold medallist and Premiership footballer together on the same day is quite difficult. Hopefully we will have the official opening at some point in November.”

William Birch & Sons Ltd Founded in 1874, William Birch & Sons Ltd used their wide experience in the industry to create the U-Mix Centre.

With a team of over 100 employees based in York, they deal with a very broad spectrum of building types, on contracts worth several million pounds.

N o r th E a s t & Yo r ks h i re Their services include restoration and refurbishment, equipment and lorry hire and new build construction William Birch & Sons also increasingly work on development projects, where they are responsible for the initial purchase of the land, all aspects of the construction programme and the ultimate lease or sale of the buildings.

They also work to their clients’ choice of procurement method – whether that be traditional contract, design & build, management contract, partnering or joint venture.

Heritage Masonry UK Ltd Founded in 1993, Heritage Masonry UK Ltd is a masonry company specialising in all aspects of stone masonry and restoration.

Richard Remde, Director of Heritage Masonry UK Ltd, said: “On the UMix Centre we did all the masonry cladding. The building was built out of concrete and we clad the building in Yorkshire stone to make it look like a stone building.”

Heritage Masonry UK Ltd work on bespoke projects across the country.

Richard said: “We won a gold medal at Chelsea Flower Show 2012 for a stone building we built in a Peter Dowle garden. We have also worked on footballers houses such as Gary Neville and Wayne

Rooney and for high profile clients like the National Trust. I only have ten employees and we focus our efforts on doing good work on quality projects.”

A beacon for Redcar The Redcar Beacon takes pride of place at the centre of Redcar’s multi-million pound seafront regeneration.

The 80ft structure was given the working title of the ‘Vertical Pier’ when it was first proposed in 2008 but has recently been officially named The Redcar Beacon after a community-wide naming competition.

Visitors will be able to take in stunning panoramic views from a top-level viewing platform once the structure opens in early 2013.

A ground-floor café will serve up refreshments, with other levels providing workshops showcasing the best of the Borough’s creative industries.

Redcar and Cleveland Council wants to breathe new life into the town – the authority’s regeneration masterplan includes a vision of bringing an extra million annual visitors to Redcar by 2025.

The Redcar Beacon is complemented by a £31m Leisure and Community Heart project, which will offer sporting facilities already hailed as “inspirational” by Olympic long jump legend Jonathan Edwards.

An £8.3m creative industries ‘Hub’ on the seafront provides first-class business space for local traders, while a £4.9m youth centre will bring first-class multimedia facilities to local young people.

The Environment Agency and the Council are also working in partnership on a £30m scheme to provide crucial strengthened sea defences and a new-look promenade.

The Redcar Beacon is part funded by the NE ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007-2013 which is bringing over £300m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region. Other funders include One North East and the sea defence work is being carried out in conjunction with the Environment Agency.

Councillor Mark Hannon, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, said: “I am thrilled that we are able to unveil the Redcar Beacon as the name chosen by the public for our new seafront landmark.

“It comes at a time when Redcar is undergoing the biggest regeneration programme in its history and we must now look forward to the prosperous future that all of this exciting work will create.”

Councillor Olwyn Peters, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, said: “Bringing more visitors to Redcar and the surrounding area is a hugely important aim for us and the Redcar Beacon is a brilliant new attraction.

“Once it is open to the public, I hope as many people as possible take the chance to come along and see what Redcar has to offer.”

New NHS Centre for Morpeth An £18 million project to construct a brand new health centre in Morpeth, Northumberland is currently underway.

The new health centre is being built to relocate existing services into a new and improved facility and will incorporate two GP practices – Greystoke and Gas House Lane – as well as a range of services hosted by Northumbria NHS Trust, including x-ray, podiatry, physiotherapy and dental services. As well as new premises for the two GP practices the centre will also provide an integrated working facility for the staff and patients of Morpeth’s third GP practice, Wellway.

Northumberland County Council Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing, Councillor Ian Lindley, said: “This is an exciting development in health services. The health centre will provide high-quality healthcare and the modern equipment will help GPs to do diagnostic testing in the surgery which will save people from having to travel.”

Work began on the project in February 2012. Prior to work taking place on the project, the site housed The Mount – a Northumberland County Council owned and operated care home which was demolished as part of the project.

Laing O’Rourke is the main contractor on the Morpeth NHS Centre project, whilst P+HS Architects is providing all architectural services on the site. The Strategic Health Authority (SHA) is providing funding for the project.

The three-storey centre is being constructed from precast concrete panels, using a specially devised Laing O’Rourke system. The external finish includes a mix of natural stone and glazed curtain walling and has been designed to blend in with the local area.

To date the structure has been erected, the roof has been installed and the first-fix and mechanical and electrical works have been completed. Second-fix works and internal fit-outs are currently scheduled to take place during the end of 2012, along with the installation of sanitary ware.

A small amount of landscaping work will also take place on the site, along with the installation of a 93-space staff and visitor car park.

One of the most advanced features of the new centre is the inclusion of an integrated cooling system which adapts to the weather conditions. During warmer weather vents within the building will cool the external mass of the structure, whilst the exposed concrete structure will retain heat during the colder months of the year. Additional environmentally friendly features of the centre include Photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof.

NHS South of Tyne and Wear Capital Projects Officer, Keith Hodson, said: “This project is very important to us. The planning permission dates back to 2010 and for a while the project was put on hold, so everyone was keen to get it back up and running again. Now that we are nearing completion everyone is very keen to see the work completed, especially the tenants who are moving in.

“Although the construction of this new centre will see the relocation of existing services, the Northumbria Foundation Trust site that it replaces will remain open and will continue to operate only with a different range of services.

“The building programme was been hampered a little bit by the weather conditions we experienced during summer 2012, but generally speaking we are on programme and work is progressing well.”

Keith added: “During the construction process there have been a range of public engagement events and these have received great feedback from the local community. The events have helped to keep interest in the project on a local level. Morpeth is a reasonably small place and most of the residents are patients of the two GP practices involved, so it is very important from a patient point of view that everything is catered for.”

One of the public engagement events held at the site was a topping out ceremony which celebrated the completion of the building structure.

Discussing the importance of the topping out ceremony, Laing O’Rourke Project Manager, Fred Smith, commented: “Work on the new health centre is progressing well and the landmark celebration recognised the success so far. The occasion gave local residents and staff the opportunity to see how the health centre has materialised; giving them an insight into the design of what will essentially be their health centre for years to come.”

The Morpeth NHS Centre project is currently scheduled for completion in February 2013.

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Sinclair Meadows carbon negative housing Sinclair Meadows in South Shields is the first ‘carbon negative’ housing community of its kind in the UK. The scheme has been delivered by Four Housing Group and provides 21 affordable homes.

The design is well in advance of current standards and will serve as an excellent example to others of how to construct sustainable and low environmental impact developments.

Paul Tanney, Chief Executive of Four Housing Group said: “The project is currently 15 per cent beyond the current zero carbon definition, and based on all current calculations we anticipate the scheme will be more than 60 per cent beyond the 2013 definition. We are breaking boundaries in terms of what is achievable in the realms of social housing.

“There is a growing need in the industry for developers to understand how micro-renewable technologies perform in the real world. The data monitoring of Sinclair Meadows over the next two years will collect raw and accurate data which will not only provide an excellent opportunity to share knowledge of sustainable housing with the industry, but also improve tenant engagement and training programmes.”

The development comprises nine three-bedroom houses and 12 two-bedroom apartments. The principle contractor on the project was Galliford Try Partnerships North and the architect was Fitz Architects. Ian Larnach Associates provided advice on sustainability and were involved from the beginning of the project.

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Alan Wyper, Sustainability Design Manager at Galliford Try Partnerships, said: “We have been involved in the plans for the Sinclair Meadows development since the pioneering project’s inception over four years ago and are delighted to have made a positive contribution in bringing it to reality. Sinclair Meadows is a flagship de-

velopment of which all the partners can be proud and another step towards our vision to be leaders in the construction of a sustainable future.”

The design concept was to provide residents with healthy homes within a sustainable community lifestyle. The intention was to create a development that will set the standard for local regeneration schemes but also inspire residents to revisit the true values of community life.

Chris Holt from Ian Larnach Associates explained: “The initial concept began around four years ago with the aim of creating a carbon negative housing development. We wanted to lock away as much carbon as possible but also generate an excess of energy from the systems installed to make sure that during operation, when tenants are using the houses, they produce more energy than they use.”

The materials used were selected because of their renewable and carbon negative capabilities including responsibly sourced timber frames, larch cladding, natural lime render, cedar roof shingles, recycled wood fibre insulation and triple glazed timber windows.

A spokesperson from Fitz Architects said: “The major concept was to orientate the buildings to face south to maximise the natural solar gain and also allow for the integration of renewable technologies into the roof. Equally important was the houses being ‘huddled’ together in a staggered layout, which minimises exposed north facing elevations creating party walls in thermal equilibrium with the neighbouring property.

“These two key factors dictated the organisational structure of the site and the internal spatial relationships of the homes.

The scheme is an imaginative layout which maximises views, vistas and privacy distances. The striking buildings create a local landmark development and the quality of a residential neighbourhood such as this strongly influences people’s quality of life in a positive way.”

The project will make a major contribution to national house building initiatives and it would not have been possible without the initial vision of Groundwork South Tyneside and Newcastle and hard work of the various partners involved, including South Tyneside Council.

Councillor Jim Foreman, Lead Member for Housing and

Transport at South Tyneside Council, said: “It’s no coincidence that this cutting-edge development has taken shape in South Tyneside, which is fast emerging as a centre for renewable energy and green enterprise. Sinclair Meadows is breaking new ground in sustainable living, just a stone’s throw from One Trinity Green – a new business development that was recently hailed as the world’s greenest new office building of the year.”

It is also the only no car parking scheme within the area and has provisions of kitchen herb gardens and designated garden areas to encourage vegetable growing. The carbon-negative aspects of the build had to be carefully considered not only throughout the design and construction process but also with tenants, who will be trained in how to lead carbon negative lifestyles.

Ian Larnach Associates Ltd Ian Larnach Associates Ltd provide sustainability consultancy and material supply chain consultancy- solving problems and introducing specific solutions to help clients save time and money.

Chris Holt from Ian Larnach Associates ltd said: “This project is truly groundbreaking and it was really important to us to be a part of it. I was the Code for Sustainable Homes assessor and we were part of the bid team along with the housing association and architect, working on the project from the conception stage.

“On Sinclair Meadows, we used a number of Reppel products including Lewis Dovetailed Sheeting which is a light weight steel and screed composite floor system. In this project the Lewis solution was chosen to provide an acoustic floor that improved on Building Regulations Part E standards by at least 8dB – the sound testing on the site showed that it easily achieved this standard.

“Lacomet Fl, a lead flashing alternative was also used as it solved the problem of tannins leaching from the timber shingles.

“At Ian Larnach Associates Ltd we pride ourselves in being able to solve problems and find solutions that save time and money but also add value and quality.”

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Mixed-use development in Hipperholme A £950,000 project to construct a mixed-use, housing and retail development in Halifax has reached completion.

The Hipperholme Development project took place on Wakefield Road, Hipperholme, Halifax and comprised the construction of ten duplex apartments and six retail units. The individual retail units were being constructed below the apartments, whilst undercroft parking was installed below the retail units.

K.L.H Projects was the main contractor on the project, whilst David Horton of K.L.H Projects provided all architectural services on the site. Brighouse-based company Strecap Properties Ltd implemented and funded the project.

In discussing the construction of the mixed-use development, Strecap Properties Ltd Company Owner, Colin Wormald, commented: “I hoped to show other local builders and businesses what could be achieved and to show people that builders aren’t just sat on sites.

“There has been a lot of interest in the retail units and negotiations are still ongoing. There are also people taking an interest in the apartments.”

Work began on the Hipperholme Development project in September 2011 and reached completion in November 2012.

The retail units on the development were constructed from a superstructure steel frame, with concrete foundations. Above the retail units the remainder of the development comprises lightweight gage high tensile galvanised steel, with artificial stone cladding and acoustic UPVC windows.

Once work was completed on the construction of the build-

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ing’s structure the internal fit-out works took place, including the installation of fittings and fixtures.

Prior to work starting on the project, the site was a cleared, brownfield piece of land which had once housed a collection of garages.

K.L.H Projects Company Director, Jeremy Horton, said: “With the exception of some difficult weather conditions during summer 2012, the build progressed well and we encountered no major problems.

“Being involved with a project such as this, especially during the current economic climate, was very important for us. The site is situated on a through route down to Halifax, so it is a great showcase of our work and the development has also generated quite a lot of interest in the local neighbourhood.

“With six retail units on the site there will be a great deal of scope for employment opportunities within the local area and the development has really transformed the former site.”

K.L.H Projects Formed in 1989 by David Horton, West Yorkshire-based K.L.H Projects provides its clients with competitive tenders on a traditional tender basis alongside a complete Design and Build package. Members of the management team of K.L.H include professional architects, engineers and quantity surveyors, and all have a vast amount of experience in the industry, from working on industrial and commercial projects.

K.L.H Projects is recognised for its professional and personal approach to its work and has established excellent working

relationships with its clients. All of the work conducted by K.L.H projects is completed to a very high standard and is supported by quality workmanship and prompt completions.

In addition, K.L.H is able to provide assistance with the funding and development of particular projects, should clients request this facility.

Alongside its commitment to complete customer satisfaction, K.L.H Projects works towards a goal of creating a safe, accident-

free workplace. All of the company’s staff and contractors are expertly trained to ensure safety measures are adhered to at all times, however K.L.H Projects maintains a continuous system of ongoing safety improvements.

As well as the Hipperholme Development project, K.L.H Projects is involved with the Expect Distribution project Halifax, the Primetime Pet Foods project in Driffield and the Kirkdale Industrial Training Services in Brighouse.

New pulverised coal injection plant A brand new steel coal injection plant is currently under construction in Teesside.

The project is being implemented by Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI) UK Limited and comprises the construction of a coal injection plant and ancillary works at the site of the SSI blast furnace in Redcar. Once work is complete on the brand new plant, the site will include coal handling facilities, as well as coal storage and grinding facilities.

Siemens Metals Technologies is the principal contractor on the project and is also the owner of the technology that is being used. In addition, the company is providing the design work on the project.

Work began on the $57 million project in November 2011. Prior to work starting on the project the site was a brownfield area of land at the Redcar site.

The multi-storey building is being constructed from a mix of steel and concrete, with exterior cladding. Once the plant is fully operational the facility will be capable of injecting up to 235 kilograms of coal into the blast furnace for every ton of hot metal

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N o r th E a s t & Yo r ks h i re that is produced.

Prior to injection, the coal will be dried and ground up using a hot gas swept roller mill. A pneumatic dispensing system will then inject the powder, which will be divided into precise amounts, into the blast furnace.

The construction of the new coal injection plant will enable SSI to replace some of the coking coal that it uses with more cost effective, non-coking coal. Not only will this reduce costs for the company, but it will also reduce the amount of energy that is consumed at the facility. At present the SSI blast furnace is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world.

Discussing the coal injection process further, Siemens Metals Technologies Director of Business Development, Paul Balmer, said: “The plant will grind the coal into a powder-like consistency which is then transported through pipe work before it is then injected into the blast furnace.

“During operation the blast furnace consumes about 500kg of coke for every ton of iron that it produces. The coal is a cheaper fuel than coke and if you can inject approximately 200kg of coal for every ton of hot metal, the process will save up to 200kg of coke.

“The use of these materials is very significant, because in the long term this plant will make considerable cost savings.”

Paul added: “The project has been designed to be constructed using modules. At present the modules are being built at ground level and will soon be lifted into place.

“The most interesting feature of the project is the sheer size of the coal grinding mill, which is one of the largest of its kind.

“So far, work has progressed well on the project and apart from the usual challenges which crop up on a project such as this work continues to run smoothly.”

The construction of the new plant follows on from SSI’s successful acquisition of assets of Teesside Cast Products (TCP) in 2011.

