PC 16-8 by PHIL AINLEY

Roma Publications

Volume 16 - Issue 8

Getting the perfect match Precise matching of traditional materials for colour, texture and mortar performance.

Sky Studios £233m broadcasting facility is the most sustainable in Europe

The Crossings homeless centre Fantastic new centre bringing back hope to Hull’s homeless

Giant’s Causeway visitor centre ‘Amazing and different’: cutting edge architecture to make National Trust centre truly special

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Volume 16 • Issue 8

Dear readers, In a time of such economic hardship and political unrest, it is sometimes difficult to see the progress that is being made around us. This month our magazine focuses on buildings that are making a difference in our world today: buildings which through innovative design and purpose are taking steps towards ensuring our future. Foundations are being built for the education of our young generation. The Grange School in Manchester will cater for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), providing much needed support for children and their families. The new £20m Essa Academy in Bolton, potentially one of the most technologically advanced schools in the country, will utilise technology in order to provide students with a first class, stateof-the-art education. Our transport links are being constantly updated, allowing businesses to flourish and communities to expand. Under the Manchester Metrolink project, the tram network will be almost tripled in size – creating links between Rochdale, Oldham and Manchester. The Chiltern Evergreen3 project will construct a new railway between Bicester and Oxford, together with the construction and reconstruction of stations at Bicester Town, Islip, Water Eaton and Oxford. Communities are being brought back together by innovative new buildings: the renovation of Leopold Estate in London is making the area a safer and more attractive place to live, whilst the regeneration of Grantham Market Place will invigorate the town centre. Advances in technology are made clear by the new Sky Studios headquarters - dubbed “the most sustainable broadcasting facility in Europe” - and the new £3.5 global headquarters for LGC Standards in Bury. Ultimately our healthcare will benefit from such advances, as can be seen by the new Barbara Castle Way Health Centre in Blackburn and a new birthing centre in Maidstone, Kent. Sustainability is a key theme of our magazine; many of the projects we explore are committed to the utilisation of natural resources in order to create truly innovative buildings. The Sky Studios project has encompassed features such as naturally ventilated TV studios and responsibly sourced materials in order to reduce the impact on the environment, whilst the new Giant’s Causeway visitor centre project has maximised the use of natural light and Irish basalt. We now invite you, readers, to join us as we build the foundations for our future.

North West Metrolink Tram Network......................................................................................8 Gateway Hope School.......................................................................................15

North East & Yorkshire New Terminal at Hull Dock...............................................................................23

Midlands Moundsley Care Home....................................................................................29 Grantham Market..............................................................................................34

South West Bristol City Docks..............................................................................................37

London & South East Sky Studios........................................................................................................42 Banbury Flood Alleviation.................................................................................60

Wales Roch castle........................................................................................................82 Ebbw Vale Fire Station......................................................................................92

Scotland Merchants City................................................................................................100

Ireland Northern Ireland Housing Profile.....................................................................110 Giants Causeway.............................................................................................115

Overseas Liefkenshoek Rail Tunnel................................................................................120

Heritage English Heritage..............................................................................................133

Associations RenewableUK 2011.........................................................................................144

Managing Director: Marcus Howarth Editor:

Charlotte Emily Brazier

Editorial Assistant: Lesley Coward Production Manager: Kelsie Howarth Advert Co-ordinator: Nicola Owen Published by:

Roma Publications Ltd.

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

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

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A spectrum of educational facilities to be provided by Manchester’s new £14m school The foundations for a £14m school – intended to be a centre of excellence for children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) – have now been laid, with the project scheduled for completion in January 2012. Grange School, currently located on Dickensian Road in Rusholme, will move to brand new facilities on Mount Road and Matthews Lane in Gorton, as part of Manchester City Council’s ambition to lead the way in the education of children and young people with ASD through the creation of a pioneering purpose built school and facilities. Main contractor for the project is Willmott Dixon and the architect group is Ellis Williams Architects. The Grange development is part of a wider programme of improvements for young children and adults with ASD across Manchester. The city council recently announced £1.183m funding for a supported housing scheme for 18 young adults with ASD in Levenshulme. Currently a number of young adults with ASD are cared for outside Manchester, but the new scheme will allow them to return to the city to be nearer their families. Grange is part of Manchester’s Building Schools for the Future and Academies programme, one of the largest in the country, with a total investment of £509 million. The new school has been specifically designed to meet and be sensitive to the needs of children and young people with ASD and has included extensive consultation with parents, teachers, pupils and designers experienced in the ASD field, along with visits to other purpose built schools across the country. The school, for pupils aged 4 to 19, will have a number of features appropriate to the education of pupils with ASD such as a clear ordered design, non-reflective surfaces, non-flickering lights and good acoustic control. It will almost double its current admission numbers from 80 to 150 and will include nursery, primary, secondary and post 16 provision. The school will also provide separate facilities for more able students. There will be clear zoning of areas with obvious pointers to identify which activities take place in particular areas and spaces that encourage children to make choices about playing and communicating with others. Grange Headteacher, Andrew Smith, says: “The new school will be a fabulous facility, not only for our own pupils but also for the city as a whole, as it will allow teachers working with children with ASD in mainstream schools across Manchester to use Grange as a central point for advice, information and support.” The school will become a hub of the community with outof-hours use of facilities, including a sports hall and soft play area. Other features include an allotment, a woodland area, sensory rooms, water features, and a multi use games area. Councillor Sheila Newman, Manchester City Council executive member for children’s services, says: “The expansion and rebuild of Grange is part of the city council’s radical programme and vision to completely transform the way children learn both in mainstream and SEN schools.

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“The new school is designed with the needs of children with ASD at the heart of the design. It will be a truly groundbreaking and inspiring school.” Two houses are also being built on the same site but away from the school and will offer much needed residential provision for children and young people with ASD and their families. One house will offer 10 long term residential places, while the other will provide overnight short break provision for up to 10 children and young people – a first for Manchester. In a 2002 study commissioned by Manchester Health Authority (CAMHS) and the Joint Commissioning Team for Learning Disability, it was reported that 55% of parents of children with ASD deemed the education service to be particularly unhelpful in its failure to deliver effective support. Higher levels of satisfaction with educational provision were expressed by parents whose child attended a school outside of Manchester and by parents whose child attended a special school ( in particular autism specific schools). The Grange development is a step forward to ensuring that each child with ASD is given the support that they need and a chance to achieve their true potential in a carefully structured environment that meets their needs.

Construction News

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£4.2m St Austin’s Primary School opens doors to children Bardsley Construction has completed the construction of a new primary school and nursery for St Austin’s Primary School in St Helens, Merseyside. The £4.2m building opened its doors in May 2011 and has operated as a school ever since. The build was to replace an existing school on the site. The previous school was made up of two buildings on the same site – a 1970s modular building and a 1930s build – both of which were of poor quality and suffered from significant unsuitability issues. In order to facilitate the new school, all the junior school children were decanted into the infant building and temporary accommodation was provided. The new school was developed on the footprint of the junior school. The school was commissioned by the Archdiocese Schools Department, who were the client body and owner of the building, and funding came from two principal sources – the Primary Capital Programme and LCRap money. The new St Austin’s Primary School is a single storey building with one entrance. It was built in two phases: the first phase was the new build and the second the landscaping of the area upon which the infant school had previously resided. One of the project’s aims was to improve the access, security and safety of the general site whilst providing much needed facilities for the children. As a result, a usable playing field was developed – a feature that the previous school

did not have. The area is now fenced in, with the secure playing field solely for the school’s use. Chris Williams works for the Archdiocese Schools Department and was the principal point of contact for the project. He said: “The school is on a slightly awkward site as it is a sloping site with access issues: there was a single restricted narrow access point with no adequate alternative. In addition, St. Helens is a mining area and therefore there were issues that needed careful planning. Despite this, the project progressed well. It was a well run, safe site with no issues from a health and safety point of view. The contractors did a brilliant job in terms of interfacing with local residents, and I cannot recall a single complaint from residents during the construction process.” The steel frame school is built to BREEAM ‘Very Good’ standard, and also meets the Building Bulletin 99 standards. It provides a high quality, flexible, adaptable space that is a huge upgrade from the former school. For example, there are folding partitions between various areas so the size, shape and function of rooms can be adapted depending on what the school requires on a day-to-day basis. The whole building can support ICT provision, and various facilities are

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available including an easily accessible community room that reflects the school’s focus on family and adult learning. Chris Williams said: “We tried to factor in various design features throughout the building to make sure it is a specific building for St Austin’s rather than a standard ‘off-the-shelf’ design. We’ve used brickwork that fits in with the industrial image of St Helen’s and incorporated foundation stones from the existing schools. Throughout the project, we have endeavoured to tailor the design – shape, size and orientation – of the rooms in order to fit closely with how the Head teacher and her governing body want to deliver education for this particular community. It is a bespoke design, and a tailored solution for this particular school.”

New £20m Essa Academy looks towards the future The new Essa Academy in Bolton, Lancashire, is surely one of the most technologically advanced schools in Britain. The £20m ultra-modern building houses Britain’s first selfsufficient carbon free classrooms, an interactive wraparound 3D Theatre and an international business centre, as well as outstanding ICT facilities. In 2009, the school hit the headlines when all 900 children and their teachers were issued with iPod Touch computers, worth £149 each. The 8334m² Academy replaced the former Hayward school, before relocating to the current site on Lever Edge Lane. The remaining school buildings are to be demolished once the academy reaches completion in October 2011. The scheme was procured through the Partnerships for Schools National Framework and Kier Education won the contract for the specialist state-funded independent Essa Academy after presenting an impressive set of proposals. Sheppard Robson were the architects. The scheme has consisted of ground stabilisation works, foundations, steel frame, masonry cavity external walls, propriety flat roof and a feature ETFE roof. Internally, the walls are partition plasterboard, there is traditional flooring (carpet, vinyl ROMA PUBLICATIONS

N o r th We s t and tiles) and decorative finishes and M& E systems.

assessment by specialists; and recycling facilities on site.

Extensive external works have comprised hard and soft landscaping, a MUGAS pitch, a 3G pitch, drainage including tubersider and the remodelling of the Morris Green Lane approach road leading to the site. Blakedown Sport & Play were responsible for all of the external sports facilities.

The project has also had several social benefits. Those involved with the Academy regularly liaised with the local community – including evening forum meetings and newsletters – and promoted the employment of local resources and manpower. In addition, there was interaction with the school and its pupils, including an art competition and the making of a time capsule. The project has also raised funds for improvement works for the Great Lever Golf Club.

The Academy has been built to BREEAM rating Very Good, and significant efforts were made to reduce the environmental impacts of the construction works. These efforts included: environmental monitoring of the construction activities and carbon footprint; local protection to environmental elements (comprising fencing to trees and the monitoring of water running through the culvert); the completion of pre-environmental

Mayor of Bolton, Councillor John Bryne, has said of the new Essa Academy: “The building is so state-of-the-art, it can only help to be educated in such a fine modern building. I only wish I had been taught in a place like this!”

Project will almost triple tram network Almost tripling the size of Manchester’s previous Metrolink tram network, a multi million pound scheme is underway, the key element of which is a design, construction and maintenance project being carried out by the M-Pact Thales consortium (MPT). The project, geared to delivering a world-class tram system around Greater Manchester, is being undertaken by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE), who appointed MPT to design, construct and maintain the new lines. The M-Pact Thales consortium brings together three industry leading companies: Laing O’Rourke, VolkerRail and Thales UK.

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Four new lines - the South Manchester, East Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale and Airport Lines - will nearly double the size of the tram network with miles of new track and new Metrolink stops. The South Manchester extension from Trafford Bar to St Werburgh’s Road line opened in July 2011. Three new stops have been built at Firswood, Chorlton and St Werburgh’s Road and a new depot facility at Trafford Bar has also been constructed to maintain and store new trams. From St Werburgh’s Road, the line will continue to East Didsbury. The East Manchester Metrolink extension opens

from Piccadilly to Droylsden in Tameside in summer 2012 and will be further extended to Ashton-under-Lyne by winter 2013/14. The 14 mile (22.5 km) extension to Oldham and Rochdale leaves the Bury Metrolink line just outside the city centre and run along the abandoned railway corridor to Central Park in East Manchester. Here it joins the former Oldham loop rail line between Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale, which is being converted to Metrolink. Further extensions to Oldham and Rochdale town centre are also being constructed. The 14.5km (9 miles) extension to Manchester Airport will leave the South Manchester Line after the St Werburgh’s Road stop in Chorlton and travel along Mauldeth Road West to Sale Water Park via Hardy Lane, creating a new route to the south.

After crossing the M60, the line will travel via Northern Moor, Baguley and Wythenshawe to Manchester Airport, Work on the extensions is well underway, with Laing O’Rourke and VolkerRail delivering the civil and rail infrastructure requirements. Thales UK are providing all the electrical systems and engineering works, including power and overhead line equipment, and the tram management system.

Mills Media Limited Mills Media is one of the leading aerial and ground photography businesses in the North West. With many years of experience and an extensive portfolio, the creative production house has always been the go-to company for photographing major construction and development projects. Since the early 1960’s, the company has been capturing diverse projects such as Wylfa Nuclear Power Station, the construction of the M53 motorway, the Hatfield Tunnel and Dinorwig Pump Storage Scheme amongst many others. In 2011, the company remains at the leading edge and now uses helicopters for its aerial work. Mills Media offer comprehensive photographic and video surveys across the UK, for planning, marketing, publicity and investigation purposes. Mills Media is currently working on the Manchester Metrolink project, having started aerial photography when the redevelopment work commenced on four new lines in 2010. The firm will be providing updated images of the various construction works on the network, which is one of the UK’s most successful light rail systems. Other recent projects include aerial stills for the multi-million pound Salford Quays BBC Media City development – which has been in construction since 2007 – and the Grosvenor Liverpool One retail and leisure development, which included ground, aerial and time lapse progress photography for the duration of the construction between 2004 and 2009. Mills Media’s client list features some of the UK’s major construction developers including Laing O’Rourke, Bovis Lend Lease and the M-Pact Thales consortium. Managing director Andrew Mills said: “The ongoing Metrolink project is very exciting and a massive scale job, increasing the network from 37 to 97 kilometres. As such we’ve photographed many parts of Greater Manchester and we’re delighted to be recording a major part of the city’s history. “We enjoy working closely with our clients and believe our passion for photography is evident in our extensive online library. For large development projects, aerial and ground photographs are an essential way of recording the scale and speed of construction, both for clients’ private use and for public record.” ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Barbara Castle Way Health Centre ready to open doors to public

A state-of-the-art new health centre has been completed off Barbara Castle Way, Alma Street and Simmons Street in Blackburn, Lancashire.

and main contractor for the joint venture with NHS Blackburn and Darwen Teaching Care Trust Plus. The architects were Nightingale Associates.

The name for the £21m centre was selected by the public. Barbara Castle, the only woman to have ever held the office for First Secretary of State, was MP for Blackburn from 1945 to 1979 and was described upon her death in 2002 as “one of the most remarkable women politicians of the last century.”

The 8000m² health centre is a five-storey building constructed in a conventional steel frame. The external brickwork is composed of salt glazed brick to complement the existing college along Barbara Castle Way, and there is both terracotta tile and zinc cladding.

Built under the East Lancs LIFT Scheme, the health centre was handed over on Monday 19th September 2011 and will replace the existing services at nearby Montague and Larkhill health centres. Eric Wright Group was the private sector partner

The build is triangular in shape with a central entrance along one leg of the triangle which gives ready access to all parts of the development. There are several innovative features, such as external terraces with some external hard landscaping.

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There is a 61 space undercroft car park with accessible parking bays and a drop off zone that will allow access directly into the health centre via lifts and stairs. Internally, the health centre will provide a range of services. These include: health education, treatment space, dermatology, minor surgery, podiatry, retinal screening, diabetes, diagnostics, x-ray, special care dentistry, pharmacy, GP practices, audiology, speech and language, child and family psychology, mental health services, sexual health services, physiotherapy and muscular skeletal services. A central feature of the new centre is the Young Persons Resource Centre which will provide a range of services for young people through organisations including Brook, Connexions, Lifeline and Jobcentre Plus. These services include: sexual health, drug and alcohol advice, emotional and mental health services, as well as more universal services like treatment rooms and general help and advice. The health centre is located within close proximity to the neighbouring University Centre at Blackburn College and will be able to share some of its facilities and resources with the college. Richard Turpin, Director of the Eric Wright Group, said: “Identifying, procuring and creating the site was a challenge. There were some complexities – most significantly the fact that the site was crossed by two important roads, both of which had to be diverted in order to create the site. In addition, the

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construction team had to deal with two particularly inclement winters which brought with them a lot of snow. However, the centre has been handed over on time, to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standard and we are proud to have been associated with the project which will now be managed by our Facilities division. More importantly, our partners are happy with the building and we are looking forward to opening the new facilities for the people of Blackburn.”

£3.5m new global headquarters for LGC Standards now complete Cube Architecture have used their tried and tested design and construction experience to complete a new global headquarters for LGC Standards on Carlyle Street, Bury. LGC Standards have now completely relocated their offices, laboratories and warehouse operations from the Europa Business Park in Bury to The Green on Carlyle Street as part of further expansion plans. Their aim is to provide a global centre of excellence for the operation of the company’s proficiency testing business, which encompasses various industries, including: food and drinks, brewing, pharmaceuticals and the environmental industry. Trafford Park firm Russells Construction secured the design and build contract, and Cube Architecture and Design were the architects and lead consultant. The development replaced an old factory unit and comprises a two storey office and laboratory building to the front which interconnects with a general warehouse facility behind. In total, there is 600ft² of office space, 600ft² of laboratory space and 700ft² of warehouse space. The property is of a portal steel frame construction with brick and render elevations to the office under a pitched profile steel clad roof with powder coated aluminium double glazed windows. The offices also feature full three pipe heat recovery, a VRF comfort cooling system and a suspended ceiling. The warehouse to the rear is of brick and profile metal clad elevations with a single electronically operated roller shutter loading door leading to a self contained loading yard. It has been designed with future flexibility in mind and is therefore capable

of being converted into 2 storey offices if required – this will be subject to planning the installation of mezzanine and further building works. Located 16km (10 miles) north of Manchester City Centre and 10km (6 miles) east of Bolton, it is within easy access of the M61, M62 and M60 motorways, with direct access to the Peel Way (A56 and Bolton Street A58) inner ring road. The Green is part of the Chamberhall Business Park in the heart of Bury town centre. The Green development is located at the entrance to the business park, which itself extends to 35 acres. Penny Anderson Associates Ltd was commissioned by Property Alliance Group to develop the ecological concept design for the site. The land adjacent to the site is owned by Bury MBC and the habitat proposals were designed to link in with this area in order to improve ecological connectivity within the context of the area and along the corridor of the River Irwell, which binds the site of both sides. LGC Standards is a major international provider of proficiency testing services and provide over 35 schemes to over 7,000 laboratories all over the world. The company was originally started in 1842 and has been involved with forensic work since 1910. Proficiency testing is an essential element of quality assurance as the schemes are designed to improve the quality of analysis by enabling laboratories to confirm their ability to perform tests competently. LGC has operated in Bury since 2004 and employs 45 staff, including microbiologists, chemists, sales and marketing and logistics personnel.

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Second phase of £400 million CHP plant underway The multi-mullion pound second phase of a new £400 million energy from waste combined heat and power plant - which will be one of the largest in the UK - is under construction in Runcorn, Cheshire, at the largest UK site of INEOS Chlor - a leading manufacturer of chlorine and PVC. The project is being carried out by Keppel Integrated Engineering (KIE), who through Keppel Seghers, won the engineering, procurement and construction contract known as Runcorn II, and awarded by Viridor EFW (Runcorn) Limited, a special purpose vehicle owned by Viridor Waste Management Limited. The scheme is part of an earlier project, currently executed by Keppel Segher, named Runcorn I, or the Greater Manchester EFW Project. Mr Michael Chia, Deputy Chairman and CEO of KIE, said, "We are very happy to deepen our partnership with Viridor through the construction of Runcorn II as it affirms the strength and reliability of Keppel Seghers' waste management technology and EPC capabilities. As we are already executing Runcorn I, we will be able to tap into existing resources and synergise efforts to deliver value through effective solutions for our clients." Runcorn II, which is expected to be completed by 2014 or 2015, will have the capacity to treat an additional 375,000 tonnes of solid recovered fuel per year derived from household waste. Keppel Seghers are providing proprietary EFW technology to

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Runcorn II and building it. The combined Runcorn I and II plant will be one of the largest waste and renewable energy projects in the UK upon completion, with a total capacity to treat 750,000 tonnes of waste per year. Running at full capacity, the plant will generate 70 MW of electricity and 51 MW of heat. Viridor will supply the waste through a waste supply agreement with the SPV. Mr Colin Drummond, Chief Executive of Viridor, said, "The combined Runcorn plant will be one of the largest and most efficient in Europe...Construction of Phase II will be co-ordinated with ongoing work on Phase I which permits significant cost savings. It will enable Phase II to come on stream by 2014/2015 by which time large scale energy from waste facilities will be cost competitive against landfill with landfill tax by then being £80 per tonne." The manufacturing processes operated at INEOS Chlor’s Runcorn site are highly energy intensive, consuming the same amount of electricity as a city the size of Liverpool. It is therefore vital to the long term future of the business to utilise ways of producing energy that are not dependent on conventional fossil fuels, which are increasingly expensive and limited in supply. When fully operational, the new Energy from Waste CHP plant will produce around 20% of the company’s total energy needs from renewable sources. Runcorn I, which is owned by Viridor, John Laing plc and INEOS Chlor, broke ground on 26 August 2010.

Obor Constructions Obor Constructions role on the waste to energy facility in Runcorn was the construction of a number of highly complex concrete frame structures, the main structures involved were the waste bunker, boiler house, tipping hall, turbine building and cooling towers along with a number of smaller structures, each structure brought about its own unique challenges and all were done with a high level of concrete finish achieved. The project was awarded in two phases with the second phase having recently been secured by Obor with work to run till next May 2012, the overall scope within the two phases will result in excess of 40,000m3 of in-situ concrete and 5,000tonne of reinforcement with a combined contract value of in excess of £10 million.

This project has been one of Obor Constructions stand out projects since commencing trading in 1997 and gives us a great since of satisfaction to have been involved in. We are very appreciative of the experience gained and the relationships formed having worked with both John Sisk & Son and Keppel Seghers here in Runcorn and would hope that future work will develop based on these relationships. At present Obor Construction are looking to secure future work for 2012 and we would welcome any approaches we receive, our company will consider any size contract with our emphasis been on trying to establish ourselves with new clients, we work across all sectors and all locations across the UK.

New state of the art Gateacre-Hope School welcomes new students A £30m state of the art school has opened on the Reggie Smith memorial ground in Belle Vale, Liverpool as one of the last schools to secure funding for Labour’s Building Schools for the Future programme (BSF). The new school has replaced Gateacre Secondary School and Hope Special School, which were situated only a mile from the new site.

Liverpool City Council selected Balfour Beatty Construction as one of its three Frameworks – along with Norwest Holst and AMEC – to help deliver its £175m Wave 2 BSF programme. The objective of the Liverpool BSF scheme is to provide education facilities capable of delivering a 21st century curriculum. This includes ICT networks enabling ‘anywhere anytime’ learning in addition to providing learning resources for the whole community.

ers before and after school until 6pm as well as to the community during public events. An environmentally-friendly biomass boiler has been installed and the project utilised off-site fabrication from Modular Systems +. Aecom was the consultant on the contract. Works began on site in 2009 and the school is now complete. The previous Gateacre Community Comprehensive School opened in 1957 and the main block was added in 1961. The school is a Specialist School for the Arts and Humanities, and has 1600 students including a Sixth Form of two hundred and fifty. The school has performed at prestigious and high profile events at venues including: The Philharmonic Hall, St George’s Hall, The Playhouse, The Town Hall, The Cavern, LIPA, The Picket and The Lomax. The performing arts department has also been featured in the local press, radio and television – the school’s choir even featured in the Christmas edition of Channel Four’s ‘Hollyoaks’. In November 1995 the school’s commitment to encouraging the professional development of all staff was recognised by an ‘Investors in People’ Award, a recognition that has since been endorsed in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006.

The oversubscribed new school has been designed by BDP and is bold and geometric in shape. At the heart of the new premises is a giant atrium that utilises natural light. The school grounds contain a multipurpose indoor sports facility including fitness suite, outdoor hard courts for tennis and netball, rugby, cricket and athletics, and outdoor recreation for social use and learning. The main building contains a theatre/music complex, restaurant, internet cafe, a learning resource centre and learning houses. The bistro-style restaurant, The Fig Tree Cafe, will be partly ran by students and will be open to pupils and teachROMA PUBLICATIONS

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World-beating eco-friendly student village is BREEAM rated ‘Outstanding’ One of only 15 buildings in the world to achieve BREEAM's highest classification of 'Outstanding', with a rating of 95.05%, the University of Bradford's new 1,026 bedroom sustainable student village, 'The Green', has been completed on the university’s City campus. The groundbreaking development, costing over £40 million, has beaten more than 1 million buildings assessed since the BREEAM environmental standard was launched in 1990. The Green has been developed and designed as a partnership between the University of Bradford and the Listerhills Management Company (which is a joint venture between Mi7 and Welbeck Land). The development was constructed by GB Building Solutions in a joint venture with Balfour Beatty Engineering Services; Architects were the Goddard Wybor Practice. GWP Architecture brought their experience in the field of sustainable student accommodation to the development and extensive work was required to ensure the buildings could deliver an exceptional performance for sustainability. The design used a ‘fabric first’ approach to deliver a highly efficient building envelope which minimises the need for space heating. The largest heating load is for hot water, which is provided by a renewable energy source in solar thermal collectors, which are supplemented by a combined heat and power plant. John Wybor, Director of GWP Architecture, said: “GWP brought

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their experience of designing sustainable student residential accommodation to the project and The Green is the latest of a series of award winning student residential schemes designed by our practice. Each scheme has pushed the boundaries in terms of sustainability and the design/construction process. We are very pleased to have been the architects for this project and to have had the opportunity to work with a client group and construction team who were all committed to delivering a unique and transformational scheme. The scheme demonstrates what can be achieved by vision and a will to do things differently.” The Green’s 1,026 bedrooms are ranged across four-storey townhouses and six and seven storey apartments and the BREEAM rating has been made possible through meticulous planning of the design and construction method used. The scheme has been designed with a community village feel in mind. Whilst it is its own self contained community, it has great connectivity into the main campus and is in within easy reach of the city centre, at just a five minute walk away. Part of the design concept is to create a step change in the way students in university accommodation interact with each other. Clever design features such as gardens and patio areas, built-in barbeques and central places to meet and relax are used to create a truly cohesive community. The development is made up of 34 town houses and 101 apartments. At the centre of the village is 'The Orchard', a central hub building which incorporates the Accommodation and

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N o r th E a s t & Yo r ks h i re Management office, launderette and a small retail/coffee shop. The town houses and apartments are positioned around a central water feature – a biodiversity pond that reuses rain water and provides a home for a number of animal and plant species. Other key environmental features include extensive recycling facilities, energy monitor screens, low energy fittings to minimise electricity consumption, washbasins and showers which are fitted with low rate fittings and dual flush toilets. The build of the development has also been carried out in a sustainable way, including using timber frames from sustainable sources. The townhouse blocks are best described as blocks of houses, very similar to a traditional English ’terraced block’ Each townhouse has 12 bedrooms and six bathrooms. They have their own front door and a back patio door leading to a garden/patio area. Students have an access fob for the front door and for their own room On the ground floor is the large open plan living space, a kitchen, dining room and living room with direct access to an external paved and landscaped area. On each of the floors above there are four bedrooms and two bathrooms, so two students share a bathroom. The apartments provide accommodation in clusters of six ensuite bedrooms with shared kitchen/dining living space. The buildings are composed of pre-fabricated open panel timber wall frames from a sustainable source, with locally sourced bathroom ‘pods’ having been installed by crane as completed units, to maximise productivity and reduce waste. The building materials used, and the high standard to which the houses and apartments have been insulated and made airtight, means that rooms require little heating. Radiators in the rooms have thermostatically controlled valves and mechanical heat recovery ventilation units circulate fresh, filtered air, with an 80% recovery of existing heat from the building, resulting in a continuous supply of fresh air. Water conservation features include aerated taps and showers that result in less water being used, as the water streams are mixed with air. Water is heated using solar panels, which preheats water for showers and taps, and rainwater is used to flush toilets. The pond in the centre of the village is used to harvest rainwater, as are the roofs of the buildings. Martin Smout, chairman and chief executive of GB Building Solutions says: “This has been a ground breaking scheme that has resulted in significant positive learning. While everyone involved in the student village had experience of working on environmentally sustainable buildings prior to this one, The Green reached new levels, where every aspect of the design and build was maximised to have minimum impact on the environment both during construction and during the life of the building. “GB has definitely gained learning on this scheme that will be taken forward to all other projects on which we work.” The concept of allowing resident students to live in a sustainable way is something which the university is trying to encourage through its participation in the Degree Cooler programme in partnership with People & Planet. Louise Hazan, who coordinates the Degrees Cooler project for People & Planet, said: “Helping students to lead sustainable lifestyles is key to tackling climate change and this new development at Bradford is a great example of how to integrate behaviour changing features into low-impact, sustainable buildings.” Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford, Professor Mark Cleary, said: “As one the most environmentally-friendly universities in the UK, The Green will help us to continue to be at the forefront of environmental education and practice, as well as providing our students with fantastic accommodation.” The University of Bradford was rated in the top 10 of People & Planet’s Green League 2010 and has recently been named as the first ever European university to win an International Sustainable Campus Award. Its Ecoversity initiative is also rec-

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ognised by many as a trail-blazer for addressing environmental impact in higher education. Set in the heart of the university’s City Campus the accommodation will have all the advantages of being a stone’s throw away from lecture theatres and teaching rooms, the £7.5m redeveloped Student Central building housing the bar and entertainment facilities, and is also just a five minute walk to the city centre, which should reduce the university’s associated transport emissions. Bradford has always been a forward-thinking, modern and student orientated university with a thriving and vibrant student community. The university has a firm commitment to confronting inequality and celebrating diversity. The university’s mission of 'Making Knowledge Work' means that their students' future is their top priority. Bradford has always been pioneering in their course provision, being the first British university to offer a Peace Studies degree and the first university outside London to offer part-time degree courses. 2006 saw the university celebrate their 40th anniversary and they are also looking to the future - a future that will continue to build on their foundations of academic excellence and 'Making Knowledge Work', inspiring students, scholars and teachers alike to come to the University of Bradford. The university is constantly investing in their campus and facilities to ensure all students have a world-class teaching and learning environment, state-of-the-art facilities and enhancing the vibrancy of the campus experience.

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£6m refurbishment of Cambridge Street flats now complete. The refurbishment of 224 flats on Cambridge Street, Hull, North Humberside, is now complete. The £6m project commenced in January 2010 and was completed in August 2011 and each of the 224 energy saving flats have now been brought up to Decent Homes Standard. The main contractor was Bullock Construction and the architects were NPS. The project manager for NPS, Jim Holmes, said: “It has always been an issue – whether to demolish and rebuild or refurbish buildings of this nature. In this case, it was deemed much more practical and feasible to refurbish, especially in a tight mixed urban area. “The work has been done with residents in place. As can be expected, some have been frustrated by the intrusion. However, the vast majority have welcomed the work and appreciated the benefits it brings. As part of our plans to deal with their presence, a full risk register was carried out to give us 100% knowledge of the situation. We have had a lot of comments from residents, all of which have been taken into account, and most of which are very positive.”

As well as the full range of Decent Homes improvements, the buildings have benefited from improvements to communal areas such as stairways, corridors and lifts, and works such as new lighting, windows and insulation. The new windows, insulated walls and heating systems will help to save energy and keep costs down for the elderly residents. Slimline Building Services were responsible for the supply and fit of the external wall insulation and render. Earlier in 2010, Hull City Council took the laudable decision to help residents to prepare for the work by helping them to cut their unneeded clutter. Elizabeth Ormerod, the council's customer liaison officer based at the flats, was on hand to help. She said: "Some residents are having a lot of work carried out in their homes, including a new kitchen and rewiring. This is a chance to give their homes a whole new look, and some of the items they have kept for years no longer have a place. So, we arranged for a skip to be

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delivered and residents seized the chance to ‘de-clutter’. "Some of the unwanted items were fairly large items of furniture, so representatives of Dove House Hospice came along and collected those they could offer for sale in their shops.” Janine Drury, regional sales manager for Dove House, said: "We are grateful for all donations. Every item donated is turned into funds to help with the operating costs of the hospice. We wish to thank the residents of Cambridge Street flats for their support. Without donations we wouldn't be able to continue to run the hospice.”

New Marfleet development targets Hull’s Environmental Technologies sector Works are well underway on a £15.8m project to transform the former Humbrol Site in Hedon Road, east Hull, into a high-tech ‘green’ park. Marfleet Environmental Technology Park is being developed by Warmsdale, an associated company of Stoneferry Estates and Innovating Space Ltd, and is expected to create around 300 jobs, with a further 40 construction jobs. Martin Dixon Ltd were the electrical & mechanical contractors on the project.

predominantly clad in profile metal sheeting, which is typical of industrial buildings. In addition, there will be curtain walling and paint glazing to break up some of the elevations. There will be some ancillary offices to the front in a small 2-storey office block, which will feature contemporary horizontal cladding and glazing.

The project is being carried out by Hull based main contractor George Houlton and will include the refurbishment of the central high bay warehouse space – comprising around 127,000 sq ft of factory space on 9.5 acres – and the reinstatement of new services and infrastructure, bringing the total site area of the project to around 150,000 sq ft. Solar panels will generate around 10% of the sustainable development’s energy requirements.

One of the companies to move into the development is

Humbrol owned model airplane company Airfix manufactured plastic kits at the site for over 50 years. However, the factory had been vacant since 2006 and had fallen into dereliction due to vandalism and two invasions by gypsies. Plans to modernise and refurbish the existing buildings were approved in 2009. The site will be split up into ten separate buildings with different uses, including warehouse distribution and manufacturing. The old Humbrol factory, which at one storey comprises 60,000 sq ft of floor space and stands at 9m high, will be fully refurbished, with smaller buildings around the perimeter – the sizes of which will vary from 6,000 sq ft upwards. They will be

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One of the key features will be the landscaped public open space. In addition, car parking space for 212 cars will be created.

Japanese chemical company Nippon Goshei UK, who produce Soarnol – a biodegradable packaging used mainly by food manufacturers to keep food fresh. Part of the new 60,000 sq ft facility will house new machinery for producing bespoke, compounded grades of the product. Neill & Brown Global Logistics will occupy 40,000 sq ft of the total space to store and distribute Soarnol to customers throughout Europe. The development will support Hull’s aim to attract investment in one of the region’s key target sectors, Environmental Technology. Hull is an ideal location for this sector due to the availability of supply chains and the proximity to dock and port related facilities. The project’s focus on environmental technologies addresses key issues of climate change, carbon footprint reduction, sustainable communities and renewable energies – all of which are components of the UK Sustainable Development Strategy. Marfleet Environmental Technology Park is one of ten plots identified as part of Hull’s bid for a new Enterprise Zone along a three-mile stretch of Hedon Road. If the plans are approved by ministers, firms moving into any of the agreed sites within the zone will be offered a variety of attractive start-up incentives, such as not having to pay business rates for five years (which could save companies up to £255,000 each) and the fact that developments linked to the renewable energy sector will not require planning permission. The 100% discount is only available to businesses moving in by April 2015. Other sites include: Green Port Hull, Alexandra Dock; the former Hedon Road maternity hospital site; the Rix/Kingston International Business Park site and a site in Valetta Street. Nick Ward from Alan Wood & Partners, who acted as the civil and structural engineers, architects, quantity surveyors and project managers for the Marfleet Environmental Technology Park project, said: “We had to work around the existing buildings that were on site and there was a lot of demolition and the removal of the

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N o r th E a s t & Yo r ks h i re old buildings, along with difficult ground conditions and a small amount of contamination, but it has been a reasonably straightforward process and work is progressing well.”

of developing the Marfleet Environmental Technology Park and this resulted in Houlton being appointed as the Main Contractor for the refurbishment of the existing 2 storey office block”.