Commenting on the importance of this new project for SSI, Siemens Metals Technologies Director of Development, Paul Balmer, said: “Working on this project is very important for Siemens Metals Technologies as this is one of our key technologies. It is also important as to us because of the proximity of our office to the plant, our office is located very close to the site. We have been in existence as a business in the Stockton area for over a hundred years so to be involved with projects that are within a close proximity to us is strategically very important.

“We have been supplying and building similar facilities to this around the world. We have just constructed two plants in Taiwan and a number in India.

“Work on this project further cements the excellent working relationship that we have with Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK Limited who is a very important client to us.”

The Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK Limited Coal Injection Plant project is currently on programme and is scheduled to reach completion in early 2013.

Siemens Metals Technologies Siemens Industry Sector is the world’s leading supplier of innovative and environmentally friendly products for industrial clients. The company has a global staff of more than 100,000 employees and is comprised of four divisions: Drive Technology, Industry Automation, Customer Services and Metals Technologies.

Siemens Metals Technologies supplies the entire range of products, systems and processes needed to ensure efficient and reliable steel production. The company can supply everything, from individual parts right through to a completely new plant.

The main area of focus for the business is to optimise the steel making process and to date the company is the only global fullline provider of steel making products.

For more information about Siemens please visit: www.siemens.com.

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Chalmit With over 100 years of maritime heritage, Chalmit is regarded as a key supplier of lighting to onshore processing plants, offshore platforms and FPSO’s worldwide. In 2011, Chalmit was approached by the contractor Siemens Vai Metal Technologies to offer their expertise in providing a lighting design scheme to the SSI UK Pulverised Coal Injection Plant project, using their in-house software package Chalmlite® - available to download free of charge from www.chalmit.com.

Utilising Chalmlite®, the Chalmit lighting design technicians were able to provide Siemens with a detailed layout of how Chalmit luminaires could be used in the rejuvenation of the plant.

Chalmit was awarded the lighting contract due to the high quality of the products and their high ingress protection levels (IP66/IP67). The Protecta III fluorescent, Maxinex floodlight and low energy NexLED bulkhead were chosen and these were supplied to site in July 2012.

The Protecta III has a rugged, corrosion-resistant construction, with a high ingress protection which provides good mechanical support. The luminaires have been installed around the plant for interior and exterior lighting and can supply normal and emergency illumination.

The Maxinex is a lightweight floodlight which offers excellent lighting control and is ideal for directional control lighting at low mounting heights. Meanwhile, the NexLED Emergency is a low energy bulkhead that is easy to install and maintain, and can provide up to 60,000 hours of operation (60,000 hours expected at 40°C ambient L70/B10).

Sarah Davidson, Chalmit, said: “Chalmit has enjoyed supporting Siemens Vai Metals Technologies in the upgrade of the SSI Pulverised Coal Injection Plant in Redcar, Teesside and we welcome future collaborations.”

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The art of education A new Arts & Media block for Prior Pursglove Sixth Form College has reached completion.

Work began on the project in March 2012 and was completed in November 2012. The £1.65 million project was implemented

by Prior Pursglove Sixth Form College and funded through Government grants.

Wharton Construction was the main contractor on the site, whilst DKS Architects provided all architectural services for the project.

Discussing the new facility, Prior Pursglove Sixth Form College Principal, Judy Burton, commented: “These brand new facilities are a tremendous boost to our Arts subjects and will encourage further development of an already highly successful subject area. There is a real need for greater participation in the Arts in Redcar and Cleveland. Our new state of the art building will enable our students to expand their opportunities as well as provide an additional focus for our local community.”

Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Tom Blenkinsop, added: “Not only does Prior Pursglove College provide young people and adult learners in my constituency with fantastic opportunities, but it does a great job at working with its partners in education and business to move Teesside’s and North Yorkshire’s economy forward.”

The new three-storey facility was built using a traditional steel frame with cavity wall construction, and over clad with external boarding. The building provides 1200 sq meters of floor space, includes a natural ventilation system and replaces a former facility on the site.

In addition to the construction of the new building, external works on the project included hard landscaping, the installation of seating areas and the planting of trees between the new build and the existing structures.

DKS Architects Partner, Dave Knudsen, said: “We have worked closely with the College for the last 15 years and prepared a strategic master plan for the College’s future development involving new build, remodelling and extensions to create a modern and integrated campus feel.

“One of the challenges on this project was that all of the work took place on a live site, so all of the site traffic had to be carefully managed accordingly. The new Arts & Media building is situated at the farthest point away from the entrance to the

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College, so all deliveries had to be chaperoned or scheduled to arrive either before or after school operating hours.”

Dave added: “For the College, the Arts & Media building is an important and attractive facility as it will draw in new students in competition with surrounding colleges. Following completion of the Creative Arts building, we are now working with the College to implement the next phase of its development to be ready in time for the 2013 student intake.”

Wharton Construction Based in Darlington, Wharton Construction is a principal building contractor undertaking contracts up to a value of £2.5 million, throughout North Yorkshire, County Durham, Teesside, Teesdale, Hambleton and Tyneside. The company was set up in 1984 and completes work across a broad range of sectors, including commercial, leisure, health and educational sectors, amongst others.

Clients for Wharton Construction include Stockton Borough Council, English Heritage, the National Health Service, Royal Mail and Orange and the company always completes work on time and within budget.

Wharton Construction offers the best value service to clients, and has developed an Environmental Management System to the standard of ISO 14001 to ensure it minimises impact on the environment.

Enhancing patient care at Doncaster Royal Infirmary A brand new, £2 million state-of-the-art education centre has opened in Doncaster.

Situated at Doncaster Royal Infirmary (DRI), the new centre boasts videoconferencing facilities, a 140-seated lecture theatre and four training rooms. The creation of the centre has boosted patient care within the hospital and allows junior clinicians and students to access in-depth, live footage of operations which take place in DRI’s Theatre Six, which is used for keyhole surgery.

RH Fullwood was the main contractor on the project, with funding for the project provided by Doncaster & Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s capital programme.

Director of Postgraduate Medical Education at Doncaster & Brassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Joanne Sayer, said: “The new centre marks an exciting opportunity for the Trust to improve support for education and training of all staff groups, including doctors. The enhanced training will improve multiprofessional team working and be of great benefit to patient safety and comfort.”

The focal point of the new centre is the 140-seated tiered lecture theatre with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment to enhance audience/presenter interaction. Meanwhile, the four training rooms can be interlinked to the lecture theatre, acting as an overspill to view presentations, whilst a dedicated suite provides easy access to e-Learning programmes.

As with all new build projects at the Trust, energy efficiency was a key focus of the centre’s design. Both the walls and the roofing was insulated to the highest specifications, whilst LEDs and smart technology lighting was installed throughout.

Waveform Services Ltd was responsible for the electrical installation works on the new education centre at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

Discussing the importance of the project, John James, Managing Director of Waveform Services Ltd told Premier Construction: “Projects such as the new education centre at Doncaster Royal Infirmary are very important to us as they are the core focus

of our work. Waveform Services Ltd has a longstanding history with Doncaster Royal Infirmary and we previously completed work on an orthopaedic facility at Montagu Hospital.

“In addition, around 25 years ago I worked as the mechanical and electrical engineer at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, so this is a site which I am very familiar with.”

John added: “At Waveform Services I am very proud of the work that we conduct. Many of our members of staff have been with us for a considerable amount of time and we continue to up skill them, in order to improve what we have to offer.”

Doncaster & Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of acute medical services at three hospitals – including Bassetlaw Hospital in Worksop, Montagu Hospital and Doncaster Royal Infirmary – as well as at a number of community locations. In addition, the Trust provides outpatient services at Retford Hospital and rehabilitation services at Tickhill Road Hospital, Doncaster.

For more information about Doncaster & Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: www.dbh.nhs.uk.

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Midlands & East Anglia Construction News

Call our news team on 01706 719972

Waste treatment solutions in Lincolnshire Lincolnshire’s Energy from Waste facility in North Hykeham is being built to provide a safe and affordable waste treatment solution.

A joint project between Lincolnshire County Council and Waste Recycling Group, the facility will allow energy, in the form of electricity, to be recovered from waste that isn’t recycled or composted.

Waste Recycling Group is part of FCC, which has a wealth of experience operating similar facilities in Nottingham and Kent.

Scunthorpe based civil engineers Clugston is the main contractor on the facility which is designed to treat 150,000 tonnes of waste a year.

The Clugston Group was founded over 75

years ago and is a privately owned group of businesses. They work across the UK in construction, civil engineering, logistics, property development and facilities management.

Clugston will be working alongside process specialists CNIM. Construction on the facility, which will have a 75 metre chimney stack, began in April 2011. The beginning of the project was officially marked by a special tree planting ceremony led by the Chairman at the time, Cllr Peter Bedford.

The centre will operate 24 hours a day and will generate enough electricity to power 15,000 homes for sale to the National Grid.

Opportunities are also being explored to make use of the heat produced by the facility in local homes and businesses in the future.

The centre will create over 30 jobs and will include a visitor centre. It is expected to be open

www.romauk.net

and in use by the end of 2013.

Lincolnshire County Council is also constructing four new Waste Transfer Stations (WTSs) which will accept waste before bulking it up for transportation to the Energy from Waste facility.

These stations, located at Grantham, Sleaford, Boston and Gainsborough, will add to the existing Waste Transfer Station at Louth and will replace landfill sites as local disposal points for the District Councils.

Relaxation in Buxton Landmark historic buildings are to be transformed to create Buxton Crescent Hotel and Thermal Spa. The £32 million project will see The Crescent – a Grade I listed building in the centre of the historic spa town of Buxton – transformed to create a 79-bedroom five star hotel. It is only the second genuine spa hotel in the UK to be redeveloped in more than a century.

The project will incorporate the neighbouring Grade II listed Natural Baths and Pump Room.

The work is being led by the Buxton Crescent Hotel and Thermal Spa Company which was set up by the development consortium of the Trevor Osborne Property Group, CP Holdings and Danubius Hotels plus the two councils; High Peak Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council.

Trevor Osborne, Chairman of the Trevor Osborne Property Group said: “This is the most beautiful building in Buxton and it is fantastic to be able to turn it into a sought-after five star hotel.”

The ambitious project will deliver a state-of-the-art thermal, natural mineral water spa, eight specialist shops and a new visitor interpretation centre with integrated tourist information facilities for visitors to the area.

The work will also include refurbishment of a pump room as a high-quality café giving free access to the public to “take the waters”.

Councillor Tony Ashton, Leader of High Peak Borough Council said: “This exciting development will strengthen the growing reputation of our lovely spa town as a major visitor destination.

“The development getting underway is a reward for the hard work, enthusiasm and professionalism of all the parties to the development agreement.”

His words were echoed by Tony Kemp, High Peak Borough Council’s Executive Councillor for Regeneration who said: “The visitor economy is of vital importance to the whole of the High Peak, and this development will help boost employment and benefits far beyond Buxton itself.”

Councillor Andrew Lewer, Leader of Derbyshire County Council added: “This is a nationally significant development that will put Buxton and the High Peak even more firmly on the tourism map, and is testament to what can be achieved when ambitious organisations with shared aims work together.”

Funding for the £32 million project includes a £12.5m Heritage Lottery Fund grant. The remainder of the funding is being met by partners including High Peak Borough Council, Derbyshire County Council and the development consortium.

The main contractor on the project is Vinci Construction, with Stride Treglown working asArchitect.

Aura Conservation is also working on the project, led by Craig Liddle who has over 30 years experience in the industry. Craig said: “The news that The Crescent development is set to get underway after years of painstaking preparation is great news for people living across the Borough and is, of course, especially welcome to all those who love the wonderful architecture gems of Buxton. Following the opening of the £2.5m Pavilion Arts Centre this project is the final stepping stone in the renaissance of the town’s splendid heritage quarter.”

The Trevor Osborne Property Group and CP Holdings have also acquired the Old Hall Hotel as a part of their long-term operational strategy.

The Old Hall Hotel will eventually be upgraded to a 4 star property managed with the Danubius portfolio of hotels which will include the Crescent and the George.

Aura Conservation Aura Conservation is led by Craig Liddle who has over 30 years experience in the industry. Aura specialises in stone, terracotta, faience and brick restoration to listed and historic buildings and churches.

Aura Conservation has previously worked on a variety of projects throughout the country including Chevin Park in Leeds with Ben Bailey Homes, St Elphins Park Retirement

Village in Derbyshire with Audley Care Ltd and 100 King Street, Manchester with Marshall Developments.

Buxton Crescent is a Grade I listed building built in the 1780’s designed by Architect John Carr. Aura’s work on the Hotel and Thermal Spa involves external masonry conservation consisting of stone indenting, pointing and cleaning of stone elements plus a small section of new build.

Craig Liddle from Aura Conservation said: “We are very privileged to be entrusted with the restoration of such a nationally important building such as this, ensuring that the building will survive for many years to come. We take great pride in helping preserve the countries heritage and the opportunity of securing a future for the past, which makes it a pleasure to work on projects such as Buxton Crescent Hotel and Thermal Spa.”

Restoring the Regal Cinema The Regal Cinema in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, has undergone major refurbishment to restore it to its former glory.

The cinema was originally opened in 1937 and became a

much-loved part of the town, operating as a commercial cinema until 1966. Faced with demolition in the late 1960’s, the Regal was bought by Tenbury Town Council in 1970.

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Midlands & East Anglia extended stage fitted to provide a location for live entertainment and also a community centre built at the back.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has provided a grant of over £680,000 towards the renovation works which have restored and repaired many of the traditional features within the cinema.

The work began in October 2011 and was completed in the summer of 2012. As well as re-instating many of the historic features within the Regal, the work aimed to improve access to the building.

The main contractor on the project was J Harper and Sons (Leominster) Ltd and the architect was Glazzards of Worcester.

One of the main features to be restored within the building were the 1930’s murals by George Legge which decorate the auditorium walls. These have been renovated and repaired by mural artist Richard Gill who cleaned and repainted sections lost over the years to damage and over-painting.

Decorative plasterwork columns and window lintel decorations, lost from the facade in the late 1960’s, have also been reinstated.

The main entrance doors to the Regal have been moved, creating a larger foyer space and allowing for a disabled access lift to be fitted. This allows people who have difficulty with stairs access to the foyer and rear of the auditorium for the first time.

The art-deco style of the foyer has been enhanced, preserving original features such as the pay box.

The proscenium arch that surrounded the original cinema screen has been repainted into its original gold, allowing it to be seen as it would have been in 1937 when the cinema first opened.

Also in the auditorium, the original lighting scheme has been

Building Wollaston Baptist Church A brand new £1.1 million Baptist Church and hall complex has been constructed in place of a late 19th century Baptist chapel and stone school building. The project began in February 2012 and was completed in October 2012.

Watson and Cox was the main contractor and the architect was JBKS Architects.

Jeremy Bell from JBKS Architects told Premier Construction about the project. He said: “The old church was small, crammed with pews, had no disabled access and was inappropriate particularly in regard to the church’s ministry with disabled people. Nearby in Wollaston there is a disabled person’s care home, therefore people with sometimes severe disabilities and complicated wheelchairs use the church regularly.

“It was a completely inconvenient late Victorian building, so the idea was to build something more appropriate. For example the church also had outside toilets, completely inadequate kitchen facilities and the hall was minute.”

The new church has an open and flexible worship space, which is square and approximately 12 metres by 12 metres in size. The church is able to accommodate around 120 people and it has a pyramidal wooden ceiling with a skylight in the centre which fills the room with light.

There is also a full immersion baptistery sunk into the floor, as well as an AV desk and lighting gantry to allow for loudspeakers

restored and the decorative arched “window” openings on the side walls have been repainted to their original colours and relit.

The original parquet floor in the projection room and much of the upstairs has been repaired and re-laid where it has been damaged. In addition, the technical rooms, including the projection room, have been fully renovated.

On the roof, improved guttering aids drainage and prevents future roof and building damage from leaks. The auditorium roof has been completely replaced and new, safer roof space access created.