The project began in April 2011 and is expected to be complete in 2013.

This refurbishment will totally re-energise the site with the introduction of new aluminium curtain wall systems and hi-tech external profile panels.

Houlton

Houlton, a successful family owned Company has a building heritage spanning three centuries with a current turnover in excess of £30 million.

Houlton were responsible for the first phase construction of the Marfleet Environmental Technology Park. The refurbishment of the 60,000 ft2 warehouse building, previously occupied by Humbrol for the manufacture of plastic Airfix kits, is now operated by Nippon Gohsei UK Ltd an existing client of Houlton. The contact value of the scheme was £1.4m and was completed in August 2011. Andrew Kingston, Houlton’s Director of Building & Maintenance said “We are delighted to have been involved in the first phase

Building since 1879, the principles of fair play, teamwork & quality building are embodied into our culture. Our success depends on the ability to meet the requirements of our wide client base and we achieve this through focused teams of empowered construction professionals. The business employs over 120 people and operates across three main areas - Building & Maintenance, Construction and Developments.

A1 Dishforth to Leeming Improvement Scheme progressing well Remarkable progress is being made on a £330 million improvement scheme on the A1 in Yorkshire. The objectives of the improvement are to reduce current high levels of accidents and congestion and enhance journey time reliability by upgrading the existing the existing A1 to dual 3-lane motorway standard. The project is being carried out by Carillion – Morgan Sindall JV on behalf of the Highways Agency. The contractors are working with design partner AECOM and works began in March 2009. A great deal of carriageway construction is involved in the scheme – 2.5Mt of earthworks, 1Mt of imported starter and capping layers and 980,000t of sub-base and asphalt. JV project director Chris Hayton said: “Logistics are a challenge on this project given the sheer volume of deliveries and the need to manage them safely. “We have 700 people working out here. Safety is our number one priority. Nobody is allowed to cross the A1 and we have 250,000 wagon loads on and off site to manage. When divided by the number of working days we have, it works out that we have to handle on average 60 vehicles an hour. It’s a massive issue because we cannot have vehicles queuing to discharge and backing up at access points”. In Section 1 (Dishforth to Baldersby) the Baldersby East Roundabout is now fully open to the public and is in operation with northbound traffic directed along the new Local Access Road (LAR) to join the A1 north of Sinderby. A1 mainline traffic is now running in contraflow on the new northbound carriageway with drainage, earthwork and landscaping works continuing on the southbound carriageway. In Section 2 (Baldersby to Sindersby) traffic is running in contraflow on the new southbound carriageway. The old Butcher House bridge and Sinderby Rail bridge have been demolished. Earthworks and drainage works on the A1 northbound continue. In Section 3 (Sinderby to Gatenby) construction of the Street Lane embankment adjacent to the northbound Local Access Road is complete. Traffic is diverted over the new embankment for the Street Lane tie-in to the Local Access and the closure of Shipley Lane is required as part of these works. Traffic is now running in contraflow on the newly constructed southbound carriageway between Gatenby and Street Lane (Pickhill Junction), whilst earthworks at Oaktree underpass are underway on the

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west side of the A1. In Section 4 (Gatenby to Leeming) the new Leases link road is now open to the public. The existing slip roads on the southbound carriageway from the A1 to Leeming services have now been closed with access to the services gained via the new link

road. The site itself is now operating as an island site with the southbound traffic running on the new southbound carriageway and the northbound traffic running on the existing A1. To illustrate the level of care put into the logistics of the project, Chris said: “The project makes the best possible use of ‘sitewon’ materials to minimise the import of first generation stone. Stone brought to site is sourced locally to minimise our carbon footprint but balanced out amongst local quarries to minimise the impact of wagon journeys on the local population along the delivery routes.” He added: “We have banned works traffic from using many of the local roads and we are conscious of the volumes of imported stone, both dry and coated. We have worked with our suppliers to minimise our impact on the local population. Great effort has been made to inform the public in advance of our proposals in our effort to minimise disruption and accelerate completion of the project. “We have restricted working hours where possible to 07:00 19:00 Monday to Friday and have generally avoided working weekends. There have been some works for which night shift working has been necessary and, whenever such working might impact upon neighbours, they have been advised of the proposals in advance and offered alternative accommodation if appropriate.” Chris explained that his team had been using a ‘lean construction’ approach to streamline the work. He said: “We cannot

afford for deliveries to be interrupted, so in addition to supply contingencies, plant maintenance is carried out at night. A time and motion study showed we could aim to lay 2000t in a day, provided the asphalt gang was kept working from 7AM to 5PM.” All pavement cuts are pre cut in the evening and there is no waiting around or checking of ‘dips’ in the morning. Levels are controlled from concrete safety barrier foundation slabs and surface water channel.

Working with care The road passes through a Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAM), site where considerable archaeological findings were during investigation and recording by a team of 35 archaeologists. There has been a considerable ecological input into the scheme to deal with various protected species – badgers, otters, bats, great crested newts and nesting birds - and the site team has had to deal with a number of noxious or invasive plants such as giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and ragwort. Chris added: “The drainage from the existing A1 issued directly to local watercourses. With the new scheme, all the water from the new road flows to balancing ponds, which attenuate the flow to watercourses and carry out initial settlement of solids as well as some treatment of pollutants through the action of reed beds.”

New 10 acre terminal at Hull Docks A £3.5m in a state-of-the art 8,500 sq m warehouse is under construction at King George Dock at the Port of Hull. The investment also includes the refurbishment of existing storage capacity and railway sidings and will incorporate humidity controls for the storage of steel coils within the new warehouse. The project is being carried out for Associated British Ports (ABP) Port of Hull by Main Contractors Britcon. Specialist Surfacing ltd provided all the tarmac surfacing on the project. The project to build the new bespoke 10 acre terminal is the result of a new 10 year agreement between and TransAtlantic UK Ltd, which is switching its British terminal for its three-times a week Swedish sailings from ABP Goole to ABP Hull. The services operated by TransAtlantic have been calling at ABP’s Port of Goole since the early 90s and now handle in the region of 400,000 tonnes a year. The move to Hull is to accommodate increasing volumes of trade which will also require the relocation of two mobile harbour cranes. Matt Jukes, ABP Port Director Hull & Goole, said: “After many successful years of operating at Goole, we are delighted to respond to TransAtlantic’s expansion plans through the investment at King George Dock, which further strengthens Hull’s role in Scandinavian trade.”

From the UK, TransAtlantic’s Trans Pal Line service calls at the Swedish ports of Västerås, Oxelösund, Norrköping and Åhus, along with Amsterdam. It also operates services within the Baltic as well as roll-on/roll-off side port shipping operations across the Atlantic and along the US east coast. In a prime location on the north bank of the River Humber, the Port of Hull is one of the UK’s leading foreign-trading ports. Regular short-sea services operate to Europe, Scandinavia and the Baltic states, and the port also benefits from worldwide deep-sea connections. Hull is the UK’s leading softwood timber-handling port and regularly handles in excess of 1.5 million cu m of timber, in addition to large volumes of other forest products. The Port of Hull is the only passenger port on the Humber, handling nearly one million passengers per year. The port’s Rotterdam Terminal accommodates the super-cruise ferries operated by P&O Ferries on the Hull–Rotterdam crossing. The King George and Queen Elizabeth docks were built as a joint development between the Hull and Barnsley Railway and the North Eastern Railway, and contracted to S. Pearson in

Nick Green, Managing Director, TransAtlantic UK Ltd, said: “We were very pleased to have reached agreement with ABP. This new, modern terminal in Hull gives us operational advantages, which will result in improved service to our clients.” Marten Carlquist, Senior Advisor, Rederi AB TransAtlantic, said: “The Hull terminal creates a new platform for development for TransAtlantic. We are looking forward to expanding our business in cooperation with ABP.” Matt Jukes added: “Although TransAtlantic is leaving Goole, ABP is now actively marketing its former terminal and we are in discussions with a number of companies which see Goole, the UK’s most inland port, as an exciting opportunity for new trade development.” ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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1906. The design was undertaken by Sir Benjamin Baker and Sir John Wolfe-Barry. King George Dock (also known as the Joint Dock) was opened in 1914 by King George V.

cladding, heavy duty floor slab, doors and lighting together with extensive external works all to be finally completed by the end of November 2011.

The UK's leading ports group, Associated British Ports (ABP) owns and operates 21 ports all around the UK and handles approximately a quarter of the country's seaborne trade. Its ports are: Ayr, Barrow, Barry, Cardiff, Fleetwood, Garston, Goole, Grimsby, Hull, Immingham, Ipswich, King's Lynn, Lowestoft, Newport, Plymouth, Port Talbot, Silloth, Southampton, Swansea, Teignmouth and Troon.

In conjunction with this project Britcon have redeveloped the existing Shed 4 changing its use including new access arrangements, gatehouse and external works.

ABP also has a property division which is responsible for managing the Group's extensive land and property assets.

Britcon The future development of Associated British Ports Hull estate takes a further step forward with works currently being undertaken by Britcon at King George Dock. Comprising the construction of Shed 6, this £2million project sees Britcon undertaking the design and construction of an 8500 m² steel storage facility including substructure, structural steelwork frame, insulated

Throughout the company’s 21 year history Britcon have provided a customer focused approach to Port Operators having undertaken major projects at the majority of the east coast ports including Hull, Grimsby, Immingham, Goole, Ipswich and Kings Lynn. Britcon’s Managing Director Shaun Hunt states ‘Our expertise and knowledge within design and build at ports facilities coupled with Britcon’s diversification into emerging market sectors including Renewable Energy demonstrates our company’s long term commitment and strategy. We look forward to assisting Associated British Ports maintain a sustainable future throughout the development of the Humber Ports.’

Dream homes take shape in holiday haven The ongoing construction of one of the UK’s most vibrant and prestigious holiday villages - The Bay at Filey - is progressing well in a project being carried out by the scheme’s Developers, Essential Vivendi. Set in 150 acres of landscaped parkland, The Bay enjoys su-

perb facilities - including a luxury spa complex, tennis court, putting course, fishing, public house, gym, pharmacy and various beach activities - and is located on one of the most naturally beautiful stretches of the Yorkshire coast. In keeping with its location, The Bay Filey architects and designers have created a

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N o r th E a s t & Yo r ks h i re spacious development of wide boulevards and mews style culde-sacs, all thoughtfully laid out, with space in mind. The current works, designed by Architects Robert Goodison Architectural Services, comprise the construction of attractive holiday cottages and beach houses which will be for private sale. The holiday cottages are being constructed in a mixture of brick and coloured render finished elevations, with a pitched tiled roof, reflecting the local vernacular. In general, the holiday cottages under construction are two-storey and feature an open plan design with a living area on the ground floor and either two or three double bedrooms upstairs, with the majority of bedrooms being ensuite. Each property has a patio or terrace which is usually accessed through double doors from the living area. The beach houses are built in cedral boarding with pitched tiled roofing and the majority are single storey (although some two storey homes are planned) with two or three generally ensuite double bedrooms upstairs. All of the beach houses have a decking area to the front and rear. The aim of the development is to reproduce a local village street scene. In keeping with its location, The Bay Filey architects and designers have created a spacious development of wide boulevards and mews style cul-de-sacs, all thoughtfully laid out, with space in mind. The breathtaking Yorkshire heritage coastline, North York Moors and historic city of York are among the numerous attractions close by. Construction has been ongoing for several years and is likely to continue for some years to come.

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Challenging flood scheme protects town from three rivers Geared to protecting 548 residential and 96 commercial properties in Ripon, the challenging Ripon Rivers Flood alleviation scheme is now nearing completion. The scheme will now protect the city, which has a long history of flooding due to its location at the confluence of the Skell, Laver and Ure rivers.

The £14.6 million scheme includes the construction of a storage reservoir to hold back flood water upstream of Ripon and new flood defence walls and embankments in residential areas. Improvements are also being made to clear the flood arches of some of the existing bridges in the city, an existing weir is being replaced and a new river gauging system is being constructed further upstream. By removing and replacing the weir, the water level in the Skell at

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this location has been lowered by between 0.5 and 1m. The project is being carried out for the Environment Agency by Main Contractors Interserve. MWS Contracts (UK) Ltd did all the ground works and civil works. The River Ure has caused flooding to properties in Ripon and coinciding peak flows in the River Skell and River Laver (a tributary of the Skell) have also caused a large head of water to go through the town. In order to stop the two peaks flows from happening at the same time, a new earth retaining dam known as Birkby Nab measuring approximately 400 metres long, and 90 metres wide has been constructed to hold back water from the River Laver. This has lowered the level of the River Skell by between 40 mm and 1 metre. Other works completed downstream on the River Skell at Borridge Lane comprised individual bespoke schemes in approximately 15 rear gardens of private properties, which involved raising ground levels by approximately 700mm both through the installation of new flood walls and the utilisation of existing flood defences. Still further downstream where the River Skell discharges into the River Ure, the height of the

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concrete Alma Wier which spans the River Skell and previously caused water to back up behind it has been lowered, resulting in a lowering of the water level by approximately 1 metre. Further downstream on the River Skell at Fisher Green, a l metre high 250 m long earth embankment has been created on the left bank, whilst on the right bank 250 m of gabions stabilised with a sheet pile toe and around 4000 tonnes of clay behind have been installed, together with elements of drainage to raise the defences in that area. Works at the town’s historic North Bridge on the north side of Ripon provides protection from flooding by the River Ure through the installation of over 230 m of new embankment up to 4 m high, together with a sheet piled retaining wall and minor roadworks to raise the road level slightly.

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Two new technology centres for the College of West Anglia The College of West Anglia is to build two new technology centres – one on the Isle College campus in Wisbech and one on the Tennyson Avenue site in Kings Lynn. The values of the projects are £7.2m and £5.6m respectively. Further improvements totalling £20m are due to be made over the following four years. Mark Reavell, the Director of Employer Engagement & Estates, is responsible for overseeing these projects within the college. He said: “Planning has been received on both projects. RG Carters won the tender for the Kings Lynn project and work will commence later this month (September). In Wisbech, it is a two stage tender process and this will not be concluded until early October. Work on this project is due to start in late October.” This work will be followed by the refurbishment of the 1970s eight storey tower block at the College of West Anglia’s Tennyson Avenue site. The new blocks will accommodate students studying engineering, welding, electrical installation, electronics and joinery when it opens for the start of the 2012-13 academic year. Both technology centres will be BREEAM Very Good or Excellent and have very low carbon footprint buildings. They have been designed by Pick Everards. Funding came from a wide range of sponsors, including: Cambridgeshire and Norfolk County Councils, Fenland District Council, Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, EEDA and the SFA. The College of West Anglia also provided some of the funds from their own personal savings.

The scheme was previously put on hold due to issues with funding; the government scrapped the capital funding schemes for Further Education in 2008. The College of West Anglia is one of the largest and most successful education and training providers in the Eastern Region and amongst the top 10% of colleges in the country. The College serves a mainly rural catchment area covering Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and south Lincolnshire. The student cohort is around 10,000 and there are currently over 950 full-time and part-time staff. They offer a range of courses, including apprenticeships in Engineering and Plumbing and adult courses for adults with little or no previous qualifications. In November 2007 the College was inspected by Ofsted and was found to be an ‘Outstanding College’. For more information on the College of West Anglia, visit www. cwa.ac.uk.

Lindum Sturgeon The project is going extremely well and on programme, with Lindum Sturgeon due to complete the contract on programme towards the end of October 2011. Mr Matt Tyers of Lindum Sturgeon said: “This is our first project with the College of West Anglia and hopefully the start of a long relationship with them in the ongoing redevelopment of their Kings Lynn campus and other sites within East Anglia.” Based in Peterborough, Lindum Sturgeon carries out construc-

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Midlands & East Anglia tion contracts in a region extending from the east of England to the Midlands and as far south as North London. The company is active in all construction sectors including educational projects, industrial(particularly food factories), retail & commercial schemes and social housing. “We are bucking the

trend by performing very well in this difficult economic climate, our stable financial position and strong forward workload puts us in a healthy position coming into 2012" said Mr Tyers. Lindum Sturgeon is a member of the Lindum Group of companies based in Lincoln.

Designed with care in mind A brand new state of the art residential care facility comprising two independent hospitals for people with mental health problems, is taking shape on programme and on budget at a site in Worksop Road Chesterfield. The new facility is being constructed for UK-leading health and social care organisation, Turning Point - a provider of specialist and integrated services that meet the needs of individuals, families and communities across England and Wales, by Turning Point Building Futures Ltd. The new facility will benefit not only residents, but also the local community through the provision of a large number of new jobs.

heat pumps which will make an 18% - 20% contribution for renewable energy (which is 8% higher than required) and are also installing green sedum roofing to all flat roofed areas” said Mr Hobbs, adding that the project is also geared towards achieving a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.

The two buildings, which are virtually identical, will each incorporate 14 bedsits designed to meet the special needs of the occupants and to help prepare them to achieve the maximum degree of independent living possible. Each bedsit has a kitchen, lounge and sleeping area, as well as an ensuite bathroom. Other facilities include a fully staffed teaching kitchen for the residents, community lounges and dining areas. Designed to reflect the local vernacular, the buildings are constructed with external elevations in a combination of local brick and fascia boarding, with aluminium framed anti-ligature secure windows and a combination of flat and pitched roofing. The building is also tiered to accommodate the gradient of the sloping site which has a drop of around 6 m from top to bottom.

Main Contractors are Dunelm Property Services, who have been praised for their work on the project. Architects are OMI Architects; Mechanical and Electrical Engineers are Steven Hunt Associates and Client’s Representatives are Peter Marshall Associates. “The project is on time and on programme. The contractors are doing a really good job - we have worked with them before and they really know what they are doing” said Mr Thomas Hobbs, Senior Project Manager at Turning Point Building Futures Ltd. The scheme is being constructed on a brownfield site which was originally a public house and lorry park, demolished several years prior to the current contract. The two buildings, which are a combination of single and two storey, are designed to provide a domestic environment and are connected by a central plant room. The scheme is geared to allowing the client to benefit from all the advantages of renewable energy arising from the many eco-friendly elements which have been included in the design, as well as to boost cost savings on the running of the facility. “We have gone a long way towards achieving energy efficiency by using various eco-friendly features such as air over water

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Interior design features include corridors with full height external glazing, designed in a style to allow ‘planned meandering’ and avoid any institutional, formal overtones. “We are creating an environment where people can learn and expand their existing skills as much as possible. Each of the buildings incorporates an internal area of 1,200 m - very spacious when you consider that each will be occupied by only 14 residents” said Mr Hobbs. He added that the facility will be highly staffed 24/7 and will offer over 90 full time staff positions for local people “This is in line with our policy of employing as high a percentage of local staff as possible” said Mr Hobbs, adding “The project’s main contractor is also adopting this policy, in employing as much local labour as possible and deserves a lot of credit for that.

We have been working with the local authority, Job Centre Plus and local colleges and community groups to help achieve this.” External works on the approximately one and a half acre site include extensive landscaping of the site and the creation of a car park. An ecology survey has been carried out and a five year ecology plan is in place for the whole site. Currently the walls of the new facility have been constructed and the roofing is being installed. The project is due for completion in June 2012, with the first occupants taking residence in July. The operation of the new facility is being carried out as a joint venture with Derbyshire Mental Health Authority.

Major new care home taking shape in prestigious project The major new 75-bed stand-alone Moundsley Hall Care Home is under construction in a impressive two-phase development at Walkers Heath Road, Kings Norton, Birmingham. The design and build project is being carried out by Main Contractors Lawson Construction for Moundsley Hall Healthcare Group.

trial, new build and refurbishment, to private and public sector housing. The company was founded in 1966 and has expanded over the years, thanks to its good reputation for high quality, completion to time and working within cost budgets. Moundsley Hall Care Home is set in six acres of tranquil landscaped grounds and woodland. Its unique location, accessed via a tree lined avenue, provides a country setting whilst enjoying the amenities of an urban location. The home provides accommodation for those requiring continuous nursing care, residential care, convalescence, or respite care and can also cater for younger adults and for clients with physical or learning disabilities.

The new building is being constructed on a level site in a Green Belt area, and the project is now progressing through its second phase. The three storey building is divided into three blocks - two containing 30 bedrooms with an approximate gross external area per floor of 608 m2 - and a third containing 15 bedrooms. Each block has its own kitchen, dining and lounge facility. The building incorporates 22 dormers to each block with main entrance porticos and is of traditional brick and block construction with feature render panels and Georgian style UPVC framed windows which incorporate toughened external K reflective glazing. Roofing is in pitched, traditional style. External works on the project include the creation of a car park and landscaping. The project commenced in September 2010 and is due for completion in January 2012. Lawson Construction has achieved turnovers of up to £6 million over the last few years over a wide spectrum of construction projects. The scope of work ranges from commercial, indusROMA PUBLICATIONS

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£21m Catthorpe Viaduct Replacement scheme progressing well A £21m scheme to replace the 45-year-old Catthorpe Viaduct – which carries M6 southbound traffic over the M1– is progressing well, with a practical completion date of Spring 2012.

Ivan Marriott, Highways Agency project manager, said: "This traffic management is being implemented for the safety of road users and to provide a safe working environment for the construction team.

The Highways Agency had monitored the existing viaduct for several years due to its deteriorating condition. The area suffered from congestion, delays, long queues, accidents (sometimes fatal), conflicts between local and long distance traffic and barriers to pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. Temporary measures were put into place to safeguard the travelling public; however the monitoring identified a need to replace the viaduct and works commenced on site in July 2010.

"We are advising drivers to allow extra time for their journeys and asking them to drive safely while the roadworks are in place."

The replacement is part of the M1 Junction 19 Improvement scheme, which itself is part of a £6 billion project to boost some of Britain’s busiest roads. The objectives of the Catthorpe Viaduct Replacement scheme are as follows: to relieve congestion at the junction and improve journey reliability; improve road safety; separate local traffic from long distance traffic; improve conditions for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, keep adverse environmental impacts to a minimum, and provide good value for money. Due to its important strategic location on the highway network, the viaduct was given a high priority for replacement as there would be severe disruption to the network if it became unserviceable. Indeed, it is estimated that around 100,000 drivers pass through the junction every day and another 23,000 vehicles use the viaduct. The replacement structure will be built within the existing highway boundary, south of the present viaduct, which has enabled the network to remain operational whilst the new structure is being built. The existing viaduct will be demolished during a series of overnight closures once the new viaduct has been constructed and is open to traffic. Coote Construction provided all the access scaffolding to the project. The environmental effects of the scheme were considered and measures were taken to alleviate these effects. These included: tree and shrub planting combined with earth mounding; protection of wildlife and the creation of new habitats; drainage ponds to reduce the risk of pollution and flooding; and new routes for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. Two lanes will be kept available through the junction in both directions on both the M6 and the M1, with a temporary 50mph speed limit in place for the safety of road users.

AD plant to light up 8,000 homes A £1 million anaerobic digestion (AD) facility installed at a major waste processing plant is expected to generate electricity for thousands of homes. Biffa Waste Services has created the plant at the company’s waste management facility at Poplars Landfill site, in Cannock, Staffordshire.

The plant was completed on schedule by the GTM-Ros Roca Consortium – comprising GTM (a joint venture between Imtech Process and Galliford Try) and Ross Roca Envirotech. They worked as an integrated team and are now assisting Biffa with the commissioning stage.

The plant will treat 120,000 tonnes of food waste per annum from homes and businesses (such as supermarkets, restaurants and food manufacturers) within the West Midlands region. This waste is currently sent to landfill.

GTM carried out all the civil works, together with the process building design, construction and testing of the plant’s Digester tanks, Gas Booster, Flare Stack and Electrical, Controls and Instrumentation systems the later being delivered by Imtech’s in house electrical installation division.

Following planning permission in November 2009, the plant was constructed in 2010 and is expected to be fully operational by mid-summer 2011.

The scope of their work included site clearance, piling and construction of the main plant building, which is structured around a steel frame with external elevations in metal cladding

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and a flat metal cladding roof. Ross Roca designed the process plant and equipment and was responsible for the general mechanical installation. The nine month process commissioning stage should see the plant gearing up to its full capacity by the end of the year. The process of anaerobic digestion, which breaks down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen and produces methane rich biogas, will help create compost and generate over four megawatts of electricity, enough to power over 8000 homes. The construction phase provided employment for almost 150 people, and when fully operational, 15 people will be employed at the plant. The anaerobic digestion process utilizes naturally occurring micro-organisms already present in the waste to break it down in the absence of oxygen, producing a fibrous ‘digestate’ similar to compost and a methane rich ‘biogas’ used for the generation of renewable energy.

Vehicles will enter the facility through rapid open/shut doors and unload in a waste reception area. Solid waste will be emptied into a reception bunker then pulped before grit and packaging is screened out. The remaining material will enter a suspension tank before being pasteurized. The pasteurization process will heat the material to 70°C for at least one hour to meet the requirements of the Animal By-Products Regulations. The waste will then be piped into one of four digester tanks in which anaerobic conditions are maintained to treat the waste. Naturally occurring microbes already present in the waste will break the material down over 18 days, creating methane and carbon dioxide (biogas) and water. The biogas will be collected and used to generate electricity within the four proposed gas engines located on the site.

Presently around 80,000 tonnes of waste food is landfilled at Poplars, but the new facility will enable Biffa Waste to put this to better use.

The facility is located on the Northern part of the Poplars site on an existing area of hard standing which was being used for open composing and the handling of wood, construction and demolition waste.

The company already has an outdoor composting operation at Poplars for recycling green waste.

These activities will be relocated to another area of the site, further away from residential properties.

The AD facility will represent a more advanced method of handling waste food as it not only generates renewable energy and produces a quality soil improver, it will also have significant environmental benefits by diverting a large quantity of waste from landfill.

The area chosen is also the last phase to be landfilled at the site, hence the plant can be retained almost for the whole life of the landfill.

The plant includes a number of different elements including a waste reception area, a waste pre-treatment area and administrative and control areas. These will be housed in the process building, which is approxi-

mately 65m long, 45m wide and 10m tall. All waste handling operations will take place indoors.

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Biffa Waste services’ Director of Environment & External Affairs David Savory said: “From the company’s perspective, this development is part of our move towards the development of a network of infrastructure that enables us to manage waste as a resource, maximising recycling and the generation of renewable energy, whilst reducing reliance on landfill.”

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New flagship centre of excellence in dementia care takes shape A state-of-the-art intensive care centre is under construction to provide specialist care to help people with severe dementia in Norwich. The £13.7 million project is being carried out for the Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust by Main Contractors RG Carter, who are reported to be making excellent progress. Architects for the scheme are Ingleton Wood Architects.   The new centre, to be known as Hammerton Court and geared to becoming a centre of excellence for dementia care and staff training, is being built at the city's Julian Hospital, and will have 36 beds. In addition to the treatment aspect, the centre will serve as an academy to help professionals with dementia training, education and medical research into the disease. The new building is mainly a single storey structure incorporating a small two storey element at the entrance and is being constructed on the former site of an outdated ward building, which was demolished. Structured around a prefabricated timber

frame, the building features external elevations in a combination of brick, render and zinc cladding, with both aluminium and timber framed windows and a combination of pitched slate, flat and sedum roofing. Within the new building the 36 bed spaces will be split into three wings, each with 12 single-bed en suite rooms, with each bay laid out around a large internal courtyard and having its own a large day room, smaller ‘quiet’ rooms, clinical rooms and a ‘reminiscence’ room. There will also be care provision within an annexe for end of life care and to accommodate visiting relatives. External works include substantial soft landscaping, including themed landscaping of the building’s internal courtyards, with one being reminiscent of the Norfolk Broads, another recalling a country garden and a third designed on a beach theme. Further works include the provision of car parking.

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Other facilities include an entrance area and administration and training facilities, a small cafe for staff, patients and visitors, a training gymnasium for occupational therapy, a hairdressing salon and a launderette, and accommodation for visiting clinicians. The upper storey of the building will incorporate the main staff offices and a large dementia care staff training and research facility. The centre is due to open in spring 2012.

Civic pride shines through following dramatic city centre transformation Dramatically transforming the public realm in Peterborough city centre is a recently completed project centered round Cathedral Square and St John’s Church. The scheme included the upgrading of Cathedral Square, including the demolition of the old Corn Exchange building, the creation of a new public space and works along several streets in the heart of Peterborough’s conservation area. Despite having a magnificent cathedral, Peterborough is for many people a new town, a creation of the 1960s. In fact its city-centre conservation area contains many fine historic buildings but, owing to insensitive new build and a lack of clarity in the public realm, it lacked focus. Cathedral Square, with its historic market place and buildings of many eras in the shadow of the cathedral, was selected as the focus of the scheme which has provided a city centre of which Peterborough’s residents can be proud. The project was carried out for Peterborough City Council by Main Contractor Geoffrey Osborne, to designs by local landscape architects, LDA and engineers Pell Frischmann. The first stage of construction works involved the installation of fountains into Cathedral Square, which has also benefited from the laying of extensive areas of granite paving and the installaROMA PUBLICATIONS

Midlands & East Anglia tion of new street furniture. Other works, carried out by EDF Energy, included the installation of two four tonne electrical transformers in a specially constructed underground substation alongside the Guildhall in Cathedral Square. The two new subterranean transformers replaced a single above-ground transformer, providing more power capacity to the city centre and allowing a temporary generator to be removed. This allowed paving to be completed in the area behind the Guildhall. The scheme has also included the creation of a new square to be known as St John’s Square on the former site of the 1960s Corn Exchange building, which was demolished to make way for the new development. The technically challenging demolition work marked a significant step in the scheme and was carried out by Connell Brothers, an award-winning Salford-based specialist demolition company. The demolition of the Corn Exchange opened up the previously obstructed view of the western façade and tower of nearby St John’s church. The area between the new square and Cathedral Square was paved to make it more pedestrian-friendly and St John’s Church has been opened up with the removal of the surrounding railings and introduction of dramatic lighting at night. Works to the area surrounding St John’s Church have integrated the church into the cityscape. These works encountered unrecorded burial sites within the church grounds and con-

struction depths had to be altered so that these sites could be left undisturbed. The findings, along with other archaeological discoveries made elsewhere during the project, have added to the knowledge of the city’s past. The creation of the new St John’s Square included work requiring highly-skilled pavers to create ramps, steps and grassed terraces so that the square complements the west front of St John’s Church. In close liaison with the local authority, Sutton Vane Associates developed the lighting aspects of the public realm scheme. The street lighting and exterior lighting of particular buildings is designed to guide people into the area. This element of the scheme includes the new fountains, the four facades of the Guild Hall and the exterior of the church tower. Archaeological test digs, funded by this project, provided a unique glimpse into Peterborough's past. Medieval street surfaces, foundations of historic buildings, smashed medieval pottery, wooden artefacts, and even leather cut-offs, leaves, twigs, grass and hay from medieval times, were among the finds. These findings were recorded, preserved, and protected before works could commence. The public realm project is just one part of Peterborough’s massive investment programme to create a Peterborough with a city centre in which residents will enjoy and others will want to visit, work and relax.

A £1.7 million investment in Grantham's historic Market Place is approaching completion, invigorating and regenerating the heart of the town centre. The project is being carried out for Lincolnshire County Council and South Kesteven District Council (both of whom are also project managers), in association with the Grantham Business Club. Principle Contractors for the project are Thomas Bow City Asphalt. John Allen, Construction Director said: “We were delighted when we heard we had won this contract as it represented our first opportunity to work with Lincolnshire County Council on a high profile public realm scheme.” The project is geared to creating create a dynamic, vibrant outdoor space evoking a cafe culture that residents and visitors alike will enjoy exploring. The project has been funded by central government as part of the Grantham Growth funding. The scheme is providing a better setting to the town centre’s historic market cross, building upon the towns historic layout and Improving the vitality of the area. The works include replacing worn paving slabs with York Stone and granite kerbing; reducing on-street parking in the Market Place to make it more pedestrian friendly; widening footpaths; providing areas for loading and short term parking and providing new public artwork in the form of a sculpture known as the Orrery. The scheme has been constructed over three phases, with works commencing in the heart of Grantham and encompassing the busy Market Place, before extending through Westgate to the junction of Wide Westgate. The third and final phase recommenced at the junction of the Market Place and Conduit Street and continued throughout the entire length of Union Street to the junction of North Street.

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Thomas Bow City Asphalt’s John Allen said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the locally affected businesses and residents of Grantham for their help and support throughout the construction phase, without which we would not have been able to meet the client’s challenge of delivering this 20 week project in just 16 weeks. “My team and I worked closely with the Grantham Business Club and through our fortnightly public meetings, we were able to use these open forums to discuss the progress of our works past, present and planned, in addition to listening to any feedback.” Said Bijal Ladva, chairman of Grantham Business Club: “We welcome these changes and improvements to Grantham's historic town centre. Our primary focus is to protect and promote the town's businesses and we believe this work will give our businesses a boost.” Lincolnshire County Council spokesman Les Outram said that the project “will lift the centre of Grantham and follow our work in Lincoln and Stamford in the past few years.” Lincolnshire County Council Divisional Highways Manager Brian Thompson said the work would benefit the town in the future. He said: "The idea is that we provide new houses for people moving into Grantham, but in the same place we provide places for people to work.” "Grantham is ready to take the large housing numbers, more or less doubling its size over the next 20 or so years." The project team consulted residents on the public artwork project, funded through developer contributions from the

Simons 'Next' development. The brief asked artists to use Newton's three laws of motion as inspiration for the artwork; Sir Isaac Newton has strong associations with the town and his statue resides at St Peter's Hill, close to the market place. The Orrery sculpture will be the centre piece of the revamped Market Place. Said the artist, Paul Lewthwaite: “The artwork animates the space. It uses the whole pedestrianised area as a type of dial. The sculptural features will be visually interesting and accessible to all from different viewpoints in the Market Square. Pedestrians will be able to move in and through the artwork. The purpose and meaning of the various elements will become clear as they are explored and discovered." Thomas Bow City Asphalt Contracts Manager Brian White has managed the construction of this project. Brian and his team benefit from extensive experience working on similar projects within heavily populated city and town centres, where both traffic and pedestrian management are of critical importance to ensure the safe delivery of the works. Brian has worked closely with local businesses and residents, liasing with them regarding the progress of the works and ensuring that effective communications are maintained with them and other stakeholders throughout the construction phase. The project commenced in June 2011 and will be completed in October 2011. With experience of all kinds of projects in the public, commercial and private sectors up to a cost of up to £3.5 million, Thomas Bow City Asphalt is well equipped for any challenge, from highway maintenance to bridge construction and much more. The group aspire to be first choice for civil engineering and surfacing, combining a skilled workforce with the latest technology and traditional values.