As a finishing touch to the work, the original neon lighting scheme has been restored at the front of the building, including long red and green tube lights and the name ‘Regal’ in neon white.

and spotlights.

Jeremy said: “The church first came to us – as we are specialist church architects – with a refurbishment proposal and asked us to extend and integrate the two buildings, the church and the school house. When we presented to them the idea that extensions and refurbishments attract VAT but new church buildings do not, it seemed like an attractive option to pull down the old building and construct a new one.

“The old building was not listed and it wasn’t particularly ugly but it was cold, damp and set up like a 19th century Baptist chapel, not like a big open worship space that could be used

flexibly in today’s world. We went through 11 design options for the new build, always trying to maximise the floor area but build it within their budget.

“Modern churches are not like old Anglican churches. They really are simple auditoria with seating, projection facilities and a decent sound system. Ones which take on that format are much more user friendly and they tend to grow because young people are not put off by this antiquated, old fashioned space.”

The new facilities also include a lobby with large glass doors opening onto the worship space, a large disabled toilet with changing facilities, an office and a large kitchen with a servery into the hall. There is a crèche with changing LED lights and upstairs, via a staircase or lift, there is a large hall, kitchenette and an office.

Jeremy added: “The brick was very carefully chosen as it looks very similar to the old church. There was a lot of work done with the conservation officer to arrive at the right look and he was actually very helpful. There were no major planning objections and there was unanimous approval from the councillors at the planning meeting.

“The project was funded from donations within the church – it is phenomenal how sacrificial people will give to the future of an alive and vibrant church. This was an important project to be involved in because we really believe in the future of the church and we come to it with an understanding of the pressures that are on all the denominations, with declining congregations.

“Without decent facilities churches can’t really do anything and there’s huge commitment from the church’s congregation to get projects up and running, this is one of the success stories which is really inspiring.”

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Refurbishing John Lewis A multi-million pound refurbishment scheme for the Milton Keynes branch of John Lewis has reached completion.

The refurbishment project comprised a complete reworking of the site’s existing departments – including fashion, home and consumer electronics – along with the introduction of a new beauty spa – the Beauty Retreat – and an espresso bar. Now that work on the project is complete the refurbishment has modernised and transformed the shopping environment for John Lewis customers in thecentre:mk.

In addition, access to the department store has also been improved, whilst part of the store has been reconfigured to increase the sales area by approximately 20,000 sq ft.

Work began on the project in spring 2012 and was completed in October 2012. The work was initiated after Milton Keynes Council’s planning committee unanimously granted planning permission and listed building consent for the project to go ahead.

Patton Group was the main contractor on the John Lewis refurbishment project, whilst the architect was Brooker Flynn. As the store remained open throughout the duration of the works the construction programme was divided into phases to reduce the impact on customers.

The haberdashery and womenswear departments were among the first areas of the site to benefit from the makeover. Changes to the department included the introduction of a new denim wall and a luxury fashion advice suite, as well as the installation of fixtures and fittings for jewellery and accessories.

Discussing the alterations at the Milton Keynes store, John Lewis Managing Director, Paul Hunt, said: “Our multi-million pound investment in our department store benefits local shoppers and will contribute significantly to the vitality and appeal of Milton Keynes and the centre:mk. This also helps to ensure the town retains its rightful role as the regional shopping destination of choice.”

Centre Director for thecentre:mk, Robert Hall, added:

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“The refurbishment comes as part of thecentre:mk’s continued commitment to the ongoing establishment of the centre as the region’s premier shopping destination.

“As a listed building, it was imperative that we worked to maintain the important features of the listing whilst still facilitating the creation of a new and modern retail space, and there was no doubt in our minds that a refurbished and enhanced John Lewis department store would help us do this.”

An important new addition to John Lewis Milton Keynes is the Beauty Retreat which is located on the first floor of the site.

The Beauty Retreat offers customers a range of treatments, including facials, manicures, pedicures, eyebrow/eyelash tinting and threading from a host of premium brands, such as Clarins, Elemis, Blink, Jessica and Decleor.

Paul Hunt commented: “We believe the Beauty Retreat will not only inspire and delight shoppers but add to their shopping experience. The Retreat is still a relatively new concept for John Lewis but it has been really well received by customers and it will be a fabulous addition to the services customers will be able to access in-store at John Lewis Milton Keynes.”

The John Lewis Partnership operates 38 John Lewis shops across the UK, which includes 30 department stores and eight John Lewis at home stores. In addition, the John Lewis Partnership owns and operates 264 Waitrose supermarkets, as well as online store johnlewis.com which stocks approximately 200,000 products.

The company has an annual turnover of nearly £8.2bn and is the UK’s largest example of worker co-ownership, whereby all 76,500 members of staff are partners in the business.

For more information about John Lewis, please visit: www. johnlewis.com.

Thameside Fire Protection Ltd Thameside Fire Protection Ltd is a family-run business which

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has been in operation for more than 25 years. The Company prides itself on its exemplary fire protection industry record and is one of the largest independent fire protection companies in the UK. Working on the refurbishment Project for John Lewis at Central Milton Keynes, Thameside Fire Protection Ltd modified in excess of 2,500 sprinkler heads to suit the new layouts throughout the Ground, First and Second floors. The Project required Thameside Fire Protection Ltd to work closely with Central Milton Keynes Management and their insurance company, with all of the work being undertaken out of hours, to allow John Lewis to continue trading each day.

John Wilkinson, Thameside Fire Protection Ltd, said: “John Lewis, Milton Keynes, occupies a significant part of Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre and as a result the fixed fire suppression sprinkler system forms an integral part of the overall fire strategy, both to John Lewis and the busy shopping centre. As well as the need to maintain an active fire protec-

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tion system throughout the branch, during trading hours, it was equally important that the same consideration was given to the centre and all the adjoining retail units, for this reason the sprinkler protection contract works, over 31 phases, had to be carried out only at night.

“As there are four wet sprinkler valves controlling protection throughout the branch, it was necessary to drain and recharge the systems every night and morning, respectively, before the store opened. At the height of the contract there were up to 14 men – working in pairs – and two supervisors, working on site, seven nights a week.”

John added: “This was our fourth successful major refurbishment contract for the John Lewis Partnership, having completed John Lewis Canary Wharf, London, in 2011, Norwich and Oxford Street earlier this year.

We look forward to continuing as an approved supply chain contractor to the John Lewis Partnership in the future.”

Transforming Terminal 2 Phase One of a £2.3 billion programme to construct a brand new Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport is underway. Once complete, the terminal will cater for up to 20 million passengers a year.

Terminal 2 will replace a former terminal and is the latest stage in a five-year programme of works to transform the airport. The construction of Terminal 2 has been funded entirely by BAA, making it the largest privately funded construction project in the UK. Phase One of the Terminal 2 project includes the construction of a brand new main terminal building, a new satellite pier and a new energy centre. A new cooling station will also be constructed, along with new baggage and control systems. Check-in desks will be expanded in order to accommodate 3,000 passengers per hour, whilst up to 60 self-service kiosks will be installed to improve efficiency at the airport.

Additional changes are being made to the road systems around the airport. A brand new multi-storey car park – with associated roads and ramps – will also be built to accommodate up to 1,300 vehicles.

In order to allow planes to move more efficiently throughout the airport’s runways, 28 fully serviced aircraft stands will also be installed. The new aircraft stands will help to reduce ground level emissions, improve air quality and supply the aircrafts with electricity and preconditioned air.

Phase One of Terminal 2 will comprise a total of nineteen individual projects that are all being implemented concurrently to make the terminal fully operational by the time it reopens to passengers.

Heathrow Limited’s Terminal 2 Programme Director, Joanne White, said: “The work underway on Terminal 2 is one of the most important initiatives that Heathrow has at the moment and it is central to the transformation of the airport.

“The original Terminal 2 was designed for a capacity of 1.2 million passengers a year, however towards the end of its life it was handling up to 8 million. We decided that this was just not acceptable and a new terminal was required in order to provide a far superior service.

“For us Terminal 2 is a major investment that will improve the passenger experience for the next 30 years through a more efficient service. The terminal will be light and modern and will look fantastic when it is completed.

“The work that has taken place so far on Terminal 2 has already changed the skyline of Heathrow and it is a wonderful project to be involved with.”

The original Terminal 2 building officially opened its doors on April 1, 1955. When it opened the terminal was known as Europa Building, however the facility underwent a name change in 1966 following the opening of Terminal 1.

For more than 50 years Terminal 2 saw an impressive array of celebrities – including Marilyn Monroe and The Beatles – pass through its arrival lounge. However, after 54 years of service Terminal 2 officially closed to passengers in 2009 and in 2010 the building was demolished to make way for the new terminal.

Main contractor for Phase One of Terminal 2 is HETCo, a joint venture between Ferrovial Agroman and Laing O’Rourke.

Spanish company Luis Vidal is the architect, whilst the conceptual architect for the project is Foster + Partners.

Main contractor for the satellite pier is Balfour Beatty, whilst Laing O’Rourke is the main contractor for the car park construction.

BAA Capital Director, Steven Morgan, said: “Laing O’Rourke was awarded the contract following a competitive bid which demonstrated that they fully understood BAA’s intelligent client approach and could deliver a car park and associated infrastructure safely, innovatively and to the highest standards of quality.

“To date, they have successfully worked as one half of the HETCo joint venture responsible for delivering the main terminal building. We now look forward to continuing this relationship on the multi-storey car park.”

Approximately one third of the work on Phase One of Terminal 2 is complete, which includes the construction of just under half of the main terminal building. Once complete the terminal will span five storeys high and measure 200,000 square metres.

Approximately 27,000 tonnes of steel work will be used during construction, along with 30,000 square metres of glass.

The main terminal will be fully glazed and has been designed to match the design of all of the existing terminals at the airport.

Several environmentally friendly practices have been implemented throughout the construction of Terminal 2 in order to ensure that the project makes use of as many sustainable materials as possible. Over 95% of the original terminal is being recycled, whilst the extensive glazing in the main terminal building will help to reduce energy usage through the inclusion of solar control glass and angled louvres.

Additional features include 1000 square metres of photovoltaic (PV) panels on the building’s canopy and the installation of a sophisticated lighting system that will reduce energy consumption by switching off lights when they are not in use.

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ergy centre in order to provide hot water for the building. The boiler will be powered using FSC approved timber and once Phase One of Terminal 2 is complete, the building will save around 13,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. Additional schemes to increase the levels of recycling in the main terminal building will be put into place once the building opens.

As Heathrow is a live airport, the construction of materials offsite has been maximised wherever possible in order to reduce congestion at the airport and speed up the project’s efficiency.

The steel work for Terminal 2 is being manufactured by Watson’s Steel Structures Limited at their factories in Thirsk and Bolton, whilst mechanical and electrical modules are being developed by CHt Manufacturing in Wolverhampton. Meanwhile, major structural components – including bridge beams – will be precast at Laing O’Rourke’s Explore Industrial Park in Steetley.

All completed materials are transported to the site to be installed where required.

During the peak of construction, approximately 6,000 people will be working on the site. Throughout the life of the project it is estimated that up to 35,000 people will be involved in the Terminal 2 project.

BAA Chief Executive, Colin Matthews, said: “The completion of structural work on Terminal 2 puts us within touching distance of a future where Heathrow has some of the best passenger facilities in Europe.

“There’s a lot still to do, but the opening of Terminal 2 could move Heathrow into pole position among European hub airports and allow us to set our sights on elite airports such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Incheon in Seoul.”

Transport Secretary, Justine Greening, added: “For tens of millions of people each year Heathrow is their first impression of the UK, which is why it is so important that it is a positive one. We have been clear that we want to improve the experience of those travelling through our airports, and this new terminal will do just that.

“This is also a success story for the country’s construction industry, with British-made steel, electronics and engineering responsible for a state-of-the-art facility.”

Once work is completed on the first phase of Terminal 2, the airport facility will become the home of the Star Alliance group of airlines. For the first time all 25 Star Alliance airlines will operate from one terminal, which will also help to improve the airport’s environmental performance by reducing the amount of transfers across the airport.

During the construction of Terminal 2, Star Alliance member carriers are operating from Terminals 1 and 3.

Star Alliance Vice President of Products & Services, Lee Hock Lye, said: “The Star Alliance member carriers are looking forward to moving into our new home here at Terminal 2, Heathrow. Being located under one roof will enable our airlines to deliver seamless alliance travel to our passengers, further enhancing the current airport customer experience.

“Star Alliance is the world’s leading airline network. The Alliance’s 27 airlines operate over 4000 aircraft, offering more than 21,000 daily flights to 1,290 destinations and carrying over 600 million passengers a year.

“The redevelopment of Terminal 2 will reinforce Heathrow’s position as one of the leading global aviation hubs. From our new home at Heathrow, Star Alliance will be able to compete on an equal footing in the alliance arena, something we have been waiting for ever since the opening of Terminal 5 (in 2008).”

Following the completion of Phase One of Terminal 2, a second phase will extend facilities northwards onto the existing Terminal 1 site. Phase Two will largely concentrate on increasing the airport’s capacity to 30 million passengers and will also include the construction of a second satellite building.

A start date for Phase Two is currently unscheduled, however once Phase Two is complete Terminal 1 will officially close to the public.

Heathrow Airport is owned and operated by BAA Limited, who

own and operate five airports across the UK. The airport comprises 5 terminals and 2 runways and is used by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways and BMI. In 2006 Heathrow was rated as one of the worst major airports in Europe. However, after the opening of Terminal 5 in 2008 along with refurbishment works to Terminals 1, 3 and 4, Heathrow is currently rated ahead of all but one of its major rivals. The work conducted on Terminal 2 is expected to put it on equal footing amongst its European rivals.

Phase One of Terminal 2 is scheduled for completion in 2013 and the terminal will reopen to passengers in 2014.

Waterwise Technology Ltd Established in 1990 Waterwise Technology Ltd is a UK-based company which develops and manufactures innovative water treatment systems through the use of environmentally-friendly technologies.

Waterwise Technology Ltd comprises a team of professionals – including mechanical and electrical engineers, chemists and water treatment specialists – and pioneers the use of ozone and water recycling in cooling water systems and a variety of other applications.

The company proudly boasts a range of high profile clients including, GlaxoSmithKline, Procter and Gamble, Gatwick Airport, National History Museum, Bernard Matthews, Morrisons, Coop Logistics, Canary Wharf Construction, Ministry of Defence, and is presently involved with The Shard and 122 Leadenhall projects in London.

Presently Waterwise Technology Ltd is providing all of the equipment to Heathrow Terminal 2 for water treatment, purification and re-use. Waterwise Technology Ltd has a long-standing working relationship with BAA at Heathrow which dates back to 1999 and over the course of 13 years the company has invested a considerable amount of time to improve sustainability at the airport.

Utilising state-of-the-art e-Soft water softeners with reduced water and salt consumption in conjunction with Filtex Ozone Treatment systems Waterwise has effectively reduced the water consumption of the cooling towers at Terminal 2 by almost 20%. In addition, once the new terminal is fully operational, the Waterwise Oasis unit will recycle 75 tonnes of waste cooling water per day. Moreover, the cooling water system and treatment plant is also designed to operate on a borehole water supply with minimal primary treatment.

Waterwise Technology Ltd Managing Director, Jon Fielder, said: “At Waterwise our main focus is on sustainability and the environment. In terms of technology, we choose to use our Filtex Ozone non chemical systems as a primary method of treatment which reduces water consumption and minimises discharges to the environment.

“Having been involved with BAA for a number of years we are proud of their confidence in our equipment and pleased to have been given the opportunity to work with them in meeting their sustainability and carbon reduction commitments. Our new recycling units are proving a popular and useful option for this.

“Cooling towers serving air conditioning systems are frequently the largest water user in a commercial office building or a terminal such as this. Therefore the ability to make savings in the water consumption of the cooling towers will substantially reduce the overall water consumption and waste discharges of the building.