Flagship £200 million lab will be at the cutting edge of medical research A major new flagship home for the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) is under construction in a £115 million project on a site next to Addenbrooke’s Hospital on the newly established Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge. The £200 million building, which replaces an older facility, is being constructed for the medical research council. Architects are RMJM Architects, and Main Contractors are BAM Construction. Also playing a major role in the project are KJ Tait Engineers, who formed a joint design venture with the American firm of specialist lab designers, RMF Engineering, to undertake this commission. Discoveries and inventions developed at the LMB, such as DNA sequencing and methods to determine the structure of proteins, have revolutionised all areas of biology. The new site will enable world class researchers at the LMB and at the University's Clinical School and Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to establish new links to work together in translating basic fundamental research. The role of the LMB is to understand biological processes at the molecular level through the application of a wide range of methods based on physics, chemistry and genetics. This involves the study of the structure of proteins, nucleic acids and membranes and how they interact to form macromolecular assemblies, organelles and viruses. The aim is to understand

the mechanisms and control gene expression, the three-dimensional organisation of cells, and how basic biological processes are integrated in whole organisms. Initial site works included the enlargement of an existing roundabout and the construction of a new length of carriageway with footways; all to facilitate the erection of the principal laboratory building and an attendant Energy Centre. The footprint of the main building is approximately 165m long and 67m wide. The three floors of main work-space, with associated interstitial floors, rise to a height of 19m. The height further increases to accommodate the central atrium and rooftop restaurant at 23m. Rising above the main bulk of the building, the plant towers and associated flues reach a maximum height of 35.5m. Externally, the work-space and interstitial floors feature a layer of single glazing, behind which is another layer of double glazing for the work space and metal panel cladding to the interstitial floors. The layered nature of the glazing creates a void that acts as a thermal flue, providing insulation in the winter and the casting of shadow through a series of louvres and an escape for hot air in the summer. The plant towers are to be finished in a metal shingle. The energy centre is 95m long on its northern side and at its widest 27m. It rises to a height of 13m and is finished with a mixture of pre-cast concrete panels and metal grilles. ROMA PUBLICATIONS

Midlands & East Anglia At ground floor level the main entrance is located to the east (front) of the building. The first floor includes the addition of a lecture theatre at front of the building. The second floor mimics the basic layout of the floors below. The workspace on each of the floors is arranged in parallel blocks that twist at opposing ends to create an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;xâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; chromosome shaped footprint on an east-west axis. The workspaces are separated by a central atrium that is bridged internally and acts as communal circulation space. A restaurant and coffee shop in the southwestern corner of the building comprises the third floor. This includes a terrace that runs along the southern and western edges of the roof. Over each occupied floor is an interstitial floor. An interstitial floor is a floor level that specifically provides servicing and ventilation for the work-spaces below. This facilitates the majority of maintenance outside scientific areas and increases the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adaptability. These floors in turn feed to a series of four external plant towers that supply and extract air. The advantage of this arrangement is that it avoids the stacking of plant on the roof and minimises vibration on the research space. An additional four plant towers are located centrally at the top of the building which provide secondary and specialist air handling. To the north of the building, separated by a servicing yard, is an energy centre, accommodating heavy plant that will generate and distribute energy for the building. The physical separation of the energy centre from the main building simplifies maintenance, avoids disruption and helps minimise vibration. The Cambridge Biomedical Campus provides exciting opportunities for expansion in new clinical services and research activities. Collectively this will put Cambridge at the forefront of initiatives to integrate prevention and treatment of disease with the development of new therapies and diagnostic techniques of the future.

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Customers raise their glasses to water treatment scheme In a scheme geared to improving water quality, a new water treatment plant is being constructed at Tottiford Water Treatment Works near Bovey Tracey, Dartmoor. The scheme involves the replacement of pressure sand filters dating back to the mid-Victorian era and the installation of five new rapid gravity sand filters to provide primary filtration and removal of manganese. The £4million project is being carried out for South West Water’s delivery alliance H5O by Balfour Beatty. The designers are Hyder Consulting. The project, which commenced in January 2011, is due to be completed in January 2012. The scheme will improve tap water quality for over 70,000 customers in Torquay, Paignton, Newton Abbot, Kingskerswell, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Exminster and Chudleigh. South West Water is part of Pennon Group plc. The company provides reliable, efficient and

high quality drinking water and waste water services throughout Cornwall and Devon and in small areas of Dorset and Somerset. South West Water came into being in 1989 with the privatisation of the water industry. The company inherited a water system suffering from a century of neglect but, thanks to the tireless work of their 1,300 employees, has brought the region's drinking water, sewerage systems and bathing waters into line with the stringent UK and European Union standards. This extensive programme of environmental improvement has resulted in some of the finest bathing waters in Europe, picturesque scenery and clean rivers with stunning wildlife. Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering

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(BBRCE), a key business within the UK’s leading civil engineering company, is currently working on many projects throughout the UK including the Forth Bridge restoration and has recently completed the M74 Link. In the south west BBRCEL have formed a joint venture with BBUSL to provide construction services to the H5O alliance.

Highly successful dock project protects city from flooding Just completed is the third and final phase of the highly successful £11m Bristol City Docks Capital Project to replace Bristol Floating Harbour’s 140-year-old Victorian lock system, ensuring the future effective working of the docks and safeguarding the city from potential flood risks from the River Avon. The scheme was carried out for Bristol City Council by BAM Nuttall, who undertook all phases of the project. Mr Matt Ewing, Project Manager at BAM Nuttall said: “The old lock system was a Victorian water hydraulic system which was unreliable and expensive to maintain. The improvements carried out in this project will ensure that the harbour has a reliable system that will last 100 years. “The project has gone very well, on time and just below budget and the client is very happy. There was a lot of concern from the client about the works affecting leisure craft using the harbour and impeding accessibility, as well as the swing bridge works

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carried out affecting traffic flows. However the project caused hardly any interruption in any of these areas.” The third phase (the smallest element of the scheme) involved replacing the manually operated oak gates at Netham Lock, where boats from the River Avon gain access to the floating harbour. Built in about 1809, Netham lock marks the end of the Feeder Canal. The lock gates here ensure that extreme high spring tides that come over Netham weir do not enter the city and that flood water from the River Avon is diverted over the weir. The scheme involved replacement of the lock’s four gates with new timber gates sympathetic to the historical nature of the location and designed to meet the standards of the latest Eurocode for lock gates. The new gates each weigh eight tons, with the two lower gates, each being 16ft high, 11ft wide and 1ft thick, and the two upper gates, being almost 20ft high. The gates, which were specially made from Ekki hardwood timber - a sustainable timber for marine environments - and should last for at least 50 years, were brought to Bristol by road and lowered into place by a 70-ton crawler crane. The upper gates are designed and constructed in such a way that they could easily be reinforced and retrofitted for increased flood levels if required. The design of the new gates is also capable of retrofitting to take mechanical operation of the sluices and future mechanisation of the gates should this be required in the future. In addition to the installation of the gates, this phase included the refurbishment of the Underfall Yard sluice mechanisms. Phase one of the overall project saw the replacement of gates and the upgrading of the highway swing bridge at Junction Lock in the Cumberland Basin, as well as the installation of hydraulic pumps to operate the gates, sluices and paddles. A 110-tonne crane on a barge was used to lift the old gates out of their hinges and then manoeuvre them into Cumberland Basin for removal,

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which was done via a 500-tonne crane. This ensured that the harbour had a secure and reliable set of gates, enabling the project team to move on to the second phase. The second phase involved upgrading the infrastructure of the entrance dock where the floating harbour meets the River Avon near the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and installing new floodgates. Work on the Bristol City Docks Capital Project commenced in October 2008 after Bristol City Council found there was ‘significant risk’ that the 140-year-old gates at Junction Lock could fail. If the gates failed then the water in the floating harbour would go out with the tide, causing the harbour walls to collapse and the nearby buildings and houseboats to go with them. Managing the interface between new and Victorian engineering and construction techniques created a few challenges, with Installing the new gates and ensuring they sealed being a major concern.

Travelodge bucks the recession as another new hotel takes shape Part of a major expansion programme for budget hotel chain Travelodge - whose South West hotels are bucking the trend in the recession - an impressive new four storey building incorporating a 60-bedroom Travelodge hotel and a Lidl store, is taking shape on a site at Harbour Road, Portishead.

"We have demonstrated our commitment to expand and have a clear growth plan laid out which means we will reach over 1,100 hotels and 100,000 rooms by 2025."

The development is being carried out for Developers Loc 8 (Portishead) Ltd by Main Contractors Jehu Project Services. The architect is Simon Kennedy of Kennedy James Griffiths and Structural Engineers are Shear Design.

Jehu is strategically based with offices located in Bridgend and Haverfordwest and employs more than 80 staff.

The building is being constructed on a Brownfield site where remediation works were carried out in an earlier, separate contract. The building is designed to encourage a busy frontage along Harbour Road, with glass frontages to the ground floor level food store and a feature curved glass wall to the hotel, celebrating arrival at the site, and providing a landmark to the development. The building it has a high quality design and material specification to deliver a BREEAM ‘very good’ rating. Above the 14,617 sq ft Lidl, the thee-storey Travelodge incorporates a reception area with vending facilities, together with the 60 ensuite bedrooms. The ground floor of the building is a steel frame structure, with timber frame on the floors above. External elevations are in rendered blockwork, incorporating aluminium framed windows and a metal standing seam roof.

One of Wales' largest independently owned construction companies, Jehu Projects has a proud heritage in construction which spans over 70 years.

The Jehu family has a tradition of quality in building that has spanned over 70 years. Founded by Jack Jehu in the early 1930's, Jehu is now one of Wales largest independently owned construction companies. The company’s business has been founded on a balanced approach to the market place and the ability to avoid over reliance on any particular construction sector. This ability is reflected in Jehu’s staff and resources and jointly the company has significant experience and strength in the commercial and Industrial, healthcare and education, residential and retail and leisure markets. Jehu Project Services is committed to delivering a top class service to its clients and its expertise embraces public and private sectors which includes partnering alliances. The Jehu family of companies is set to turnover in excess of £35 million in 2011/2012.

Externally the works include the creating of a 138 space car park and landscaping, including tree planting and stone paving. Currently the external shell of the building is just being completed, together with the lift and stair core and the ground floor slab has been laid for the Lidl foodstore. Commending the Main Contractors Mark Kennedy, Director of Loc 8 Developments commented: “I have known of Jehu Project Services for many years and their reputation in this sector precedes them. We are confident that the project will not only be delivered on time but also that it will be finished to an exceptionally high standard. We look forward to working with Jehu again in the near future.” The project commenced in January 2011 and is due for completion in November 2011. The hotel is one of two new Travelodges opening in the Bristol area. Guy Parsons, the chief executive of Travelodge said: "Our hotels in the South West performed extremely well throughout the recession so I am delighted that we will be opening these new hotels. The locations are perfect for both business and leisure visitors to Bristol and Portishead and I have no doubt the two locations will soon be among our top-performing hotels anywhere in the country." The addition of 35 new hotels across the UK is part of a £300 million investment programme by Travelodge. In total, the hotels will add 3,667 rooms to the original Travelodge 32,000-room estate, creating 700 jobs. Mr Parsons added: "The hotels we built this year have been a result of Travelodge's commitment to expand during the recession while many companies put their development on hold. "Last year we exchanged on 96 sites, making it a record year. Fifty-two of these exchanges were part of the biggest transaction in the hotel sector since 2008 with the pub chain Mitchells & Butlers. "As a result of the recession, we have successfully acquired superior sites due to lower market property prices, which otherwise would not have been available for hotel use. ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Water schemes deliver clear benefits Just being completed on probably one of the most challenging building sites in the UK, is a project to construct a sewage screening station, located in an isolated cove on the outskirts of Polperro, together with a 330 metre long pumped sea outfall extension. The project, being carried out by Dean & Dyball, is one of South West Water’s current major projects, with another project comprising the construction of a £3 million new service reservoir, being undertaken by Balfour Beatty, near Newquay in Cornwall. At Scilly Cove, Polperro, the site is situated with sheer cliffs to the rear, the sea to the front and accessed only by stone steps and a cliffside path. This means that the construction site is serviced solely by sea. To facilitate construction work, a temporary steel working platform was erected to support a 100 tonne crawler crane. The screening building was constructed from modular precast concrete sections. This system is quick to erect and minimises construction time and risks to the programme from adverse weather conditions. Pre-fabrication also gives a factory quality finish and allows incorporation of a rock texture and colour matching that will help minimise the visual impact of the concrete structure in this Cornish beauty spot. The project also involved the construction of a 330 metre long outfall pipe assembled as a single section in Par Docks, with a concrete weight jacket having been attached whilst the pipe is on land. Flotation pipes were strapped to the outfall pipeline to tow it into position, a distance of nine miles between Par Docks and Polperro. The pipe was then sunk into a pre-excavated trench. So that South West Water can maintain the facility, an access

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lift was built from the coastal path to the screening building at the base of the cliff - 23 metres below. This necessitated profiling of the cliff to a constant gradient and a discreet system of rails to give a ‘shaftless' design. When not in use the lift car will park inside the screening building. The new, covered, reservoir near Newquay is being built next to the existing Coswarth service reservoir at Quintrell Downs. It will replace the existing reservoir, parts of which date back over 100 years, which is reaching the end of its useful life. When it is finished, it will store treated water from Restormel Water Treatment Works and supply 9,000 homes in Newquay and the surrounding area with top quality tap water.

At 62 metres long, 32 metres wide and eight metres deep, the reservoir will hold 13 megalitres (13,000,000 litres) of water – enough to fill five Olympic-sized swimming pools. The reservoir is being constructed using 680 tonnes of steel reinforcement and 2,700 cubic metres of concrete. Fifty reinforced concrete columns will support the reinforced concrete roof. The project is due for completion in March 2012.

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The most sustainable broadcasting facility in Europe: £233m Sky Studios open for business The Sky Sports News ‘Good Morning Sports Fans’ became the first programme to be broadcast from the new state-of-the-art HQ facility when it opened in West London on the 4th of July 2011. The building has integrated innovative design features – including natural ventilation and an onsite Combined Cooling, Heating & Power plant (CCHP) – in order to achieve Sky’s continued ambition for sustainable and renewable power and gain the accolade of being “the most environmentally sustainable broadcasting facility in Europe.” Sky Studios was designed by Arup Associates and comprises 8 naturally ventilated TV studios (all of which are 3D and HD ready), 45 edit suites and 14 voice-over suites. At 100m long and 50m wide, the multi-functional 23,000m² space is the size of two New York City blocks or an eight-storey London building.

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The building is arranged over five levels. These five levels are divided horizontally into three zones – ‘make’, ‘shape’ and ‘share – offering a multi-platform distribution hub for Sky’s Sports and Entertainment Production and its 1,300 staff. Bovis Lend Lease were the main contractors on the project, which was funded by a £233m investment from Sky over the four-year construction process. Michael Beaven from Arup Associates led the engineering and sustainability teams. He spoke to Premier Construction, saying: “Essentially it is a steel and concrete building; due to the sheer size of the project, a huge variety of materials were used in the cladding and so forth. As part of the specification, Sky specified that green materials were to be used wherever possible. We had a careful selection process to ensure that all materials were responsibly sourced, for example all of the timber is FFC accredited. Ecological landscaping was also an important part of the masterplan; we planted trees to reinforce the landscape, and drainage and water recovery was also part of the process. “The exterior of the building is finished in a glass and aluminium cladding, with a modern wall system that has been designed to look modern and to express the function inside the building - for instance, the chimneys protruding from the building are ventilating the studios. It is a crisp and modern expression. “There were existing warehouse buildings on the site that had to be demolished before construction could begin. 99% of these buildings were recycled, with only 1% going to landfill. “We’ve innovated new ways of integrating low energy features into the building through integrating architectural engineering. We’ve used the integrated design aspects of how we work to really implement things that could not be done otherwise. We have achieved an exceptional performance for such a high intensity building and have exceeded all targets from an energy point of view. The new Sky Studios really is at the cutting edge of sustainable design and performance.” To date, the building has won the ‘Sustainable Project of the Year’ category at the 2010 Sustainability Awards and has received nominations for The Guardian Sustainability Awards 2011, Building Awards 2011, the World Architecture Awards 2010, the Building Construction Industry Awards 2011 and the 2011 Sustainable Energy Europe Awards. Premier Construction also spoke to Fiona Ball and Steve Holford from Sky. Fiona Ball is Head of Environment at British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB). She said: “The new Sky Studios is extending on our overall sustainability strategy for the company. Sustainability is key to our overall business strategy and we have ten very challenging targets with respect to sustainability, including making our buildings 20% more energy efficient by 2020 and making 20% of the energy we use match the onsite renewable energy. This is part of our overall ambition to make all of the products and services on our operations as a whole become most sustainable. “The new Sky Studios facility is just a natural extension of what we wanted to do as a company. We focus not only on the buildings in our portfolio, but potential new builds. This was key to the overall plan of Sky Studios and was a clear remit when we engaged the architects and the builders. “Sustainability is not just about doing the right thing; it is also about being a good business and having a good business practice. As a FTSE 100 company, we have to bear in mind the reputational impact of running a sustainable business. From a commercial point of view, sustainability is great for cutting emissions, energy and cost, and Sky is proud to be a leader within the sustainability field.” Steve Holford, Head of M&E Projects, said: “The brief for Sky Studios is to enable Sky to take its technical broadcasting facilities to the next level and to remain the market leader in terms of quality broadcasting. We had to achieve this whilst continuing to support the environmental and commercial targets that are set within the company, all of which are extremely challenging and ambitious. We had to look at every aspect of design for the

new Sky Studios.” He also pointed out some of the standout features. These features include the bespoke natural ventilation design, which applies not only to the office space, but to the studios also. One of the company’s targets was to maximise all the natural resources as much as possible, even though the site is in a very constrained and urban environment directly beneath the flight path of Heathrow. Therefore, an integrated and bespoke wind turbine is about to be erected. This turbine will generate all of the power for the offices and lighting for Sky Studios – an incredible achievement. There is also an onsite Combined Cooling, Heating & Power plant (CCHP), rainwater harvesting for the flushing of toilets and the whole scheme has been designed to utilise as much daylight and fresh air as possible. Steve Holford said: “The use of natural ventilation is a unique feature of this project. Essentially, we’re opening up a really controlled environment for sound and light to the elements in order to utilise the natural resources. This has required some clever engineering in terms of noise attenuation as our location – underneath a flight path and bordered by the M4 motorway – made noise a real issue. “We needed to make sure that the right broadcasting conditions were maintained with as renewable means as possible; therefore we also extract the waste heat from the technical facilities inside the building and use it for space heating – there is no gas supply to the building. Due to the fresh air, it is a cooling, pleasant place to work. ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t “We were set a target to produce at least 10% of the energy from renewable sources,” Steve said. “We set ourselves a higher bar of at least 20%, and the CCHP both enables and exceeds this target.”

Studios the most environmentally sustainable broadcasting facility in Europe, its cutting edge technology will also help us continue to create ground-breaking and innovative programming long into the future.”

The Sky Studios has achieved BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, setting a worldwide benchmark for broadcasting facilities. It has also gained an ‘A’ rating in the Energy Performance Certificate, an award that less than 1% of buildings achieve.

Apollo pioneers lifetime guarantee for fire detection products

Steve Holford believes that the sustainable design has had a positive impact. He said: Throughout the design process, we had to bear in mind that in order for Sky to be successful, it’s about the people – our customers and staff. We constantly strive to produce and deliver the best quality and we have therefore centred the design on the people that will be operating out of it. If our staff work in a well configured and laid out environment, it makes the working environment a lot simpler and quicker and aids the processing of data between people. On a day-to-day basis, the free and open plan space allows people to have chance encounters and interact with each other. It’s a creative environment, and the design feeds that. Our creative processes are enabled and simplified as much as possible to allow people to focus on quality TV. “It also makes commercial sense – if you reduce your energy usage, you reduce your operation costs. With 28 million visitors in 10 million homes, we are part of people’s lives and it is therefore key that our reputation is at the cutting edge in terms of sustainable delivery and key entertainment. Ultimately it will bring about benefits for the long term life of the studios.” Fiona Ball also stressed the importance of sustainability to Sky. She said: “Sustainability is not an optional add-on; it is integral to how we do business on a day-to-day basis, and is key to our overall business strategy. This strategy is led from the top by our Chief Executive, Jeremy Darroch, and we have an Environmental and Sustainability Steering Group which includes all of the key stakeholders and the key executives around the business, who constantly review the strategies and our targets that we need to adapt to maintain our leading position. It is not just about being a successful company, but being a successful and resilient company in the long term. We want to make sure we are prepared. “This is what our customers want too. We not only look after our own operations, but we look at how we can make our products and services more sustainable for our customers. This is all part of all our business strategy: every single element of what we do Sky Studios addresses sustainability in the long term.” Sky has always focused sustainability issues. Sky has been taking action to minimise their carbon footprint since 2006, when they became the first media company to become carbon neutral by offsetting their net carbon emissions and in October 2009 Sky announced a set of challenging new targets including a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions (tonnes/£m turnover), which will make their buildings 20% more efficient and produce 20% of energy from on-site renewables by 2020. In addition, between 2005 and 2010 the business exceeded its target to reduce gross greenhouse gas emissions by 10%. Sky has the most comprehensive multi-platform service in the UK and Ireland. Their portfolio of channels, including: Sky 1, Sky Living, Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts, Sky Sports, Sky News and Sky Movies reach more than 10million homes in the UK. In June 2011, the company announced that it would increase investment in British programmes by 50% to £600m a year over the next three years. Sky work with dozens of other broadcasters on the satellite platform, online and on mobile and is now leading the UK into the age of high definition television with Sky+ HD. They have also recently launched Europe’s first 3DTV channel, Sky 3D. Jeremy Darroch, Chief Executive, Sky, commented on the project: “Opening Sky Studios is a significant step in Sky’s development, and this building stands testament to our commitment to home-grown, high quality British content. Not only is Sky

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Apollo Fire Detectors claims that the ability to assess the true lifecycle cost of a fire detection system is being compromised through lack of clear information about product life. Apollo Fire Detectors has demonstrated its commitment in this area by introducing a Product Lifetime Guarantee. This warranty covers Apollo products for their anticipated 10 year lifetime (5 years for CO detectors), which is the length of time the company says their products will function reliably if appropriately installed and maintained. Their Product Lifetime Guarantee is based on 30 years of experience in the industry and clearly shows that Apollo is confident about the quality of its manufacture – which continues to be based in the UK. Richard Bramham of Apollo Fire Detectors says: “We are very proud of our British engineering heritage and of course the Product Lifetime Guarantee is a clear signal to our customers that we will back our own products all the way. But this is really a much wider industry issue – this is about transparency and responsible business practice. “It’s important for installers, many of whom are small businesses, to know that they have the manufacturer’s full support in the event that any device malfunctions due to a manufacturing fault. Taking a broader view, in a world where resources are becoming scarcer and costs are rising, people have a right to understand exactly how much their fire system will cost – not just at the outset, but for the life of the building.”

Clearpower Based throughout the UK and Ireland, Clearpower are one of the leading providers of bioenergy solutions, providing large scale biomass installations for industrial, commercial and government clients .They have a dedicated in-house design team who can design very flexible solutions from 100KW to greater than 20MW. Clearpower also provide an ESCO solution, where they fund the installation so that the client pays no capital upfront.

Clearpower has completed over 80 installations to date. Clearpower Ltd was the turnkey design and build contractor for the Sky Studios project and are delivering the entire solution for BSkyB including fuel provision and maintenance. It is the first biomass Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) in the UK and will provide the majority of heating/cooling power required for Sky Studios. John Heffernan, Clearpower Ltd CEO said: “There has never been a better time to replace any kind of fossil fuel heating or power system given government support through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). Bio energy is competitive with all forms of fossil fuels, and delivers excellent returns on investment.”

VAS VAS was founded in 1989 and since then has developed advanced technologies for renewable energy and the environment. They are a turnkey supplier for biomass plants; their product include: industrial biomass furnaces (2MW to 25MW), thermaloil, steam and water-boilers and all kind of waste gas cleaning systems (in particular electrostatic precipitators and condensation systems). Besides constructing and manufacturing industrial plants, VAS is active in optimising biomass plants. They are one of the largest companies in Austria to provide energy and environmental solutions.

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For the Sky Studios project, VAS delivered the biomass plant, along with the necessary emergency and safety equipment, the flue gas cleaning and the thermaloil piping and equipment. Mr. Zakarias, VAS said: “This was an exciting project for us as it was our first UK contract. We were pleased to work on the project with the other contracts and we already have our next contract very close to Sky Studios to deliver a 10MW biomass cogeneration plant for Heathrow Airport Terminal-5 Energy Centre. We are very interested in working with clients and customers in the UK. We are a leader in the field, and every client we have had has been highly satisfied. We know what we are doing and aim to bring our technology to the UK to work towards a sustainable future.”

Brockhouse Brockhouse were asked by Arup Acoustics to look into providing high quality movable acoustic walls for Studios 4/5 at the BSKYB new building. The company’s remit was to achieve an on-site acoustic division between the studios of Dntw 60 dB using movable walls, the difficulty was that they needed the wall to be 9 metres high. On top of making a suitable track and roller arrangement to move the panels easily into position, Brockhouse also had to include passdoors within the system for fire equipment access and also accommodate a sound absorbing finish to the panels making them thicker and of course, heavier. All in all a very difficult and specialist project that Brockhouse believe was only achievable by their company and their product. The system installed was Brockhouse’s Series 600 premium robust steel framed movable wall system made at the company’s factory units in Loughborough, Leicestershire. The contractor, architect and acousticians all visited the facility to view the company’s capabilities and discuss this complex requirement with Brockhouse’s vastly experienced designers.

Fortunately the budget and timescale was sufficient to make sure the process on site ended very smoothly resulting in an acoustic site rating of Dntw 63dB which Brockhouse believe is the highest rating between two rooms in the United Kingdom. The leading supplier of movable wall systems in the UK, with over 150 employees in the company’s factories and marketing arms, Brockhouse are by far the largest company in their industry and have worked for many contractors and architects installing their systems in education, medical, hotel, corporate, religious and government buildings thoughout the country.

Faram Group Faram Group have been suppliers of office furniture to BSKYB since 2004, during which time the company has supplied a wide range of products, from benching workstations to executive desks, from partitioning systems to open space office systems. Faram started with a first phase in 2004 for five buildings. Later they supplied the headquarters of the company with £3 million pounds worth of office furniture and partitions. Paolo Mio, CEO of Faram Group says: “We have been supplying office furniture for three generations, with the accumulated experience and knowledge of the Mio family resulting in the company’s ability to supply a wide range of products that are appealing and functional.” Faram was founded in 1957, in the heartland of one of Europe’s most stable and productive areas, north-east Italy. An innovator from the start, it was one of the first companies to produce modern furnishings. Collaboration with the best designers produced several ranges of office furniture that would make the company’s name and establish them in the market. During the 1980s and 1990s Faram expanded abroad, taking part in a joint-venture with Arlex S.A. in Spain in 1989, opening ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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their London branch in 1992 and a branch in the Netherlands in 1993. Internationally famous architects and designers have worked with Faram to create some of the world’s most prestigious projects, placing Faram at the forefront of the office furniture market. Expansion abroad continued during 2003 and 2004 with the opening of branches in China and in the USA. During these years, Faram has supplied many major global companies including Citigroup, Barclays Bank, Morgan Stanley, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and Unilever.

Profab Access Ltd With over 30 years of combined industry experience, Profab Access Ltd are market leaders in the design and manufacture of standard and bespoke access panels and access panel solutions for ceilings and walls. All Profab products are designed in house by a team of qualified professionals using state-ofthe-art 3D computer aided design software technology and consistency and reliability is guaranteed. Profab liaised closely with architects Arup on BSkyB’s new UK headquarters to meet the unique requirements of this groundbreaking development. Riser doors supplied by Profab were used throughout the building, in both public and back-of-house areas. Austin Stone from Profab said: “We were very pleased to be specified by such a large and prestigious practice as Arup. We felt privileged to be working on such a ground breaking and iconic project where the impact on the environment was such an integral part of the design.” For over a decade now, Profab Access Ltd have been synonymous with supplying large and prestigious projects with fire rated single and multiple riser doors – a niche that they have developed within this area of the access panel market.

Technical Director Austin Stone, along with Chris Forshaw, founded a new company – Quality Steel Doors. This company offers quality steel doors at market beating quality and prices. A full range of latched and unlatched single leaf, half and double leaf hinged steel door products are available, complete with thresholds and seals as required.

Turboden Turboden was founded in 1980 and is a leading European company in the development and production of ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) turbogenerators. The turbogenerators can produce electric power and heat from renewable sources like biomass, geothermal and solar and from waste heat recovery. Advantages of ORC turbogenerators include: high cycle efficiency, very high turbine efficiency (up to 90%), long life and automatic and continuous operation. For the Sky Studios project, Turboden provided the ORC turbogenerator for the CCHP plant (Combined Cooling Heat and Power Plant). Paolo Bertuzzi from Turboden said: “Of course we were very pleased to be selected as a supplier for Sky Studios. It was a very important project for us as, due to the size of the project, it provided us with a possible new application for our system “The aim of Turboden is to design and implement a clean and efficient solution for our customers that is both reliable and feasible. I believe that the Sky group appreciated our work, and we aim to provide our energy solutions for other companies in the UK in order to work towards a more environmentally friendly future.” At present, they are working on a range of projects, including the implementation of a similar solution at Heathrow Airport.

In 2010, Profab’s Managing Director Adrian Allbrighton and

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New court served well at Wimbledon Championships The latest in a series of improvements and developments at the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon, the new Court 3 was recently completed and opened for use at the 2011 Wimbledon Open Championships by the Duke of Kent. The project has been designed by architects Populous and has been built by Galliford Try, who has been carrying out projects at the venue for the last 25 years. Works on this specific programme involved the amalgamation of the original Courts 2 and 3 areas and the provision of new facilities within a new stand. Located on the western side of the site, south of Centre Court and adjacent to the Millennium building, the new Court 3 has a footprint of approximately 1060m2 and includes seating for 2,000 spectators (both ticketed and free access). The stand is an open-air 6m high bowl structure, mostly constructed in fair faced concrete and shaped in a rectangle with 10 metre radius corners. Facilities include spectator terracing, including seating for disabled people, eight commentary boxes and ‘Hawk Eye’ observation points on the lines of the court. Beneath the stand are ancillary facilities including debentures, a lost property store, plant rooms and a players’ area. The eastern side of the stand, which incorporates a series of columns spaced at approximately 3 metre intervals, is cantilevered over a walkway which connects with the centre court and court number 2. Feedback from the 2011 Championships was positive, with reports that the new court was a contrast to the prestigious ‘show courts’, challenging players in a different way, and impressing ticket-holders with the intimacy of the arena. Moreover, old and new players alike have expressed amused relief at the demolition of the old Court Number 2, over which the new has been built. Known as ‘the graveyard’ and an ill omen for competitors, players are looking forward to making their names on the new Court 3.

Landmark developments ongoing at Wimbledon Populous, working with Galliford Try, have been involved in the redevelopment of a number of key areas at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon. The grandest part of the project has been the redevelopment of the famous Centre Court. The project involved the upgrade of the south-eastern, northern and eastern wings of the existing Centre Court and the provision of new accommodation comprising debentures, hospitality and dining facilities to take The Club into the 21st Century. The most dramatic feature of the redesign is the retractable

roof, the evolution of which was scientifically demanding: measuring 65 x 75 metres, the hydraulically operated structure is a 'folding fabric concertina', with steel trusses supporting a translucent fabric skin. The roof now allows the feature matches and finals to be played under cover during the inclement weather over the two weeks of The Championships. A key consideration is the internal environment during those times when the roof is closed: both the players and spectators need to be comfortable. To that end, the design allows natural light to reach the grass, while airflow removes condensation from within the bowl. With tickets ever more in demand, an extra six rows of seating on three sides of the upper tier increased the capacity from 13,800 to 15,000. New wider seats have been installed as well as new media facilities and commentary boxes. Another element of the project, the new Court 2 which was completed in 2009 and seats 4,000 spectators, is sunk into the ground to reduce its visual impact. The basement area contains player’s facilities and areas for officials and ground staff. Adjacent to Court 2 are new turnstile and first aid facilities. Mr Bill Augustin of Populous said: “Galliford Try have been carrying out projects at this venue for a long time. They provide the client with what is wanted, carry out projects on time and know the client very well. They are doing an excellent job.”

RG Jones Sound Engineering London based RG Jones Sound Engineering were first called in to revamp The All England Club’s system in 1986, and following the basic installation, have been refining and adding to the sound facilities to make it one of the most comprehensive systems in a UK sport complex. The ongoing installation programme is managed by RG Jones’ Jon Berry and Tim Speight. Jon Berry commented: “To work with a client for as long as 25 years is a great privilege, especially one as high profile as The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Matching their desire to host the world’s number one tennis tournament, with the technical aspects required to achieve that, along with maintaining a solution that can meet the ever changing regulations and trends is a challenge that we relish”. This year the company will celebrate 85 years of trading, and as the only sound company in the UK to hold The Royal Warrant it’s fitting that the celebrations will take place at The Royal Academy of Arts. Another long-standing client of RG Jones and a venue that is also recognised for its wealth of British heritage and culture.

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Spectacular renaissance for historic Westminster hotel The Grade 11 Listed historic St Ermin’s hotel in Westminster is in the final stages of a £30 million refurbishment and extension project which sees it relaunched as a four-star deluxe hotel by new owners Amerimar Enterprises.

garden to provide a distinct sense of arrival, and has a drive-in entrance. Inside, the grand double-height lobby, which features rococo plasterwork, an ornate curving staircase and wraparound balcony, has been redesigned to create is seen as a “warm, homely, welcoming and non-corporate” feel.

The building has been a hotel since 1900 and most recently a 275-room property owned by NH Hotels. The revamped St Ermin’s will have 331 rooms, including 81 in a new wing being created through the conversion of an adjoining former office building purchased in order to restore the complete horseshoe of the original Victorian mansion block.

Within the main building the works have also included the phased strip out and soft refurbishment of the hotel’s original 277 bedrooms and corridors, including upgrading and modifications to selected rooms, the replacement of selected windows and mechanical, electrical and plumbing works.

Main Contractors are John Sisk and Sons; Project Managers are St Ermin’s Hotel; Architects are Tony Farrell & Associates; Quantity Surveyors are Gardiner & Theobald; Structural Engineers are Price & Myers and Services Engineers are Building Services Group. The refurbishment of the main building is just being completed, with the new wing due for completion in December 2011. Due to the hotel’s Listed status, certain works have required planning and listed building consent. Within the main building, the works have included the refurbishment of public areas. Original interiors by theatrical designer J P Briggs have been carefully restored, while a modern new look by LA designer Dayna Lee has also been introduced, offering guests a contemporary version of ‘The Grand Tour’ inspired by the English great house style. The horseshoe-shaped building’s front courtyard has been remodelled and landscaped, recreating the original courtyard

Guestrooms start from 18 sqm and have a warm colour palette of green, brown, purple and red. Rooms have king-size beds, work desks with multinational plug sockets, wired and wireless internet access, 37-inch flatscreen TVs, iPod docking stations, minibars, tea and coffee-making facilities and safes. There are also 40 suites measuring up to 60 sqm, 18 family rooms and 53 executive rooms, as well as an executive lounge. In addition, the works include the conversion of an existing six storey office wing into 81 new bedrooms and the construction of a new five storey curtain walled link block between the new wing and the existing bedrooms in the original building. The works include the strip out of the original interior, the installation of new partitions, fixtures, fittings and building services, the creation of a new gymnasium area and the addition of a green Sedum roof. Further works include the formation of a new lift shaft and the installation of new lifts. Throughout the works, specific restrictions apply to access to various areas of the site as the hotel has remained operational

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during the contract (with the exception of the period taken for the forecourt and entrance works). It is the first venture in Europe for Amerimar, which owns and operates 15 hotels in the USA including the Hotel George in Washington, Hotel Derek, Houston and the Hutton Hotel, Nashville.

John Sisk & Son is part of the Sisk Group of construction companies founded in Ireland in 1859.

Jon Cummins, Amerimar’s chief operating officer said: "It's rare to find such an interesting and characterful building in such a prime position. We like to develop really distinctive, individual hotels - always one of a kind - so are enjoying making this grande dame beautiful and relevant again while celebrating her rather colourful history and dramatic original styling.

Sisk is a national building contractor serving customers throughout the UK. The company’s UK turnover is £300m and they offer expertise in a broad range of sectors including: hotels & leisure; commercial; retail; residential apartments; industrial; health & education; process industries; public works; energy; rail support infrastructure; civils and major projects.

“Our aim throughout is to allow the quirky and characterful aspects of The St Ermin’s to shine through - she has quite a colourful past – whilst bringing her right up to date in terms of design, comfort and service for our guests.”