“Such savings contribute significantly to any new building’s environmental IPPC assessment rating as well as a company’s commitment to reduce water consumption and waste – not to mention the cost savings too.”

Jon Fielder added: “Being involved in a project like Heathrow Terminal 2 is very important to us. With the exception of Terminal 5 we work on all of the terminals at Heathrow and so to be involved with a client like BAA –and on one of the biggest projects in the UK – is great!”

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Manson House Care Home Manson House in Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk is being redeveloped and refurbished to create a newly improved and extended care home.

The £4.1 million phased project involves the demolition of two buildings, the construction of 14 new flats and a new bedroom wing linked to the main house to provide additional residential care facilities and increased accommodation.

Work on site started in April 2012 and is due for completion in January 2014. The main contractor is Kier Living of Whitham, Essex and the architect is HPN Ltd of Newmarket, Suffolk.

John Barton, Director at HPN Ltd said: “On the site at the outset of the project was a residential care home and a number of stand-alone buildings which had been developed in a random fashion over a long period of time. Whilst the buildings were not in a bad condition, the positioning of them on the site did not maximise the use of the space and the site was not being used to its full potential. On completion of the project, there will be 23 flats and a larger, more efficient care home.

“Within the development there will be two new blocks of flats, one of six units and one of eight. The block of six flats will be three storeys in height and the block of eight will be two storeys.

All of the flats are one-bedroom units with a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living area.

A new bedroom wing will also be constructed comprising 12 en suite bedrooms together with a link over an existing single storey wing. This will be linked with the existing main house.

All of the new buildings will be of masonry construction with tiled roofs, pre-cast concrete slab floors and trussed rafter roofs.

John said: “There have been a number of issues for the construction teams to work around, the main issue was that the main care home building had to remain in use and occupied by the residents.

“The work is being undertaken on a phased basis to allow for minimal disruption. The first phase comprises the construction of six new flats, the refurbishment of the top floor of the residential care home and the installation of a new main kitchen and kitchen staff room.

“Whilst the scope of construction is relatively of a standard build, the main house itself is a Grade II* listed building, consequently a lot of discussions took place at a very early stage of the project with the Local Authorities conservation officer and planning officer. In addition English Heritage was also consulted and all of their advice and comments were incorporated into the scheme before we submitted the planning application. Whilst these consultations took a lot of time it was worth it as the application once submitted went through the planning process remarkably easily.”

Once works started on site, archaeological investigations

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had to be undertaken on the area of the new build works and the discoveries made has delayed the works slightly. Further archaeological investigations will also be required on a future phase when two further buildings are demolished.

John said: “All parties involved in the project; the client, ourselves and the contractor are all firmly committed to the project and its ultimate success.

“This is an important project to us and is probably our largest project currently. It is great to be involved with the client, The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute and Kier Living the contractor.”

WM Co Ltd WM Co Ltd are a brickwork contractors with 12 years experience as a company. Based in Chelmsford, they offer specialist packages including; labour, plant, materials and also provide for the more traditional ‘labour only’ contractor requests.

The company has worked with RG Carter, Geoffrey Osborne and Ashe Construction and works largely within the commercial sector on projects such as schools, hospitals, care homes and social housing.

Danny Williams from WM Co Ltd said: “On Manson House we achieved the brickwork contract from Kier Construction. We have worked on a number of care homes and social housing contracts before so it was a good project for us .

“Our core company strength is in providing a well co-ordinated and project managed brickwork package from tender stage through to contract completion.

“We continue our drive for complete client satisfaction through effective, practical solutions. We are confident of being able to guarantee full commitment throughout specialist’s masonry contracts regardless of size or market sector.”

Gatwick’s main runway undergoes improvements Gatwick’s 3.3 km runway is undergoing rehabilitation work.

During the London Gatwick Airport Runway Rehabilitation Project an area of around 400,000 sq m will be resurfaced with 68,000 tonnes of asphalt. In addition, around 2,000 runway and taxiway lights, fed by 530km of electrical cabling, will also be replaced.

The main contractor on the £45 million project is Volker Fitzpatrick and the design engineer is Halcrow.

Derek Hendry, Construction Director at Gatwick Airport explained the project to Premier Construction. He said: “Gatwick is the busiest single runway commercial airport in the world and obviously the runway is one of the most critical aspects for the success of our business. Every 12 to 15 years we need to go in and do some major rehabilitation work, replacing the asphalt as well as all the lighting, systems and cabling.

“On the project, we carry out the work between 9.30pm and 5.30am – our priority is to do it safely and to make sure we minimise disruption to the airlines and the passengers. We have a standby runway at Gatwick, so at 9.30pm the aircraft switch to the standby runway which allows us to work on the main runway.

“The standby runway is just that – it’s shorter than the main runway and it doesn’t have the same operating capabilities.

We only close the main runway if the operating conditions are favourable and will allow flights to take off and land on the standby runway.”

The work commenced on site on 1st March 2012 and is due to be completed at the end of November 2012, with work taking place overnight to minimise the effects on both customers and airlines.

Derek said: “The weather isn’t even a surprise, it’s a challenge. With the weather this summer, one of the challenges we had was that we lost considerably more shifts than we had anticipated. To deal with this, in agreement with the airlines, we moved to a 6pm start on Saturday evenings to make up for the time lost due to bad weather.

“Our key objective was to have the surfacing on the runway and the lighting on the runway finished by 1st October because after then you start to get into the winter season when working around the weather becomes much more difficult. I’m pleased to say we achieved that objective.

“We are nearing the end of the project – the runway has been resurfaced and of the 15 taxi-ways that link into the runway, two are still to be resurfaced. We will then replace lights on those taxi-ways and finish off some of the painting, drainage work and landscaping.”

As a result of the work, Gatwick Airport will have a runway with a new surface fit for operation for the next 10 to 15 years.

Derek added: “With the new light fittings and cabling we can be confident we’re not going to have any unplanned problems on the runway.

During the course of the project we got approval to fit LED lights on the runway, it didn’t come quite quick enough to fit them from the beginning of the project but we will by next summer.

“Whenever you resurface a runway, and this will be the fourth time I’ve been involved on this type of project, it is quite a significant logistical challenge. The key to success is planning, even on a nightly basis you have to plan each activity very carefully and you have to stick to that plan because you have to make sure that the runway re-opens at 5.30am.

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“As part of this project the main objective was to resurface and relight the runway, but we also took the opportunity to improve the runways capabilities to handle A380 aircraft. We put some improvements in the taxi-ways to make it easier for them to handle A380 services and we are actively marketing ourselves for new services and A380 operations. We are doing some work with one of the aircraft stands to make sure it is A380 compliant by next summer.”

Operations & External Security, but the Airport Fire Service and Airfield Engineering would also make information and access requests as required.”

“I think my 20 years previous experience in airfield operations and latterly, major airside projects, has been put to very good use at Gatwick. I have the tools, knowledge and experience to deliver significant operational benefits on any airside project large or small.”

PAD 5 Airport Consulting Ltd

BJP Site Engineering Services Ltd

PAD 5 Airport Consulting Ltd specialises in providing expertise and practical support to a wide range of aviation stakeholders. During the London Gatwick Runway Rehabilitation Project, the role primarily focused on providing a crucial communications link between project construction teams and the airport client’s operational duty teams.

Operations Director Phil Davey said: “The Gatwick Runway Rehabilitation Project has been particularly challenging due to a combination of factors. Being the world’s busiest single runway operation, Gatwick is always busy, even at night. A significant amount of project activity took place directly beside the active northern runway, so I had to ensure that site staff- some of whom had not worked at an airport before- fully understood and appreciated the potential hazards of working in such an environment. Allied to that, airport operational duty staff cannot be expected to possess a detailed understanding of construction issues. Therefore I carried out a role akin to a language translator, helping each side gain a better understanding of each other’s challenges, and helping to resolve a plethora of issues along the way.”

“It was a tactical role where I become involved with any project related situation that may have impacted on a successful runway hand back at shift end, or conversely any airport related incidents which could affect the smooth running of the project.

Invariably, a fast and effective resolution was required, so the role demanded the ability to work well under pressure.”

“My primary airport relationships were with GAL Airfield

Established in 2002, BJP Site Engineering Services Ltd specialise in setting out and land surveys.

The company has worked on a variety of projects during its 10 year history, including Reading Traincare Depot, East Kent Access Bypass, Dunraven School in Streatham and Norwood School in Croydon.

Barry Phillips from BJP Site Engineering Services Ltd said: “At Gatwick Airport we did the setting out and asbuilt surveys for the new pit and duct system, drainage system and ironwork raising.

“This project was important to be involved with because it is high profile and provided new challenges by working at night.

“We pride ourselves in providing a good reliable service with good team integration and a good understanding of our duties within the site team.”

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R J Lander Ltd Established in 2000, R J Lander Ltd specialise in road sweeper hire, high pressure jet vac road sweepers and sales.

They have previously worked with EDF Energy on Hinkley Point, Carrillion on a project on the M4 motorway and Bovis Homes on Gloucester Quays.

Fiona Hodges from R J Lander Ltd said: “On the Main Runway Rehabilitation Project at Gatwick Airport we provided high pressure jet vac road sweeping services.

“We pride ourselves in providing a quality service, 24hrs a day and using machinery that is no more than 3 years old.”

Emerson Contract Services Limited ECS’s package at Gatwick Runway Rehabilitation Project initially started out as a £40,000 contract which included pre-casting blocks and plinths for incorporation into the runway permanent works. In light of their performance on the contract they were awarded all subsequent drainage and electrical pre-cast structures thus increasing their package by circa half a million.

ECS have delivered every aspect of their works on time, to the contractor’s satisfaction and without variance to advanced costings. They have managed programme constraints well and adapted confidently and appropriately to acceleration pressures, increasing and decreasing resources accordingly to comply both commercial and operational expectations.

ECS have reacted well to consistent design issues and the associated development they bring, implementing the resolutions efficiently with minimal direction and in a cost effective manner. ECS have been both operationally and commercially flexible in all aspects thus maintaining a good relationship with the contractor.

ECS also provide skilled labour for nightshift works on a recurring basis carrying out the raising of pits and gullies to accord with the contractor’s programme.

Vision Survey Ltd Vision Survey was formed on the basis of 20 years experience and provides a range of services from utility surveying, 3D laserscanning [BIM compliant], land surveying and drawing production. In addition they provide a specialist product, Permit-to-Dig Control, which enables safe and efficient working practices around buried services. This service has been delivered throughout the construction phase of some of the largest projects in the UK, most notably on the Olympics Park and on the CrossRail Project. Their surveyors work closely with client and contractor teams to ensure that the risk of service strikes and their inherent consequences are fully mitigated during invasive works.

John Gray, Managing Director at Vision Survey said: “During the pre-construction phase of the Runway Rehabilitation Project at Gatwick Airport, Vision Survey carried out a series of comprehensive topographical surveys of the runway and its surrounds, producing detailed drawings to show those findings. This enabled the successful completion of the design phase of this project.

“Vision Survey has a proud and sustained record in the Aviation sector in the south east and this was a flagship project at Gatwick airport. We worked alongside the main contractor Volker Fitzpatrick at the Olympic Park, and this project served to further develop our working relationship.

“We place much value on delivering a quality service to our client base and we have a strong level of client retention. We differentiate ourselves from our competitors through our record of engagement in large projects in the provision of a range of surveying services throughout the project life-cycle.”

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University of Chichester invests in the future The University of Chichester is undertaking a variety of projects to upgrade its campus in Bognor Regis.

The construction of a new Learning Resource Centre building on the site has led to a number of buildings becoming vacant and therefore ready for refurbishment.

Design on the £1.6 million development began in September 2011 and work started on site in February 2012.

Mark Arnold, Senior Project Manager at Stride Treglown Management Limited, told Premier Construction about the project.

He said: “We have undertaken work to upgrade the Bognor campus because it was often felt that the facilities were not as modern as the Chichester campus.

“The first phase of the work involves a full refurbishment of two buildings, minor refurbishment of one building and the demolition of two buildings to provide landscaped areas.”

The main contractor is Mansell Construction and the architect is Harrington Design Architects, with funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and the University of Chichester.

Mark said: “Over the last four years the University has undertaken projects to upgrade the Bognor campus with some funding from HEFCE and SEEDA. “A series of projects were identified as part of a master plan at the university. The main part of this was to provide a new Learning Resource Centre, but the supplementary works have considerably changed the way a lot of the existing buildings are used.

“We have refurbished a Grade I listed building to provide a new space for the School of Enterprise, Management and Leadership

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and the John Parry Library has also been refurbished.”

The Assembly Hall, now named The Theatre, has been refurbished to provide facilities for theatre groups, dance groups and performances. The Mead Centre, a low-grade teaching building, has been demolished to make way for car parking.

The refurbishment of the John Parry Library was a major part of the work.

Mark said: “We gutted the inside and replaced the windows with the same style that were used in the Learning Resource Centre to keep some continuity in design. Inside we provided a number of teaching practical rooms, primarily for science, a 150-seat lecture space and further high quality classroom space.

“We have also refurbished what was the Student Services building, which is now the Business Incubation Centre and provides enterprise space for small and medium sized businesses.

This is part of a regeneration scheme in Bognor Regis itself, and with the funding coming from SEEDA to the university we can now provide fully serviced space to help new businesses become established.

“In terms of the University this development will provide up to date teaching space. With universities now charging tuition fees, students quite rightfully expect more and that’s effectively what we’re providing. It gives the University of Chichester the opportunity to stand out from other universities in terms of facilities.”

Black Box Network Services

Black Box specialise in structured cabling, which is the core element of the corporate network.

Black Box has vast experience in providing this vital component to clients across all vertical sectors and will assist clients in choosing the right solution to meet all their infrastructure connectivity requirements.

Their services include design, installation, product procure-

ment and maintenance of network infrastructures and will make sure that their services meet the needs of businesses today and in the future.

With their team of designers, project managers, Service Desk, on-site technicians and technical support, they can offer a cradle-to-grave solution. The Service Desk is based in Reading, and is on call 24/7 to receive any intervention requests and to assist the project managers.

In the UK, Black Box has been in operation for over 20 years and have a Head Office in Reading Berkshire with a regional office in Belfast, Dublin.

Black Box Corporation has been in operation since 1976 and is based in Pittsburgh USA and now has a global presence with 175,000 clients in 141 countries around the world.

Sarah Hewett from Black Box said: “As part of the Bognor Campus Project, Black Box was asked to complete various installation requirements. This included completing surveys to ascertain the routes of the existing fibres and external Cat5e cables. On completion of the surveys, we supplied and installed Cat5e outlets to the Old Library, Student Services and Assembly Hall. These outlets were terminated into new patch panels at the cabinet and onto Cat5e modules mounted in twin faceplates at the outlet end.

“We have also installed 16 core 50/125 OM2 internal/external fibre cables from the switch room of the LRC building to the main wiring cabinet within the Old Library, Student Services and Assembly Hall.

Black Box have worked with the University of Chichester for more than six years. In that time they have provided various installation projects across various campuses.

Sarah said: “The University is a valued client. With a relationship spanning six years it was important to provide such a valued customer everything needed for a successful project. We were an integral part of the project process and continue to maintain the University’s network today and in the future “Our mission is to provide a service that meets and exceeds the requirements of our customers for network solutions and services. We aim to achieve this by providing a comprehensive range of quality products and the best technical support and customer care in the business. We are committed to continually improving the quality of our service to our customers.”

“At the University of Chichester, we manufactured and installed the curtain walling, windows and entrance doors.

“This was a good job for us to undertake as it was the first time we have worked with Mansell Construction Services Ltd and will hopefully lead to more work with them in the future.”

Granada Secondary Glazing Ltd Granada Secondary glazing ltd have been in business for 18 years and specialise in the design, development, manufacture and installation of bespoke secondary glazing.

The company has worked on a wide range of projects including Kings Cross Railway Station, the London Marriot Hotel on Park Lane and the engineering block at Leeds University.

Mike Latham from Granada Secondary Glazing Ltd said: “At the University of Chichester we provided acoustic secondary glazing to existing timber windows. It’s a listed property so we had to provide an acoustic barrier over the windows to stop noise escaping without changing the appearance of the windows.

“It’s a feature building and for the university it’s important to keep sound in but also to stop intrusive noise coming from outside. The challenge for us was that there was big feature windows and arches so we had to provide a sympathetic design. Conservation officers were obviously interested that we make sure that the windows were unobtrusive and it worked really well.

“We pride ourselves on being able to provide sympathetic solutions to listed and conservation properties. That particular market is driven by the fact that our system has to be almost invisible. If we are able to fit a product and nobody notices it, then we know we’ve done a good job.”

P & K Lacey (Southampton) Ltd P & K Lacey (Southampton) Ltd is a family-run business, established in 2009, specialising in the design and manufacture of architectural aluminium and PVC-U windows, doors, bi-fold doors and conservatories as well as glass balustrades and curtain walling for the commercial and domestic market.

Karlton Lacey from P & K Lacey (Southampton) Ltd said: “We have worked on a variety of projects in a range of sectors, for example we recently worked on a project at Oak Haven Hospital in Leamington Spa with Drew Construction Group.

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Meadows Keep scoops NHBC Award Meadows keep in Felpham, West Sussex has been awarded an NHBC Pride in the Job Seal of Excellence Award.

Construction on the development was started in January 2010 and is due to be completed in the summer of 2016.

Award-winning Site Manager Phil Cripps told Premier Construction about the project. He said: “Meadows Keep is part of a larger development in which there are around 770 units in total. Within Meadows Keep there are 147 units, including houses, apartments, retail units and we are also working with a housing association. It will be a complete new community.”

The main contractor is Barratt David Wilson Homes and accommodation at Meadows Keep ranges from two, three and four bedroom homes, coach houses – which are flats over garages – and two-bedroom apartments. All the building work is of traditional construction.

Phil said: “The exterior work is within traditional planning, so we are using traditional flint and stone, some render and brick units and we are also using weatherboard cladding like the old style Boston houses.

“There is also a lot of landscaping being carried out. In terms of the progress of the project, out of the 147 units in total, we have 66 left to build with five currently under construction.

“We are very big on localism as well and consulting the local community. We have had regular meetings with the parish

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councils and district councils and are keen to use materials from the local area.”

Phil was awarded the prestigious NHBC Pride in the Job Seal of Excellence due to his work as Site Manager. He told Premier Construction how surprised he was to receive the award at the ceremony in Brighton.

“As we come under London and the South East in terms of area, we were up against a lot of high quality developments, such as £3 million penthouses. In our category, London had around 17 of the Seal of Excellence Awards and then I got one of the last three.

“I think there’s a mixture of reasons that I got the award; I have a good team around me, the quality is very good as well as the organisation and high health and safety scores. The NHBC take into account a number of things when they are marking, they’re not just looking at the quality, they’re looking at the way the site is run, the welfare facilities, the site tidiness, health and safety.

“I have worked in the industry for 25 years. I started off as an engineer and then got into site management around 12 or 13 years ago and I haven’t looked back since. I’m very pleased with the award. It’s a great achievement not just for me but for the whole company. It’s always nice to win awards. It lets you know that your standards haven’t dropped and you’re doing the right thing – it’s nice to be recognised.”

Peter Green Contracts Ltd Trading for 56 years, Peter Green Contracts supply and fit all

types of floor-coverings, including carpet, carpet tiles, vinyl (sheet & tiles), slip resistant vinyl, linoleum, Amtico, Karndean, laminate and engineered wood.

They have worked with Barratts for over 30 years as a flooring sub-contractor and have also worked on various projects for schools, local authorities, housing associations and nursing homes.

They have also done work for the Diocese Of Winchester and Winchester Cathedral among other commercial works.

Adrian Daly from Peter Green Contracts said: “On Meadows Keep we started by putting the flooring in the show homes and sales centre.

We also fitted carpets and vinyl flooring to the affordable housing on the site, and other flooring used in the private plots.

“This project is a large site due to continue over several years.

We have had a good working relationship with Barratt Homes over many years and are keen to continue this in the future.

“Peter Green Contracts have built a reputation for competitive pricing combined with excellent customer service and quality in the commercial sector. We have a team of experts to guide clients all the way through the projects they are undertaking and are able to work to tight deadlines, remaining flexible enough to fit in with the client’s needs.”

AFM Safety Deck

AFM Safety Deck provide and install a system to ensure safety on building sites.

Andy Forcey from AFM Safety Deck said: “The plastic system stops the construction workers falling into the building and restricts their fall from height.

“It goes in at ground floor level for the carpenters putting the joists in and it goes up to the first floor level for the carpenters fitting the roof. We’ve installed this system on many projects, including on Lakeside in Eastleigh for Barratt Homes.

“It’s an easily installed system and can be done at short notice and out of hours if necessary- we pride ourselves on efficiency and really enjoyed working on Meadows Keep.”

Construction News

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£10 million investment at Battle Farm £10 million is being invested at Battle Farm in Wallingford to construct a 50,000 tonne anaerobic digestion plant.

The plant will mix food waste with energy crop silage to produce biogas. The process will generate renewable energy, in the form of heat and electricity, and produce a valuable fertiliser.

The main contractor is Agrivert and the civil engineer is RMD. Harry Waters, Commercial Director at Agrivert told Premier Construction about the project. He said: “The main components of an anaerobic digestion plant are a reception building where pre-treatment of waste occurs, and also five digesters that are of concrete construction cast in situ and about 4,500 cubic metres of capacity each.

“The main material used in the construction of the plant is concrete but the reception building is a straight forward Kingspan clad building.

The tanks are concrete which are insulated on the outside with about 100mm of insulation and are also cladded.”

The project began in April 2012 and will be completed by Christmas 2012.

Harry said:

“The tanks are all up and most of the civil engineering is now complete. Some of the M and E such as the air extraction, electrics and integration of the gas engines is still to be completed.

“The only major challenge has been the high water table which has meant that we’ve had to have a number of de-watering schemes to enable the construction of underground tanks.

This has been compounded by the very wet spring and summer.

Harry told Premier Construction about the national need for anaerobic digestion facilities to improve recycling efficiency and meet recycling and composting targets. He said: “The waste sector is absolutely crying out for infrastructure at the moment and one of the key difficulties is getting it funded. The new plant will be at capacity almost as soon as it is

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commissioned which means we will want to crack on and build others as soon as we can.

Unfortunately that is a feature of waste at the moment, there’s a shortage of infrastructure but there’s no finance to build it.

“This is the second AD plant Agrivert have completed. Agrivert has also completed sixth or seventh major waste infrastructure projects in the waste and water sector. We are planning to swiftly follow the Battle Farm project a another site we will be working on in Surrey.”

S c otl a n d Construction News

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Refurbishment of Paisley Town Hall Originally built in 1882, Paisley Town Hall is undergoing a £1.6 million makeover in order to preserve and improve the historic building.

The work began in July 2012 and is due to be completed in time for next year’s National Mod in October 2013, a festival of Gaelic Scottish song, arts and culture.

The work will create a new more accessible entrance that is fully Disability Discrimination Act compliant and the creation of new interior space from the existing cloisters. There will also be major repairs to the town hall’s stonework and the foyer will be remodeled.

Renfrewshire Council awarded the contract for the refurbishment to Central Building Contractors (Glasgow) Ltd. As part of the contract, two new jobs will be created and three work placements will be established for 16 to 19 year olds. In addition, two existing apprenticeships will be continued.

The refurbishment work will also provide support for a young people’s programme. STEP UP will help young people develop life skills

through a variety of training and workshops.

Paisley Town Hall was first built after George Clark, a member of the famous thread manufacturing family, left £20,000 in his will to pay for the building.

The money was left in 1873 and by 1882 the Town Hall was completed.

Councillor Iain McMillan, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Community and Family Care Policy Board, said: “The Victorians gifted us an amazing architectural legacy.

“It’s a heritage that Renfrewshire Council is determined to preserve and improve. This refurbishment programme gives us an opportunity to create jobs and training places while also making one of our top entertainment

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venues much more accessible for people with disabilities.

“Paisley’s Town Hall will be shrouded in scaffolding for nine months but will emerge ready to face the next 100 years. It’s important to use investment in our architectural heritage to take forward economic regeneration and this programme achieves that aim.”

Restoration of Dumfries House Built between 1754 and 1759, Dumfries House is a beautiful and historic stately home located in Ayrshire’s sprawling countryside. The house and its estate are currently undergoing an extensive series of restoration works to upgrade, improve and replace key services in order to create a new functionality for the estate.

Prior to work taking place on Dumfries House, the building, its contents and the 200 acre estate were all set to be sold at auction, as Dumfries House Curator, Charlotte Rostek, explained: “In 2007, after 2 failed attempts to find an owner for Dumfries House it was decided that the house, the state and its unique collection of furniture would be put up for sale. The collection included all of the original 18th Century furniture – bought and commissioned specifically for Dumfries House –which had survived intact for over 250 years.

When, just three weeks before the sale at auction, the fundraising campaign had not managed to reach the asking price, HRH The Prince of Wales got involved by providing an investment of £20 million to save the house and its invaluable contents.

Dumfries House Estate Manager, Oliver Middlemiss, added: “At that point, The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust was set up and the process of restoring the building, the collection and the wider estate began. The focus on this restoration is about opening up the house and the wider estate to the public in what HRH The Prince of Wales has referred to as a ‘heritage led regeneration’.

“At Dumfries House the whole focus is about welcoming people back on to the estate so that they can really enjoy this historic landmark. HRH The Prince of Wales hopes to use Dumfries House and the wider estate as a touching point for the regeneration of this part of Scotland.”

Work began on the restoration of Dumfries House in September 2010. Taylor and Fraser Limited is the principal contractor for

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the mechanical and electrical works on Dumfries House, whilst Keith Ross of Buccleuch Rural Design is the architect and McGowan Miller Partnership is the quantity surveyor and CDM co-ordinator.

Taylor and Fraser Limited were initially brought on board the project to install a bio-mass heating plant to replace an existing plant. Once work was near to completion on the new plant the company was then asked to remain on the site to re-service the entire building.

As part of the restoration of the house the services infrastructure, including plumbing, heating and lighting have all been renewed and carefully integrated. Kitchen facilities and visitor toilets also received a makeover, whilst plaster repairs, decoration and general maintenance work has also taken place.

Due to the historic significance of the building, all work on Dumfries House is being conducted very sensitively, however as the fabric of the house is in very good condition external work is being kept to a minimum. Only the ageing formal steps at the front of the house have required significant repair, elsewhere a rigorous maintenance programme ensures that all areas are kept in good condition.

With the bulk of the construction work on Dumfries House already complete, a number of additional projects will continue to take place on the site and will be completed in the near future.

These include a cook school, a residential outdoor activity centre, an education centre, traditional skills workshops and artist’s studios.

Of those recently completed and on-going projects, Sam Templeton is involved with a number of the operations and is the main contractor on the refurbishment of estate bridges and the estate’s extensive walled garden. Hope Homes Scotland Ltd are heavily involved with a number of projects on the estate as well as building houses at Knockroon, a sustainable mixed-use development that will serve as a model community for Scotland.

Ross was the architect on the guest house/holiday cottage project with Taylor and Fraser acting as principal contractor. These buildings provide the perfect accommodation for wedding parties and was officially opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in April 2012.

Keith Ross, Buccleuch Rural Design, said: “Dumfries House Estate is a beautiful place to work, with the highest quality of craftsmanship evident in all the buildings that we work with. The work that we are undertaking will ensure that this level of craftsmanship is maintained whilst at the same time introducing the necessary improvements to enhance its beauty and extend its life.”

Taylor and Fraser Limited

In addition, work completed on the Dumfries House estate includes the conversion of the coach house into a cafe, and the transformation of an old stable building into a bistro and conference facility.

The old home farm steading buildings have recently been refurbished with conversion of the original farmhouse into a six-bedroom guest house in addition to improvements to existing holiday let cottages. Keith

Taylor and Fraser Limited is a mechanical service contractor specialising in heating, ventilation and air conditioning installations. Over the last nine years the company has diversified from its original discipline to conduct a variety of works as a principal contractor, working across many large scale operations in Scotland.

Taylor and Fraser Limited has previously completed work for universities, schools and hospitals, as well as large private estates, including Dumfries House.

On Dumfries House, Taylor and Fraser Limited was initially employed to install a biomass plant in 2010 and has remained on the site to complete additional works as the principal contractor.

Scott Taylor, Taylor and Fraser Limited, said: “An increasing number of clients view us as a contractor who is able to provide a one-stop shop to meet all of their requirements. However despite our diversification we still undertake work based upon our original discipline.

“At Taylor and Fraser Limited we have a great approach to our work and the high level of quality that we leave behind us speaks for itself.”

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Groundbreaking new development at Heriot-Watt University A new £12 million student village has opened at HeriotWatt University’s Edinburgh campus.

The project is part of a wider £26 million development programme that has created new residences at the University’s Galashiels Campus. Main contractor for the Edinburgh phase was Morgan Sindall, whilst the main contractor for the Galashiels phase is Miller Construction and the architect is RMJM Limited.

As a further expansion of the West Student Village, the Edinburgh project has created 277 bed spaces. Designed as a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional ‘university quad’ courtyard plan, the buildings surround an outdoor social space that is intended to serve as an extension of the indoor living area. The residences have achieved a rating of BREEAM ‘Excellent.’

Following on from the success of the recently completed redevelopment of academic facilities at the Scottish Borders Campus, the Galashiels project will create 218 bed spaces.

Both the Edinburgh and Galashiels residences incorporate single en-suite bedrooms, kitchens, lounges and ancillary facilities. Some of these rooms are arranged in five-bedroom cluster flats.

Heriot-Watt University Principal, Professor Steve Chapman, said: “These new residences, the latest phase of the University’s dynamic programme of investment to upgrade its estate, are a major improvement to student residences provision. They replace facilities which are reaching the end of their useful lifespan with modern, attractive and welcoming accommodation with generous space and of a standard which will be at the leading edge of market expectations.

“The residence design was developed by a design team experienced in this sector but has also evolved in consultation with staff who will operate and maintain them and, crucially, with students.

“We are all delighted that the project has reached this important milestone, on time and within budget.”

With work now complete on the Edinburgh campus construction continues to progress with the remainder of the project.

Miller Construction Scottish Operations Director, Liam Hanlon, said: “We are delighted to be working with Heriot-Watt University. Miller Construction has a reputation for the delivery of first-class student residencies and I am confident that this new accommodation will further enhance the University’s offer for learners, and contribute to the overall experience of those

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who choose to stay and study at the Galashiels campus.”

Established in 1821, Heriot-Watt University is regarded as one of the UK’s top universities for business and industry. The university delivers degree programmes to approximately 11,800 students in 150 countries and has campuses in Edinburgh, the Scottish Borders, Orkney and Dubai.

For more information on Heriot-Watt University, please visit: www.hw.ac.uk.

Construction News

Call our news team on 01706 719972

Highland Council invests in flood defences The fourth and final phase of the £16 million South West Inverness flood relief channel works is almost complete.

The scheme aims to protect 600 houses which are at risk of flooding on the south side of Inverness. The work intercepts five water courses including Cuduthel channel Lochardil burn, Slackbuie channel, Slackbuie springs and Alt na Skiah burn.

This final phase of the project began in November 2011 with the contract awarded to main contractor RJ McLeod Contractors Limited.

The works are being supervised by The Highland Council’s TEC Services site team and the contract designers are Leeds-based AECOM. The project is due to be completed in December 2012.

The total length of construction for Phase Four is 1,400 metres and extends from Lochardil burn to Ault Na Skiah. Approximately half of this will be buried precast concrete box culverts, the remainder will be open channel.

A spokesman for Highland Council said: “We are now working on a number of fronts to complete the installation of buried concrete box sections adjacent to Slackbuie distributor road and adjacent to housing at Upper Slackbuie.