Trafalgar Construction

The property has a rich history, being the base for MI6 and Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive during the Second World War. St Ermin's is built upon the site of a 15th century chapel dedicated to St. Ermin (a derivation of St. Armel.) In the mid to late 19th century, Westminster underwent great changes and expansion, resulting in the creation of St. Ermin's Mansions in 1889, the building that now forms the basis of St. Ermin's Hotel. In 1899, the mansions were converted into a hotel, involving the redesign of the interiors. This work was undertaken by the famous Victorian theatre designer J.P. Briggs, who created a dramatic collection of reception rooms, including a majestic lobby featuring a white stone staircase, carved balustrade and crystal chandeliers. Even then, the owners of St. Ermin's understood that modern technology enhanced the guest experience, with the installation of telephones in all bedrooms, rather than an antiquated bell system.

St. Ermin's has continued to play an important part in London's history, with 1950's spy Guy Burgess rumoured to have used one of Whitehall's network of tunnels to smuggle important documents from the Foreign Office to St. Ermin's Hotel.

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Trafalgar Construction are experienced in acting as a main contractor in order to establish and maintain the tight control and supervision essential for the success of any project. They are pleased to enter into a negotiated contract with their clients on a Design& Build basis or undertake works on a competitive tender. Their operatives are skilled in a wide range of construction labour, including: bank men, ground workers, brick layers, foremen, forklift drivers and carpenters. Each tradesperson is trained to Construction Industry standards with recognised accreditations – including CSCS, CITB, NVQ and PTS – in their specialist fields. Trafalgar Construction provided much of the concrete installation for the St. Ermin’s project. Bassi from Trafalgar Construction said: “We were very pleased to work on the project, and would be happy to provide concrete installation for other companies in the future.”

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Hand glazed Jerwood Art Gallery is progressing well The £3.3m Jerwood Art Gallery in Hastings has been built to showcase the Jerwood Collection of British paintings and is expected to be complete in late 2011 and open to the public in early 2012.

Architects HAT Projects were appointed to design the project in 2008. The main contractor is Coniston, the structural engineer is Momentum and the services consultant is Skelly & Couch. The art gallery is part of the regeneration of a former coach and lorry park on the Stade, an area just north of the shingle beach in Hastings Old Town, which is home to the UK’s largest fleet of beach-launched fishing boats. Around £9m is being invested in the site, with just over £4m coming from the Jerwood Foundation. The main entrance is located to the north of the gallery and the building fronts onto Rock-A-Nore Road and the Grade II listed Georgian East Cliff House, with the dramatic rocky East Cliff and its funicular railway rising up behind. The structure has been been kept deliberately low at the front – where the main entrance is located – so as not to obstruct the neighbouring net shops’ distinctive skyline. Hana Loftus from HAT Projects said: “We were working in a conservation area with unique

listed buildings. Our challenge was to design a contemporary building amongst a historical environment.” The 1300m² two-floor building has a blockwork-timber composite structure at ground floor and timber frame at first floor. A plinth of black/brown coloured glazed terracotta block – 490mm x 65mm face size – was used to encircle the building and varies in height from 400mm from ground level to 1,800mm. HAT Projects took into account the gallery site’s unforgiving marine environment and selected the robust Agrob Buchtal KeraTwin K15 tile for the cladding, which has a thickness of 15mm and has extruded perforations to reduce the weight. The tiles are 498mm x 212mm to suit a 500mm x 220mm co-ordinating grid, and feature two extruded grooves on the back which allow the tiles to be hung and clipped onto horizontal aluminium rails fixed back to the structural timber studwork. Hana Loftus pointed out the unique finish to the cladding, which she said was one of the most exciting parts of the project. The glaze for the tiles was designed specifically for the project, and each one of the 8,000 tiles was hand glazed by Robus Ceramics, a Kent based ceramics workshop. The glaze has given the cladding an impressive black metallic sheen. Hana said: “The effect is strikingly beautiful. It is very individual and different.” HAT Projects also made a significant effort to make the building environmentally friendly. Hana Loftus said: “Our brief stated that the structure was to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. Wherever possible, the construction is timber. Our predictions for the

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energy use – based on our passive design and renewable energy systems (including ground source heat pumps and natural ventilation) – estimate that the gallery will use 50% less energy than you would expect for a typical art gallery of this size.” Over the years, the Jerwood Foundation has collated a substantial collection of 20th and 21st century art – including works by Peter Lanyon, Maggi Hambling and Edward Burra – that has never been seen by the public. The gallery will also show temporary exhibitions linked to the Jerwood Visual Arts programme, and there is a cafe on the first floor for visitors. The Jerwood Foundation has covered all the costs of designing, building and running the art gallery. To fund the Stade masterplan, Hastings Borough Council secured £420,000 from ESCC towards the cost of the transport improvements and another £650,000 from SEEDA. They were also awarded £2m from the Government’s Sea Change fund, which was specifically designed to help regenerate seaside resorts. Hastings Borough Council itself is also contributing £1.7m towards the capital cost of the project. Independent research has estimated that the project will create over 100 jobs and generate around £10m per year for the economy.

Contractors rise to the challenge on healthcare project An immensely challenging £14.2 million project to deliver a Healthspace healthcare facility at Eastern Gate, Brants Bridge, Bracknell has been successfully completed by BAM Construction, bringing a wide range of medical services closer to home for many people. The project was carried out for the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading. Architects were Aedas, Project Managers and Mechanical and Electrical Consultants were McBains Cooper and Structural Consultants were Airey & Cole. The Healthspace includes GP and dental services, diagnostics, outpatients, x-ray, physiotherapy, podiatry, mental health

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and sexual health services, an urgent care centre and an alternative to A&E for minor injuries and ailments such as sprains, stings and fever. It is expected that the centre will be used by thousands of patients a year. The new facility was created through the conversion of a of three storey office block with basement car parking. The scheme was a challenging one for the project team due to the fact that works on the project originally commenced in early 2009, but were stopped due to financial issues. Works re-commenced in late October 2009, with very little progress having been made by the client to either finalise their brief or

to provide the necessary back-up required to finalise the brief. This had a major adverse knock-on effect on the design team’s ability to provide design and working drawings in both a timely and fully detailed manner. Therefore an effective start date was not achieved until end of March 2010. The resulting pressure on the BAM team to meet the stringent demands of both the cost plan and programme, were immense, but due to continuous cost monitoring, design reviews and with an extremely flexible approach by BAM and their subcontractors, works maintained the necessary momentum and against all odds, the programme was achieved. Internal works to the building included the stripping out all of original partitions, service cores and risers, and services, including all major plant within existing roof voids. New plant rooms were then formed within the roof space,

along with the formation of all new service risers (with these works including cutting/forming large service holes through structural floors). The provision of accommodation for the building’s new departments, including Renal, Chemotherapy, Extended Chemotherapy, Imaging (including CT Scanner and X Ray) comprised the installation of new services, partitions, ceilings, vinyl floors and fitting out. Another element of the scheme involved enclosing a previously ‘open’ quadrangle with structural steelwork and glazed roofing to provide a reception area with an internal atrium. External works on the scheme included the provision of a linear accelerator bunker, including fitting out as part of the Cancer Care Department. Other external works involved taking up and re-laying paving to new falls to suit the building’s changed usage and ensure DDA compliance.

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t Demands for a multi-purpose ‘one-stop shop’ for health in the centre of Bracknell offering an extended range of services was one of the key themes to emerge from the local Right Care, Right Place public consultation which finished in 2008.

NELCO Worldwide NELCO Worldwide is the market leader in radiation shielding in the US and throughout the world. Their parent company is American but they have a UK registered company set up two years ago to serve the European market. They design, manufacture and install a complete line of shielding products, providing solutions for both large and small facilities. On the Bracknell Healthspace project, they were responsible for

the design, manufacture and construction of the Radiotherapy bunker. The work was completed ahead of time and handed over ready for the final finishes. After the works were complete, they completed a successful radiation survey with the hospitals physics group. Keith Larkin from NELCO Worldwide said: “The technique that we employ is something that builders we have worked with in the past have really liked. It’s fast and removes risks for them in terms of getting it done right and on time. Quite often we can take the bunker – a major part of building process– out of the critical path so they can carry on with their work whilst we work on the bunker. It’s risk free from the builders’ point of view and is also very cost effective.” For more information on NELCO Worldwide, visit www.nelcoworldwide.com

£15 million flood scheme will protect Banbury homes and businesses The £15 million Banbury Flood Alleviation scheme will reduce the risk of fluvial flooding to 441 residential and 73 commercial properties within Banbury in the 1:200 year event (0.5% chance of flooding per annum). Banbury flooded badly during easter 1998 and again in the summer of 2007. More than 125 residential and 35 commercial properties were flooded in 1998, causing over £12.5 million of damage. The flood alleviation scheme involves construction of a large upstream flood storage facility, together with carrying out on line improvements within three locations in Banbury. The project is being carried out for the Environment Agency by

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Main Contractors Morrison Construction. Consultants are Black & Veach. The scheme’s main flood storage area is immediately upstream of the M40 with the on-line improvements being located at Wildmere Industrial Estate, Tramways Industrial Estate, and Moor field Brook. The flood storage area will be capable of holding 3 million m3 of water in the 1:200 year event (equivalent to 1200 Olympic size swimming pools) and has taken over 150,000m3 of clay/earth to be construct. The main site is arable farmland and, with the exception of the footprint of a new embankment constructed as part of the project, the land will continue to operate as arable farmland after completion of the scheme. The new earth embankment running

Tree Surgery was invited to tender for tree surgery works on the proposed Banbury flood alleviation Scheme which was carried out by Clifford Try on behalf of the Environment Agency.

alongside the Oxford Canal stops the floodwater from the storage area spilling into the canal. This is how the town primarily flooded in 1998. The largest part of the embankment runs parallel with the M40 motorway. It’s maximum height is 4.5m with an overall average height of 2.5m and is approximately 3km in length. The embankment will be inspected regularly as it is classified as a dam structure. Three river diversions were required to allow the embankment to be safely built and the diverted rivers will be planted to become naturalistic sections of river once again with meanders and riverside trees. A major element of the project has involved closure of the A361 Banbury – Daventry road for a number of months to raise the level of an a 850m long section road by 700mm (27ins) and install culverts to reduce the risk of the road flooding. This element of the works has included the decision to construct a new concrete saddle over the existing canal brick arch bridge located on the opposite side of the Oxford Canal – rather than install a temporary structure. The other main other challenge of the scheme is simply the 3km length of the site. The main materials being used in the construction work are clay won from an adjacent field, and concrete for the project’s two main control structures, which are identical and incorporate a double baffle orifice that throttles the river during higher flows (some flow is allowed through at all times). There are no gates or moving parts within the control structures, the design for which was modelled at HR Wallingford.

We successfully tendered for the works, after several meetings with the contract managers of Galliford Try it was apparent that our success was not based on price but the professional approach we took. Understanding the Environments Agency protocols and the strict Health and safety requirements they felt we had exceeded their expectations. It was apparent that our previous experience working on environmentally sensitive sites such as SSSI for local authorities was the sort of expertise they were looking for. We carried out all aspects of tree surgery operations over 3 areas around Banbury. All areas had their challenges from proximity to railway lines, power lines, poor ground conditions and many environmental considerations. The largest and most significant being the flood storage area which covered many Hectares of land alongside the M40 Motorway. We deployed 10 members of staff who simultaneously worked on different areas depending on the skill set and experience. Due to the timing of works, nesting birds were a major concern. Planning ahead, we pre netted vast areas of hedgerows and trees. We knew it would be several weeks before we actually advanced up the site to carry out necessary works. All arising produced had to be then stacked and re netted prior to chipping for biomass, this had to be done because no vehicular access had been created to allow us to get the biomass chipper in and extract the product. In all the works took nearly 2 months to complete, all arisings produced on site where recycled and transported to the power stations. The work we undertook was a physical challenge for all our employees as majority of work was done by hand, but it has been great to be part of such a large scheme and we have developed a very good working relationship with Galliford Try and the Environment Agency.

Several large environmental areas are included in the works to create new valuable habitats, including wetland ponds and wildflower meadows. These should increase the number of birds, mammals and insects in these areas. Trees and hedgerows that have been removed will be replaced and new woodland copses and hedgerows created to maintain the appearance of the valley. Currently the works are progressing smoothly, although the A361 works have taken longer than programmed as Northants County Council requested further changes following an audit. The project is being funded by the Regional Flood Defence Committee via levy funding and external contributions from Cherwell District Council, Network Rail, Thames Water and Prodrive. Work started on site in March 2011 and the scheme should be operational by Christmas 2011, with some finishing works to follow. Morrison Construction is a leading contractor on infrastructure projects for the public, regulated and private sectors in Scotland. From roads and bridges to renewable energy and water, the company’s vast experience and knowledge allows them to provide clients with infrastructure solutions across a range of sectors. Most of the company’s work is delivered through frameworks and long-established collaborative relationships which significantly contribute to our strong long-term order book. Morrison Construction fully grasp the concept of genuine partnership to ensure delivery of innovative design and industry leading project management.

James tonks Tree Surgery As an AA “Arboricultural Approved Contractor”, James Tonks ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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State-of-the-art £2.7m Maidstone Birthing Centre is delivered without complications A new purpose-built birthing centre opened its doors in Maidstone, Kent on Thursday 22nd September. The state-of-the-art centre is the first of its kind in West Kent and will offer women with low-risk pregnancies the opportunity for a ‘home from home’ birth.

The construction of the £2.7m Maidstone Birthing Centre follows the decision of Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to close the Maidstone Hospital’s maternity ward. The Maidstone Birthing Centre will compliment the new consultant-led women and children’s centre at the new Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury, which holds 512 single rooms and 10 wards and comprises full inpatient and surgical facilities. Patients will be risk assessed and if their pregnancy is deemed to be low-risk, they will have the option to give birth at the Maidstone Birthing Centre. Women will

continue to receive antenatal and postnatal care at Maidstone Hospital, but will no longer give birth there. The aim of the new birthing centre is to ensure that women and children continue to receive high standards of care from experienced midwives and they are given a better range of choice regarding how and where they give birth. The centre houses two birthing rooms with pools and four bedrooms for women to recover after giving birth, along with a restaurant for patients. The new Maidstone Birthing Centre was delivered by PKL Healthcare and ModuleCo Ltd, who provided the modular facility complete with internal fit-out as well as the detailed design. Main contractors Cardy Construction Ltd were responsible for the foundations, landscaping and drainage. In order to build the 45m x 18m centre, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust purchased the land – which backs immediately onto a mental health unit named Priority House – and developed it with a new road entrance that leads directly onto the perimeter road. It is a modular construction, with a steel frame and metal stud partitions. Each of the ten modules were built off site and then encased in a brick skin with a trussed roof. The roof is composed of traditional concrete tiles and

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aluminium grey powder coated windows have also been installed. The exterior finish is burnt brick, with cedar panels around the windows. Landscaping comprised the planting of new trees, shrubs and grass. Anthony Threlfall was Project Manager for the centre, and oversaw the construction process from design to handover. He said: “There were some problems with the grounds: after soil investigation – including a topographical survey and geotechnical survey – it was discovered that the underlying soil conditions had Hythe beds. The large holes across the site meant that sixty 15m piles had to be installed in order to support the building rather than traditional foundations. However, in general works progressed smoothly, and we have managed to deliver a building that is both contemporary and in keeping with the existing Priority House, to BREEAM ‘Good’ standard.”

The longest tunnel in the UK: £371m Hindhead Tunnel now open The £371 million Hindhead Tunnel - the longest underground tunnel in the UK - opened to A3 traffic recently, bringing more than four years of construction and decades of campaigning to a welcome end. The project to construct the tunnel under the Devil's Punch Bowl in Surrey was completed on time and on budget by Main Contractors Balfour Beatty for the Highways Agency. The 1.8 km underground tunnel diverts four miles of the existing A3 road, passes underneath the Devil's Punchbowl, meeting up with it again at the Haslemere junction. Commuters driving through Hindhead now benefit from the fact that the tunnel - which has won an award for being ‘the best of its type in the world’ at the New Civil Engineer International Tunneling Awards in 2010 - features cross-passages at every 100m and state of the art safety and communications systems, including CCTV surveillance and radio-interrupt systems to convey information to drivers. The scheme started in January 2007 when crews began clearing the ground, reducing the A3 carriageway through Hindhead down to one lane either way for the duration of the works. However, its opening brings to an end a 30-year campaign for improvements to the bottleneck at the Hindhead traffic lights, which was supported by former MP Baroness Virginia Bottomley and South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt, among others. Following the official opening by Transport Secretary Philip

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t Hammond, which for health and safety reasons was not open to the public, the first traffic was escorted through the southbound tunnel by a police escort. The second northbound tunnel opened to traffic a few days later. Speaking at the event, Mr Hammond said: "This is another one of the 'missing links' in Britain's trunk road network now put in place. "For years traffic has been held up at the Hindhead crossroads, hampering the flow of goods and services along this vital artery and blighting the lives of people living in and around Hindhead. "No longer. This new road will transform journeys on the A3, improving journey times by around 20 minutes or more at busy periods, and will deliver a threefold return on investment for the economy." Mr Hammond was joined for the opening ceremony by Culture Secretary and South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt, who was one of the first people to walk through the tunnel in May. He addressed the gathered guests first, paying tribute to the work of

his predecessor, Baroness Virginia Bottomley, and her husband Peter Bottomley, a former transport minister, who together campaigned for better roads around Hindhead for over 20 years. He praised the "tenacity" of the neighbouring communities, attributing the project's success to their "patience, tolerance and understanding" during the long period of building work. Andrew McNaughton, Chief Operating Officer at Balfour Beatty, who won the tender for the project in 2000, thanked his team and that of the Highways Agency. It is hoped that the tunnel will cut the number of rush-hour traffic jams and restore tranquility to the area; the Devil's Punchbowl is recognised as being an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a conservation area for wild birds. Previously, traffic would be backed-up for several miles, polluting the surrounding environment with both noise and exhaust fumes. Work is now underway to return the old A3 to nature, reuniting the Devil's Punchbowl with Hindhead Common for the first time in almost 200 years.

Belgraves Hotel opening in 2011 on Chesham Place, SW1 The opening of Belgraves Hotel will mark the end of the refurbishment of 20 Chesham Place, London, and the transatlantic expansion of Thompson Hotels, an elite collection of service and design-driven hotels in major urban centres. Formerly known as the Sheraton Belgravia Hotel, which closed at the end of 2009, the project involves a two-storey frameless glass extension and major internal refurbishment of the building. The £12 million project is being carried out under contractors Overbury, developed as a joint venture with the Hong Kongbased Harilela Group. EPR Architects are the architects. The company is best known for its modern approach to building design, incorporating sustainable and environmental practises that have made a significant impact in London and elsewhere. 20 Chesham Place is located in London’s affluent and internationally recognised Belgravia neighbourhood, just minutes from the city’s renowned shops and historic Sloane Square. Blending traditional British hospitality with an American bohemian attitude, the 85-room Belgraves will interpret the Thompson luxury experience in London. Business and leisure travellers will delight in Belgraves’ attention to privacy, personalised amenities and thoughtful design. Progressive interior architect and designer, Tara Bernerd, commented: “Belgraves is iconic for location alone. Combining this with the opportunity of working with the forward-thinking and design-savvy Thompson Hotels has magnified the appeal of the project, and allows us all as a team to create a very seductive hotel. We intend on creating a rich, eclectic and tactile design that combines traditional elegance with a modern architectural language.” The building at 20 Chesham Place has an outer stone skeleton frame, which is used as a mechanism to unite a modern language with the classical residential and embassy properties that form its tight urban setting. The inner mass is a glass structure which, at high level, fragments into a series of vertical glass fins that diffuse light and merge the boundaries between the physical mass and the sky. “Thompson Hotels has a style that London is calling for,” said Dr. Aron Harilela. “There is a niche in the market that is waiting to be filled and I believe we have found the perfect match. I am confident that bringing Thompson Hotels to the heart of Belgravia in creating Belgraves, we will reinvigorate the area, giving Londoners what they have been looking for and international travellers a slice of the new London.” The Belgraves hotel will feature 85 guestrooms, an 80-seat

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signature restaurant, an intimate library bar, and state-of-theart fitness centre, making it a traveller’s intimate oasis amidst a bustling Central London. The chic and eclectic lobby is set to become a second home for both hotel guests and London's glitterati alike. The hotel will join ten others within the Thompson portfolio – five in New York, two in LA, and one each in Washington DC, Chicago and Toronto. Belgraves will be the group's first hotel in Europe and is part of the company's expansion plans to create a

portfolio of small, elite hotels in gateway cities around the world. After London, Seoul will be the next international destination for the launch of a Thompson hotel. Stephen Brandman, co-owner of Thompson Hotels, said: “Thompson Hotels is known for offering unique experiences and first-rate service in stylish, urban areas. I am delighted to extend this reputation to the European market. Whether staying at Thompson LES or Smyth in NY, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in LA or Belgraves in London, guests will rest assured that they will receive the same high level of service that defines the Thompson brand.” Jason Pomeranc, co-owner of Thompson Hotels, said: “Our first hotel, 60 Thompson in NY, was ideologically based on the intimacy of British hotels. They have always been an inspiration to our brand, particularly those of London, and the British traveller has been very supportive of our US hotels. London is a natural transition for the Thompson brand. The opening of Belgraves brings us full circle.”

Silvan Floors Ltd. Silvan Floors have over 20 years experience in the supply and installation of high quality hardwood floors.

James Iliffe from Silvan Floors said: “We specialise in bespoke hardwood timber flooring. The unique point about our company is the huge widths and lengths that we are able to produce. We can develop our floors to specifically meet a client’s request – the width, length, thickness, and finishing oils used – all details can be taken care of.” They installed 154m² of hardwood flooring for the ground floor – a 24mm board with an 8mm oak top layer, in a distressed irregular cafe noir crème finish, in random widths of 302mm, 252mm and 202mm and lengths from 2,000mm to 5,000mm. This has produced a very unique finish. On the first floor, they installed around 165m² of irregular flooring in a chevron pattern, in widths of 80mm and lengths of 1200mm, with a border to the perimeter. James Iliffe said: “We have completed the flooring for several hotels in the communal areas now. We are very happy to have been involved with the project and the client, who will add to our long list of high-end clients that we work with.” Silvan Floors are dedicated to their environmental responsibilities and ensure that all wood is sourced responsibly; only mature trees are used for their hardwood flooring and have a full chain of custody.

New pavilion and football pitches for Palatine Park A £1.4m project that will provide a new pavilion and eight football pitches is underway at Palatine Park in Worthing, West Sussex.

Borough Council said: “This is an exciting, long awaited project which is a great success story for everyone involved and will benefit all the local community.”

When the scheme is complete, the park will have a total of eight pitches of varying sizes and include three mini-soccer pitches, three junior pitches and two adult pitches. The variations in size will ensure that age groups will be able to play on pitches matching the FA recommended dimensions.

Stuart Lamb, FA Regional Facilities and Investment Manager

The site is owned by Worthing Borough Council and currently used by Worthing Town Football Club as a base for the Junior Football Club, which currently has approximately 450 members in 31 teams. Works began at the end of June, and construction has progressed to the first floor level of the two-storey pavilion. Pitch works including new drainage are in progress and being carried out by Speedcut Contractors Ltd. The original 1960s pavilion, which was subject to vandalism and did not provide adequate facilities, has been demolished and is being replaced by the new building which has been sited on a more accessible area of the park. The ground floor will house changing rooms, toilets and a kitchen and on the first floor, there will be a social club, meeting rooms and a balcony that overlooks the football pitches. The pavilion could be used for several functions unrelated to football, such as: community groups, after-school clubs, children’s parties and fundraising events. The building will be leased to and operated by Worthing Town Football Club. The pavilion, which has been designed by HSSP Architects, is of traditional construction with external brickwork & timber cladding panels. Sustainable technologies have been included such as green roofs & PV panels to heat hot water. The scheme has been jointly funded by £450,000 from the Football Foundation, £35,000 from Viridor Credits and £20,000 from Worthing Town Football Club, with the remaining £900,000 contribution coming from Worthing Borough Council. Morgan Sindall (Construction) Plc Brighton Office are the main contractors, with Howard Ward Associates appointed as structural engineer, and GPB Construction Limited acting as both the groundworks and foundations subcontractor. Helen Buck, Surveying & Design Services Manager for Worthing ROMA PUBLICATIONS

Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t for the South East was also pleased with the development. He said: “I am delighted for both Worthing Town Youth FC and Worthing Borough Council in successfully attracting funding to develop facilities at Palatine Park. The new changing rooms and improved grass pitches will prove an enormous benefit to Worthing Town Youth FC and the whole community in general.”

ing high levels of customer satisfaction.

The expected completion date for all the works is December 2011 with all pitches being fully in use by Summer 2012.

“We were involved with the Palatine Park project from the early stages in terms of putting together feasibility options for the site, and we’ve helped to guide the client through the whole process. Our team of consultants have been involved with the funding and business planning side of the project, specialist grass pitch improvements and we are now managing the project in conjunction with the client Adur & Worthing Councils’ technical team as it proceeds through construction.”

HSSP Architects HSSP Architects Ltd was established in 1966 and has been heavily involved with sports and recreational buildings for over ten years. They have earned an excellent reputation for their work in this sector and pride themselves on consistently achiev-

Nick Cooper director of HSSP Architects said: “We like to offer a proactive service and a passionate response to design solutions. We are very responsive to client needs, both in the public sector and in the community sectors, and we tailor our service accordingly.

King Edward VII Memorial Hall is lovingly restored The careful refurbishment of an important historic landmark has taken place in Newmarket, Suffolk. The King Edward VII Memorial Hall was founded with a benefaction from Charles II and in 1911, Sir Ernest Cassel gave the Hall to the town for its people to enjoy. This historic hall, which is located adjacent to the notorious Jockey Club in Newmarket High Street, has now been fully renovated in order to provide the Town Council and local residents with a building that can bring the community together. Works on the £1.1m project began in November 2010 and were completed in September 2011. Main Contractor Haymills delivered the scheme, which comprised the full internal refurbishment and sandblasting of the Hall. KJ Architects were on hand to achieve a practical, cost effective and attractive solution to the Council’s changing needs. The Town Council borrowed £1m to fund the project, whilst Tesco provided £72,000 of the funding, Tattersalls donated £8,000 and £18,000 came from a funding scheme. King Edward VII Memorial Hall has been owned by the Town Council since 1999, by which time it had become run down and dilapidated. As a result, the old single-storey extension has been demolished and a brand new two-storey extension built in its place. The entire building has been refurbished and modernised, including new sound systems, wiring and lighting, along with brand new kitchens and toilets and a new heating system. Offices have been moved from upstairs to downstairs, so that members of the public may enter the building and have any questions they have answered by staff. The project has also comprised the renovation of the Council Chamber and public hall. The hall itself can accommodate up to 350 people and can be used for anything from an indoor market

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to a full theatre, wedding venue or facility for general community meetings. The public hall is a particularly important feature of the building as it is the only facility of its type in Newmarket and is therefore an intrinsic part of the town’s community. External works have included the sandblasting of the centuryold brickwork and the installation of new doors and an attractive new entrance. Town Councillor Warwick Hirst praised the project. He said: “We are extremely pleased with how the project has turned out. Since the building opened, we have had hundreds of people pass through the doors – whether for meetings, conferences or opening ceremonies – and each person has expressed their

astonishment that the Hall has been transformed into such an ultra modern facility.” The project has also revealed some fascinating glimpses of the Hall’s past in the form of a medieval well unearthed by an archaeological survey and evidence of damage inflicted in 1941 by a German bomber. King Edward VII Memorial Hall and the beautiful gardens that are hidden behind it have been an integral part of the community for almost a century. The Memorial Gardens play area was refurbished in March 2010 and now includes new toddler and junior play areas and equipment suitable for disabled users. In summer, an entertainment programme in the gardens brings children from all over the country.

Tillyard & Partners Tillyard & Partners was established 1945. The company carries out work for MOD, Housing Associations and Local Authorities as well as a wide variety of other projects including schools, leisure centres, churches, commercial and office buildings with contracts ranging from £0.5m to £30m. Tillyard has been established in Newmarket since 1969 covering mainly East Anglia and the West Midlands, also available over a wider area. A spokesperson for Tillyard said: “We have an experienced team of surveyors with excellent resources, available for work on a wide range of projects. We are flexible and accommodating and open to new clients.”

£250 million upgrade for Tottenham Court Road Station A £250 million project to upgrade Tottenham Court Road Tube Station is underway as a joint venture between VINCI Construction UK and BAM Nuttall Ltd. The project is being carried out for London Underground as part of Transport for London (TfL). The existing station is being enlarged to provide much greater capacity than at present, including a ticket hall almost six times the size of the existing one. New station entrances, modernisa-

BAM Nuttall is focused on providing the highest professional standards in the civil engineering market, with emphasis on building strong, honest and long lasting relationships with satisfied customers. The company has established an unrivalled reputation for delivering complex and challenging civil engineering projects that have played a significant role in shaping the infrastructure of modern Britain. Vinci Construction UK is a national construction and facilities company and is part of VinciI, a world leader in concessions and construction. At local level the company’s regional teams operate throughout the UK, offering a fully-integrated service – from incep-

tion of the existing station passageways and platforms and a new concourse with links to Tottenham Court Road station are being provided to reduce congestion. Additional escalators and five lifts will provide step free access throughout the station. A new Crossrail Eastern ticket hall structure is also included in the scope of the contract (Crossrail is a new railway across London that will help cut journey times with high-frequency, high-capacity services). The redeveloped tube station will eventually connect with the new Crossrail station to form one integrated station. Externally, improved facilities will be provided for pedestrians, cyclists, bus passengers and other road users - including a new piazza outside Centre Point as part of the contract. Significant enabling works commenced in 2007 and included the realignment of utilities and demolition to create the space to build the station. VINCI BAM Nuttall JV commenced with the main construction in 2010. The new plaza at the entrance to the tube station is scheduled to open in 2013. The first new station entrance is due to open in 2015 and the redeveloped tube station is scheduled for completion in 2016. Tottenham Court Road station, which originally opened in 1900, is currently used by 150,000 passengers each day and that number is expected to rise to over 200,000 when Crossrail services commence in 2018. ROMA PUBLICATIONS

Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t tion, ground investigation and remediation, through to project completion and beyond to the delivery of operational solutions.

Olympia Test & Crane Olympia Test & Crane supplied an overhead travelling crane at the site. The company was chosen from a shortlist due to the experience which they have in bespoke crane systems, enabling them to provide the client with exactly what was required, over and above the major crane suppliers in this field. The work includes an ongoing maintenance agreement with Olympia - carrying out regular service checks as well as any ad hoc breakdown visits. Since completing the project at TCR, Olympia have also provided bespoke crane solutions to such companies as Dornack International in Essex, Valen Fittings in Aldridge in the Midlands,

AG Precision Engineering in Lancashire and Central Networks, Birmingham. The company has completed the manufacture of two cranes for smaller independent companies in Nottingham and Aberdeen. More recently, the largest order in the company’s history has been secured, with the supply and refurbishment of 8 cranes for European Steelcraft Ltd. Currently located in Derby, the company is developing a brand new site in Brownhills with Olympia given the task of providing all of their crane solutions. An order has also been secured for the supply of a crane to Africa’s sole bus manufacturing plant, in Nairobi, Kenya. This will also include the provision of two fabricators to oversee the modification and installation of the crane on site. Looking to the future, the company is in the final stage of negotiation with a major UK train manufacturer for the provision of two brand new cranes and installation.

Innovative 195-205 Richmond Road project nearing completion An innovative construction project at 195-205 Richmond Road in Hackney, London, is expected to be complete soon. The scheme - named The Arthaus - includes the construction of luxury apartments based around an atrium, which itself houses an art gallery.

The Arthaus building is a multi-use platform that includes both commercial and residential spaces for rental usage. In total, there are 97 apartments and 25 social units over the ground floor and five further storeys. Private flats are based around the atrium, which itself is six storeys high. There is a mixture of duplex, one two and three-bedroom flats, along with a communal terrace for the residents. The 27-month project, which began in May 2009, is almost complete. Workers are currently completing the last stage, for which they have recently gained planning permission. The original planning permission was granted by the Planning Committee of the London Borough of Hackney at their SubCommittee in March 2010. The scheme was submitted by Lynas Architecture and DP9 Planning Consultants on behalf of Findon Urban Lofts. Sheldon Construction was the main contractor, having taken over the project after Lancsville Construction went into administration prior to Christmas 2009. Roc Electrical provided the electrical installation. For the second phase of the project, Engel Construction were appointed to carry out the Groundworks, substructure and superstructure work to form 23 private luxury apartments which are combined with ground floor commercial space. The superstructure consists of an RC frame that is made up of a ground floor and 6 floors above this. At 199 Richmond Road, the development consists of 26 social

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and rented apartments, 3 luxury townhouses and 45 private apartments combined with commercial space on the ground floor. The project comprised of site clearance, soil investigations, demolition and facade retention to allow for the construction of the residential apartments. There are 74 individual units with common areas and stairs and lifts. Blocks A and B consist of a traditional RC frame, whilst block C consists of a hybrid RC frame and external/internal concrete block work supporting timber joints. The cladding is mainly red brick, with zinc to the rear and top floors. Windows are staggered and vary in size as the use behind varies; these are broken up by recessed balconies. The top floor provides views south over London, and there is a range of facilities available, including a communal TV and entertainment that residents can either rent out or use socially and 24 hour concierge. There has also been a small amount of landscaping to the front of the facade and the entrances to the commercial and residential units. Michael Lynas from Lynas Architecture described how the development had managed to combine the traditional with the modern. He said: “There was an old Victorian warehouse facade and old steel windows that we had to keep due to planning permissions. The new design had to accommodate these features.” Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the design is the way that the apartments have been built around the atrium. Indeed, if one was to enter the building, they would actually enter the atrium and the art gallery. The atrium spans five floors and encompasses 250m², allowing for natural light and large-scale works. It houses Galerie8, a contemporary art gallery. Richmond Road is home to a fascinating history. In 1903, the Richmond House was built as a commercial laundry house, be-

fore the second floor of the building was converted to a concert and theatre venue – named Rebecca Seymour Hall – in 1935. After the building was abandoned in 2002, the space became an environment for individual artists and groups to inhabit and use for experimentation. By combining modern architecture with the existing traditional features, Lynas Architecture has created a unique building that

will stand the test of time. Lynas Architecture is a small architectural practice dealing with large and small projects throughout London. The studio currently works on several schemes of 60-100 apartment buildings, whilst simultaneously designing extensions and new homes for private clients.

Two scoops of cement and a sprinkle of bricks for New Forest Ice Cream headquarters A 20-week project that has been described by Councillor Maureen Holding as “crucial” to the local economy is rapidly reaching completion at the Ampress Business Park in Lymington.

walling system. The remaining area of wall cladding is clad in a site assembled, insulated twin skin wall cladding system by Euroclad and also incorporates windows, personnel and vehicle doors into specifically designed and detailed trimmed openings.

New Forest Ice Cream is a UK based Real Dairy Ice Cream manufacturer and wholesaler. They manufacture, distribute and supply delicious dairy ice cream products, sorbets, slush and ice cream accessories to over 2,000 outlets across the UK, including Waitrose, Tesco and Asda. New Forest Ice Cream produce top quality dairy ice cream, using only the best flavours and locally sourced milk and cream. They do not use colourings and preservatives or GM products.

A small amount of external landscaping will take place, comprising car parking space and a yard.

The brand new headquarters for New Forest Ice Cream will create up to 30 jobs, to add to the 42 current employees. The bespoke design for the build has been created in order to suit the factory’s growing requirements: since 2006 the overall production of their own products has increased by 400%, up from £1m to £4m. Indeed, they are the fastest expanding brand of ice-cream in the UK. The new factory will allow the company to increase production five-fold.

Mildren Construction were appointed as Construction Managers for the project, Simpson Hilder Associates were the architects, Quill Associates were the quantity surveyors and Reid Steel were responsible for the design supply and erection of the structural steelwork, cladding and glazing. New Forest Ice cream now produce their own full product range, including a wide selection of impulse cream sticks, lollies and tubs, and their products sell as far as the Falkan and Channel Islands. For more information on New Forest Ice Cream, visit www.nfic. co.uk

Director of New Forest Ice Cream and Project Manager of the project, Graham Jenman, has confirmed that the new headquarters will be open be handed over by the end of the month and open in December. The 20,000 sq ft purpose built steel frame building has been designed specifically around the companies production operation and incorporates a long list of carefully thought out details. The portal steel frame has been designed to accept a purpose built freezer which is predominately independent of the main frame, except where the freezer roof panels are suspended from steel the rafters. The freezer was supplied and erected by Insulated Construction inside the building, following completion of the roof and wall cladding. The freezer occupies approximately one third of the buildings internal footprint, with a capacity to hold 1000 pallets of ice-cream. Additionally the building incorporates a 900m² internal mezzanine floor for storage and office use. A further steel framed mezzanine platform located outside of the building will support the new state of the art freezer equipment. Carefully consideration to health and safety has also been a fundamental part of the facilities design, these include amongst others, a permanent roof edge protection system installed around the roof perimeter and along the floor edge of both the internal and external mezzanine floors, to assist operatives and provide them with a safe working environment when they are working in these areas. The structures clad envelope consists of three different types of steel based cladding systems; the roof is clad in a kingspan insulated composite panel system, which is ideal for this type of building as it can be installed quickly and efficiently; for example Reidsteels team of erectors where able to install a 1m wide by 14.5m long panel every four minutes, enabling work to commence on the floor slab when the roof was complete in super fast time. Similar to the roof cladding system, part of the wall area is clad in a Kingspan insulated composite wall panel system, which incorporates Reidsteels aluminium framed windows and curtain ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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“Outstanding work” on care home project The team on a recently completed project to construct a development specially designed for people with complex disabilities has been praised for their “outstanding” work - a sentiment echoed by service users in the new accommodation - many of whom have been showing substantial improvement as a result of their new environment. The development, at Hamilton Lodge in Great Bromley, Colchester, was carried out for Autism Spectrum Partners, which is a division of the Disabilities Trust, who specialise in supporting those with complex disabilities to enjoy as high a quality of life as possible. Main Contractors were ARJ Construction; Architects were Cound Webber Architects; Employers Agents were Drake & Reynolds. The scheme, constructed in the Hamilton Lodge grounds, replaces old, outdated accommodation at the Victorian Holme Oak building, located within the same grounds and supporting younger people who are on the autism spectrum or show behaviours that indicate autism. Geared to creating a much more domestic environment, avoiding any institutional overtones and fostering a sense of independence for the service users, the project comprised the construction of four bungalows, each incorporating four self contained studio flats, as well as communal facilities. Each studio has its own kitchen area, sitting area and bedroom area, with ensuite bathroom, as well as french doors leading onto a private patio to the rear. Communal facilities within each building include a lounge and a ‘study’ containing a computer with internet connection for use by both residents and staff. Two of the bungalows also have provision for staff to sleep overnight and one of the bungalows has been designed to suit the needs of wheelchair users and incorporates features including variable height

worktops and cookers and also has a roof designed to allow the retrospective installation of a hoist to assist less mobile service users, if needed, at a future date. The bungalows are constructed with brick external elevations with render features, powder coated aluminium framed windows orientated to provide interesting external views, and pitched tiled roofing. External works include the creation of patios to the rear. Space has also been allocated to enable each individual to create their own garden, if they wish. The project was highly commended by a delighted Mr Mike McPeake of the Disabilities Trust. “We are very proud of the scheme. The contract team and architects on the project were outstanding. We have worked with ARJ Construction on previous projects and were always extremely pleased with the quality of their workmanship - plus they are now familiar the needs of those we support. Similarly we have also worked very successfully with Norman Webber of Cound Webber Architects on a number of schemes including a hospital, a residential service and numerous smaller projects, so they are also able work well with us in providing for people with disabilities” he said. “Since our service users moved into the accommodation just a few weeks ago, we have already seen significant improvements. Autism is a complex condition with 3 key areas of differences which can affect the lives of those with the condition; communication skills, social interaction and flexibility of thought, so it is important that they have their own space and can take a measure of control over their own lives. For example, those who have previously been withdrawn have suddenly started speaking

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again, engaging more and being more outgoing which is probably one of the most dramatic examples” he added. Hamilton Lodge offers accommodation and support services to adults who are on the autism spectrum or show behaviours that indicate autism. We also support people who have a learning disability. Since April 2004, the services at Hamilton Lodge have become the responsibility of The Disabilities Trust, who will work in partnership with Essex Social Services and other funding bodies and regulatory bodies to increase the range of services still further. The philosophy of the Trust is to provide each individual with the best possible quality of life compatible with their health, age and ability. Personal empowerment is essential to this process. The Trust’s approach is to respect the individual; to develop their staff, to maintain contact with families and establish a varied programme of leisure activities. ARJ Construction Ltd is a privately owned construction company based in Hertfordshire with national coverage. ARJ is an innovative company committed to providing a high quality service, based on first class workmanship with a clear understanding of client’s needs.

Churchers College creates formula for success A project to create a new science building extension for Churchers College in Ramshill, Petersfield, Hampshire, is well underway. The new extension will increase the provision of science teaching, creating four additional science laboratories between 75 and 90m² in size, along with the associated preparatory rooms, office space and toilet facilities. Main contractors for the £2m project are Beard Construction and the architects are Lewis & Hickey Ltd. The structural engineers are the Andrews Newsby Partnership. The phased project began in April 2011 and is expected to be complete in November. Under the project, the current two-storey science block will

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be extended by adding a new floor of a similar footprint at roof level. The existing stairs will in turn be extended to meet it. The new 640m² floor will extend the existing building by approximately 1.2m. David Robins, the bursar of the school, was part of the design team and now oversees the day-to-day construction. He said that the main challenge of the project was to find a structural solution that enabled a new additional floor to be built on top of the existing building, which was approaching limited existing structural capabilities. The existing block is a steel framed structure that is stabilised via portal frames and bracing, with infill masonry panels and non-load bearing internal partitions. A girder structure is supported either side of the existing walls by steel columns; these

columns sit on new piled foundations outside the existing block, which will limit the destructive work required within the existing science block. The new extension will emerge from the existing roof tops, and measures have been taken to ensure that the extension is subservient in terms of form and visual impact in order to respond sympathetically to both the existing school and its surroundings â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly with regards to the sites position in the South Downs National Park. As a result, the use of overly reflective materials has been avoided, and colours have instead been chosen to relate to the existing palette. This includes new bronze cladding to match the existing leaves and canopies. Other interesting features of the project include the front north facade, which comprises continuous curtain wall glazing with a fritted finish, and the use of natural ventilation wherever possible.

HBE Services The project involved producing working drawings, manufacturing and installation of steel staircases complete with stainless steel balustrades and glass infill's for areas called "stairs 1 and 2". The work also involved extending the central tower section over staircase 1 together with the removal and relocation of existing steelwork. To produce working drawings we first had to complete a very detailed site survey. This was necessary due to the complexity of having to extend steel staircases / tower section from originally was there, up to newly installed steelwork. It meant us having to work very closely with our client (Beards) and there engineers (Andrews Newby Partnership) and architects (Lewis & Hickey). Due to stair 1 still being used by the school, installation had to be carried out on weekend using mobile cranes.

Fair Mile redevelopment to transform Victorian lunatic asylum An exciting project to transform the Grade II listed Fair Mile hospital and grounds in Cholsey, Oxfordshire, into converted and new build flats and houses is well underway. The Fair Mile hospital was originally opened in 1870 as the County Lunatic Asylum for Berkshire, and the main hospital, lodge houses, chapel, and landscaped gardens are listed. The hospital closed in 2003. The plans by the landowner Homes and Community Agency (HCA) and developer Thomas Homes will transform the Victorian hospital into 95 residential units, 39 social units, 11 commercial units and 3 community spaces. In addition, 220 new build units are being built within the grounds by developer Linden Homes, part of the Galliford Try Group. The staged project began at the start of this year and will continue over the next 3-4 years. Thomas Homes expect the first conversion block to be complete in February 2012. Thomas Homes is internally dividing the old hospital wards into flats and houses, and external works will comprise the land-

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t scaping of the listed gardens. After extensive consultation with the landscape department, plans were drawn up to reinstate the walls, gardens and airing court, where patients of the former lunatic asylum would sit. Wherever possible, period features – including windows and internal timber panelling – have been kept and refurbished in order to respect the historical importance of the building. The project is also sustainable: the conversion units by Thomas Homes have achieved standards of Eco Homes ‘Very Good’ and Building for Life ‘Silver’. Paula Foxley, the Technical Director of the Thomas Homes part of the project, said: “It is an extremely interesting project. The former hospital is in a beautiful setting, with landscaping right

down to the River Thames. It has also been a challenge: in essence we are trying to convert and upgrade a very old building up to modern standards – the houses and flats will be built to Eco Homes ‘Very Good’ and Secured by Design – which has made the project very unique. There has been extensive consultation with the local community throughout the process. The aim of the project is to bring the hospital back into the heart of the community; indeed, there are plans for the hall to hold community events, and the possibility of a crèche. There are also plans for commercial development, including cafes and restaurants in the old farm yard area. This is not a standalone project; the hospital is an intrinsic part of the village of Cholsey, and we aim to bring it back to life.”

‘The future for major rail project funding’: Evergreen3 Mainline project is on the right track A £190m project that will slash time between London Marylebone and stations through to Birmingham by as much as 30 minutes is underway at an industrial estate on the outskirts of Banbury in Oxfordshire. The infrastructure upgrade will be carried out by BAM Nuttall under contract to Chiltern Railways. The Evergreen3 Mainline project comprises the upgrade of the main line between Banbury and London Marylebone, the upgrade of the existing line between Bicester and Oxford and the construction of an entirely new link between the Chiltern line and the Bicester to Oxford line. Benefits of the project will include: extra trains to and from Oxford and a fast and frequent commuter service between Bicester and Oxford (providing a realistic alternative to the congested A34); direct rail services between Oxford and Wycombe for the first time in over 40 years and connections to Wembley Stadium; and direct rail service from London to the Bicester Village shopping master, thus helping to take traffic off the M40. The projected is preceded by Project Evergreen1 and Evergreen2. ProjectEvergreen1 comprised 18 miles of track doubling between Bicester and Aynho, whilst Evergreen2 included various measures to improve line speed, extra signalling between London and Bicester and two extra platforms at London Marylebone. Under the Evergreen3 project, a short connecting line will be constructed just south of Bicester, at the point where Chiltern Railways’ London-Birmingham line crosses over the proposed East-West line, which will run between Oxford and Milton Keynes. In turn, the East-West line will be upgraded from just east of Bicester Town station to Oxford, including the restoration of a great deal of the previously removed double track and the installation of new signalling and safety systems. In addition, the Bicester Town and Islip stations will be rebuilt and extra platforms will be provided at Oxford, whilst a new station will be constructed near Water Eaton to serve Kidlington and North Oxford. In total, there will be over 50km of permanent line speed improvements involving realignment and recanting works, with 45km of line speed increases. There are also three major junction remodelling areas at Neasden, Northolt and Aynho – including the extension of the existing embankment at Northolt and near Gerrards Cross station in Buckinghamshire. The work carried out at the Neasden junction has proved particularly complex, due to the local up and down lines to Harrowon-the-Hill and beyond which are located in close proximity to the London Underground’s Jubilee and Metropolitan lines, as well as the up and down Chiltern mainline itself.

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The work was carried out at the end of August 2011 under a 17 day blockade, and whilst the object across all junctions on the scheme was to stretch them out to increase line speed, this was a particularly difficult proposition at Neasden because of its tight confines. Over the two months prior to the blockade, the existing track routes were excavated down to the new formation profile and then reinstated using temporarily placed ballast. The track itself was the placed on the original line, which allowed traffic to continue to use it. The final realignment work was carried out under the blockade. During the first week of the blockade, the permanent way programme was completed and nine new switches and crossing units were installed. The team used a Kirow mobile track mounted crane with a 125t capacity to help lift in preassembled S&C units as well as 105 complete sections of track. In the second week, works on the area from Wembley to Princes Risborough took place. Again, this involved a Kirow crane, which helped complete the remodelling work around Northolt, High Wycombe. The second week of the blockade focused on the area from Wembley to Princes Risborough. This again involved a Kirow crane which helped complete the remodelling work around Northolt, High Wycombe and Princes Risborough. Throughout the blockade, there were 100 signal works testers on hand to ensure that everything had been installed and tested correctly, and wherever possible existing equipment recabling work was re-used. The Northolt site is split into four quadrants – North East, North West, South East and South West. Work throughout the Northern sector has predominantly involved strengthening the existing embankment, whilst across the southern sector, nails have been installed through existing gabions and extra fill placed to widen the embankment. BAM Nuttall is realigning the curve through the junction in order to achieve the line speed increases – typically 85mph from 60mph. This involves building up the cant or embankment around the curve so that Chiltern trains can power around it at increased speeds.

Project extranet keeps scheme on track Business Collaborator (BC) from UNIT4 Collaboration Software is once again helping to deliver peak efficiency with significant time and cost saving benefits - this time on the Chiltern Evergreen 3 Mainline project. BC, which is a highly configurable project extranet and document management tool, is increasingly seen as the first choice collaboration solution for large construction schemes nationwide. The collaboration service which is delivered as ‘Software as a

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t Service’ (SaaS), allows all collaborating parties involved in the project to co-ordinate operations by quickly and easily accessing and sharing information vital to the success of the scheme. Users simply require an internet connection and a user name and password to access the secure system. Comprehensive access controls ensure that users can view only information which they have been granted access to, protecting sensitive data. Additionally, workflows and document transmittals that mirror existing and familiar processes can be configured within the system to support design review and contract administration practices.

Andrew Bowles, Director of UNIT4 Collaboration Software explains: “Rather than project team members emailing documents and drawings to each other over email, all project information is uploaded to BC, providing a ‘single source of truth’ for the whole project. BC maintains a comprehensive audit trail of all activity which ensures there is a high degree of traceability and accountability - because everyone works to the latest information, which helps avoid costly reworking. The system is configured in such a way that everyone can quickly find the information they are looking for on any aspect of the project - saving a great deal of time and effort.

BAM Nuttall, which is the main contractor responsible for the design and construction works on the Evergreen 3 project, has once again chosen BC as its preferred collaboration system. This complex project will see the creation of a new faster train line from London Marylebone station to Oxfordshire and the Midlands. BC will link all parties involved with the project including Chiltern Railways, BAM Nuttall, Network Rail and Atkins.

The company also offers a bespoke branded interface for the system used by each client, including displaying project-specific information such as the client company and main project party logos, which helps engender a sense of corporate ownership. BC is also the collaboration platform chosen for use on projects such as Crossrail (by URS Scott Wilson) and the Olympics Aquatics Centre (by Balfour Beatty).

£40 Million Restoration Marks 300th Anniversary Of London Icon One of the largest and most impressive restoration projects ever undertaken in the UK - the restoration of St Pauls Cathedral - has been completed in time for the cathedral’s 300th anniversary. The St Paul’s Cathedral programme of cleaning and repair has taken 15 years and numerous highly skilled contractors, who have comprehensively restored the building, inside and out, for the first time in its history. The project was led by Martin Stancliffe Architects and Purcell Miller Tritton. Since the project of cleaning and repair commenced, the exterior and interior of the cathedral have been beautifully restored. Once blackened and damaged, the west front now rises majestically at the top of Ludgate Hill. The interior of the cathedral has been transformed by state-of-the-art conservation techniques and the light that now floods the space highlights the Portland stone used in the cathedral’s construction bringing mosaics, carvings and sculpture to life. More than 150,000 blocks of the cathedral's white Portland stone were cleaned on the outside alone. Other work included repair of the interior, redesign and landscaping of the south churchyard gardens, restoration of the grand organ and adding wheelchair access to the crypt. The American Memorial Chapel built in the 1950s to commemorate US forces who died in the Second World War, has also been cleaned and restored. “One of the main elements was the comprehensive treatment of all the external stonework to make sure that it was clean and watertight. Another major element was the extensive cleaning programme throughout the interior of the cathedral, which was a six year project in its own right” said Mr Martin Stancliffe, of Martin Stancliffe Architects. “A whole sequence of projects stretching over around 15 years have been carried out in the crypt - all geared to making the space more useable, including the creation of a conference facility, a refectory, shop, education and choir practice facilities. Improving accessibility was also key to the project” he added. Martin Stancliffe, Surveyor to the Fabric, who has overseen the restoration project, said: "It has been a privilege – and an extraordinary experience - to have led the team of professionals, craftsmen and conservators who have contributed so much to this transforming project. This great building is now in a sound state, and probably looks better than at any time since its completion in 1711.” "This great building is now in a sound state and probably looks better than at any time since its completion in 1711” said Mr Stancliffe.

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RG Jones Sound Engineering RG Jones Sound Engineering began its long-standing relationship with St. Paul’s back in the early 80’s. The company had built up a reputation for providing solutions within reverberant spaces whilst maintaining the integrity of the building's fabric. The UK has changed dramatically since then, with stricter licensing laws being introduced to meet with both security and environmental issues,” says RG Jones’ sales and installations director Jon Berry. “This has meant that our clients have had to re-think their entire infrastructure. We understand how important it is for our designs to meet all those requirements, yet still create a solution that remains aesthetically sympathetic. RG Jones has a long history of working within historical venues and we pride ourselves on setting strict guidelines to meet these requirements.” This year the company will celebrate 85 years of trading, and as the only sound company in the UK to hold The Royal Warrant it’s fitting that the celebrations will take place at The Royal Academy of Arts. Another long-standing client of RG Jones and a venue that is also recognised for its wealth of British heritage and culture.

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‘Butterfly World’ spreads its wings

2012, will be the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 100m in diameter and 17m high (at its maximum point). It will cover seven times the footprint of Stonehenge. The biome represents an architecturally exciting, iconic landmark of the future. Giant maya ruins based on archaeological sites of Belize and Mexico will provide the backdrop to a kaleidoscope of up to 10,000 tropical butterflies and a variety of hummingbirds and many other creatures. The Biome will include a new butterfly breeding house, an insect study centre, gardens and a chrysalis shaped lake. It will be home to hundreds of plants and mini-beasts, an exhibition of living flora and fauna found within the rainforests of the world, including a lost civilisation, underworld caves with insects, spiders and scorpions, canopy walkways and intermittent thunderstorms - a lost world and a truly tropical adventure. The Biome will also provide one of the most

Described as "London's own Eden Project", Butterfly World continues to expand with the construction of a giant tropical rainforest biome at the world's biggest butterfly experience. Butterfly World, backed by Professor David Bellamy, Sir David Attenborough and actress Emilia Fox, is designed in the shape of a butterfly’s head and set within 27 acres of land just off the M25. It is an on-going project

dedicated to the conservation of butterflies, providing scientific research and a unique educational but fun experience that the whole family can enjoy. The new tropical rainforest biome, under construction by Breheny and due to open in

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extraordinary corporate events and hospitality venues in Europe, and will include a restaurant, cafe and retail areas. Breheny’s Peter Field spoke to Premier Construction about his work on the scheme: “This is a unique project and the technical demands are different to what we’re used to. We are having to learn things every day to keep on top of it, but so far things have moved along well. Once the dome is finished, I’m sure we’ll be tired but very satisfied and proud of what is going to be an iconic building”.

Working towards a new and safer Leopold Estate An innovative regeneration and new build scheme is underway at the Leopold Estate in the London borough of Tower Hamlets as part of the St. Paul’s Way Transformation Project, which was formed four years ago by Tower Hamlets Council, Tower Hamlets PCT and Poplar HARCA. The vision of the scheme is to create a safe and inspiring St. Paul’s Way that can bring the community back together and work has also encompassed the £40m complete rebuild of St. Paul’s Way Trust School. Under the first phase of the project, over 300 homes have been renovated. This has comprised the renewal of kitchens and bathrooms and the replacement of heating systems in the properties, which include street, low rise and high rise properties. Level access is provided at all entrances to the Red blocks that form part of the original Leopold Estate, including escape/resident only doors, and every block has a lift by the main entrance. Entrance to the underground garages will be via existing ramps and a new access stair with an integral lift adjacent to Wilcox House whilst in all areas, both internal and external lighting will be improved and clear signage installed. In later phases, the old grey concrete blocks will be demolished and 480 new homes will be built, of which 172 will be for affordable rent. The White blocks in Shelmerdine Close and Ackroyd Drive will be completely demolished as part of the Leopold Regeneration. The new build designs were given planning approval in December 2007; however the build process has been delayed due to the current economic climate. Extensive consultation with local residents carried out by LART and Poplar HARCA showed that the main concerns of

local residents were security and the environment. In particular, security was identified as an issue at the Burdett Road site, built in the early 1980’s. As a result, measures will be taken to improve the general safety of Leopold Estate and £1 million of funding for Transport for London has been provided to improve the St. Paul’s Way streetscape. All pedestrian routes will be evenly surfaced and generous in width, and be enforced with designated lighting users with routes and way-finding. In addition, there will be extensive landscaping and environmental improvements to the estate, comprising both hard and soft landscaping. Play facilities are proposed in various locations throughout both the refurbished and new build areas. Up to 10% of the car parking provided can be allocated for wheelchair users. Local residents are also working with the landlords Poplar HARCA and Partners Tower Hamlets PCT, Tower Hamlets Education and Bow Arts Trust as part of a new and exciting public art project. The Architects for the Leopold Estate project, PRP Architects, were named Architect of the Year at The Daily Telegraph British Homes Awards 2011.

Brendan Flynn Brendan Flynn is a specialist carpentry and window installation subcontractor. They have 36 years of experience in providing quality-driven results for all phases and types of major building projects and have built a solid reputation for craftsmanship, integrity and client satisfaction. Brendan Flynn work with many main building contractors and ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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provide carpentry for residential and affordable housing developments, hotels and schools, commercial and listed buildings. With a trade workforce of over 100 craftsmen, they can meet the requirements of even the most demanding contracts.

installers for Janex Ltd, Nordan UK Ltd and Rationel Windows Limited.

Their carpentry services include: roofing, joists and flooring, timber frame construction, flooring, first fixing, second fixing, final fixings, kitchens and bathrooms.

Brendan Flynn said: “We offer a long established, excellent service to our clients with a large element of our works being repeat business, which speaks for itself.”

They also specialise in window installation and are approved

For the Leopold Estate project, Brendan Flynn provided the carpentry package and external cladding.

For more information, visit www.bfcl.co.uk.

Multi-million pound store revamp is a first for national chain Just being completed at Southampton’s landmark John Lewis branch in West Quay Shopping Centre is a multimillion pound revamp in a scheme making the store the first in the country to try out a new concept the company is currently working on. The £5 million project has involved the redevelopment of the store’s first floor audio, television, menswear and furniture departments. Main Contractors are Simons Group; Project Managers are Proper Services. The project has included refurbishment of the existing floor to increase sales space using former back of house space. The early conversion of these areas, that were previously

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stockrooms or office space, helped the works programme to progress, as the contractors were able to release these spaces early, so they could increase the area of the sales floor available and allow the jigsaw of consequential works to happen. The scheme has introduced three new concepts for Consumer & Electronics, Menswear, and Home and Vision. The works have included the installation of all new shop fittings, new ceramic flooring, floor tiles, mechanical works, new lighting, and the upgrade of ceilings, including the addition of coloured ceiling tiles. Glass walls were also used to divide internal areas. The contract presented the construction team with significant challenges in that the works have been carried out whilst the floor

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t kept trading. Works continued 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Every department has successfully traded through the works, although some have been on a temporary or reduced site. Managing director Andy Street said that the Southampton store is unique in that people will drive there from a very wide catchment because there is not another John Lewis of this quality between Bristol and Reading. “We see this as a really key city that we are looking to trade in for the next 30, 40, 50 years. It is the regional centre and we will continue to invest in it so people want to make that journey” he added.

John Spedan Lewis’s combination of commercial acumen and corporate conscience, so ahead of its time, is what makes the company what it is today. The John Lewis Partnership won 'Retailer of the Year' at the Oracle Retail Week Awards 2011. The judges highlighted initiatives including John Lewis's multi-channel operation and its’ at home' format, as well as Waitrose's convenience shops and new partnerships with retailers such as Boots.

He went on to say since the store relocated to West Quay from the former Tyrrell & Green site in Above Bar ten years ago, the success had been beyond expectations, and he attributed this to the firm’s pre-existing presence, an affluent population and good access links.

Guardian ECL Ltd

He added that since his firm relocated, other big names have come to the area – notably Ikea – which helps pull shoppers in to the city.

At the same time, Guardian ECL pride themselves on helping their Clients to achieve cost savings on value engineering and reductions in energy products. With an array of Blue-chip Clients to it’s portfolio not only in the retail sector but also within Banking and Commercial and Local Authority sectors; Guardian ECL provides its energy solutions with a completive service from concept through to installation across the whole of the UK.

The company has pledged to commit £250 million into building new stores, refurbishing existing outlets and developing its internet business. Regional managing director Mark Venables said: “John Lewis is showing great confidence in our shop here in Southampton by investing significantly. Works started in mid July on a 12 week programme, finishing on 14th October. The project is one of two competitive tenders won by Simons for John Lewis store refurbishments, with the other contract being in Welwyn. John Lewis also awarded Simons Group a further project at their distribution centre in Milton Keynes as a result of the good work that the company’s teams have done on this site in the past. (Simons also built this facility in 2007.) The refurbishments are the first retail projects which Simons has carried for John Lewis. Simons is a privately-owned property solutions business employing over 200 site and office workers, providing quality, integrated solutions to brands and household names in the private and public sector including Tesco, Vodafone, M&S, House of Fraser and NHS Trusts. Simons have an established in-house capability to fund schemes and unlock space alongside the full range of design and construction services, from complex new-build to all sizes of fit out, maintenance and aftercare. The John Lewis Partnership is a visionary and successful way of doing business, boldly putting the happiness of Partners at the centre of everything it does. It's the embodiment of an ideal, the outcome of nearly a century of endeavour to create a different sort of company, owned by Partners dedicated to serving customers with flair and fairness. All 76,500 permanent staff are Partners who own 34 John Lewis shops across the UK (29 department stores and five John Lewis at home), 266 Waitrose supermarkets, an online and catalogue business, johnlewis.com, a production unit and a farm. The business has annual gross sales of over £8.2bn. Partners share in the benefits and profits of a business that puts them first. When founder, John Spedan Lewis, set up the Partnership, he was careful to create a governance system, set out in a Constitution that would be both commercial allowing the company to move quickly to stay ahead in a competitive industry, and democratic giving every Partner a voice in the business they co-own. The business was founded in 1864 when John Lewis set up a draper's shop in Oxford Street, London, which developed into a department store. In 1905 he bought the Peter Jones store in Sloane Square. In 1920 his son, John Spedan Lewis, expanded earlier power-sharing policies by sharing the profits the business made among the employees. The democratic nature and profit-sharing basis of the business were developed into a formal partnership structure and Spedan Lewis bequeathed the com-

pany to his employees. As of 2011, there are 76,500 partners – the majority full-time – working for the John Lewis Partnership.

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Over the years Guardian ECL have gained an irrefutably positive reputation in the market place for delivering their projects on time and with continuous high standards of workmanship.

The refurbishment project of the prestigious John Lewis Department Store in Southampton was destined to be a challenge. Not that these challenges are anything new for Guardian ECL as all projects within the Retail Environment involve teams working around the clock 24/7 to achieve completion on time and within budget and without too much disruption to the all important shopper. Under the management of our Senior Project Manager, Gerry Scanlon and our on site Manager, John Mallord; the project required the installation of power and lighting; data cabling; fire alarms; extensive CCTV and mechanical installations. The project was phased allowing the shop to trade as normal with newly refurbished departments opening in stages which included the Audio and TV; Men's Wear; Sports; Toys; Bedroom Furniture; Fitted Kitchens and Large Electrical Departments – all across a 10 week period. With Guardian ECL’s 40 year history of an established working relationship with the John Lewis Partnership and Waitrose; no matter how large or small the project, Guardian ECL are dedicated in their commitment to achieve the Client’s expectations and the project was successfully delivered on time and on budget. Guardian ECL are certainly experiencing a busy period considering the challenging ecomomy which is a very positive position going forward with projects already being designed and costed for 2012. Many new clients are approaching Guardian ECL to assist in their future investment for energy programs and with the unique ability to offer clients a service demonstrating the savings factually alongside samples for clients to trial, this continues to meet the demands of Guardian ECL and it’s Customers by offering an all encompassing service in this ever changing industry.

Construction News

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Academy reconstruction takes education to a new level A multi-million pound rebuilding project is underway at Francis Combe Academy, Watford in a project which will see a new academy rising from the footprint of the old campus, taking education to a new level. Main Contractors for the scheme are Kier London, working with architect ACP and West Hertfordshire College, which is sponsoring the academy. Kier erected a suite of temporary accommodation units for the academy’s 1,300 pupils, who are continuing to be taught on site throughout the 22m design & build project, due for hand over at the end of 2012. The project has involved demolishing around 80 per cent of the original school in Horseshoe Lane, Garston, and rebuilding it on the existing footprint. The Kier team drew up a three-phase programme of demolition and rebuilding operations, to enable the academy to remain open throughout the two-and-a-half year programme. The initial demolition programme was officially

launched by a member of the academy teaching staff, Lorraine Wright, head of learning for performing arts and media, who won the chance to knock down the old main hall in a charity auction. As well as sitting at the controls of an excavator and being shown how to operate its mechanical claw, Lorraine also took a swing inside the old school hall with a club hammer and a pick-axe. She said afterwards: “I have had a love-hate relationship with the hall and its stage ever since I came here 10 years ago, as it doesn’t work quite as I would like it to for school performances. I had always joked about smashing it down and when the charity auction came up I grabbed the chance to make it a reality.” The remainder of the old original school buildings (except the Sixth form block) was demolished in Summer 2011, to allow for the

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rest of the new academy to be built. “As with all our education projects, a key goal has been to ensure students and staff can continue as normal,” said Kier project manager Peter Dixon. “We have made every effort to minimise noise or potential disruption through detailed planning and programming on this very busy site, which has tight restrictions on working space and storage.”

Kent County Council office refurbishment is now complete WW Martin (Thanet) Ltd. have completed a £3.25m refurbishment of Doubleday House on St Michaels Close in Aylesford, Kent. The newly refurbished building will provide much needed office space for Kent County Council’s Highway Department. The project has comprised the refurbishment of the existing three-storey concrete frame structure. Due to the client’s wish to retain the original structure, the building was stripped down to the concrete frame and then rebuilt with external cladding and a complete internal refurbishment, including: all new mechanical and electrical works, stud partioning, flooring, new suspended ceilings and plumbing. The exterior finish of the building is composite metal Kingspan cladding, with a contrasting window curtain walling scheme. Renewable energy has been supported wherever possible and efficiency was one of the key concepts of the design. Methods

such as the installation of energy efficient lighting and the monitoring of carbon, electric and gas use have ensured that the building is working to the highest levels of efficiency. The entire building is protected by a detection and alarm system, whilst external landscaping has comprised a security fence that extends across the entire perimeter, a tree area, a small park area, the planting of shrubs and extensive hard landscaping to create a yard for Ringway Highway Services Ltd. In addition, a salt barn has been constructed for Ringway Highway Services Ltd., along with an additional steel-framed store. The external yard consists of 4,500 m² of external concrete. The project began in October 2010 and is nearing completion. David Barker from WW Martin (Thanet) Ltd. said: “The challenge for us was meeting the client’s request to keep the existing concrete structure. The previous frame had been there for thirty to forty years and so there were issues regarding it being

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Lo n d o n & S o u th E a s t out of line and unlevel.

carpenters, painters and decorators, plumbers and labourers.

“However, we are more than pleased to have worked with Kent County Council once again and we are delighted with the finished building.”

WW Martin currently work in partnership with Kent County Council providing a comprehensive service including schools, fire stations, libraries, adult education centres and social services, throughout East Kent.

WW Martin (Thanet) Ltd was formed in 1855 and their annual turnover is between £24m and £25m a year. Their contracts range from commercial housing work to works for Kent County Council and they have both a major projects side and a small works side. Their 135 directly employed staff include craftsmen, apprentices and trainees whilst their in-house trades include

Other projects that WW Martin have recently been involved in include: Rose Street School, Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, Swanscombe Children Centre and the Wyvern School in Ashford.

World-class business school enters new phase The world-class Saïd Business School, the business school of the University of Oxford, is undergoing a major transformation. In June 2011 a topping out ceremony marked the completion of the superstructure for the extension to the School, which is expected to be completed in summer 2012. Leading architectural practice Dixon Jones designed the new building, which will provide additional facilities for an expansion of its teaching and educational activities. The building will encompass three Harvard-style lecture theatres, seminar rooms and social space, including a bar, restaurant and roof terrace. Main contractors for the project are Chalegrove Properties Ltd (CPL), who are registered with the Considerate Constructors Scheme. Examining the south elevation, there is an entrance pavilion clad in limestone with a granite base. The two-storey pavilion has a centrally placed door in it and approximates to a cube (11

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x 12 x 10.5m). The west elevation has two readings. Firstly, the stone cube of the entrance pavilion forms a head to the extended three-storey body of the building to the north. Secondly, in order to moderate the bulk of the body (47m in length and three storeys high), the façade is divided into a base, middle and top. With regards to the north elevation, the wall of the building is set back 4m from the site boundary, behind the 2.5m ventilation slot that continues the idea of a moat already established by the service ramp. The wall continues the language of the west elevation with a 2m setback to the second floor and is composed of brick. The site boundary is defined by a metal fence, allowing climbing plants to establish a green wall to the south side of the footpath and avoiding the possibility of graffiti. The east elevation facing the garden is open and expressive. A double height pergola forms a ‘front’ to the garden which incorporates the stepped ramp with connections to the terrace at the first floor. The super structure to hold the plants is made

of oak, whilst the columns to the pergola are made of limestone. The walls are generally formed from brick in order to match the existing building, whilst there are also large areas of glass and metal spandrel panels to the terrace and social areas. Mr Wafic Said commented: “This building has been part of the vision for the Saïd Business School from the moment that the University bought this site. We knew that, if the School was a success, it would outgrow its original building in ten years and so it has proved. This Phase II building represents a new and exciting stage in the School’s development, one which provides

not only for growth but which also brings the School’s degree and executive education programmes much more closely together for the benefit of both, from students embarking on their first degrees to CEOs seeking to understand the broader context for their work. I congratulate the School on the remarkable success that has brought it to this stage and also our architects, Dixon Jones, who with this second building are completing the work they began with Phase I, work which has done so much to regenerate this corner of Oxford.”

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Revamped Roch Castle to provide 5 star corporate retreat Roch Castle in Roch, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, is to provide exclusive accommodation for up to 14 occupants. The aim of the project is to create a boutique corporate retreat and accommodation facility. The Grade I listed building and grounds are of significant architectural merit and so special considerations had to be taken into account. Going beyond the careful conservation of the historic fabric, Roch Castle Ltd requested that non toxic construction methods be used for the benefit of future occupants and its natural sympathy with stone construction. Welsh Heritage Construction Ltd are carrying out the £3m scheme for client Roch Castle Ltd, whilst Acanthus Holden Architects are providing a full architectural service and conservation expertise. The internal works have comprised the replacement of 80% of the internal concrete floors and roof due to the carbonation of the 1900 concrete. There have also been changes including new partition walls - which are composed from hemp lime on wood wool, new internal doors, dry lining and insulation. There is hemp lime to all internal solid backgrounds except bathrooms – sometimes on Calistherm Climaplatte board to raise the thermal performance and aid breathability, all with Keim Ecosil paint. There is new stone and timber flooring, new kitchens and bathrooms and in the bedrooms there will be built-in wardrobes and fixtures, with attractive new ceilings. M&E installation will provide new plumbing, drainage, small power, lighting, data and communications, hot and cold water, a dehumidification system and a heating system. New lighting will be installed to illuminate the entrance of the Castle and the grounds.