“In addition we are completing the works on open channel constructions and the intake structure in Ault na Skiah Burn above Fairways Golf Course.”

Phase One of the project commenced at the River Ness and travels up the Holm Burn to Holm Burn Bridge. The works included increasing the capacity of Holm Burn, the widening and deepening of an existing sediment pond, and the replacement of two bridges.

Phase Two involved construction of the confluence at Holm Burn, sedimentation pond and weir to catch sediment from the channel prior to its discharge into the Holm Burn. A combination of culverted sections and open channel were constructed from the Holm Burn confluence to Culduthel Channel.

Phase three was a combination of culverted sections and open channel, beginning at Culduthel Channel and ended at Lochardil Burn,

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Old town of Leys.

Works have also been completed to replace the B862 Holm Burn Bridge as part of the scheme. This replacement means the bridge is wider and flood capacity of the bridge is increased. Developers are also funding the provision of a cycleway to access a proposed adjacent development.

The project is one of three flood alleviation schemes currently undertaken by Highland Council. The others involve work on the River Ness and Mill Burn.

£25 million water improvements bring clear benefits to Scottish Loch Scottish Water’s £25 million Loch Ryan project is now at an advanced stage, bringing a modern waste water treatment system to Stranraer, Leswalt, Kirkcolm and Cairnryan.

The scheme is necessary to satisfy the legal requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and Shellfish Directive, and will deliver significant improvements to the water quality and shellfish environment in Loch Ryan. The scheme is being carried out by a Leslie MWH joint venture.

The project involves the demolition of the existing waste water treatment works (WWTW) at Port Rodie and the retirement of three WWTWs at Cairnryan, Leswalt and Kirkcolm. New facilities replacing the old treatment works include a new pumping station being built at Port Rodie which serves Stranraer. From Port Rodie, the flows will be pumped to another new treatment works being constructed at Smithy Hill near Leswalt, after which the flows will undergo secondary biological treatment before being pumped to Larbrax Bay to be discharged into the Irish Sea. The secondary treatment works includes an inlet works with screening, screening handling and grit removal processes, primary settlement; a plastic struc-

tured media biofilter; sludge management comprising holding tanks and thickening processes; final settlement facilities and a pumping station to discharge treated effluent.

Stephen Hepburn, Construction Manager, Scottish Water, said: “This is great news for the area. After years of studies and surveys to assess the best option for an extremely difficult civil engineering challenge, Scottish Water is removing the perma-

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S c otl a n d nent discharge of waste water to Loch Ryan.

“The waste water from the surrounding communities will receive a greater level of treatment than is currently provided.”

Work at the Port Rodie site to construct a new pumping station is entering the next phase now that the large excavation for the station is completed and covered.

The pumping station building will be constructed on top of this and has been designed in consultation with local planners to be in harmony with other buildings in the area.

Work on the new treatment works near Leswalt is also well advanced. Major excavation works have been completed for the new tanks which will process the waste water from Stranraer and the surrounding villages of Kirkcolm and Leswalt.

Construction of the new Cairnryan Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW), a joint project with Stena, was completed in October. The original plan was to construct a pumping station to carry Cairnryan’s waste to the new Loch Ryan WWTW, but the ongoing energy costs and maintenance made the option of a shared facility with the ferry terminal a preferable option.

This facility will offer a three-tier level of water treatment that will protect and enhance the natural environment in Loch Ryan.

The next stage of this improvement programme involves laying a new section of sewer from the Pumping Station at Port Rodie to the new works at Smithy Hill near Leswalt.

Stephen Hepburn said: “For this work we will be using the traditional open trench method which involves excavating the entire length of the sewer from ground level to the full depth required.

“In order to ensure overall safety temporary road restrictions will need to be put in place. This will include local control by temporary traffic lights, restriction of on-street parking and in some areas temporary road closures.

“Part of this work is located on Seabank Road, Sheuchan Street, Foreland Place, Leswalt High Road and Spring Bank Road.”

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Stephen continued: “Our Loch Ryan project will provide the first ever modern waste water treatment solution for Stranraer and surrounding villages.”

The project is scheduled for completion in late 2012.

Huber Technology For over 20 years Huber Technology has provided state-of-theart stainless steel equipment for municipal and industrial waste water treatment. This includes supplying water companies with inlet screens, sludge screens, thickeners and dewaterers and tertiary treatment along with a comprehensive line of stainless steel equipment.

Huber Technology works closely with all of the major water companies, as well as their main contractors and consultants.

Along with the current longstanding frameworks that they hold

with the water companies, Huber Technology has just been awarded a further two frameworks for the supply of sludge thickeners and dewaterers.

On Loch Ryan Huber Technology UK supplied sludge thickeners and control panels to suit the requirements of Scottish Water.

Huber Technology Marketing Co-ordinator Hannah Ryan, said: “We have a great reputation within the industry and supply high quality products for all of the industry’s water treatment needs.

“It’s very important for us to be involved in projects like Loch Ryan. We have a lot of experience in working with Scottish Water and the water industry.”

Central Industrial Services Established in 1990, Central Industrial Services specialise in industrial cleaning, liquid waste removal and high and ultra-high pressure water jetting in the petrochemical, Gas and utilities industries.

The Loch Ryan project required the supply of a large fleet of tankers to remove a significant amount of liquid off site. Central

Industrial Services was also involved in the decontamination of the internal works and supplied equipment and operators to undertake the specialised cleaning services that were required.

During this process confined space personnel and Central Industrial Services’ own in-house rescue squads were utilised.

Throughout all of the tasks Central Industrial Services undertake, the company conducts itself with the utmost integrity and provides exceptional standards of health and safety.

Sales Marketing Manager, Paul Durning, said: “We are very proud of each and every one of our employees.

When they are working on our customers’ site they conduct themselves with professionalism and have a fantastic understanding of what it takes to get the job done safely and efficiently.”

Paul Durning added: “The majority of Central Industrial Services employees have at least fifteen years service experience and in the current global working environment that is pretty impressive. We believe a good workforce equals a good job.”

Improving child care facilities in Dumfries A £1,034,075 project to construct a brand new child care facility in Dumfries is nearing completion.

Situated on Hardthorn Road, the project comprises the construction of a house and private garden to provide residential childcare accommodation for the local community. In addition adequate parking for both staff and visitors is also being included as part of the scheme.

The project is being implemented by Dumfries and Galloway Council and is designed to address the current lack of child care facilities within the local area. A topping out ceremony took place on the site on 1st November, and the project is scheduled to reach completion in December 2012.

Director of Social Work Services, John Alexander, said: “Seeking the right location and going through the proper pro-

S c otl a n d cess has taken time. The location and the building have to feel like a real home. It is very satisfying to see all that hard work come to fruition and the project team are to be congratulated for their hard work and commitment.

“The centre will house four young people. Once the centre is up and running next year we will start to see real benefits for the young people in our care and their communities.”

Chair of Social Work Services, Councillor Andy Ferguson, added: “Our Council realised a number of years ago that the best environment for our children was close to home. Those in need of our care also need continuity in their education and support from family and friends.

“Whilst we also benefit in providing this service at less cost than by placing children in agency homes, the most important thing is that we provide a proper home for those in our care.”

Work began on the Hardthorn Road Care facility in May 2012.

DG First and Dumfries and Galloway Council are the main contractors on the project, whilst DG Design and Dumfries and Galloway Council are the architects.

The 433m² building has been built from a timber frame construction with isolated steel beams and columns and includes white UPVC windows and a natural slate roof. The external facade of the structure features a mix of red facing brick, white wet dash render and stained and treated timber cladding.

The internal layout of the new facility includes four en-suite bedrooms, a quiet room, a lounge, a kitchen/diner, a utility area, a games room and a workshop and garage. Additional features

of the building include a manager’s office, a guest bedroom, a bathroom and a lift.

Safety features of the building include a sprinkler system and a fire escape, whilst energy saving features of the development include a condensed gas boiler and low energy lighting.

External work on the site comprises 4040m² of landscaped gardens, including a vegetable plot, shrub planters, trees, hedges and timber fencing. Hard landscaping on the project incorporates a tarmac drive, a parking area, paved footpaths and associated gravel paths.

Building a campus for the future As the largest project in Glasgow Council’s plan for secondary education in Inverclyde, the new £44 million Shared Campus in Port Glasgow is expected to provide a wealth of state-of-the-art facilities when it opens in 2013.

The development will be located on the current Port Glasgow High School site and the shared campus will comprise: Port Glasgow High School, St Stephen’s High School and an Additional Support Needs (ASN) School.

Whilst the project is underway, the two secondary schools have moved into temporary shared accommodation at the St Stephen’s complex.

Once the Shared Campus is complete, Port Glasgow High School and St Stephen’s will each have their own distinct entrances and a separate foyer that leads to the teaching spaces.

However, whilst the schools will function as standalone institutions, they will share the common facilities – including an Enterprise Centre and sports, music and performance arts spaces.

The ASN school will comprise nursery, primary and secondary blocks and will cater for both moderate and complex learning difficulties. In total the school will have the capacity for 8 nursery pupils, 60 pupils with complex learning difficulties, 30 primary pupils with moderate learning difficulties and 50 secondary pupils with moderate learning difficulties.

Leisure facilities will include a multi-use games area (MUGA), a fully equipped gymnasium and fitness suite and two all-weather pitches.

The Enterprise Centre will be an important community learning facility and will also serve the needs of the schools during regular school hours. As a result, it will have its own entrance and reception which can be securely accessed from the campus internally.

Main contractor for the project is GRAHAM Construction and the architect is Ingenium Archial Architects Ltd. Education and Lifelong Learning Convener, Councillor Terry

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Loughran, said: “When it is completed in summer 2013 it will be a centre of educational excellence and a prized asset for the local community. The new Enterprise Centre will also offer opportunities for adults.

“We are continuing to deliver on our promise of new and refurbished schools for all of our children and young people, despite the squeeze on public sector budgets. I am particularly pleased that this project puts those with additional support needs at the heart of our schools estates strategy, where they belong.”

Council Leader, Stephen McCabe, added: “I am delighted at the way the two schools have settled into their temporary surroundings and the feedback from the pupils, staff and parents has been very positive. I think everyone recognises what an exciting time this is for secondary education in Port Glasgow and Inverclyde in general. The new campus is the single most ambitious project in our £220 million schools estate strategy.

“This has been a real team effort and I thank all of those involved and in particular the school communities for the invaluable contribution they have made to getting us to where we are today. Without their support, this project would not have been possible.”

Michael Graham, Executive Chairman at GRAHAM

Construction, said: “The new shared campus at Port Glasgow is one of the most significant education projects we have ever been involved with.

This will be a unique, showpiece structure when it is completed in 2013 and GRAHAM is tremendously proud to be playing a part in such an iconic, keenly-anticipated facility.”

Restoration of Dalmuir Park Dalmuir Park in Clydebank has been restored and improved.

Established in 1906, the park was within the former grounds of Dalmuir House and was opened to provide the local community with an essential green space in the industrial town. The fountain and former bandstand were constructed in 1907 and turned the park into the focal point of social activity including a number of political rallies between 1945 and 1963.

The project will see various improvements to the park including improving access routes, refurbishing play and sports facilities and better signage.

The heritage features of the park will also be restored and enhanced, including repairing the Edwardian fountain, rock garden and floral boat; restoring the character of the woodlands; developing planting and repairing weirs, piers and sluices at Duntocher Burn.

The Council also hopes to improve community engagement in Clydebank, encouraging local volunteers and groups to become involved not only with the restoration work, but in the continued management of the park, community events and educational opportunities.

Ronnie Dinnie, the Council’s Head of Neighbourhood Services, said: “Restoring this park to its former glory will contribute to the social regeneration of Clydebank and add to the growing sense of civic pride here.”

The Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a grant of £859,600 to regenerate and restore the park in July 2011 and West Dumbarton

Council committed £610,000 to the project. A further £272,000 in non-cash in kind contributions was also pledged.

The work will be completed in January 2013, with the various community engagement elements being funded until April 2015.

Councillor Lawrence O’Neill, Depute Convener of Housing, Environmental and Economic Development said: “We are very grateful to everyone involved in restoration of the park and the work which has been put in to restore the park it its former glory. Following the work, Dalmuir Park will be a great benefit to the area and I am sure it will be well used by the community, not only today but for generations to come.”

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Extending Hatston Pier Hatston Pier in Kirkwall, Orkney, is being extended to enable the port to cope with the large increase in marine renewables related activity.

The £8 million project, which is being led by Orkney Island Council, began in October 2011 and is due to be completed in January 2013.

Project Supervisor at Orkney Island Council, John Orr, told Premier Construction about the project. He said: “The existing pier was built primarily as a Ro-Ro terminal about 10 years ago to service the Aberdeen-Orkney-Shetland ferry route.

“The project, which is being progressed primarily on the basis of the expected uplift in the marine renewables market, was awarded 40% funding from the European Regional Development Fund. The main contractor for the project is the Northern Ireland construction company McLaughlin and Harvey.

John said: “The main extension is 160 metres long and adjoins the existing pier which is an ‘L’ shape. This extension is at the top end of the pier and will result when complete in a ‘T’ shape structure.

“The pier extension follows the basic form of construction of the existing pier i.e. tubular piles and reinforced concrete deck.

The extension is slightly different in that the concrete deck incorporates pre-cast beams and slabs together with the final in-situ concrete deck. Although further ground investigations were undertaken, these were not so extensive as we had a good grasp of this area from the earlier site investigation work and pile records.

“The project had a slow start initially as, with the existing pier still operational, this inevitably led to construction constraints.

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Orkney Islands Council is eager to see the benefits of the project which will greatly help local industries and the community in general and has therefore permitted nightshift working to see a return to programme.

“There is no doubt that Orkney is a central hub for marine renewables research and development worldwide, with more wave and tidal devices tested in the waters around our islands than in the rest of the world put together.

“There has been a lot of ongoing work and improvement and we are now moving ever closer into the commercial phase of marine renewable generation which could really involve major change for Orkney. The council has seen this additional activity and decided to respond to the challenges by improving its infrastructure to meet the needs of this rapidly evolving industry.

“We have what we call our three port strategy as far as pier and harbour improvements are concerned. Firstly we’ve upgraded the old naval base at Lyness on Hoy, secondly we are developing the Hatston project and the third is a brand new pier in Stromness. We are pitching all of these towards the increased demand in the renewables industry.”

John said that Orkney Islands Council has been very proactive up to now in regards to upgrading their infrastructure, and they will continue to look out for improvements that could be made and respond to any future demands.

“With respect to the Hatston Pier Extension Project, this is a complete upgrade of the facilities. The old Kirkwall Pier, at the lowest state of the tide, had water depth of 5.5 metres, which would simply not be enough for the type of vessel we can now expect.

“With the new extension, at lowest state of the tide, the water depth we have is 10 metres. A lot of the vessels serving the renewables industry that carry turbines and large equipment have draft of 7 or 8 metres.

“The other thing to be said is that Orkney has a large number of visiting cruise liners. We usually have 70 or 80 big cruise liners per year, mostly coming in to Kirkwall. Now the total length of outside deepwater berth will be 385 metres, so the pier can take the biggest of the cruise liners. We’re looking forward to the official opening next year.”

Streamline Shipping Group Limited Established in 1981, Streamline Shipping Group Limited is a transport company which specialises in operating services to and from Orkney and Shetland. They have a proven track record in assisting construction companies to transport their material to site in Orkney and Shetland.

Streamline Shipping Group operate their own vessel ex Aberdeen to both Orkney and Shetland and along with their trailer services on the RO-RO vessel, can offer reliable just in time delivery of material to site.

They specialise in working directly with contractor’s suppliers to ensure material is available to ship in time for due date on site, allowing the contractor to get on with the business of constructing their project.

Hazel McMullan from Streamline Shipping Group said: “We were delighted to work with McLaughlin & Harvey on their Hatston Pier Extension Project, moving everything from their large cranes and plant to their building materials, and also providing stevedoring and discharging of their direct vessel containing their piling.