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Externally, the facade has been re-pointed: there has been a complete rake out of cement pointing and a significant rebuild of cement bedded stonework to the ancient and 1900 random rubble stone structure. In addition, 50% of the sandstone window surrounds have been replaced and new bronze casements installed. There is now a glazed extension to the 1900 roof top area, offering panoramic views of the countryside and sea. There has been full landscaping to the site, including the planting of new trees and shrubs and a new chef’s garden and drive way. The well has been used for irrigation purposes and rainwater has been partially harvested. One additional grass reinforced parking area has been built, with a grass reinforced rear access lane. Enabling works began in March 2009 and the project is expected to be complete in October/November 2011.

Innovative new centre of excellence will showcase Welsh food and drink An innovative £6.4 million farm redevelopment is transforming disused 18th century farm buildings into a centre of excellence in North Wales to promote the best of Welsh food and drink. The project is making good progress on programme at Furnace Farm on the Bodnant Estate in the Conwy Valley. The scheme is being carried out for Furnace Farm Ltd by K & C Construction. The buildings, which are being restored to high levels of environmental sustainability, will house an extensive farm shop - with a wide range of produce from Wales - a tea room, restaurant and a cookery school. There will be opportunities for farmers and growers, cheese-makers, cooks and bakers, indeed, anybody involved in producing food or drink to bring their produce for the centre to sell. Both traditional and new products will be welcome. Short cooking demonstrations with visiting chefs, as well as longer courses will be available, together with accommodation for visitors. There will also be a production unit for cheese, icecream and yoghurt, as well as a bakery, with the potential for more production to take place on site. Furnace Farm will also provide a home for a new National Beekeeping Centre for Wales, which will provide an attractive venue for beekeepers, the general public, schools and conservationists. Construction works on the scheme include the refurbishment and conversion of an 18th century farm house into five bedroom accommodation for visitors attending longer cookery training courses. This element of the project involves the replacement of the old roof with a traditional timber truss Welsh slate roof and the removal of all internal walls, so that the interior can be reconfigured. Render on the external elevations has been removed to reveal the original stone walls, which have been re-pointed. Feature arches have also been incorporated, together with heads above the windows and doorways, and new box sash windows have been installed in keeping with the period of the property. Internally the property has been completely renovated including the installation of new internal partitions, building services, fixtures and fittings and re-decoration. Adjacent to this building a former stable block has been comprehensively renovated and converted to provide facilities including a chocolatier outlet on the ground floor and an administrative office on the first floor. The works have included the replacement of the old roof and complete internal refurbishment.

early 18th century, which had become dilapidated, have been extensively refurbished, including re-roofing and removing the original internal walls, supporting the gables with steel structures and constructing new internal walls. The ground floor of the barns will incorporate shops including a delicatessen, a bakery and a butcher, whilst the first floor will accommodate a training kitchen, a catering kitchen and an 85 seater restaurant, whilst the second floor will house a cookery training school and another administrative office. To the rear of this building, a new building is being constructed and linked in with the barns. The new building will incorporate a lift to upper first and second floor levels and will accommodate a production unit with refrigeration facilities for meat and dairy products delivered to the site for sale in the shops. Alongside this, a collection of single storey buildings known as the North Range Buildings have been demolished and rebuilt, using re-cycled materials from the demolished buildings and incorporating massive stone columns to form a facade on the north elevation with feature arched brickwork. The original welsh slates have been used on the new roof, new windows have been fitted and underfloor heating has been installed. These buildings have been configured internally to incorporate a beekeepers’ centre, an ice cream parlour, tea rooms and public toilets. The project is making good use of renewable energy, including solar panels to provide hot water; a biomass boiler fired by timber pellets; ‘grey’ water harvesting tanks which will collect surface water run-off from roofs for use in flushing toilets, and a Biodisk treatment plant to process waste from the new development before it passes into the River Conwy. External works include the creation of parking areas for around 100 cars and 15 to 20 coaches, with these areas being arranged in bays in wooded areas which are being landscaped in keeping with the surrounding rural landscape. Owner of Bodnant Estate, Michael McLaren said: “With Furnace Farm we intend to strengthen links between local food producers and the consumer and provide a more sustainable future for farmers and growers. I am passionate about this project and supporting the local economy.” The project is due for completion in spring 2012.

Adjoining the stable block, former barns constructed in the

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New ‘extra care’ home breezing through construction process Work on the new £6.3m Awel Y Coleg extra care home complex at Bala is now progressing well, with an expected completion date of July 2012. Cymdeithas Tai Clwyd are very pleased to be developing this in partnership with Gwynedd County Council as part of their older people strategy - there are thirty flats a mix of one and two bedrooms which will give older people the chance to live totally independently under one roof but yet integrate and socialise with other residents if they so wish. K&C Construction, Kinmel Bay are the main contractors with Wynn Rogers Partnership, Denbigh being the design consultants. The project began in 2010, and Project Manager Peter Baker said: “In terms of the construction, we’re about a third of the way through.” Peter went on to describe the initial preparations for the site. He said: “It was a Greenfield site – essentially two sites with an adopted road bisecting them. We diverted the road and the consolidated the sites into one fairy large site and an area of off street parking.” The building shape has changed since the original tenders. It is a two-storey structure with a substantial internal courtyard. All the flats are in a single banked arrangement – most of them looking out over the surrounding area, and a couple into the courtyard. Due to rather strict planning rules, the construction materials comprise: a natural slate roof, rendered and decorative stonework external walls, durable fissures and high quality gutters and downspouts. The windows are double glazed and a mixture of treated timber and aluminium. In addition, there are a number of pitched roofs at low level with zinc sheet metalwork. Peter Baker said that a substantial effort had been made to use local materials on the 300m² project. He said: “Our aim was to resemble traditional construction, and we tried our best to make the development fit in with the locality.” The new building will include several facilities for residents, including: a catering kitchen and cafe, two lounges, hobbies room, spa bathroom, special assisted bathroom and office spaces for full time staff and part time carers. In addition, there will be staff changing facilities, a guest bedroom, a laundry and a kiosk. There has also been a small amount of landscaping involving semi-dressed local stone walls and closure walls.

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Awel Y Coleg has been built to BREEAM Very Good standards, as well as complying with the Considerate Constructors guidelines. The costs of the scheme have been subsidised by the Welsh Assembly Government, who provided a lump sum subsidiary. This has enabled the scheme to use the rent to pay off the commercial mortgage. Peter Baker described the challenges that Cymdeithas Tai Clwyd had overcome. He said: “There was a hiatus after the original tenders as people realised how complex it would be to divert the existing services. There were live services under road that provided electricity to around 100 people on the estate behind where we were working. This required significant coordination by all the statutory authorities and main contractors to achieve a complete diversion of all the working services, which was extremely complicated. “Disposing of rainwater was another issue. One of the planning conditions disallowed us to discharge surface water into the surface water sewers. We implemented a system of retaining rain water on the site underground - allowing it to dribble into the highway sewer - that required delicate negotiation. If we had been unable to figure out a disposal system, we wouldn’t have been able to construct. There were around a dozen conditions sent by the Snowdonia National Park Authority, and we’ve managed to satisfy all of them so far.”

Work on £35m Porthmadog bypass progressing well Work on one of the largest construction projects currently underway is progressing well. The £35m Tremadog, Porthmadog and Minffordd bypass is being built for the Welsh Assembly Government under a joint venture partnership of Balfour Beatty and Jones Bros (Civil Engineering). The new section of the A487 carriageway will improve journey times, ease congestion and enable current through traffic. The route will start at the western end of Tremadog, not far from Ysbyty Alltwen, and then follow a line passing south of Tremadog Village and north of Porthmadog. When complete, it will be 5.3km long and 7.3km wide, plus hard shoulder and verges. It will involve three roundabouts, three junctions and eight bridges, including a landmark threespan viaduct over the Glaslyn Estuary. Deputy First Minister leuan Wyn Jones hailed the £35m bypass project during a visit to the site on Thursday 31st March. He said: “I am extremely pleased to be here today to see firsthand just how much has been achieved so far. “While local residence will be eagerly awaiting news of its completion, I am sure they will be extremely happy with this impressive scheme and welcome the reduced levels of congestion as well as carbon emissions.

“This bypass will be good news for the local economy and the regeneration of the wider area – it is another example of our commitment to improving transport links in every part of Wales.” In early January, the joint venture between Balfour Beatty and Jones Brothers took possession of the Ffestiniog railway in order to complete the construction of the new bridge. The tacks had been previously removed by the rail company and the removal of the underlying earth was allowed to proceed, followed quickly by the construction of the concrete abutments for the steel bridge. The bridge itself was built on trestles on site in advance of it being slid into its final position on Monday 7th February 2011. Finishing works were then completed before handing back to the rail company on schedule the following Monday. A temporary bridge was also built across the track at Minffordd, which allowed the road construction team to transport approximately 10,000m³ of excavated material from the Minffordd section straight onto the bypass site without the need for heavy wagons to traverse the local roads. Other work includes essential road work between Penmorfa and Tremadog.

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Llanelli to be revitalised by £35m leisure developments A leisure-led mixed use development is well underway in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire. The East Gate project is being developed in partnership between Henry Davidson Developments Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of Development Securities PLC) and Carmarthenshire County Council and aims to revitalise the towns appeal as a family-leisure destination.

Main contractors for the £20m project are Britannia Construction, and the Architect is Oxford Architecture. The scheme has been

partly funded by Development Securities’ own equity with debt finance secured via Santander. The first phase of the two-phase project comprised the construction of a new bus interchange, which was completed in August on programme. The second phase of work on the 5 acre site is the development of 110,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space, including: a 53 bed hotel (pre-let to Travelodge), six restaurant and bar units, a convenience store, a 6-screen multiplex cinema (pre-let to Reel Cinemas), a new 240 space surface car park space and 21,000ft² of office accommodation for Carmarthenshire County Council. Work commenced on this phase mid August and is expected to be complete in September 2012. Adjoining the East Gate project is Carmarthenshire County Council’s new £15

£4.4m new integrated day centre boost at Garngoch Hospital £4.4 million is being ploughed into developing a state of the art integrated day centre for older people with mental health problems on the Garngoch Hospital site in Swansea, replacing an outdated facility with a fit for purpose unit. The facility, which won financial backing from the Welsh Assembly, will also include accommodation for community mental health teams (CMHT) who will be based there. The project is being carried out for Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University NHS Trust by Main Contractors Carillion. Architects and Project Managers are EPT Partnership. The new centre, called Ty Garngoch, is a two storey timber framed building with external elevations in a combination of timber weatherboard, brickwork and render, with specialist Poletec windows and a pitched slate roof. The aim of the design is to make the building look as environmentally pleasing as possible, in keeping with its rural surroundings. Forest Timber, located close to the development, have supplied the timber frame for the scheme. “This is the first time I have been involved in a project using timber frame and the speed at which it has been erected has really impressed me. I would definitely use it in the future” said Sean Fenn of Carillion. External works include the provision of an enclosed courtyard therapeutic landscaped garden measuring approximately 50

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million theatre development which is well underway on site with TRJ Contractors. When complete, scheduled for Autumn 2012, this will further bolster Llanelli as a leisure draw for Carmarthenshire and South Wales. Development Manager for Henry Davidson Developments, Neal Dale, said the critical mass of family-leisure accommodation being delivered within Llanelli will reposition the town as a destination drawing population from Carmarthen to Swansea and beyond.

m by 30 m, together with further extensive landscaping with walkways and seating areas, the provision of additional parking bays, ambulance drop off areas, reconfiguration of an existing road, to allow for easy traffic flow and the installation of photocell lighting around the perimeter of the site.

support major investment in provision of state of the art facilities for older people with mental health problems.

The new hospital will include permanent CMHT support facilities, along with 12 interview rooms, ‘quiet’ rooms, general staff offices, a large lounge with a high ceiling and glass partition walls, activity and therapy rooms, clinical rooms, a memory clinic, a large reception and waiting area for relatives, and kitchen and welfare facilities.

"This is uplifting positive news for Older Peoples' Mental Health Services in Swansea and in particular at Garngoch."

Sean Fenn said: “It’s nice to work on a project that will be beneficial to the residents here. It is one of those jobs where you feel you are helping the public. We have really got involved in this scheme in helping with events to raise funds. The most important thing for us is to build relationships with the client and with the people who will use the facility. The real pleasure for us will be in seeing everyone move into the new facility.” Currently the project is going well with the roof being completed and the window installation underway. The building is expected to be watertight in around a month, when mechanical and electrical works will commence. Liz Clarke-Smith, consultant psychiatrist (old age psychiatry), said: "I am delighted that the Welsh Assembly is continuing to

"This development at Garngoch will support our dedicated staff in continuing to provide and enhance vital services to our patients in the community.

Completion is due in May 2012. Carillion plc is one of the UK's leading support services and construction companies, employing around 50,000 people. The company has an annual revenue of around £5 bn and operations across Britain and in Europe, Canada, the Middle East, North Africa and Caribbean. Carillion has a portfolio of award-winning work in areas vital to society: health, education and regeneration, road, rail, defence and commercial property. From first concept to ongoing facilities management and support services, Carillion provide high quality, cost effective and sustainable solutions, tailored to the needs of customers. The company has a unique approach that builds long-term relationships with customers, based on values of openness, collaboration, mutual dependency, professional delivery, sustainable, profitable growth and innovation.

Arcade transformation is shoppers’ delight Delighted shoppers and retailers alike have commended a project to update, upgrade and re-brand the 130,000 sq ft. Brackla Street Shopping Centre - now named Bridgend Shopping Centre - in the heart of Bridgend town centre and adjacent to ASDA.

the previously blank areas of walling within the arcade (the cabinets look rather like shop windows and are available for rent by retailers wishing to create a promotional display). In addition, new seating and refuse bins have been installed.

The scheme is being carried out for Hawkstone Properties by Main Contractors Edward Davies. Architects are Morgan2Hayman Architects; Quantity Surveyors are Ridge & Partners and Mechanical and Electrical Engineers are WSP Consulting Engineers. The Brackla Centre was built in the early 1970s and had become very dated and unattractive. Geared to improving the shopping environment and to attracting new shoppers and tenants, the project, just being completed, has involved wide-ranging refurbishment including the installation of new paving, glazing, new ceilings and new lighting. And the transformation has certainly made a major impression on delighted shoppers and retailers. Mr Chris Baggins of Edward Davies said: “The feedback on the project from shoppers in the arcade has been great. They say the shopping centre has such a different atmosphere now - whereas previously it was dark, dingy and wet, it is now and an open, light and dry environment. The traders are over the moon with the new improvements too. We didn’t even get any adverse feedback during the building works, which I had expected. The project has gone very well especially considering the restrictions imposed by the need to ensure ongoing trading during the works.” New decorative concrete slab paving has been laid throughout the single storey arcade and a new lighting system has also been installed. The existing glazed canopy running the entire length of the arcade had become cracked and has been removed and replaced. Alongside the glazed canopy, the remaining section of exposed steel roofing has been replaced with a white soffit. The formerly brown brick walls of the arcade have been rendered and painted white and new signage has been installed to the front and rear of the building. Further works include the installation of glazed cabinets along ROMA PUBLICATIONS

Wa l e s A further element of the works has involved the installation of low and high level power supplies to serve special promotions and displays. The project has been particularly challenging in that all the works have had to be carried out without disrupting trading in the centre. In the case of construction works outside some of the larger stores, out of hours working was necessary. Existing occupiers at the shopping centre include a new 17,000 sq ft Argos Extra, Peacocks, Farmfoods, Iceland, Store 21 and Blockbuster. The British Heart Foundation has also opened a 6,000 sq ft furniture and electrical store at the centre. Hawkstone Properties Plc is a privately owned property development and investment company, founded in 1997. The company’s main area of business is developing retail, office, residential and leisure schemes across the UK, which once completed, are generally retained as part of Hawkstone’s long term investment portfolio. Their success over the last 12 years is a direct result of the

close working relationships  they have maintained with tenants, agents, banks, financial institutions and consultants. It is these relationships which have enabled Hawkstone to successfully survive the recent downturn in the market, which means they are now well placed to take advantage of the recovery over the next few years. Edward Davies is a leading construction company that has built up an enviable reputation for its development of innovative solutions, high quality build and construction projects to public and private sector clients. With their vast experience of the whole development process, Edward Davies can ensure a focused approach towards the build and construction across all sectors of the industry such as high tech facilities, office accommodation, commercial buildings, warehousing and vehicle showrooms. Edward Davies applies innovative uses of technology to provide engineering solutions to complex sub and superstructure projects.

Contracts totaling £9 million awarded to North Wales businesses Five North Wales companies have won contracts totalling nearly £9 million with housing association Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd (CCG). They include G M Jones Ltd from Llanrwst; Falconer Electricals Ltd and Gelli Civil Engineering from Penrhyndeudraeth; Evans Wilson and Evans; and Aled Jones both from Caernarfon. Since the transfer of homes from Gwynedd Council to CCG in April 2010, investment work has begun on improving tenants’ homes so that they meet the Welsh Housing Quality Standard. Over the next 30 years CCG will be spending £446 million on repairs and improvements to its 6,300 homes with £136 million will be spent in the first five years. The Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) as laid out in the Welsh Assembly Government ‘Better Homes for People in Wales’ forms part of the vision that all households have the op-

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portunity to live in good quality homes that are: in a good state of repair; safe and secure; adequately heated, fuel efficient and well insulated; contain up-to-date kitchens and bathrooms; well managed (for rented housing); located in attractive and safe environments and as far as possible suit the specific requirements of the household. To achieve this standard set by the Welsh Government, CCG has adopted a unique procurement model to appoint contractors. It means that local trade contractors can also benefit from the substantial investment. Mick Butler, Director of Assets and Investment at CCG said: “Maximising local economic benefits and securing a lasting legacy is central to our vision, and to make sure this happens we have introduced this innovative procurement model. The aim is that it will help to boost the local economy and in-

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Wa l e s be working on internal and external improvements to Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd homes. Founded in 1997, G M Jones (Builders) Ltd. has successfully operated from its base in the Llanrwst Area, working in North and Mid Wales and Cheshire. With a reputation for excellence in both workmanship and service, the company provide a comprehensive construction service as a main contractor, to complete projects on time, within budget and to the satisfaction of clients. The company has a progressive approach to construction, offering an individual service to clients. With a diverse skill base and a vast amount of experience, G M Jones (Builders) Ltd. is fully competent in undertaking a plethora of contracts within the public and private sector.

crease employment and training opportunities. The traditional model used by housing associations to deliver similar investment programmes means using one or two major contractors to deliver the whole scheme. In Gwynedd this would not necessarily be beneficial to local enterprise, so, from the outset we decided not to take this particular route. “Our strategy at CCG is to divide the WHQS investment work, with almost half the contracts available to local trade contractors and the remainder to one main service provider. We will also be in charge of our own supply chain with Travis Perkins and Symphony as our suppliers. Removing the need for costing materials and supplies from the process has enabled small and medium sized businesses to compete on a level playing field with larger contractors and means that we were able to award contracts to a number of local companies.” With the five successful companies awarded four year contracts rather than 12 months, this offers more stability and means they can plan for the future, employ more staff, trainees and apprentices as well as being an opportunity for them to grow as businesses. To facilitate the procurement model CCG has employed officers directly to manage the supply chain and to provide support to the SMEs to manage their contract requirements. Electrical Contractors, Falconer Electricals Ltd from Penrhyndeudraeth will be working on rewiring a number of CCG homes. Jason Jones, Falconer’s Company Manager will be personally involved in the day to day running of the project. He said: “Falconer Electricals is delighted to be part of such a unique and large scale project, in particular with the project being in our area. The programme will help secure work for a number of existing employees as well as create a number of new posts. Furthermore, as a long term serving contractor to Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd we are also very pleased to safeguard this position.” Gelli Civil Engineering was established in 1990 as a partnership and due to steady growth became a limited company in 2005. The company employs with a fully trained experienced workforce carrying out civil engineering projects of up to £1million. The company’s area of operation is in mid to north Wales and their objective is to provide and maintain high standard of workmanship using local resources when and where possible. They have a strict health and safety policy and all safety procedures are thoroughly checked and updated on a regular basis, with over 95% of the workforce registered with the construction\ skills certification scheme. Evans Wilson & Evans is a family run business with over 30 years experience in the building industry. The company is proud of its reputation as one of North Wales’ most respected building companies, with clients ranging from large commercial and government authorities to small private properties. Construction Company GM Jones Ltd based in Llanrwst will

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Jenny Jones, Commercial Manager for the company said: “As an established North Wales company we are delighted to have been successful in securing the contract. We look forward to working with CCG to successfully deliver the WHQS works, and the opportunities that this framework will provide both for both our business and the local community. The framework will allow us to secure employment for our existing workforce, whilst offering employment and training to a number of skilled workers in the area. We are thrilled to have been chosen and look forward to a new era at G M Jones Ltd.” Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd Cyfyngedig (CCG) was established on 12th April 2010, when 6,300 homes were transferred to CCG from Gwynedd Council. One of the association’s key aims is to bring all of their 6,300 homes up to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard, as required by the Welsh Assembly Government. Over the next 30 years it is estimated that £446 million will be spent on repairs and improvements, and £136 million will be spent in the first five years.

Bangor city centre to be regenerated under exciting £3.5m scheme A £3.5m project to regenerate the city centre of Bangor is well underway. The project began in January 2011 and is expected to be completed by Autumn 2012. Welsh company Dawnus Construction Ltd. have been appointed to carry out the improvements on behalf of Gwynedd Council. The work is being carried out in phases: Phase 1 – the Cathedral to the Clock Tower, Phase 2 – from the Clock Tower to Dean Street and Phase 3 – the area around the Clock Tower. Phases 1 and 2 have been completed and Phase 3 is ongoing. The last phase, which will be carried out in 2012, will be the Tan y Fynwent area. The first phase included work on the narrow junction of Glanrafon Road and the High Street. The resurfacing work along the city’s high street will incorporate a timeline illustrating significant dates in Bangor’s history, which runs from the Cathedral area down as far as Dean Street. The area around the clock tower will now be turned into a pedestrian only area with no access for vehicles (apart from emergency vehicles) up from Tan y Fynwent to the High Street past the clock. Improvements to this area will include reintroducing steps around the base of the clock, planters, mixed seating in the area in front of the bank and other shops, tree planting and light columns in the road leading down to the bus station. Councillor Gareth Roberts, who leads on the Environment for Gwynedd Council said: “As a Council, we are committed to doing everything we can to promote our local companies and high street shops and these improvements will ensure that the Bangor city centre is stronger than ever. “This is a very exciting time for Bangor, with several projects

taking shape which I am confident will put the city on the map as a modern, vibrant, green place to live, work and visit.” The projects are funded through the Welsh Government’s £38m North Wales Regeneration scheme delivered in partnership with Councils and is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the European Union’s Convergence programme and the Welsh Government’s Mon Menai Regeneration Area Initiative.

John Kelly Construction Services Ltd John Kelly Construction Services Ltd provide supervision, labour, plant and equipment to carry out and complete the installation of paving and associated works. We work nationwide and provide a high quality service to the construction industry, including national and regional companies, the Local Authority and private clients. We carry out all aspect of building and civil engineering works. Our specialist paving division carries out in excess of 10,000m² of high quality paving annually, nationwide, for various clients. All operatives are highly trained and skilled, all holding CSCS and CPCS cards. We have a good working relationship with Dawnus Construction Ltd and expect this to continue for the foreseeable future. We have also recently completed two new build properties and are diversifying into areas such as providing a mobile stone crushing service. JKCS Ltd are a hardworking, dedicated and conscientious company who delivery a first rate service promoting confidence in our ability to adhere to budget and time constraints and who focus on customer satisfaction.

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Ebbw Vale refurbishment project fires ahead Works on the Ebbw Vale fire station refurbishment project are progressing well, with an expected completion date of May 2012. Under the £1.2m scheme, the fire station will be completely refurbished and a two-storey extension will be added to the existing building. Ebbw Vale fire station is located on Cemetery Road in Ebbw Vale, South Wales, and serves the towns of Ebbw Vale and Cwm . As part of the South Wales Fire & Rescue Service, the fire station covers an area of approximately 13 square miles and a population of around 28,000. The station opened in 1974 as a Shift station with a Retained complement. In the mid eighties it was changed to Day Crew status before becoming a full-time service in July 2011 following a risk reduction plan. The aim of the refurbished station is to provide a suitable working environment to meet 21st century fire fighting requirements whilst also improving engagement with the community. Main Contractors SC Moore are carrying out works for the £1.2m project, which is split into two phases. Phase 1 comprised the installation of temporary accommodation, which allowed for the decantation of the firemen from the original fire station in order for the refurbishment to commence. This phase began in May 2011 and was completed in July. Phase 2 is the main refurbishment, which began at the end of July and is expected to be completed by May 2012. Several of the existing facilities – such as toilets and kitchen

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areas – have been refurbished, whilst a small two-storey extension will provide new dormitory facilities, toilets, offices and a community space. Internal works have comprised the remodelling of the original space, including demolishing walls, extending accommodation and replacing finishes. In addition, the entire building has been rewired and a new heating system installed, along with repairs and improvements to the external fabrics in order to improve the performance of the building, with the ultimate aim being to reduce the energy consumption and CO2 footprint. The first floor cladding of the existing building is to be replaced: the existing cladding will be removed and new Kingspan insulation installed before the insulated sheets are added. External works have comprised the renewal of car park areas. Stuart Howison, Project Manager for the client, said: “This is an important project for us as it is the first major refurbishment in three years and is part of the Forward Works programme to undertake major refurbishment over the whole fire service for the next ten years. “Main contractor SC Moore and architect Mark Davies from the Monmouthshire County Council have performed excellently

and we are currently both on programme and on budget.” Because the fire station has remained operative throughout the construction process, robust plans have been put in place in terms of access arrangements and keeping areas clear. The fire station has built up strong links with the local community over the years and has implemented several community initiatives, including: arson reduction group meetings, various local schools and community groups, a firewatch scheme with Ebbw Vale Comprehensive School and Glyncoed Comprehensive school, and a mentoring session with Glyncoed Comprehensive School. As a result, efforts have been made to limit the amount of disruption caused by the building process, with noise a particular concern. Deliveries have been coordinated to occur outside the start and finish of schools in order to minimise the risk to school children and pedestrians living in the residential area surrounding the fire station. Kieron Lloyd, Contracts Manager for SC Moore said: “We are delighted to be working with Southdale Fire and Rescue Service and maintaining their standards and expectations. We hope to deliver a project to them that we’re proud of and they are pleased with.”

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Luddon Construction to ensure that £15m contract will not go to waste Glasgow-based Luddon Construction has won a £15m contract to design and build a biowaste treatment plant for Fife council. The 30 month contract was initially estimated to be worth £13 million, but Luddon eventually accepted £14,980,463. The new plant will utilise anaerobic digestion (AD) as a core element of its processing technology and will have the capacity to process a minimum of 43,000 tonnes per annum of source segregated biowaste feedstocks (comprising food waste, garden waste and commercial organic wastes). The plant will also maximise the methane content of the biogas generated by the process for subsequent energy recovery, providing electricity to 1,500 homes. The new facility will be operated by Council staff and will provide facilities for feedstock reception, storage, handling, processing and management (including maturation, refinement and storage prior to export) of the process offtakes, including digestate and biogas/energy. The plant design will meet the technical standard for processing Category 3 materials under the applicable Animal By-Products Regulations in Scotland and will achieve a digestate standard that as a minimum, complies with the quality requirements of BSI PAS:110 Specification for Digestate. Luddon Construction will carry out the design, construction, commissioning and performance testing of the new biowaste plant. This will include the specialist training of nominated Council staff in AD process operation prior to the takeover of the new facility by the Council. The Contractor will be responsible for the rectification of defects after take over during the contract defects liability period. The Contract also includes options to provide post take over services to Fife Council for plant service and maintenance and specialist technical support. Biowaste is a term used to describe organic waste – animal or vegetal, that has arisen from households, commerce and the food manufacturing industry – that is putrescible (liable to decay or spoil). It is capable of self-replication and is potentially harmful to other living organisms, such as plants and fish. Biowaste has become a central issue in recent years as it is a significant factor in global warming: as biowaste degrades in the landfill, it

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produces the greenhouse gas, methane, which is 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Key drivers for the sustainable management of biowastes include the EU Landfill Directive. Which binds the United Kingdom to a reduction of biodegradable waste sent to landfill to 35% of 1995 levels by 2020. There are currently several treatment options available, including: open air windrow composting, anaerobic digestion, in-vessel composting, mechanical biological treatment, incineration, and pyrolysis and gasification. The United Kingdom produces over 100 million tonnes of biodegradable waste every year (enough to fill approximately 25 Wembley Stadiums), with a great deal of this ending up in landfills. Tricia Henton, Environment Agency's Director of Environment Protection, said: “The way in which biowastes are managed and disposed of by industry and local government is changing rapidly - so research and policy frameworks need to react in accordance with this. Local government, central government and the waste industry need a more coherent and integrated approach to managing and disposing of biowastes taking into account local and national government waste strategies and land use. “We are now at a point whereby we can produce quality biowaste outputs that can be harnessed for green energy and organic fertiliser, or if mismanaged will lead to land and water contamination, odorous emissions and unabated release of greenhouse gases. Segregating the sources of biowaste prior to treatment will ensure quality inputs to a well managed treatment process, which will in turn result in quality outputs.” Fife has previously made a notable effort to minimise levels of waste – in 2010/11, 48% of waste was recycled, making it one of the best areas in Scotland. The plant is one step further in their attempt to make the UK a greener place: by reducing the amount of biowaste left on landfills, decreasing the amount of methane gas produced and utilising biowaste as a source of renewable energy, they are creating a cleaner, safer and more sustainable future.

£20 million manufacturing flagship rises for world-leading company A £20 million flagship international manufacturing facility for world-leading temporary power and temperature control provider Aggreko, is under construction on the Lomondgate development at Dunbartonshire. Main Contractors for the scheme are Morgan Sindall; Architects are Bradford Robertson. The 170,000sq ft new plant will be used to design, develop and manufacture power generators and temperature control equipment which will be deployed by Aggreko around the world. The development will incorporate a 160,000 sq ft plant facility and 25,000 sq ft of office space on a 16 acre site just off the A82. The new building is structured around a steel frame with external elevations in profiled cladding, incorporating structural glazing and roller shutter doors and a pitched profiled sheeting roof incorporating rooflights. External works include the formation of new access to the building as well as hard and soft landscaping. Aggreko is currently based on the Broadmeadow Industrial Estate, Dumbarton, where most of its fleet of rental generators and temperature control equipment are designed and assembled. However the rapid growth of Aggreko's worldwide business over the last five years now means this facility is too small and production has been spread around a number of other sites in the West of Scotland. “The manufacturing sector is showing encouraging signs of growth in Scotland with a significant rise in new orders,” said Harry Thorburn, Morgan Sindall managing director in Scotland. “We are experts in creating these specialist facilities, constructing better and more cost effective solutions for our customers. On this scheme we are using modular construction techniques involving parts of the facility being created off-site to fast-track the construction process.”

design, engineering and manufacturing skill base." Bruce Walker, Managing Director of Walker Group said: "This is a major step forward for the development and it is tremendous news that a world class company like Aggreko is pushing ahead with developing its Scottish manufacturing base at a time when there is so much doom and gloom surrounding the UK economy. Lomondgate is now becoming a hive of activity with the main contract about to start on the Aggreko facility and the Premier Inn and family pub/restaurant now within two to three months of completion. Overall the development has already generated over £90 million of value to the region's economy according to an independent economic impact assessment thanks in part to our other anchor tenant BBC Scotland which is producing world class drama from the site." SRC Chairman and former West Dunbartonshire MP John McFall, who was recently elevated to the House of Lords, said: "It is great news for the local area and its economy that a global business such as Aggreko has chosen to expand its manufacturing operation at Dumbarton. Strathleven Regeneration Company is delighted to have played a part in securing this investment at Lomondgate - a result which was made possible through partnerships with, and the support of, West Dunbartonshire Council, Diageo, Scottish Enterprise and the Walker Group."

The facility, due for completion in 2012, is expected to create 110 new jobs and safeguard a further 120 in the Dumbarton area. The site forms part of the 120-acre former J & B whisky plant which is being redeveloped as Lomondgate by Walker Group in partnership with Strathleven Regeneration Company (SRC). Lomondgate is a mixed-use project which will also deliver 300 new homes, a new business park, hotel and visitor facilities. BBC Scotland's River City studios already occupy what remains of the J&B whisky bottling plant which once stood on the site. Speaking at the start of construction of the new Aggreko plant, Aggreko CEO Rupert Soames said: "This new facility is a vital project for Aggreko, enabling us to meet our future manufacturing expansion needs over the next 20 years. Our roots are in Dumbarton and it means a great deal to us to be able to remain where we have built up a world-leading

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Three pre-lets already secured at £9m retail warehouse redevelopment at Faraday Retail Park Legal & General Property (LGP) has announced that, on behalf of the Life Fund, it has pre-let three of four retail warehouse units on the site of a former Tesco supermarket at Faraday Retail Park, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire.

The demolition of the existing building commenced in January of this year. The site of the former Tesco unit had been vacant since 2005, when LGP relocated the supermarket to a larger 103,000 sq ft anchor unit within the retail park. LGP successfully gained planning consent for the redevelopment of the existing unit to provide four new retail warehouse units totalling circa 41,000 sq ft, along with additional mezzanine floorspace. 3D Reid (Architects) Limited designed the scheme, CBA acted as the quantity surveyor (QS) and Beattie Watkinson as the consultant.

Bowmer & Kirkland Limited appointed Deans Civil Engineering for the works, which included: earthworks, substructures, roads, concrete yards and a substantial drainage network inclusive of an attenuation system and an 11m deep manhole, which will be built over an existing culvert. The development, which is expected to create around 50 new jobs, began in mid February 2011 and is intended to finish in mid February 2012. The site is highly accessible; it is situated on the edge of the town adjacent to the South Circular Ring Road (A89) with second access from Coatbank Street (A725), providing easy access to Glasgow’s suburbs. The retail units, which range in size from 9,500 sq ft to 14,000 sq ft, have been pre-let to Currys, Mothercare and Arcadia (trading as Outfit) on 10-year leases. The lettings have taken place at rents in the region of £19-20 psf, further driving rental levels on the park. The remaining unit will provide 7,180 sq ft and there is good demand for this accommodation. Current occupiers include: Matalan, Argos, Pets at Home, Next, Brantano, Comet, Instore and Carpetright. There are 1138 parking spaces available for approximately 57,000 weekly visitors (Source: Footfall Interactive).

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James Whitehill, Senior Fund Manager at Legal & General Property commented: “The development of these four new retail units at Faraday Retail Park is in line with the Fund’s strategy of driving asset management activities to underpin outperformance. “This new development immediately adds value to the park whilst providing opportunities to further enhance rental levels over the medium to long term. The new tenant line-up re-positions the park and adds to its already strong retail offer, which should in turn attract additional occupiers to the scheme. The new units also provide an opportunity to reinvigorate the already open A1-dominated tenant mix, which will further add to the overall appeal of the park to its shoppers.”

New £3m care home for Balloans Field Village A new care home is being built in Balloans Field Healthcare Village by Tej Manda. He is the developer, financer and main contractor of the project- started around twelve years ago. The 60-bed, West Heather care home, located on West Heather Road, Inverness, will employ between sixty and sixty-six staff, of which 80% will be full-time workers. Work began on site in

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June 2010 and is expected to be complete by March 2012. The building is a 2½ storey timber kit with rough-casted block work, finished in snowcrete render and red facing brick. All rooms are single rooms with a shower ensuite and the minimum room size is 14½m² with a 3.5m² shower ensuite making each living space a minimum of 18m². There are three rooms, each at 22m² for less able occupants. The inhouse facilities include a

laundry, lift, kitchen, food preparation and storage area. There are four stairs and a boiler room. There will be a treatment room on each floor. There are reception, administration and visiting rooms for medical and social work professionals. Externally, a small amount of landscaping will take place and there will be parking space for approximately 24 cars. Timber kit was supplied by Scotframe and Colin Armstrong Jones are the architects. Michael Rose is the project manager for the scheme and is responsible for overseeing the placement of work packages and the day-to-day running of the site. He said: “Due to the modification and republication of the HSE guidelines, we have had to keep the entire timber frame fire-proofed throughout the construction period – something that I personally have not

encountered before. However, despite this, work is progressing well.” Tej Manda also commented that work was progressing as expected. He said: “Everyone is working well. The care home standards will be better than those expected by the care authorities.” The site is included within the Healthcare Village, which received planning permission in 1998 and is mostly complete. The care home is in the middle of the village, which consists of 58 retirement houses and 11 general purpose houses to give it a population mix. The Highland Council recommended the care home project, despite objections from local residents who were concerned about issues such as increased traffic and the implications for parking.

£57 million library is Aberdeen’s impressive new landmark “Much more than a conventional library....a landmark building, a bold architectural statement: powerful, dignified, inviting, and a positive contribution to the Aberdeen skyline” is how the newly completed £57 million library building at the University of Aberdeen, has been described by the university.

Project Architects, who won a design competition to create a concept for the new building. The library has been designed to match the university’s international academic ambitions and to be inviting and of value, not only to the university population, but also to the local and Scottish community, and to researchers, academics and visitors from around the world.

As well as providing a flexible, 21st century environment for over 16,000 students and the University’s international community of academics, the new library also provides a secure storage and preservation environment for over 200,000 rare books and manuscripts. The new building replaces the university’s Queen Mother Library.

The building, which is nine storeys high with a basement level and incorporates significant Caithness stone elements in its design, was conceived as a cube evoking the ice and light of the north. The building features a sharp, modern design, and a striking interior of sweeping contours around an asymmetrical atrium, which rises diagonally from the public ground floor through the floors above.

The project to construct the new library was carried out my Main contractors Pihl UK, with Schmidt Hammer Lassen as

According to the university, the library is: “A glittering building with resonances of the north. An inviting, finely-landscaped public square, drawing the visitor in to a spacious, light and airy ground-floor plaza, with luminous views up through the open atrium, and connecting the lively public spaces of the café, exhibition and event area with the monumental foundation of historical collections below and the flexible, functional, bookstacks and study areas of the floors above. Views over the chapel tower, the city and the coastline connect the library with the community it serves.” The new building features: a high quality internal environment which is light, spacious, and airy; a main book store with areas dedicated to optimal storage and access for ‘heavy demand’, reference, items, plus reader spaces, of varying types, groupings and locations, all with IT systems facilitating hard-wired PCs and wireless access. Other features include: secure, environmentally controlled areas for the special historic collections and archives, with an associated suite of supervised reading areas; a conservation lab to maintain the university’s treasures, and those of other northern collections, and various public areas including a café and space for exhibitions, readings and other events on the ground floor. The building is also BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) rated, providing the highest standards relating to sustainability, acoustics, material choices, safety and security, and fully compliant with disability access. Speaking at the start of construction, Mr Aird Buist, Manager, Pihl UK Ltd, said: ‘The new building is an elegant and iconic addition to an established world class university. This gives us the opportunity to enhance the educational experience for those within the university and wider community. Working with the University of Aberdeen and the project team, we truly believe we can provide the construction link in the creation of this outstanding facility. “This modern design includes many exciting structural elements but these will not be seen within the finished building. It is ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Angus Donaldson, Director of Estates at the University, added: "The library contract is a hugely significant milestone in the ongoing development and enhancement of the university estate and the facilities we are able to offer our communities. This stunning building sets a new benchmark in terms of physical and design quality.”

best learning and research environment for the university and a fitting home for our historic library and archival collections. It will also open up those collections to all of the wider communities that we serve, as well as making a stunning addition to the architecture of Aberdeen. A building designed to the highest architectural standards deserves the very highest standards in its execution, and that is why we are delighted to have Pihl UK onto the library team."

Professor Christopher Gane, Vice-Principal and academic lead for the project said: "The new library will provide the very

Construction began in September 2009, with the library opening to students, staff and the community in September 2011.

quite unusual for so many of these elements to be incorporated into one building.”

£2.1m South Block Studios project to nurture Glasgow’s creativity Wasps Creative Industries C.I.C has completed a £2.1m transformation of South Block Studios located on the corner of King Street and Osborne Street in the heart of Glasgow’s Merchant City. Main contractors for the project were CBC Construction and the architect was Nord. The 1902 Edwardian building is owned by Glasgow City Council and was previously used for three years as a temporary

C.I.C to give each floor a distinctive presence. The first floor features bespoke design window seating with spaces for books to create informal libraries, whilst the second floor has small garden spaces to allow plants to grow internally, along with tiled areas for people to gather and sit. The third floor is styled with ambience of an art gallery, whilst the fourth floor also has a distinctive feel achieved by a simple black and white colour palette and extensive natural lighting through clerestory glazing. In addition, the refurbishment of the ground floor foyer has given the building a strong street presence. Internal work comprised mainly the creation of new partitions and the rearrangement of internal accommodation. The building also previously lacked heating and adequate insulation, which has now been amended by repairs to the exterior walls. All the windows have also been repaired and re-seated. External works has comprised creating an external roof terrace for the courtyard and the refurbishment of 454 timber sash windows, which was a significant element of the conservation of the building, together with re-roofing a large flat roof element with a new membrane roof deck. The project utilised mainly traditional materials, including timber stud partitions, whilst the brick work and timber has been exposed, revealing the original cast iron structure of the building.

decant space for a number of arts organisations who have now relocated to Trongate 103. Before this, the building was only partially occupied. Wasps previously occupied 1½ floors of the building and through this project has expanded and refurbished the existing building over a further 2½ floors – a total of 53,000 sq ft of floor space. Two floors will now be used for creative industry companies, in such fields as design and digital media. In total, there will be accommodation for 200 people in 96 studios. The two creative industries floors will be let on a commercial basis and any surplus funds earned will be gifted back to support charitable arts activity. Wasps Artists’ Studios – a charity that will be 35 years old next April – formed Wasps Creative Industries C.I.C. as a new trading subsidiary to carry out this development. An important idea behind the project was to create ad hoc social spaces throughout the building in order to encourage interaction and joint working amongst the artists and designers who form the building’s community. Nord Architects have worked with Wasps Creative Industries

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For more information on South Block Studios, visit www. southblock.co.uk

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Community eagerly awaits new sports centre Eagerly awaited by the local community, the new Stewarton Sports Centre, under construction in Standhead Park Kilmarnock, will provide a host of new facilities. The project is being carried out for East Ayrshire Council, who are the Architects, Project Managers and Quantity Surveyors for the scheme. Main Contractors are Barr Construction; Mechanical and Electrical Engineers are Davie & McCulloch. The new centre is being constructed on a largely empty greenfield site where initial works included the demolition of a small derelict building. The building has designed to minimise its visual impact, using a curved roof to reduce the overall height and mass of the building. The new single storey building incorporates a mezzanine level plant area and is structured around a steel frame with external elevations in cladded blockwork, with blockwork internal walls. For fore safety and security purposes, the building will not have any windows, with natural light coming from a large rooflight

located within the metal SpeedDeck double skin roof, over the main entrance area. External works include the creation of a FIFA One Star full size synthetic grass football pitch which will accommodate full 11-a-side games, but also can be sub-divided into two half pitches for 7-a-side games. Hockey matches will also be played there. Other external works include the creation of a 42-space car park with four additional accessible parking spaces, and soft landscaping. Indoor facilities at the new centre include a main games hall with a Granwood floor and designed for a variety of sports and including four badminton courts, plus provision for volleyball, football, netball, tennis and basketball. There will also be a dance studio with mirrored walls and a practice bar, a fitness suite with a variety of cardio vascular exercise

Scottish Water project edges closer to completion

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equipment, a community room equipped with computers, changing and shower facilities. The building will have a variety of eco friendly features including a monodraught ventilation system, sun pipes and solar panels on the roof. Currently the building is largely complete and internal works are underway, together with car parking and landscaping works. Completion is expected at the end of October 2011.

being laid in the town. Contractors GMJV, working for Scottish Water, recently restarted work on laying a pipeline across the entrance to the Western Ferries terminal. GMJV is currently working to deliver improvements to pipe-

Scottish Waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ÂŁ34m Dunoon Waste Water Improvements scheme is fast coming to completion, with further recent improvements currently being made to the infrastructure. The scheme aimed at improving the waste water infrastructure in Dunoon and to protect the natural environment in the coastal waters of the Firth of Clyde, saw the addition of a gravity sewer

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S c otl a n d work, associated structures and outfalls from Sandhaven through to Bullwood Quarry. Black & Veatch is constructing the new treatment works at Bullwood. In order to progress with this particular section of the project, Scottish Water, in its constant liaison with local residents and road users, introduced traffic management measures around the Western Ferries terminal. Part of an area used for car parking at the terminal was temporarily closed to allow contractors working for Scottish Water to continue with their work. It will result in the near completion of the new gravity sewer being laid. Mr Rick Griffin, Scottish Water’s project manager, said: “This is a key element of the works and we have liaised closely with the local authority and Western Ferries to ensure we can progress with it while minimising any disruption in the area.” The scheme will remove a large number of untreated sewage discharges which currently flow into the Holy Loch and the Clyde and will provide biological (secondary) treatment at a modern treatment facility. One of GMJV Contractors certainly went the extra mile during one day’s work last year, when his quick thinking might have saved the life of a canoeist who got into difficulty in the Firth of Clyde. David Torrance, who was working for GMJV, contractors on the Dunoon sewerage scheme, was finishing work at the town’s

Final phase of waste water network upgrade progresses towards completion The fifth and final phase of improvements to Campbeltown’s waste water network is well advanced and on target for completion late this year in a scheme for Scottish Water. The first four previous phases of improvements to the network were designed to increase the pumping capacity from Kinloch Park Pumping Station to Slaty Farlan Waste Water Treatment Works and extend the outfall at the pumping station. The final phase of the work is being carried out by Black & Veatch, which will improve the pumping station and provide storm treatment at the WWTW and increased foul treatment. Part of the work includes improvements to the sewer network and increased capacity in the Main Street, McCallum Street and St John Street area of the town centre. The current fifth phase involves an investment of about £10 million and will take Scottish Water’s investment in all phases of the improvement work to about £23 million. Mr Eddie Burns, the project manager, said: “This phase is a key stage of our programme of work on the long-term solution for Campbeltown’s waste water network and will build on the good

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West Bay shortly after 4pm when he noticed something in the water about 200 metres from the shore. He initially thought it was a seal, but then realised it was a person and heard very faint cries for help. David quickly called 999, and got through to HM Coastguard. Clyde Coastguard called out the Dunoon Coastguard Rescue team and dispatched the police launch Rhona to locate and identify the object. The Royal Navy Rescue Helicopter R177, which was in the air on exercise, was sent to assist. The police launch, after arriving on scene, was able to confirm that the reported object was a man who had been canoeing. It is understood that he capsized his craft and fell in the water. He was winched into the helicopter and taken to the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, after spending an hour in the Clyde. Scottish Water is the sole provider of water and waste water services to an area of 79,000 square kilometres (over 30,000 square miles), a third of the area of Britain. And Scotland has a longer coastline - over 11,000 kilometres (over 6,800 miles) with a small and relatively dispersed population which requires a large number of small water and waste water treatment works. Scottish Water is the fourth largest water and waste water services provider in the UK and at £1 billion it is in Scotland’s list of top 20 businesses by turnover. work already carried out. “The completed improvement work has reduced the frequency of discharges of storm water in storm conditions to Campbeltown Loch in compliance with existing consents from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.” Mrs Jane McKenzie, Scottish Water’s regional community manager, said: “Scottish Water has worked with the local community, Argyll & Bute Council and SEPA during the delivery of the all phases of our work.”

Construction News

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Beautiful Innerleithen Parish Church to be restored to former glory The restoration of Innerleithen Church in Innerleithen, part of Innerleithen, Traquair & Walkerburn Church of Scotland, is progressing well. The main contractor for the £450,000 project was John Dennis Ltd, and the architects were Gray Marshall & Associates. Innerleithen Traquair & Walkerburn Parish is situated in Peeblesshire. The Church was originally designed by Architect Thomas Pilkington in 1865 and was reconstructed in 1887 by James MacIntyre Henry. The first phase of the project, which began January and was completed in August, included the reparation of the roof, stonework and guttering. Under this phase of the project, the entire roof was re slated and some exterior stonework replaced. In addition, twelve stained glass windows were removed in order for the stonework round the windows to be renewed before they were reinstalled. In the tower, fleche and various parts of the roof, extensive rot was

found in the timber so it was therefore replaced. In addition, all the lead work in the tower, fleche, gullies and flashings was renewed. Over a number of years the skews had become unstable and slippage had occurred, causing the lead flashing to move. This had resulted in water seeping into the roof trusses and walls. Subsequently the skews were all removed, the walls in the immediate area were repaired and the lead flashing was placed under the skews before they were replaced, with the skews all being pinned in place. In the two main gullies the timber was replaced along with the lead work. In addition, the rainwater outlets were enlarged and trace elements were fitted n order to eliminate the risk of the water freezing in the gullies. All gutters and down pipes were

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replaced. As the building is listed, all the work was carried out to meet the requirements laid down by Historic Scotland. The project has been funded by £125,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £125,000 from Historic Scotland, with the remainder coming from the church.

Flexible office accommodation for Shetland Islands Council A flexible 3,000m² office development for Shetland Islands Council is to be created as part of a £6m plan to relocate employees to a central location in Lerwick. Under the scheme, council employees who are currently located in several properties throughout Lerwick will be moved to the new offices. Construction began in April 2010 and is currently programmed to be completed in March 2012. Main contractor Hunter & Morrisons will hand over the project to the Client, Shetland Leasing and Property Developments Ltd (SLAP), who are funding the project with the Council subsequently renting the building from SLAP.

is also supported by the installation of electric charging points outside which promote the use of electric cars. Due to site restrictions, the majority of the space around the building has been used for the provision of 147 car park spaces. Craig Nicolson, Senior Project Manager from Shetland Islands Council said: “Works are progressing very well - and we have had no real issues to date. Hunter & Morrisons are performing excellently and the project is currently both on programme and on budget.”

The three-storey North Ness Offices development comprises a steel frame structure with white STO render and brown-painted timber cladding. Interesting features include a central atrium, which is located between the two office wings. The atrium, which comprises a large glass north-facing area that looks onto the harbour, offers a welcoming social space in the centre of the building. In addition, the main entrance canopy at the front of the office is designed in the shape of the sail of a boat. The internal space has been designed to be fully flexible in order to allow for any change of purpose if necessary. Although the building was initially designed for the social care service of the council, there are currently considerations for other uses for the building and therefore the fit out and occupants of the building may change. The development is also highly sustainable: it is built to Grade A energy standards and features indoor bike storage and showers in order to encourage healthy travel to work, an idea that ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Diageo Scotland’s bioenergy plant to create a greener Scotland In what is believed to be the largest single investment in renewable technology by a non-utility company in the UK, Diageo Scotland has spent a reported £65 million on constructing a bioenergy plant in Cameronbridge, Fife, Scotland. The project, which is being developed in partnership with main contractor Dalkia, has supported around 100 construction jobs and is expected to create around 20 new long-term jobs. Diageo is the world’s leading premium drinks company. Their huge drinks portfolio includes: Baileys, Captain Morgan, J&B, Jose Cuervo, Guinness and Johnnie Walker. The £65m bioenergy plant is part of a £105m investment in the Cameronbridge facility, which processes 4,000 tonnes of grain weekly. In partnership with manufacturing and consulting firm MCP, Diageo’s ‘Project Forth’ has driven a host of improvements to procedures, operations and facilities at the plant in order to increase capacity by up to 60%. The aim is to reach total annual capacity of 120 million litres of alcohol by 2012. The new facility is to generate renewable energy from spent wash (a mixture of wheat, malted barley, yeast and water) which is produced during distillation. The process for this as follows: the spent wash is separated into liquid and dry solids; the liquid is then converted, via anaerobic digestion, into biogas and the dried solids form a biomass fuel source. This will in turn enable Diageo to replace 95% of its fossil fuel usage with green energy – 98% of the thermal steam and 80% of electrical power. The new bioenergy plant comes as part of Scotland’s efforts to encourage the growth of the UK renewable energy sector. Indeed, the new Scottish Government has exceeded all expectations and increased its renewable energy target to 100% by 2020 in order to secure Scotland’s place as the green energy powerhouse of Europe. The bio energy project is in addition to a £100 million investment by Diageo in Scotland, including a £40 million expansion at Cameronbridge and a new distillery at Roseisle in Moray that will also utilise sustainable technology. Diageo and Dalkia have worked closely with local and national stakeholders, as well as consulting local community representatives. First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Diageo's innovative bioenergy facility adds to the momentum building in Scotland in terms of leading the way in clean, green energy. "The benefits to Scotland's environment are quite staggering with the reduction in annual CO2 emissions estimated to be 56,000 tonnes - the equivalent of taking 44,000 family cars off the road. "No other non-utility company in the UK is believed to have embarked on a renewable project of this scale. This investment signals Diageo's commitment to Scotland's environment and the Scottish economy with the creation of up to 20 long-term

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jobs and support for 100 construction jobs over the next three years. "Today's Scottish GDP figures show the full extent of the challenge we face. Scotland is not immune from global recession but by concentrating on our strengths we can emerge stronger from the downturn. We must continue to attract investment, promote competitiveness and support businesses to help reflate the economy. "I am delighted to welcome Diageo's latest investment in Scotland and of course its supply of cleaner, greener energy secures a prosperous and sustainable future for the company in Scotland."

PJD GROUP PJD Group was delighted to be awarded the prestigious contract to complete the installation of the bubbling fluidised bed (BFB) biomass boiler and mechanical balance of plant for Dalkia at Diageo’s Cameronbridge Distillery in January 2011. This project is a significant milestone for the environmental energy sector in the UK and we are proud to have been involved in its success. Our core business is the installation, repair and servicing of water tube boilers and associated balance of plant. We first worked in the environmental energy sector with TAKUMA CO, LTD. of Japan at the Lakeside project near Heathrow, where we successfully completed the installation of two energy from waste boiler lines, achieving class leading standards of safety and quality, on time and on budget in the autumn of 2008. Taking the specific expertise that PJD Group earned at Lakeside we have since carried out extensive installation, planned maintenance and emergency repair works at seven of the UK’s major environmental energy power stations. At the heart of our business is a desire to work in cooperation with our clients in an open manner driven to deliver our agreed performance objectives . We have a strong ethical basis and a no claims culture. By working closely with Dalkia’s team, and their boiler system manufacturer Enmas of India, we were able to bring the benefits of our experience to bear at Cameronbridge. Notwithstanding a number of technical and cultural challenges, and the requirement to resequence our works to accommodate changing site conditions, the boiler hydraulic test was completed on time. We have recently completed the balance of plant works scope, as extended, and are confident that we will receive approval of our works from the Notified Body, RSA, on a right-first-time basis. We hope that our performance at Cameronbridge will result in a strong foundation stone in the development of our future relationships with Dalkia and Diageo, who we view as clear market leaders in their sector; and, reinforce PJD’s reputation as the UK’s leading provider of mechanical erection services in the environmental energy market.

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Oldest college in Scotland to be refurbished in £3.2m project Coatbridge College is currently in the second phase of a £3.2m project to refurbish and extend the existing North Building on the Kildonan Campus in Coatbridge in order to address the DDA issues of the campus and make the facilities more accessible.

refurbishment of the existing hair and beauty salons which occupy the majority of the first and second floors of the North building. Students have remained on site whilst this work has been carried out, therefore temporary hair and beauty salons have been constructed.

Established in 1891, Coatbridge College is Scotland’s oldest college and has over 250 members of staff and 7,000 students. The college provides a diverse range of courses for students in continuing education, from catering for students with special needs to music and drama and the hairdressing and beauty therapy industry.

Phase 2B works (carried out by Richard Murphy Architects as part of their overall masterplan proposal) endeavours to connect the North building with the new Atrium entrance via a new circulation ‘street’ to be constructed within the heart of the existing building. This street will give the salons area a new front door and reception directly into the college.

Barr Construction are the main contractor for the project, with Richard Murphy the architects for Phase 2, Hardies Construction Consultants the project manager, Hawthorn & Boyle was the Mechanical & Electrical Consultant and Struer was the structural consultant. Works commenced in June 2011 and are expected to be complete in February 2012. The works to the 1960s North Building are the second phase of an overall college redevelopment masterplan that has already seen the completion of a new entrance link space between the existing north and south buildings and the comprehensive refurbishment of the south building. The North Building internal works are split into two phases – 2A and 2B. Phase 2A works (being undertaken by Hardies Construction Consultants) encompass the wholesale internal demolition and

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Phase 2 external works are concentrated along the east facade to Park Street. Here a new steel framed extension is proposed that will provide an alternative entrance and foyer which links to the existing Theatre space within the North building. Currently unused, this space is intended to be brought back to life as a state of the art conference centre as well as a modern performing arts venue. Additional function rooms associated with the conference venue are proposed along with a comprehensive refurbishment of the adjacent kitchen and refectory areas. Minor external landscaping is proposed to link the new foyer extension to the existing street, whilst the car parking provision has been modified under the previous Phase 1 alterations. Works are approximately three weeks behind schedule due to the combination of design changes to the brief and the discovery of bats roosting in the existing theatre. Currently the internal phase 2A works are at second fix whilst the steel and ground

floor concrete work for the external Phase 2 work is complete. A particularly interesting aspect of the design is the new steel framed foyer structure, which has an expressed tree form column that supports a new mono-pitch roof. The structure is effectively self-supporting as the structure and fabric of the adjoining existing North building is considered too unsubstantial to provide any additional support. Richard Murphy Architects have considerable experience in the Arts, Education, Housing, Health, Public and Community use and Masterplanning. The practice was founded in 1991 and has won an unprecedented 19 RIBA Awards. The project for Coatbridge College was won following a competitive interview between four other practices and was awarded on the strength not only of their initial design concept but also on the practice’s recently completed work for UEL in London which was amongst the building case studies visited by the Coatbridge client body.

Project puts vibrant new heart into local community Construction of a new £5.2m state of the art community facility for Fernhill is currently making good progress, in a project to provide a centralised social interaction point to host a wide range of activities ranging from football to dancing, and designed for people of all ages.

Fernhill Regeneration project, and will form a key element of a new ‘community hub’ which will also include further new housing and the relocation of the nearby shopping arcade. Responding to the needs of the local community, this modern, multi-use centre will replace the existing Fernhill Pavilion.

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S c otl a n d The project has been funded by the Community Regeneration Partnership’s Fairer Scotland Fund, together with South Lanarkshire Council, who are also the Project Architects. Main Contractors are Barr Construction.

particularly in the public sector. Examples include industrial schemes, healthcare projects and facilities for the emergency services. In addition the unit is responsible for developing the company’s expertise in car park projects.

The new building will incorporate a main hall supported with dedicated kitchen and bar facilities providing an ideal space for large functions; an inviting entrance area with relaxed seating arrangements; three flexible use committee rooms suitable for a wide variety of meetings; training and crèche activity areas; a youth area; a police office; changing facilities and toilets, and a 60m by 40m third generation synthetic football pitch that can host one 7-a-side game or three separate 5-a-side games simultaneously.

The creation of Barr's Regional Unit for England has followed the company's success in generating business in the Leeds and wider Yorkshire area.

Challenges overcome by the contract team include poor ground conditions resulting in significant soil remediation works having to be undertaken. Temporary traffic management was also required for a few weeks on Fernhill Road, to allow a new access/ egress from the site to be constructed. Constructed on piled foundations, the single-storey building, which has a ground floor area of 1700m², is structured around a steel frame with Euroclad roof and features pre-cast concrete floors with hardwood flooring finish. External elevations are in facing brickwork on the north and west elevations, a combination of facing brick and rainscreen cladding to the east and south elevations, and curtain walling around the main entrance. In addition to the creation of the new football pitch, external works include the construction of a car park and an access road in mono block paving and walkways leading to the entrance of the building in a different type of mono block paving. A third type of mono block paving is being used for a path leading from Fernhill Road to the building and an asphalt walkway is being constructed to provide access to the football pitches via the building. The site is also being fully landscaped and surrounded on three sides by security fencing. The pitch area will be additionally enclosed by a four-metre high ball stop fence. Scott Paton, Senior Quantity Surveyor for Barr Construction said: “This programme has been challenging in that we have lost four key sub-contractors who have entered into administration. However, we are still confident of achieving the original completion date.” Completion is scheduled for 19th November 201l. Councillor Gerry Convery, of South Lanarkshire Council said: “This project which will be a great facility for the people of Fernhill and is another in the line of very successful new community facilities throughout South Lanarkshire. “I am sure the people of Fernhill and the surrounding area will be delighted with their new facility when it is completed.” Barr Construction managing director Barclay Chalmers said: “We at Barr Construction were delighted to have been appointed as the main contractor for the new Fernhill integrated community facility. “We are very pleased to be working together again with South Lanarkshire Council on such an important community project and to delivering an outstanding facility.” Plans are also in place to build new council homes and four new shop units in a separate contract on the site of the old pavilion which the new centre is replacing. West of Scotland Housing Association will design the new homes, which are expected to cost £2.2 million, with £½m coming from a Scottish Government grant. Barr Construction operates dedicated units for the education, leisure and retail sectors. In addition Barr has the expertise and ability to execute schemes in a multitude of other sectors. The company’s Regional Units in Scotland and England retain the services of skilled and experienced management, technicians and trades, who are responsible for the delivery of projects in major sectors such as residential, healthcare and industrial sectors. The Regional Unit in Scotland is responsible for key clients,

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Barr has recently completed notable projects in the residential sector, and are expanding into other areas such as healthcare, commercial, and industrial sectors. Regional England also provides support to sister units operating in the education and retail sectors. Barr Limited started life in the late nineteenth century as W & J Barr & Sons, a local builder and joiner based in Ayrshire. In the late 1960s the company expanded into civil engineering and higher value projects. From the late 1980s to the turn of the century the company, in the ownership of the Barr family, embarked upon a major expansion and diversification programme that took them into areas such as house building, leisure management and retail. Since 2003 the company has refocused the approach to its business, having divested itself of non-core activities, and is concentrating on developing its construction, manufacturing, industrial and environmental divisions.

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New administration centre for Downshire Hospital Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has welcomed the lease of part of the Downshire Hospital in Downpatrick to Down District Council. Under the scheme, the west wing of the hospital building will be redeveloped and used as an administration centre for Down District Council.

mental health care. By 1957 the Hospital accommodated 1,123 inpatients. Major changes in mental health care occurred in the 1960s and by the 1980s, patient mental health care was concentrated in one end of the Downshire, making use of supported housing at Slievegrane and Acute Admissions at Finneston House.

Works on the £9.8m project will be split into two phases: Phase 1 will comprise enabling works for the South Eastern Trust, South Eastern Regional College and PSNI, and Phase 2 will be the construction of four office blocks. The project began this month (October) and is expected to be complete in June 2012. The Minister said: “By leasing the wing of the Downshire Hospital to the council it ensures that this building will continue to be used for the benefit of the local community. This building is currently surplus to our requirements and the council’s investment will secure its long term future. “I want to acknowledge the foresight of the council for recognising that this facility can have an important role to play in serving the population of Downpatrick. “This redevelopment will ensure that Downshire Hospital remains at the heart of the community offering first class health and social care services alongside a modern facility with a long term tenant.” O’Hare & McGoven are the main contractors and WDR & RT Architects are the architects for the project, which will see a double-storey glazed entrance for the new purpose built multistorey office building. The administration centre will link through to the existing building and the wing will be partly demolished and partly refurbished for office and commercial use. The landscape design proposals are influenced by the surrounding parkland context. Sustainable technologies have been applied within the hard landscape detailing and gardens and seating areas will provide attractive social areas for staff and the public. Mr Hugh McCaughey, South Eastern HSC Trust chief executive, said that the move demonstrates the South Eastern Trust’s commitment to both improving the health and well being of local people, and to the overall economic development of the area. Downshire Hospital opened on 8th October 1869 with 333 beds. Over time, the hospital grew in size and additional accommodation was provided to meet increasing demand for ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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46 new homes to be built by Clanmil Housing at Sunningdale Gardens Nelson McCausland, Northern Ireland’s Minister for Social Development, has officially started a £7million family housing development scheme in Ballysillan, Belfast, as part of a major scheme to alleviate the need for social housing in Northern Ireland. The £7m scheme will comprise 38 houses and 8 apartments, all of which will be built to high levels of energy efficiency as well as to Lifetime Homes and Secured by Design standards, which will ensure added security for tenants and flexibility of adaptation if required at a later date. The houses, built by main contractor Hugh J O’Boyle, range from two to three and four bedrooms. Six of the apartments have been specifically designed to meet the needs of independent older people, whilst a further two are intended for general use. The superstructures comprise red facing brick with concrete tiled roofing and hardwood windows. In addition, the scheme has incorporated sidewalks and drainage. Minister McCausland said: “These 46 new homes will be a welcome addition in an area that continues to have a high housing need. This significant investment will not only help to reduce waiting lists, but will bring new life back to this part of Belfast. “These new modern homes have been designed to meet the needs of the local community. It is particularly pleasing to hear that residents who previously lived in the maisonettes that stood

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on this site in years gone by wish to stay in the area and will be allocated new homes in the scheme.” Clare McCarthy, Chief Executive of Clanmil Housing said: “Clanmil is committed to providing high quality homes for rent in areas of high housing need and we are delighted to see work start on the construction of these much needed new homes for North Belfast. “We have worked closely with local community and political

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I re l a n d representatives to get the scheme to this stage and very much appreciate their help and support. We look forward to welcoming our tenants to their new homes towards the end of next year and to continuing to work with the local community to ensure the future success of this scheme.” The total cost of the scheme is expected to be £7.4m, with DSD funding £4.7m through the Housing Executive and Clanmil Housing funding £2.7m through private financing. Works began in March 2011 and are scheduled for completion in January 2013. Clanmil Housing Association was established in 1977. Its mission is to be a primary provider of high quality homes at the lowest possible economic rent for everyone in housing need. The Association currently has a total of 2, 460 homes under its management. According to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, the Strategic Housing Authority in Northern Ireland, there were almost 40,000 applicants on Northern Ireland’s social housing waiting list at 31st March 2011 – almost 21,000 of which are considered to be in housing stress. Carol McTaggart, Director of Property Services at Clanmil, said: “Clanmil is committed to finding new and innovative ways of bringing more high quality affordable homes to those who need them most, and to assisting in the alleviation of housing need throughout Northern Ireland. We continue to work with our partners in the Housing Executive and DSD to identify opportunities in those areas where housing need exists. We work with our partners to progress schemes that meet our required design standards in order to access the grant funding to enable us to deliver those schemes. Our raison d’être is to provide housing for anyone in housing need.” Clanmil Housing Association is in the process of constructing a range of new social housing developments across Northern Ireland. At the former Bass Brewery site on the Glen Road in West Belfast, 166 new social homes are being constructed on the former industrial site that had housed the brewery for almost 100 years. Clanmil bought the site and is currently building 100 five-person three-bedroom homes and 20 six-person fourbedroom houses, along with 46 two-bedroom apartments, 7 retail units and an office. Works commenced in March 2010 and are expected to be completed in August 2012. Carol McTaggart said: “This is a very exciting development as the homes have been designed and built to level 4 of the code for sustainable homes, which will mean that they are 40% more energy efficient than homes built to current building control standards.” The scheme will cost circa £25m, with a Housing Association Grant of around £17.7m and private funding from Clanmil covering the remainder of the costs. Works began in March 2011 on Clanmil’s scheme at Springfarm, Antrim, after the site was transferred to Clanmil by the Housing Executive. The scheme includes the refurbishment of 30 fourperson three-bedroom houses and 15 five-person 3-bedroom houses along with the construction of eight new build home, comprising one three-bedroom house, six two-bedroom hous-

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es and 1 four-bedroom house. Carol advised that Clanmil was working very closely with the local community association to deliver this scheme and is “excited about making this scheme happen and reducing the blight that these boarded up properties was having on the existing estate.” In Derrymacash, Lurgan, construction is currently underway on a scheme to address social housing needs in a rural community. Fourteen units are to be developed on this site, which was also transferred to Clanmil by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. The scheme comprises: 8 five-person, three-bedroom homes; 2 three-person, two-bedroom homes; 2 three-person, two-bedroom apartments and 2 three-person two-bedroom wheelchair apartments. At the site of the former North Rugby ground on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, the third phase of a four-phase scheme is nearing completion. This phase will comprise 42 units – 18 threeperson, two-bedroom apartments; 1 four-bedroom house; 12 three-person, two-bedroom houses and 11 five-person, three-bedroom houses – bringing the number of homes within this scheme to 166. This scheme was recently named one of Northern Ireland’s top 50 most desirable places to live by The Belfast Telegraph.

Hugh J O’Boyle Hugh J O’Boyle has been established in the construction industry for over 60 years, constructing a range of buildings from social housing and schools to health and community centres. Their management team has a combined experience of over 80 years. Declan McCormick from Hugh J O’Boyle said: “We have been involved with Clanmil Housing Association for a number of years now and we have developed a great working relationship with them. We were extremely pleased to have been awarded the contract to build social housing and to be working with Clanmil Housing Association once again.”

ESBI

ESB International (ESBI) are undertaking a series of four conductor upgrades in order to cater for increased renewable energy loads. The conductor upgrades will take place on the Cullenagh-Knockraha 220kV line, Killonan-Knockraha 220kV line, Limerick-Monateen 110kV line and Knockraha-Great Island 220kV line. Contractors for the project are TLI, Gaeltec and ESB Networks.

Procedure for Installation of HTLS Gap Type Conductor The HTLS Conductor has a higher maximum operating temperature, which results in a corresponding increase in current carrying capacity compared to the equivalent ACSR Conductor of the same cross-section. The construction of HTLS conductors is such that there is a gap of approximately 1.5mm between the steel core and the inner layer of the aluminium strands. This gap is filled with grease and as a result, the aluminium layers can move with respect to the steel core during sagging of the conductor. It is critical that this gap is maintained during Pulling Out, Sagging and Terminating of the HTLS conductor to maintain the performance of these conductors. Albeit the maximum operating temperature of HTLS conductors is much higher than that of the equivalent existing ACSR conductors of similar cross sectional area, they have reduced sags and consequently, the existing structures on each line can be used.

Critical Design Criteria that must be adhered to: â&#x20AC;˘

A Maximum of 3 Drums can be used in any one pulling out process

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The Stringing out tension must not exceed 60% of the Initial Erection Tension (IET)

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The Steel Core only is used in sagging the conductor.

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At no stage in the process must the tension on the Aluminium Strands exceed 60% IET.

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The conductor needs to be broken every 5-6 spans (Semi Strain and Mid Span Joints)

A Number of steps must be taken in order to install the conductor correctly. •

The straight in question is to be earthed, the suspension clamps removed and the conductor placed into stringing wheels

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The Aluminium outer layers of the conductor are unravelled up to 8m out from the structure in question, (Semi Strain or Angle Tower)

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The steel core Comealongs / guy grips are placed on the steel core and using chain hoists the conductor is sagged as per ESBI Sag Tables.