“We are committed to working in partnership with our customers. We believe that by investing time and working closely with each other we can create professional , rewarding and long lasting relationships.”

Restoring St John’s Church A £500,000 project to restore St John’s Church in Largs is nearing completion.

The project comprises an extensive scheme of restoration and repair works, including stone indenting, re-pointing and reslating works, rot repair works, the installation of new lead and the repair of external timber louvers.

The stone indenting work includes both ashlar and rub-

ble stonework – making use of stones which have a suitable geological composition – whilst the re-pointing work is being undertaken using traditional lime mortar.

In addition, work is also being undertaken on the church’s internal electrical systems to modernise the site’s audio-visual capabilities, whilst the interior of the church will benefit from redecoration.

S c otl a n d Work began on the project in June 2012. Laing Traditional Masonry is the main contractor on the project, whilst Andrew Easton of Robert Potter & Partners is the lead architect on the site.

The St John’s Restoration project is being undertaken on behalf of the congregation of St John’s Church, with funding provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

To date, the majority of the external works have been completed on the scheme and work is now focusing on the internal aspects of the project.

Robert Potter & Partners Company Partner, Andrew Easton, said: “St John’s is situated within a very prominent seaside location, so it suffers a great deal from constant exposure to the sea air.

The salt in the sea has affected the stone work considerably, which has resulted in the need for the stone indenting works, whilst other areas of the church were also in need of restoration.

“As St John’s Church is Category ‘B’ listed, the most important aspect of this project for us is that we do not do anything which will have a detrimental effect on the existing fabric of the building. All of the repairs and restoration work that we are undertaking is being conducted sensitively.”

Andrew added: “At Robert Potter & Partners we have two architects in our practice who are conservation accredited, whilst we have other team members who are currently working towards accreditation.

As a practice we undertake various types of work, from social housing and health care to conservation schemes, so working on a project like this is very important to us. Undertaking the restoration of historic buildings is a core element of our practice and protecting the built environment is a very important duty that we as a custodian of this building take very seriously.

“Our involvement with St John’s Church ensures that the specifications are appropriate and that the materials used can protect this building for future generations.”

The restoration of St John’s Church is on programme and is currently scheduled to reach completion in December 2012.

Developing Ailsa View, Stevenston Located in Stevenson, North Ayrshire, Ailsa View is a new housing development from leading property developer Merchant Homes. The site includes a stunning mix of two and three-bedroom properties all situated within a desirable area of Scotland.

At present, work is currently underway on the development which comprises 20 two and three-bedroom semi-detached properties.

Merchant Homes Commercial Director, John Jack, said: “Ailsa View is Merchant Homes’ first development within the Ayrshire area and is the flagship development for the launch of two of our new house types – the Glen – a 2 bed semi – and the Blair – a 3 bedroom semi. Both the Glen and the Blair have the benefit of state of the art downstairs shower rooms as well as family bathroom on the upper floor.”

Work began on the £2.5 million development in February 2012 and is currently scheduled to reach completion in late summer 2013. At present four units and a stunning show house have been completed, with two of the housing units already finding buyers.

The houses on the development are being built from a timber frame construction, with UPVC double glazed windows and concrete Russell roof tiles. Once complete, the exterior finish of each building will incorporate a mix of render and facing brick, whilst landscaping will include both front and back gardens and associated paving.

John added: “All of the units are being built to 2010/2011 Building Regulations

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so key factors we are aiming towards include high levels of air tightness and sound proofing as well as large thermal properties. In terms of the construction programme these elements add approximately a week longer to the build but the benefits to the end user completely outweigh any extra time required.

“We have a number of developments in the Lanarkshire and Glasgow areas and are excited at the launch of Ailsa View as it is our first development within the Ayrshire belt.

“The house types launched at Ailsa View will form part of a portfolio of four house types we will be building on our next programmed development, The Willows on the south side of

Glasgow. This development will provide around 70 units with a mixture of two and three bedroom semi and detached properties.”

Merchant Homes Merchant Homes is a leading property developer dedicated to building high-quality homes within a safe environment. From the initial design stages and planning right through to the completion of each unit, every aspect of a project is expertly handled

by Merchant Homes’ team of professionals.

Developments within Merchant Homes’ portfolio are high in efficiency and low in maintenance and adhere to green policies and company objectives. Each home features high-specification kitchens, luxurious bathrooms and top of the range fixtures and fittings.

In addition to its stunning range of developments Merchant Homes has also recently launched its own television channel.

The presenter-led Merchant Homes TV is available online, via smart phones, tablets and computers.

Merchant Homes Sales and Marketing Director, Linda McLuskie, said:

“We pride ourselves on providing high quality homes in excellent locations and Merchant Homes TV will afford us the chance to showcase this building ethos to a variety of customers across the country.”

For more information about Merchant Homes please visit: www.merchanthomes.co.uk.

Multi-million pound water project will deliver massive environmental benefits Scottish Water is carrying out an exciting project that will deliver massive environmental benefits for rivers and coastal waters in Ayrshire.

The Meadowhead and Stevenston Work Package 6 (WP6) was designed to significantly improve the environment for those living in North and East Ayrshire. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has identified water quality and aesthetic failings in inland and coastal waterways within the River Irvine, Kilmarnock Water and Irvine Coastal Water.

The scheme comprises several projects to construct new pipelines and pumping stations, along with the modification of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in order to address the drivers for these waterways. These drivers include: the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, the Bathing Water Directive, the Freshwater Fisheries Directive and the Water Framework Directive.

As one of the biggest projects of its kind to have ever been undertaken in Scotland, the storm water management work will improve water quality in the River Irvine and Kilmarnock Water and the bathing waters of Irvine Bay. The scheme will also help Scottish Water meet Scottish Environment Protection Agency regulations and stringent EU directives.

MBV, a joint venture between contractors Morrison Construction and Black & Veatch and their design partners Halcrow, has now completed the first phase of the project. This £31 million phase comprised the installation of a new storm water network between Irvine and Meadowhead Waste Water Treatment Works.

The Irvine-Meadowhead project will improve storm water management in the Irvine and Kilmarnock areas through a new collection and transfer system which will allow better control of waste water discharges and substantially reduce unsatisfactory intermittent discharges (UIDs) to the rivers and the Firth of Clyde.

Covering a geographical area of approximately 125 square kilometres, the catchment consists of both urbanised and rural areas and has a population of over 300,000.

The new systems in both towns will collect combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges that occur when there is too much

water for the existing infrastructure to handle, usually during or after heavy rainfall. Excess flows will then be discharged into local watercourses in order to relieve pressure in the system

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S c otl a n d and avoid flooding.

Creating the new storm water network involved constructing approximately 12 miles of large pipelines and the creation of three new transfer pumping stations and a new storage tank south west of Kilmarnock. This has in turn provided 12,000 cubic metres of storage capacity that will prevent early spills to rivers by holding back waste water in storm conditions before it is pumped forward for disposal via an existing long sea outfall at Gailes Pumping Station in Irvine.

Further works included additions to the inlet works at the Meadowhead WWTW, including a new screening chamber that provides preliminary screening to the storm water prior to discharge via the Gailes outfall.

Now that the first phase of the project is complete, Morrison Construction and Black & Veatch have secured a £17 million Scottish Water contract for the second phase.

KWH Pipe (UK) Ltd KWH Pipe specialises in the manufacture of polyethylene pipe systems for use in water, gas and waste water schemes and

other similar applications. The company has produced polyethylene pipes since 1955 and in this time KWH Pipe (UK) Ltd has worked on a number of high profile projects including the Glencourse project in Edinburgh, as well as several marine pipeline projects throughout the UK. On the Meadowhead and Stevenson project, KWH Pipe (UK) Ltd supplied a 10,000m³ storage tank system in 2.6 m diameter and 300 m of associated pipework in 2.1 m nominal diameter.

The pipes were manufactured in the UK by KWH Pipe’s Weholite licensee, Asset International.

KWH Pipe (UK) Ltd Managing Director, George Merry, said: “KWH Pipe (UK) Ltd is a Scottish Water framework supplier, covering large diameter pipework, so working on a project like Meadowhead and Stevenson is extremely important to us.

“On each project we work in partnership with Scottish Water and their appointed framework contractor to provide the best solutions to solve the problems that they have.

“KWH Pipe is an innovative company and as we have been producing pipe for over 50 years we have a great deal of product knowledge.”

Transforming Bridgegate House A £9.3 million project to refurbish Bridgegate House is currently underway.

The project, which is currently taking place in Irvine town centre, is being implemented by North Ayrshire Council. Work began on the project in June 2012 and comprises the introduction of a modern, user-friendly Customer Centre for Council Services in Irvine, the creation of open plan offices and the refurbishment of shop fronts, roller shutters and associated signage.

The Council’s new Customer Contact Centre – which will provide an effective one-stop shop for Council customers – is being constructed at the High Street entrance to Bridgegate House. Services, such as Housing, Social Work, Benefits and Trading Standards are expected to operate from the centre when it officially opens.

Once work is complete on Bridgegate House, the building will be a much cleaner, brighter, and more attractive development and will complement other town centre regeneration projects which are currently taking place in Irvine.

North Ayrshire Council is investing £8.5 million in the project, whilst Irvine Bay Regeneration Company is providing the additional £800,000 for all the external work on the site.

Councillor Marie Burns, a spokesperson for Economic Development and Regeneration, said: “The Council has been working very hard, along with our partners at Irvine Bay, to plan the ambitious regeneration of Irvine Town Centre.

“However, it is only now that the people of Irvine will begin to see these plans begin to take shape. The whole of the town centre will benefit from the much-needed modernisation of Bridgegate House and the streetscape over the next year or so.

“While there is inevitably some disruption, much of the planning has gone toward ensuring this is kept to a minimum. We believe the end result will be a positive one – one which gives local people increased pride in their town, while making it a more attractive destination for visitors and businesses looking to invest in the town.”

GRAHAM Construction is the main contractor on the Bridgegate House project and North Ayrshire Council is providing all architectural services.

GRAHAM Construction Contracts Director, Gary Holmes, said: “The refurbishment of Bridgegate House is a major undertaking and one we are committing a significant manpower resource

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to.

“Bridgegate House occupies a prominent position in Irvine and local people can look forward to a much more visually appealing and eye-catching design once the project is completed, with a modern glass fascia replacing the existing 70s-style frontage.

“We will also work to radically improve the interior of the building. Once completed, we are confident the new Bridgedate House will prove to be a welcome and much-used community facility for the people of North Ayrshire.”

The Bridgegate House redevelopment project is just one part of a much larger, £30 million Irvine Town Centre project, sitting alongside the Bridgegate streetscape, new leisure centre and Trinity Church refurbishment schemes.

The initiative is a partnership led by North Ayreshire Council and supported by Irvine Bay Regeneration Company and is being undertaken to kick-start the local economy. Other partners in the initiative include Rivergate Shopping Centre (ING), Historic Scotland Trinity Trust and SportScotland.

Construction News

Call our news team on 01706 719972

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 purposebuilt 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 existing athletics track will also be upgraded.

The roof and wall cladding of the external envelope is progressing well and the main core

www.romauk.net

is now enclosed. The substation and power is complete, whilst the internal block work is nearing completion. External works have included the near-completion of the drainage, and the construction of the sports pitches began in July.

The existing facility closed to the public on 2nd July 2012, and the decant took place shortly after. Soft strip and demolition works began after the building was handed over at the end of July 2012.

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

The restoration of Gartnavel Royal Hospital Chapel The B-listed Gartnavel Royal Hospital Chapel in Glasgow has been conserved and transformed into a complimentary therapy centre for the charity Cancer Support Scotland after being unoccupied for 13 years.

In 2008 it was decided that the Arts & Crafts Chapel would be the ideal base for Cancer Support Scotland, because of its proximity to the West of Scotland centre for cancer treatment.

After several years of fundraising by the building conservation charity Glasgow Building Preservation Trust work started on site in 2011. The work at the Chapel was completed in October 2012 when it opened its doors to patients and their families.

The chapel was built in 1904, originally created for patients and families of patients within Gartnavel Royal Hospital as a place of worship and friendship but eventually became redundant and a ‘building at risk’. However its restoration has seen it now become a flagship cancer support centre.

Within the bespoke Therapy Centre there are modern facilities including two complimentary therapy rooms, two dedicated counselling rooms, a discreet hairdressing and wig fitting salon and disabled facilities.

Many of the original features have been carefully retained such as the bell, stained glass windows, a stone cross, wooden panelling, wood trusses and pews.

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of which were designed and made by Robert Anning Bell. Whilst the Anning Bell windows were in very good condition requiring hardly any repairs, the three other stained glass windows had suffered considerable deterioration. Stained glass conservators, Rainbow Glass Studios spent months researching and recreating the detail on the figures in these three windows.

The main contractor was Stewart & Shields and the architect was Austin-Smith: Lord.

Stewart & Shields are based in Helensburgh, and have worked on a range of private and public projects, including four major Glasgow churches and the construction of a £4.9 million apartment block.

Austin-Smith: Lord is a multidisciplinary practice that provides architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, interior design and conservation services to a very wide range of clients. Past projects include Liverpool Central Library and The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.

David Millar, Head of Conservation at Austin-Smith: Lord Architects said: “Breathing new life into any derelict historic building is always an enjoyable challenge to be involved with. This project was all the more enjoyable as we have worked closely with Glasgow Building Preservation Trust since 2006 to create the new Calman Cancer Support Centre, now providing yet another superb facility at Gartnavel Royal Hospital” Gill Stewart, Senior Project Development Officer for the Gartnavel Royal Hospital Chapel project said: “This partnership project led by Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, together with Cancer Support Scotland, has been 6 years in the making. For GBPT it has been well worth while and illustrates that with care and attention, our treasured heritage can be sympathetically reused for the enjoyment of future generations to come. It gives us extra special pleasure to complete this building in our 30th Anniversary year.”

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Funding on the project came from a number of sources including Historic Scotland, Robertson Trust, Glasgow City Council Better Glasgow Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, William Grant & Sons, Landfill Communities Tax Fund, Wolfson Foundation, Architectural Heritage Fund, Barcapel Foundation, Trades House, Glaziers Trust and NHS Endowments.

Cancer Support Scotland Chief Executive, Colin Graham said: “The new facilities will allow the charity to provide more extensive support for people with cancer and those closest to them at a critical time. The new centre allows our clients to use our services in pleasant surroundings where our staff and volunteers can offer the support they want when they want it.

“Moving into these new premises has allowed us to treble our capacity, especially as more people are coming to us for support. The work by GBPT has been fantastic and we would like to thank them for their dedication and expertise.”

Wa l e s

New teaching facility for Swansea School Construction of a brand new special teaching facility (STF) for Bishopston Comprehensive School in Swansea has reached completion.

Work began on the STF project in March 2012 and reached completion in November 2012. The project was implemented by the City & County of Swansea, who were also the main contractor and designers of the project.

Discussing the importance of the new STF, City & County of Swansea, Architectural Technician, Edwin Kavanagh, said: “The STF at Bishopston Comprehensive School is an integrated element of the main school site, but is separate enough that it can become a standalone unit. The new building was designed specifically for students who have special teaching requirements, and although they will be part of the mainstream education system they perhaps require a little extra attention and help along the way.

“Over the past few years in Swansea we have been building quite a number of these STF, but this is the first one located to serve the west of Swansea.”

The STF is a single-storey, free-standing structure, measuring approximately 255 sq metres. The building was constructed using traditional methods of brick and block work, with UPVC windows, aluminium doors, carpet and vinyl floor coverings and suspended ceilings.

The building was fully decorated and to complete the project landscaping work took place on the site, including the installation of new turf and associated trees and shrubs around the perimeter of the development.

The new STF building is divided into two classrooms, separated by a central corridor. Each of the classrooms contains a withdrawal room, which is an area that provides a one-to-one teaching zone, whilst the remainder of the classrooms have computer workstations with interactive whiteboards in addition to traditional teaching fittings.

To further facilitate the standalone elements of the STF a kitchen sits along the central corridor, between both classrooms.

The kitchen can be used to prepare meals but can also be used as a teaching area for students and has a dining area.

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Wa l e s Whilst work was conducted on the project, Bishopston Comprehensive School remained fully operational.

Edwin said: “The school was very cooperative throughout the construction process and we had a great relationship with them. The site was confined but we organised site deliveries so that work would not interrupt the school or students.

“We kept all the work on the project in-house and it was great for the City & County of Swansea to be able to provide a facility like this for the local area. Now that work is complete on the project the new STF at Bishopston Comprehensive School is being managed by the council and will provide a tremendous boost for the local community.”

Regeneration of Ebbw Vale Town Centre Ebbw Vale in Gwent is being regenerated in order to improve and develop an area of the former Ebbw Vale Steelworks site.

The Works is the new vision for the future of Ebbw Vale and Blaenau Gwent. The regeneration of the site will create a vibrant and distinctive development that will produce long term benefits for the area, creating an exciting place to live, learn work and play. It will link into the existing fabric of the town and important landmarks.

The project is being led by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council who has undertaken public consultation exercises in

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order to finalise the plans.

Councillor Brian Scully, Executive Member for Regeneration at Blaenau Gwent Council, said: “Blaenau Gwent Council recognises the need to obtain the views of local residents and members of the public as it continues with its strategy to regenerate the county and build more vibrant futures for our communities.

“This is an exciting time for Ebbw Vale town centre and those that live, work and shop here have the opportunity to be a part of that.”

The improvements include a new Learning Campus, Local

Office, one of the largest archives in Wales, is to relocate to The General Office, where its collection will form the cornerstone a new £12 million family history and genealogy visitor centre. The Ebbw Vale Works Archival Trust will also be relocating to the offices.

The Learning Zone (TLZ) has benefited from £35 million of funding from the Strategic Capital Investment Fund (SCIF) as well as an additional £48.9 million which was announced by the Education Minister.

The interior of TLZ has constructed with sustainably sourced materials and innovative and flexible furniture. Facilities include excellent IT amenities and secure entry systems.

Celtic Technologies Ltd

General Hospital, Leisure Centre and Sports Pitches, a Theatre, an Environmental Resource Centre, high quality offices and around 500 homes.

Some areas will be predominantly residential with local amenities such as a corner shop and smaller business units.

The Grade II* listed General Office building is one of the only buildings left from the former steelworks.

A £1.3 million contract to restore the roof was completed in summer 2008 and work to refurbish the rest of the building was completed in 2010.

The windows and exterior brick work were refurbished and the interior was improved and installed with state-of-the-art technology. The building was nominated for a RICS Wales award (Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors) in the Conservation Building of the Year category.

The offices are set to become a visitor attraction. Gwent Record

Celtic Technologies Ltd is a leading Specialist Remediation Contractor with a proven track record over 20 years of delivering cost effective remediation schemes. They provide a complete solution that turns contaminated land into sites ready for development.

Stephen Kidley, Operations Manager at Celtic Technologies Ltd said: “At Ebbw Vale, Celtic is undertaking ex-situ bio-remediation and groundwater treatment works on an estimated 10,000m3 of hydrocarbon impacted soils. This project is being undertaken on behalf of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council in order to improve and develop an area of the Former Ebbw Vale Steelworks site.

“As one of the longest standing and most experienced brownfield remediation contractors in the UK, Celtic has direct experience of a wide range of solutions for contaminated land.

“Our approach is to develop pragmatic solutions, using innovative technologies and innovative techniques where appropriate, focusing on onsite reuse of material while minimising cost and programme.”

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A s s o c i ati o n s

Working at height?

You can count on the ATLAS safety net The Association of Technical Lighting and Access Specialists (ATLAS) has been supporting its member companies in the working at height industry since 1946.

It has been continually striving to improve working practices, technical quality and accepted standards in the steeplejack and lightning protection sectors. The benefit is naturally felt by member companies, but also extends to clients of members who work within this specialist sector.

ATLAS was formed to promote the common interests of steeplejacking and lightning conductor engineering companies. By working to maintain a high standard of conduct, combat unfair practices and encourage safety and efficiency, it offers its members access to the best industry knowledge and advice available.

ATLAS is governed by a council elected annually by the membership which meets four times a year. Meetings are open to all ATLAS members to participate in discussions on industry topics, to pose questions and to meet with other member companies to further both their own development and that of the industry.

Outside the quarterly meetings, work continues throughout the year in the form of committee activity, ensuring that ATLAS remains at the forefront of all industry developments, influencing decisions, improving standards and reporting back to its members.

Membership of ATLAS is carefully monitored and all companies are obliged to abide by the association’s constitution and code of conduct.

Association Objectives •

• • • •

To ensure high standards of safety, both for management and operatives, through a comprehensive range of training and qualification To protect others who may be affected by their operations To maintain a high standard of professional conduct and ensure members comply with current regulations To represent to clients a hallmark of quality and efficiency To secure equitable forms of contract with clients and to discourage unfair and unsafe work practises

Leadership ATLAS is fronted by figures who have built up years, if not decades, of industry experience, and who all share a belief and willingness to work for the benefit and betterment of the industry. The association’s presidency is currently held by Graeme Fisher. Graeme joined the established steeplejack and lightning protection company A.W. Elliott in 1974, and through the years held positions as contracts supervisor, contracts manager, contracts director, managing director, and company chairman until 2004, when the business assets were sold to Omega Red Group.

Graeme has been an active member of ATLAS since the 1980s, becoming heavily involved in lightning protection matters and representing ATLAS on BSI technical committees for lightning protection and earthing for over 20 years.

Find out more To find out how your company or organisation can benefit from ATLAS membership, visit www.atlas.org.uk

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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%.

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 appren-

ticeships 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 lim-

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ited 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.

Hewden Training Hewden Training is a leading provider of specialist training courses for the construction industry. All of the company’s courses are industry accredited and cover such subjects as health and safety, crane operation and access training. In addition, Hewden Training also offers a bespoke training service whereby courses can be adapted to meet the requirements of contract customers.

Hewden Training has been in operation for more than 44 years – providing specialist training services to clients aged 17 and up – and has recently introduced a brand new online booking system. The new system allows clients to access information on all available courses and provides a one-stop-shop for customers requiring the company’s unique services.

Hewden Training Manager, Danielle Rigby, said: “In order to operate machinery, everybody in the industry needs some form of training. We fulfil our customers’ needs by providing a training service that allows everyone to be trained to the correct level and this is especially important for teams working on the same site.

“At Hewden Training we also provide a bespoke service which allows us to meet our clients’ requirements each and every time.

We are currently developing a brand new course for Barratt Homes – which is very specific to the way the company operates – and this is something we can do for other companies.

Not many companies offer this level of service and it certainly makes us stand out from the crowd.”

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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 £132.7 million, and income from other sources was £48.1 million.

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.

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English Heritage is currently running a five-year investment programme for its properties. Based on an audit of all the or-

ganisation’s properties, £30 million 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

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 has completed restoration work for both English Heritage and Natural England. Their experiences have helped them to reach the conclusion that not only is a conservationfocused business an extremely viable enterprise, but their traditional skills are lacking across the UK. And that’s without mentioning their love for the work.

Scotcourt Ltd Scotcourt Ltd is proud to have completed numerous traditional masonry contracts, both as principal contractor for masonry projects and as sub contractor for traditional lime works. This work includes re-pointing, lime repairs and masonry restorative cleaning along with replacement operations using traditional methods and techniques of conservation.

All work is carried out by trained operatives which ensures that our built environment continue to be in safe hands.

A spokesman for Scotcourt said: “Your building’s past is our future.” www.scotcourt-stonemasonsltd.co.uk

Mike and Gary Simpson, a father and son team, run a specialist

Gillett & Johnston Ltd: Islington Bracket Clock and Case A case study by Jenny Coombes Gillett & Johnston Ltd was contacted by the owners of a Grade II listed building, attached to which was an 1875 clock, housed in a wooden structure hanging over a public right of way. We were contacted as we are one of the few specialist companies capable of carrying out this type of work.

What was the problem?

Although from ground level the clock case appeared to be sound it was actually hanging 60 mm out. Once the scaffolding was erected, it was discovered that the main support beam, which had been manufactured in teak, had mild steel fixing bolts which over the years had rusted and crystallised and the rust was actually splitting the timbers.

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Heritage The clock case itself had a number of rotten timbers and the cladding again was fixed with mild steel screws, some of which had rusted so badly that parts of the cladding had already fallen off.

The existing clock movement was synchronous and needed replacing.

Because of the insecure state of the clock and housing and the danger to the public passing below, it was imperative that the whole structure was overhauled and made sound.

What did we do?

Once the scaffolding had been rearranged to make the dismantling safe, the clock case was completely dismantled and the end section of the support beam was removed and lowered to ground level, together with the copper dials. All was then transported to our works for renovation.

We completely dismantled the clock case removing the mild steel fixings as we went and ensuring that the existing timbers were preserved and numbered in order to use the existing timbers where possible.

We removed all paint work and thoroughly cleaned the existing timbers and replaced all rotten timbers with like for like before rebuilding the clock case and thoroughly priming and under-

coating.

Additional Stainless steel bracketry was purpose made to give additional support to the beam together with a steel support frame work fitted inside the beam to reinforce the wooden support arm.

The dials were stripped of all the old decoration and rubbed down to bare metal before being etched primed and two pack gloss finish being applied. The dials were then sign written using 24 carat extra thick English gold leaf to depict Roman numerals, minute marks and outer ring. The clock hands were also gilded.

We returned the dials, clock and case to site where we reassembled the clock and refitted it all to the refurbished beam, we then top coated the case with two coats of white enamel and the 1875 date was re-sign written on both sides. The dials were fitted with stainless steel fixings and the hands replaced.

A modern day drive unit was fitted, together with master clock with radio signal monitoring.

The results The clock, dials and case were delivered much to the delight of the Owners and is enhancing the Grade II listed building and in no danger now to the passing public.

Restoration and conservation mortars

By Ugo Spano, St. Astier Limes Liaison Office Today all of us are charged with ensuring the survival of our historical and vernacular built heritage through careful and considered conservation, restoration and renovation. In most cases, the mortar used for repairs, restoration or conservation contains cement. In these buildings, the use of cement mortars promote condensation build up, salt reactions and, generally, drastically affects the long term survival of the building.

We work with what we call the ‘ten commandments’ when judging the suitability of mortar:

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

Mortars introduced into existing structures must not react chemically with existing mortars and surrounding masonry by introducing soluble salts such as sulphate (gypsum) or aluminates causing sulphate attack; or alkalis (potassium and sodium) causing a reaction with the sand (alkali-silica reaction).

In mechanical terms, mortars should not be too dense to impede breathability or have poor elasticity resulting in cracks that will allow water/moisture penetration.

Rule 2: Look for low capillarity and shrinkage These are both properties affecting the durability of the mortar.

High capillarity allows moisture penetration and, if a mortar has poor breathability (such as cementicious mortars), there will be condensation and associated problems.

High shrinkage is also a source of cracking and it is to be avoided.

Rule 3: Adequate Ca(OH)2 or free lime content Free lime, high calcium lime, available lime, air lime, hydrated lime, portlandite, fat lime and slaked lime are basically all the same and consist of calcium hydroxide - Ca(OH)2.

Free lime makes mortars more workable and this is liked by the mason. However, free lime affects a number of important properties in mortars.

High free lime mortars such as 1:1:6 and 1:2:9 mixes or hy-

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drated (powder or putty) lime mortars might not be as suitable as they are supposed to be. Careful judgement has to be made in relation to their use. This also applies to lime mortars made with hydraulic lime with very high free lime content now being sold in the UK market.

Rule 4: Resistance to frost The reduction in void size - by free lime crystallisation or a poor void structure caused by poor sands and the slow carbonation of free lime - makes the mortar more susceptible to frost damage.

Frost starts always from the surface and goes inward. Frozen water particles in the surface voids push the water in the voids behind further in and so on. If there is a good void structure accommodating the water movement, this process will not generate a pressure and the mortar will resist frost.

The size of the voids is also important: ice has a volume of 8% greater than water so it will exercise pressure if the voids cannot contain more that the water they already contain.

Hardened mortars with a good void structure will resist frost.

St. Astier NHL Mortars have been successfully used in areas of extreme cold.

Rule 5: Resistance to salts The same mortar will also resist the outward migration of salts contained in the masonry. A macro void structure in the mortar will accommodate the pressure exercised by salts when moving or crystallising.

When structures contain salts, it is almost impossible to control them if they become unstable.

If crystallisation occurs, they stay in the wall and if there is no space in the voids the pressure can be great enough to crack the mortar. If they go into solution, they will eventually come out and can be cleaned off the wall.

Lime is hygroscopic: it attracts water and by doing so a new lime mortar used for re-pointing or rendering might attract moisture contained in the structure and therefore change the RH of the wall in which the salts are contained, causing their

of cement. They represent a logical and natural choice in the restoration and preservation of our built heritage.

Rule 9: Consider the environment

movement. So a high free lime mortar will absorb salts. This is fine if we are using a lime mortar to diminish the salts content in the wall. Once the lime mortar is saturated with salts, it can be removed and the salts with it. It is not so good if we wish to keep the mortar. In this case, a NHL mortar with less free lime and a good void structure will obtain the required result.

The same type of mortar will not suffer from salts ingress promoted by external agents such as is common in marine environments.

Rule 6: Vapour permeability (breathability) and good sands A breathable mortar is essential in the control of condensation.

It also helps in consuming less energy in heating.

Hardened mortars with good breathability will dry faster than dense mortar. Saturation of the mortar is well reduced and so is the risk of frost damage. St. Astier NHL mortars if compared to cement/lime mortars have a better breathability by 200%.

Rule 7: Good setting, elasticity and workability Setting and hardening determine the work rate. Therefore, it is important to have a good idea of the setting and hardening properties of mortar to be able to determine whether it will be suitable for the work, what particular precautions to use and for how long.

Elasticity determines the amounts of movement that the mortar will take before cracking. It is also relevant in calculating the positioning of joints.

Workability of a mortar is in many cases left to the mason executing the work and, almost invariably, this results in excessive water addition to obtain the “plasticity” that masons like. This is wrong as too much (or too little) water can have serious effects on setting time, shrinkage, capillarity and so on.

Information on the correct water addition should be given to the mason and supervisors should check that the instructions are followed.

Lime mortars re-absorb CO2. St, Astier NHL mortars will reabsorb between 38% and 49% of the CO2 emitted in production. NHL mortars are also non toxic and, once hardened, they will not increase the water pH. Cementicious mortars can contain chromium VI (directly related to skin allergies) and, depending on the type of cement used, components like pulverised fly ash (PFA), granulated ground blast furnace slag (GGBS) and others that contain a number of dangerous elements such as heavy metals and many other toxic elements.

NHL mortars will also be easily removed from masonry units, allowing them to be re-cycled.

The breathability of St. Astier NHL mortars eliminates condensation and contributes to a better living environment for people with breathing difficulties (asthma, for example).

Rule 10: Correct working and site practice Architects, engineers – specifiers in general – should work with the contractor to ensure that he has the necessary comprehension and skills to apply the mortars and follow the necessary site practice.

It is, however, the responsibility of the mortar manufacturer to give specifiers all the information they require. St. Astier Limes not only provide this information but also, when required, the technical staff actively work with the specifier giving technical advice to establish the most appropriate mortar for the proposed intervention.

For more information, clarification or for any query please contact: technical@stastier.co.uk Or ugo.spano@btinternet.com

Rule 8: Suitable compressive and bonding strength It is no good to look just at quick setting and hardening. A very hard mortar, especially when made with cement, is not the solution to all requirements.

In restoration and conservation, St. Astier NHL mortars comply with all requirements.They set and harden faster and stronger than lime putty or hydrated lime without the use of pozzolans or cement.

The compatibility and other properties of NHL mortars ensure that performance and durability are achieved without the use

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