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Depending on the size of the straight and the spans in the straight up to six guy grips may be required per phase.

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Once the conductor is sagged the straight is left to settle for 12hrs.

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Following the 12hr settling period the conductor sag is checked once more and when correct the steel Deadend is compressed onto the steel core.

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Immediately after this the aluminium Deadend is compressed.

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All crossings LV/MV/HV and roads must be adequately guarded

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Conductor drums are loaded into drum carriers and connected to Puller/Tensioner machinery.

The Deadend is then connected directly onto the Insulator and hardware.

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A steel stopper is compressed onto the steel core of the conductor to prevent the steel from slipping inside the Aluminium of the conductor.

Jumper arrangements are created using gap type conductor at Angle Masts.

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The HTLS conductor is then connected onto the existing ACSR conductor using stringing stockings and pulled out through the section in question.

All Stringing wheels are removed and the conductor is clipped into the Suspension clamps at all suspension locations ensuring the Insulators are in tension balance.

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Sags are then checked by the Design team using GPS and Total Station.

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It is very important that there is no more than one Semi Strain position in any pulling section due to the difficulty of landing the stringing stocking in position.

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These sags are input into the design programme and Sags verified.

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Line Hardware is checked by Line Inspector.

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Straight is signed off by design team and Line Inspector,

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Once the conductor is strung out the “Standard Compression” joints (ACSR Construction) are made off and the conductor is back-hung on the allocated towers/ polesets.

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The “Gap Compression” procedure is then initiated.

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Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre set to become national treasure Work is progressing well on the National Trust’s £18m new visitors centre at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland. The new facility will include an exciting interpretive demonstration and state-of-the-art tourist information facilities.

The European Regional Development Fund will provide £6.125m of the funding, the Northern Ireland Tourist will provide £3.125m, £3m will come from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the remaining funding will come from fundraising. GilbertAsh are the main contractors and Heneghan Peng the architect.

ground heating and cooling systems.”

He commented on the innovative use of local materials, saying: “We wanted to use Irish basalt. In order to make this possible, we had to identify a quarry and then work closely with a very high provision stone mason to get the stone from the quarry to the yard to the site. The grass roof to the building is also comprised of grasses that are indigenous to the area.” The project has not been without its challenges. Because of

The Giant’s Causeway is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern Ireland. Managed by the National Trust, it comprises an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns which are the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is a protected site; therefore due to planning restrictions the building had to be built on the existing Brownfield footprint. The new Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre, which features a cafe and a shop, has been designed to complement the existing landscape. Graham Thompson, Project Director for the scheme, said: “Because of the delicate nature of the site, it was important to create a building that restored the integrity of the landscape. It is a highly innovative design, so for us to build such a sustainable building whilst adhering to planning restrictions – for instance we were not permitted any chimneys or aerials – was quite a challenge. To achieve the BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, we had to use recycled aggregates for the GGBS concrete. We also have two very innovative under-

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I re l a n d the geometric nature of the design, combining the elements of the interior and the facade has proved incredibly difficult and has required intensive coordination. Furthermore, the design has a 1mm tolerance – virtually unheard of – and so each piece of stone has to be perfect. Lighting was also an issue as the 1800m² building is semi-buried. In order to make the building as light and bright as possible, impressive roof lights have been installed, which has also required excellent coordination between the contractors and the design team. The stunning design for the one-storey Giant’s Causeway Visitors Centre is the result of an international architectural and landscaping competition, which Heneghan Peng won. Graham Thompson said: “When the building is completed, to most people it will be a bright, lovely building. The architecturally interested will see the amazing level of detail that has been put into this project. They will see the lines joining in the bright concrete, the precision and craftsmanship that has been involved in the stone, the intricate pathways, balustrades and the roof, and how it has all combined.” The National Trust Acts enable the charity to declare land inalienable, which means that it must be conserved in perpetuity. Only places of the highest importance - such as Hadrian’s Wall - may be declared inalienable. Graham Thompson said: “We are doing something that is amazing and different: we are

creating a building that we could declare inalienable because of its quality alone. Indeed, the quality of the building is so high that we would imagine that in two years time, it will be considered for the Stirling Prize. This truly is an incredible project to be involved with.” The expected handover date is May 2012, and the centre will be open to the public in July.

Antrim Castle Gardens to blossom once more after £5.8m restoration project Northern Ireland’s largest ever historic garden restoration is currently underway at the Antrim Castle Gardens on Randalstown Road, Antrim, in a scheme that intends to establish Antrim Castle Gardens as a major regional visitor destination. Under the £5.8m project, Main Contractor Henry Bros (Magherafelt) Ltd and Lead Design Consultant MWA Partnership will restore the impressive 17th century gardens back to their former glory. The castle itself was erected in stages between 1610 and 1666, before it caught fire and was destroyed in 1922; it then lay in ruins until 1970, when it was demolished. The Gardens are one of only three remaining great water gardens in Ireland and, indeed, the United Kingdom. The site is on the Register of Historic Gardens and Parks in Northern Ireland, whilst a number of the features – including Clotworthy House, Deerpark Bridge, Long Canals & Round Pond – are listed. The site itself is also within a designated Conservation Area. Enabling contracts commenced in Autumn 2009, after over 10 years of careful planning. The completion of the first set of works is expected this month and the Gardens will open in stages from November 2011. The expected completion date is summer 2012.

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Funding has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and Charitable Trust. One of the key parts of the project is the new garden heritage centre, which will exploit the unique qualities of the Castle Gardens landscape and the attractive historic ambience of the Clotworthy buildings. Major refurbishment works are nearing completion at the Clotworthy buildings complex: the Long Barn and Victorian Garage have been transformed through a gradual process of structural repairs, architectural re-design of the interior spaces, and wall construction. The Victorian Garage now features a ‘Nature Roof’ covered in sedum, which holds water from heavy rainfall in swollen leaves, forming a tight mat and therefore alleviating some of the flooding pressure on drains from rain water run-off. It will also help to insulate the building, reducing heat loss to the atmosphere and reducing the noise of rain water. The buildings around the courtyard at Clotworthy are an important nesting and roosting site for swifts and bats, whereas the northern and north-western woodlands have areas of woodland ground flora. Tree management was undertaken in order to preserve as many trees as possible, whilst other eco-friendly measures include rainwater harvesting and Biomass heating.

Trinity Housing: The Sustainable Housing Association Trinity Housing Ltd has been registered with the Department for Social Development since 1977, and is a well-trusted developer providing Social Housing for the Elderly, General Needs Family Housing and Supported Accommodation. It also works closely with other organisations such as Health and Social Care Trusts to meet the needs of clients who require a higher level of support.

Trinity is also one of the founders of Apex Procurement NI Ltd, a firm established in 2009, for delivering Social Housing in accordance with the Northern Ireland Department for Social Development Procurement Strategy. Having secured a reputation as a Housing Association offering expertise and a keen desire to communicate clearly with tenants, Trinity Housing Association is constantly reviewing their schemes with regard to providing innovative developments. The Tudor Phase 4 project in Belfast is also in the pipelines, with a completion date of March 2012. The development is set over three sites: Agnes Street, Tudor Place and the Crumlin Road. When complete, the Agnes Street site will consist of: 2 x 5 people 4 bedroom general needs houses, 2 x 7 people 4 bedroom general needs houses and 1 x 6 person 4 bedroom wheelchair home. The Tudor Place site will comprise 2 x 5 person 3 bedroom general needs houses, whilst the Crumlin Road site will consist of 1 x 6 person 4 bedroom general needs house and 1 x 5 person 4 bedroom general needs house.

Bridge Street, Downpatrick Recently, Trinity Housing Association has collaborated with the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust and the Dementia Services Development Centre to create Supported Housing for those left more vulnerable with the illness.

by reducing heat loss and making use of a renewable energy resource with the inclusion of a Biomass Heating System. In terms of land use, the building was specifically tailored to the site to maximise the site potential, yet also respect the historic significance of its location. The building groups together a series of self-contained units around landscaped gardens and terraces. This promotes outdoor leisure and recreational activities by providing a safe, secure and stimulating environment, while meeting all requirements of the Secured By Design programme.

Grove Street Trinity’s concern for sustainability is carried through to all their recent developments, including a building project in Grove Street East, Belfast, which will be Northern Ireland’s very first Housing Association Scheme meeting Code for Sustainable Home Code Level 4 requirements. This project involves the construction of seventeen x two- and three-bedroom houses for general needs accommodation, and incorporates several ecologically-friendly features, to reduce CO2 emissions by 44%. These features include solar panels, low-energy technology, improved insulation and air-tightness, combined with air-source heating system and whole-house heat recovery and ventilation. The use of these technologies grows out of Trinity’s sense of responsibility, a care for the environment and for those who will occupy the new accommodation. While these houses boast great ‘green’ credentials, such features will reduce fuel and water costs, another benefit to future tenants, helping to create sustainable homes for the future.

Located on Bridge Street, Downpatrick, they have built a new Supported Housing Project comprising: twelve x three-person, two-bedroom apartments for the frail elderly with mild dementia; two x two-person, two-bedroom apartments and ten x one-person, one-bedroom apartments, for those suffering with moderate dementia. All built to wheelchair standard. The scheme will be assessed under the Dementia Audit Tool, and aims to achieve ‘Gold Standard’ for the Best Practise, maximising funding to provide the highest standard of accommodation for the client group. In order to minimise the environmental impact of the building, the scheme was designed to Code for Sustainable Homes Code Level 3 Standard, decreasing CO2 emissions as far as possible

New build social housing provision peaks with Apex Under construction as part of a larger government scheme to boost the provision of social housing in Northern Ireland, are five general needs housing developments - all reported to be making good progress - being carried out for Apex Housing Association. The schemes are being carried out as part of the Social Housing Development Programme funded by the Northern Ireland Department for Social Development. “Although impending budget cuts will result in a decrease in the number of new build social housing schemes that we can deliver, we still have a large ongoing programme of housing de-

velopments that will be progressing over the next two or three years” said My Ray Forbes of Apex Housing Group. Amongst the schemes currently underway are developments at Blighs Lane, Londonderry; Castlewellan Road, Newcastle, County Down; Martin’s Lane and Derrybeg Villas in Newry, County Down, and a rural development known as Rural Phase 8 in Counties Londonderry and Tyrone. “All the contractors are doing well and we are generally pleased with the progress of these schemes, which we anticipate will be completed on time” said Mr Forbes. At Blighs Lane, Londonderry, 61 two and three bedroom ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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I re l a n d homes, including terraced and semi detached properties, are under construction. The homes, which are being built by Main Contractors O’Hare & McGovern, are being constructed on the former location of a factory, where enabling works were required due to the sloping nature of the site. The project, which has been on site for 12 months, will be handed over in phases, commencing November 2011. O’Hare & McGovern are also carrying out a larger development of 130 homes at Castlewellan Road, Newcastle. The mainly two and three bedroom properties include mainly terraced and semi detached houses, together with a smaller number of apartments. This is the first social housing scheme in Newcastle for 30 years and, due to the high demand for this type of accommodation in the area, the project is a particularly welcome and significant development. The scheme is being built on an empty site where initial operations included standard enabling works. “This development will go a long way in meeting the high demand for social housing in the Newcastle area” said Mr Forbes. Two smaller schemes underway in Newry, County Down are at Martin’s Lane and Derrybeg Villas. Both are being carried out by Main Contractors O’Hanlon & Farrell. The Martin’s Lane development is a small scheme of six houses and the Derrybeg Villas scheme involves the construction of a single detached house to accommodate a large family. Both schemes are due for completion within the next two months. The Rural Phase 8 scheme comprises the construction of four cottages in four seperate locations in Counties Londonderry and Tyrone. These homes, being constructed by Lowry Brothers Ltd, will replace properties which were no longer fit for purpose, and are due for completion in the next four weeks. Apex Housing Association provides housing and support at affordable costs for those in need. The association recognises the particular requirements of families and individuals through the provision of accommodation and associated services for

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general needs, young people, active and frail older people and for those with mental health difficulties, learning difficulties and those requiring emergency shelter. The association provides a range of dwelling types and support services to meet housing need identified in those local communities within which it operates. The accommodation and services which Apex Housing Association provides includes: general needs accommodation for families and single persons; purpose built accommodation for the elderly; supported housing for people with disabilities; support services for vulnerable groups; resource centres under the management of local communities, and mixed tenure developments to provide low cost home ownership options. During 2010/11 Apex received government approval for the delivery of approximately 700 new dwellings. This was their largest development programme ever (299 in 2009/10) and has been achieved through committed effort and team working across the Development, Finance, Property Services and Housing

Departments within the group’s head office. This equates to an investment of around £70 million of which £27 million is from private borrowing.

This has been a huge achievement which had an immediate benefit for those working within the construction industry and eventually for those on the housing waiting list.

Project enhances the learning curve

Works commenced in June 2010 and were completed in August 2011.

The recent completion of the brand new £3.85 million Whitehouse Primary School and Nursery unit building in Doagh Road, Whitehouse Newtonabbey, Co Antrim, was greeted with delight by parents, teachers and children alike. The new school replaces an old primary school which occupied the site before being destroyed by a fire in 2009. The project was carried out for the North East Education and Library Board by Main Contractors Graham Construction.

Louise Weir who has taught at the school for 17 years said: "This is amazing for us and the children to be able to have this huge building, their own playgrounds, their own spaces and everything catered for their own needs.” Parents and pupils also praised the new facility. Parent Priscilla Udoh said: "It was really, really hard but this is what we've been dreaming of. This is a school, this is beautiful." P7 pupil Ethan Dawson added: "It's good because a few years ago we didn't know if we were going to have a school to go into. When I came in here it just seemed so big compared to the other school."

Following the fire, staff and pupils at the school had to move into a wing of the nearby secondary school, which was built for older pupils. Eventually, after a campaign by parents and teachers, the Department of Education released money for a new building. Initial construction works included demolition of the remains of the old school building and clearance of the sloping site. The new single storey building incorporates a 2535m2 primary school and a 288m2 nursery unit, and features external elevations primarily in red Tyrone brick with contrasting banding, with a ‘K-Rend’ white finish incorporating curtain walling elements to the main hall section. Windows are aluminium framed. Internally the building is of block cavity wall construction with a 215 mm inner leaf, with isolated supporting steel elements and a steel frame system to the main hall. The layout of the building is divided into three main accommodation blocks connected by a link corridor and a covered walkway. The building incorporates 14. classrooms, each with toilet accommodation and storage facilities, with classrooms divided into groups, each of which shares a central internal resource areas lit by roof lights and corner windows to classrooms. Eco friendly features of the building include a rainwater harvesting system and heat pumps. Distinctive design features include a dramatic curved aluminium standing seam roof over the main hall, with this curve also reflected internally within the acoustic ceiling. The remainder of the roof is primarily pitched and tiled. Rooflights are used extensively throughout to flood the school with natural daylight. The building also features a zinc entrance canopy linking the hall with the main body of school building. Externally the works include the provision of a car parking area and soft landscaping.

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Belgium’s biggest infrastructure project powers ahead Currently the biggest infrastructure project in Belgium, The Liefkenshoek Rail Tunnel project involves the construction and maintenance of the civil infrastructure for a new 16.2 km freight-only railway in the bounds of the Port of Antwerp undercrossing the River Schelde and the Canal Dock.

ing but never used Beverentunnel), the River Schelde and the Kanaal dock. The rail link consists of 4.8km of embankment, 4.2km of open and covered trench, 1.2km of existing tunnel (reopening of the already built but never used Beveren Tunnel) and almost 6km of double-bored tunnel with an internal diameter of 7.3m.

In 2013 the new tunnel will connect the left bank of the River Schelde with the right, linking the western and eastern docks of the city.

The two single-track tunnels - roughly 5,970m long - are being created by shield driving and an internal diameter of 7.3m, as well as several km of tunnels by cut-and-cover with deep diaphragm walls and cement-bentonite.

The project, valued at €680 million, is intended to provide a solution for the expected large rise in goods transport by rail in the area. The scheme is a design, build, finance and maintenance agreement with a maturity period of 41½ years (3½ years for construction up to availability, plus 38 years after the achievement of availability for maintenance). The project involves the construction and maintenance of civil infrastructure (with associated electro-mechanical systems where essential for maintenance of the civil infrastructure) to provide for others to construct, maintain and operate the railway. The project is being carried out for Infrabel N.V. Following several tendering phases, the contract was awarded to the successful bidding consortium LocoRail NV in November 2008. This consists of the Belgium company CFE NV, the French VINCI Concession SA company and the Dutch company BAM PPP. Mott MacDonald Ltd will be Technical Advisors to the Locorail consortium's lending bank. The project comprises a double-track route from Bundel Zuid to the Antwerp North marshalling yard, which runs under three water bodies: the Waasland canal (through the already exist-

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The tunnel boring machines (TBMs) made by Herrenknecht, are approximately 8.4m in diameter and have a conic tail skin. The tunnelling installation, including five trailers, is about 110m long. Both TBMs are fitted with an electric drive with an installed thrusting force of roughly 60,000kN and the operating pressure of the TBMs amounts to 4bar. The TBMs are equipped with a closed cutting wheel, which rotates in front of the shield. Both tunnels are bored separately using a 102m long boring machine on steel rollers, proceeding with assistance from a high-pressurised water hydromix shield. The complete boring task is computer and laser driven and takes place under the supervision of TUC RAIL, Infrabel’s rail technology consultancy. A crucial phase during the task was boring to +/- 40 metres under ground level (ground floor) of the Scheldt and +/- 30 metres under the ground level of channel dock B1-B2. This was prepared in minute detail and executed by TUC RAIL and the building consortium THV LOCOBOUW so that shipping would not be inconvenienced. In preparation for this, THV LOCOBOUW deposited approximately 30,000 m³ of concrete in the channel dock last year and then installed a 2 metre thick concrete plate on top. This spectacular underwater operation took place from floating pontoons

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using divers. The aim was to realise an improvement to the base in order to guarantee the safety of the excavation works for the tunnel under the channel dock. Along the tunnels there are 13 cross-passages and eight connections with evacuation shafts. Generally speaking the cross-passages and evacuation shafts are built alternately at approximately 300m gaps. Beneath the River Schelde five cross-passages at gaps of roughly 250m without any evacuation shafts located between them are being created. The new link will enable trains to travel back and forth without having to leave the port area. In addition, operating costs for the trains will be lower as the railway route between the larger locations on both banks will be reduced by roughly 22 km. Safety is an absolute priority. For instance, electromechanical installations are provided in the tunnels (smoke, heat and water vents), and access roads and shafts to the tunnels are being built for emergency services. A fire fighting system has also been installed. When it comes to safety, the emergency services will be provided with access passages and shafts to the tunnels. There will also be 600 metres of evacuation shafts (14 in total) and cross passages (13 in total) at every 300 metres. The rail tunnel will be equipped with safeguards such as a fire detection system (including cameras), an evacuation system (including smoke and heat removal systems), an automatic foam extinguisher system and fire-resistant concrete. The Liefkenshoek rail link will also be fitted with the European train control system (ETCS). Infrabel is integrating the rail infrastructure in the environment in a sustainable manner via the realisation of a 54 hectare natural compensation area (The Groot Rietveld in Kallo) which has already been completed. A range of sound buffers will also be installed in Kallo and several sound screens will be constructed in the surrounding area. During tunnel boring, Infrabel will also use a special 7,000 m² purification installation in Kallo that separates soil and bentonite (a mixture of water and clay that is used during building work). In total, the project involves the use of 400,000 cubic metres of in situ concrete and 40,000 tonnes of reinforced steelwork. By mid 2013, the building works will have been completed. In the period 2012-2014 Infrabel will execute the works on tracks, signalling infrastructure and overhead wiring in several stages. Infrabel will integrate the new rail infrastructure into the surroundings in a sustainable way by building a compensation area at Groot Rietveld in Kallo, three noise buffers around Kallo, Verrebroek and Zuidelijke Groenzone and noise screens. From the spring of 2014 onwards the rail infrastructure of the Liefkenshoek rail connection will be tested. On account of the intensive use of the Port of Antwerp - espe-

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cially on the left bank of the River Schelde, where 7.5m containers are handled each year - a considerable increase in goods transportation by train is anticipated. Infrabel will carry out works on tracks, signalling infrastructure and the catenary system between 2012 and 2014. In spring 2014, the rail infrastructure of Liefkenshoek rail link will be tested. After the required approvals, Infrabel will make this new rail link available to the railway operators in mid–2014. The Liefkenshoek rail link fits into Infrabel’s strategy for a step-by-step capacity expansion of the rail infrastructure and an improvement of the traffic flows between the strategic Deurganckdok (the Waaslandhaven) and the marshalling yard Antwerpen-Noord on the Right Bank. The Liefkenshoek rail link means that trains will no longer have to make a detour around the junctions (Kennedy rail tunnel and the rail axis Antwerpen-Berchem – Antwerpen-Schijnpoort) and this will, in turn, free up capacity on the surrounding lines for passenger travel. With this rail link, Infrabel aims to provide progressive support to the growth of the port of Antwerp within the context of optimum intermodality between rail and water. Even during the crisis, Infrabel has been proactive in terms of ongoing investments in rail infrastructure in preparation for the current increase in freight transport. Infrabel would like to expand the share of rail traffic in the port of Antwerp from the current 10% to approximately 15% by 2020, which will ultimately benefit their customers. Infrabel is the public limited company responsible for the management, maintenance, renewal and development of the Belgian railway network. The company is also responsible for

the allocation of train paths to all Belgian and foreign operators. Infrabel’s specific shareholders structure guarantees complete independence. The firm was established on 1 January 2005 following the split of the Belgian railways and is part of the SNCB Group. Today, the company employs some 12,500 people and generates revenues of approximately €1 billion. Infrabel is a part of the SNCB group, with a stable financial basis. Headed by Infrabel’s CEO, Luc Lallemand, the company has three directorates, six general departments and an internal audit department. The directorates consist of the Infrastructure Directorate which renovates and maintains the existing rail infrastructure. The Network Directorate organises and monitors the train traffic in real time, and the Rail Access Directorate allocates the railway network to different operators and invoices its use.

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Heritage

Stained Glass & Other Starring Roles Stained glass and leaded light windows are specialist products but do not exist alone in any setting. There are other associated trades and materials that are often required to make a window function usefully. The main supporting role is played by metal.

LEAD The use of metal products is very important if a window is going to last. Lead is the most obvious and the ‘H’ sections used for assembling a leaded window can be of various sizes and profiles, depending on the thickness of the glass and the design of the window. A length of lead is called a ‘calme’ and is derived from the Latin word ‘calamus’, meaning a reed. Lead calmes were originally made by lining up reeds in a shallow box and molten lead poured over them, resulting in lengths of lead with a groove along each side into which the glass would fit. Now, lead is milled or extruded which is both quicker and more precise. This lead is capable of lasting for an average of 150 years depending on weather exposure and support systems such as glazing bars.

ISOTHERMAL GLAZING The rare pieces of mediæval glass found in our churches are now in such poor condition that they need protecting from the elements if they are to survive. The pitting and white spotting usually seen on the outside of this glass are caused by chemicals leaching out of the glass in exchange with chemicals from the atmosphere mixed with water. To prevent this, the glass has to be protected from the rain on the outside and from condensation forming on the inside. To achieve this, the glass has to be removed, protective glazing fitted in its place and the delicate glass reinstated forward by an inch or so and ventilated to the inside of the building. For entire windows, the ancient glass can be fitted into manganese bronze frames and fixed to the inside of the mullions, leaving the protective glazing (glass, polycarbonate, laminated or toughened glass or simple leaded lights) to bear the brunt of the weather. This can also be carried out for the benefit of individual pieces of glass which can be fixed proud of its supporting glazing, leaving an air gap between it and its protective glazing.

SUPPORT SYSTEMS Without the support from glazing bars, a leaded window would sag and distort under its own weight. Simple internal glazing bars have replaced much of the external ‘ferramenta’ over the years but this has been halted by the efforts of conservation practices. The external ferramenta is a system of horizontal ‘saddle bars’ which are shaped to slot over vertical ‘stanchions’. Copper tie wires soldered to the glazing are then twisted around these, holding the glazing in place. Made of iron, these external bars are prone to rust within the stone but can be retained

Stone damage caused by rusting bars

Tipped, painted and ready for installation

by ‘tipping’. This involves cropping off the ends of the bars then welding on a nonferrous metal of the same sized section.

CASEMENTS & HOPPERS Again, being made of ferrous metals, these are prone to rusting and require overhauling to keep in working order. Due to our churches being under ventilated, many have had new opening casements installed. These can be made of mild or stainless steel or other non-ferrous metals and painted or powder coated. Various mechanisms and pulley systems can be used to operate them as some will require operation from ground level while the window is 25’ up in the clerestorey.

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Whilst condensation plagues the supporting diamond patterned leaded glazing, the ancient glass roundel remains dry.

What’s The Point? 2009 - The major players in the Heritage Sector of the construction industry challenged contractors to sign up for an initiative that would spell the end of unqualified, inappropriately skilled contractors working on national heritage sites. For once making sure a job was done the right way was being made a priority over trying to get the job done for the cheapest price

Leadwork CSCS cardholders on English Heritage projects and thereby: •

Recognise the overall commitment of the craft sector to maintaining quality standards.

•

Recognise the specific commitment of the specialist leadwork sector in rapidly achieving a critical mass of registered contractors.

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Send a message to all craft trades that supporting this initiative will be a worthwhile and justified commitment.

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Remove the threat of untrained, unqualified, inexperienced and insufficiently knowledgeable tradesmen from vulnerable heritage projects.

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Prioritise historically correct working practices and long term value for money over short term, cut price expediency.

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Protect and preserve today’s heritage for future generations.

Despite their frustrations, the LCA believe EH will eventually do the right thing, perhaps simply because any alternative course will put the integrity of the entire heritage sector at risk. The ground is therefore already being prepared for those that did not register for the Heritage Skills card during the “grandfather rights” window which closed in September 2010, yet many are skilled and experienced craftsmen who will be prevented from working on heritage sites.

2010 - the members of the Lead Contractors Association (LCA) rose to that challenge and more than 300 signed up (at a cost) to be recognised as Heritage Skills Specialist Leadworkers and receive the newly conceived CSCS card, believing the major client base involved would be approving exclusive use of this carded workforce on heritage projects.

In conjunction with the Lead Sheet Association, the LCA are pressing Construction Skills to recognise an Experienced Worker Practical Assessment (EWPA) route to gaining a nationally recognised Level 3 qualification in Heritage Skills which

April 2011 - we are still waiting for a commitment to this quality standard initiative from the sector’s major client group, English Heritage. Whilst all the right supportive noises have been made at various senior levels within EH, what has been the biggest push in recent times for meaningful recognition of the heritage specialist is in danger of failing because of prevarication by the organisation that stands to benefit the most. The problems at English Heritage have been widely documented. The national economic crisis has required drastic cut backs in the public funding of EH budgets, subsequently threatening widespread redundancies at all levels. Of course this is a painful and difficult time for many organisations and businesses, including English Heritage, but also including all those contractors, suppliers and manufacturers involved in UK construction. The National Heritage Training Group has been supported by Construction Skills, UNITE the Union and the NHTG member craft organisations in rapidly developing the Heritage Skills CSCS card initiative. Once again, specialist leadwork has been at the fore of successfully achieving the required “critical mass” of qualified cardholders registered for heritage work and is now being used as a test case in challenging English Heritage to make their own commitment to quality standards. The NHTG, flanked by UNITE and the Lead Contractors Association is seeking urgent talks with EH at the highest levels to persuade them to act now, to announce a change in procurement policy to exclusively use Heritage Skills Specialist ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Heritage would then enable contractors to apply for their Heritage Skills CSCS card. As well as providing the EWPA assessment venue, Nigel Johnston at the LSA is also exploring the potential for providing an on site facility for the “Health & Safety – Working at Heights” test, thus providing a more convenient single venue to process applicants and minimise the time lost from site. Once again the leadwork sector has taken the initiative to press others to recognise the level of quality standards which they have worked so hard to achieve and are determined to maintain. The standards of the leadwork sector – their years of policing, quality control, comprehensive reference literature and tech-

nical support – are the envy of every other roofing trade, but it comes at a long term price, both financially and in terms of commitment. There is a very real danger that if this craft skills initiative stalls, we risk the prospect of our built heritage being vandalised and iconic buildings such as the dome at St Pauls being covered in a lead sheet look-alike in the future because all the traditional lead craftsmen have disappeared. There is also the danger that when English Heritage and others next seek support from contractors for future important “initiatives”, they risk being met with a simple response: “What’s the point?”

Restoration and conservation mortars By Ugo Spano, St. Astier Limes Liaison Office Today all of us are charged with ensuring the survival of our historical and vernacular built heritage through careful and considered conservation, restoration and renovation. All too often, buildings are repaired with inappropriate materials and poor skills. Many are the subject of interventions that in time lead to their total loss. Others are simply changed out of all recognition. In most cases, the mortar used for repairs, restoration or conservation contains cement. In these buildings, the use of cement mortars promote condensation build up, salt reactions and, generally, drastically affects the long term survival of the building. St. Astier natural hydraulic lime mortars provide a valid alternative to cement mortars or cement/lime mixes and, if applied properly, they will have a much longer life. Environmentally, they offer far greater efficiency than cementicious mortars by re-absorbing CO2 and not compromising the recyclability of the building materials. We work with what we call the ‘ten commandments’ when judging the suitability of mortar:

mechanical.. Mortars introduced into existing structures must not react chemically with existing mortars and surrounding masonry by introducing soluble salts such as sulphate (gypsum) or aluminates causing sulphate attack; or alkalis (potassium and sodium) causing a reaction with the sand (alkali-silica reaction). In mechanical terms, mortars should not be too dense to impede breathability or have poor elasticity resulting in cracks that will allow water/moisture penetration.

Rule 2: Look for low capillarity and shrinkage These are both properties affecting the durability of the mortar. High capillarity allows moisture penetration and, if a mortar has poor breathability (such as cementicious mortars), there will be condensation and associated problems. The main causes of high capillarity are poor sands and void structure and high quantity of free lime in the binder. Free lime crystallises in the voids, reducing their size and therefore increasing their capillary action. Poor building details and drainage increases the amount of water in touch with the masonry which can be absorbed by capillary action.

•

Compatibility

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Low capillarity and shrinkage

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Adequate Ca(OH)2 or free lime content

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Resistance to frost

Shrinkage is caused by:

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Resistance to salts

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Vapour permeability (breathability) & good sands

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Early setting, good elasticity/workability/re-workability

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Suitable compressive and bonding strength

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Environmental considerations

Inadequate suction control of the masonry units. If suction is not controlled by adequate wetting or dampening of the masonry, water in the mortar will be sucked into the masonry. The mortar is therefore deprived of the water necessary for hydration and the mortar becomes friable as its matrix has not formed properly.

•

Correct working and site practice

•

High free lime content. This is because free lime is very fine and demands more water at the moment of mixing the mortar. The evaporation of this water leaves micro cracks in the mortar (shrinkage).

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Wrong dosage in the mortar mix. Commonly occurring when too much binder is used. Over-binding produces a heave effect, causing cracks.

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Poor mixing of the mortar can cause over-binding in certain areas and low binding in other with cracks as a result.

•

Poor protection from drying wind, direct sun, driving rain and frost when the mortar is still fresh will also cause

Rule 1: Compatibility We prefer to look at compatible mortars rather than like for like. The reason for this is that today in most cases, it is not possible to reproduce exactly the mortars of the past. The binders are different; the sands might not be the same. In the EU, a lot of sand pits have closed and some of the historic pits no longer exist. Compatibility should be both chemical and

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High shrinkage is also a source of cracking and it is to be avoided.

cracking and shrinkage. So will poor curing: mortars, especially lime mortars, need time to cure. So, depending on the weather conditions, mortar needs to be dampened for few days in warm weather or in the presence of drying wind. â&#x20AC;˘

In cold rainy weather and when frost is expected, fresh mortars have to be covered to prevent damage. This is normally done with hessian sheeting.

Rule 3: Adequate Ca(OH)2 or free lime content Free lime, high calcium lime, available lime, air lime, hydrated lime, portlandite, fat lime and slaked lime are basically all the same and consist of calcium hydroxide - Ca(OH)2. The trade uses all these denominations and sometimes people do not know that they all refer to the same element. They are classified in BS/EN 459 Standard as CL (calcium limes) and are differentiated by the percentage of Ca(OH)2 content. Free lime makes mortars more workable and this is liked by the mason. However, free lime affects a number of important properties in mortars such as: Setting and hardening time: an early set and a relatively quick hardening are important to be able to build with some speed. Initial setting of a hydraulic mortar is within one or two hours; the final set is within 24 hours. The final set determines the moment when the mortar cannot be re-worked. Hardening takes longer. It is the time that the calcium silicates and other hydraulic components in a mortar take to become

insoluble. In the European norms, both properties are taken into consideration and the definition of NHL 2, NHL 3.5 and NHL 5 is based on the hardened strength at 28 days expressed in Newton per mm2. Free lime is not hydraulic and needs contact with air to reabsorb CO2 and reconstitute itself to CaCO3 or limestone. This process called carbonation may take a very long time. Damp environment, rain, and the location of the mortar (exposure to air) contribute to slowing and in some cases even stopping carbonation. The result is that the mortar does not harden. Free lime will dissolve in water at a ratio of 1 to 6 and this is the reason why leaching occurs. Leaching not only is an unwanted visual effect but also deprives the mortar of some of the binder with the result that you have a different mortar in the structure from the one specified. Free lime, because of its fineness, increases water demand in the mortar. This is one of the causes of shrinkage, as already discussed. It also increases capillarity by crystallising in the voids, reducing breathability. The reduction of the void size affects also the frost resistance, as we will shortly see. High free lime mortars such as 1:1:6 and 1:2:9 mixes or hydrated (powder or putty) lime mortars might not be as suitable as they are supposed to be. Careful judgement has to be made in relation to their use. This also applies to lime mortars made with hydraulic lime with very high free lime content now being sold in the UK market. ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Rule 4: Resistance to frost

solution and migrate.

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.

If the void space is sufficient, these phenomena will not cause a damaging pressure. If crystallisation occurs, they stay in the wall and if there is no space in the voids the pressure can be great enough to crack the mortar. If they go into solution, they will eventually come out and can be cleaned off the wall.

Frost starts always from the surface and goes inward. Frozen water particles in the surface voids push the water in the voids behind further in and so on. If there is a good void structure accommodating the water movement, this process will not generate a pressure and the mortar will resist frost. The size of the voids is also important: ice has a volume of 8% greater than water so it will exercise pressure if the voids cannot contain more that the water they already contain. This is the case in saturated mortars where the water absorbed during rain before frost occurs is occupying all the voids. Hardened mortars with a good void structure will resist frost. St. Astier NHL Mortars have been successfully used in areas of extreme cold such as Canada, Alaska, Norway, Finland, Denmark and wet/cold areas as part of Ireland and UK. The basic principle is to avoid saturation of the mortar when still fresh, so protection at this stage is of extreme importance.

Rule 5: Resistance to salts The same mortar will also resist the outward migration of salts contained in the masonry. A macro void structure in the mortar will accommodate the pressure exercised by salts when moving or crystallising. When structures contain salts, it is almost impossible to control them if they become unstable. Their behaviour is linked to the relative humidity which is typical to each salt. A lower RH will cause crystallisation; a higher RH will cause the salt to go into a

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Lime is hygroscopic: it attracts water and by doing so a new lime mortar used for re-pointing or rendering might attract moisture contained in the structure and therefore change the RH of the wall in which the salts are contained, causing their movement. So a high free lime mortar will absorb salts. This is fine if we are using a lime mortar to diminish the salts content in the wall. Once the lime mortar is saturated with salts, it can be removed and the salts with it. It is not so good if we wish to keep the mortar. In this case, a NHL mortar with less free lime and a good void structure will obtain the required result. The same type of mortar will not suffer from salts ingress promoted by external agents such as is common in marine environments. The re-pointing of the harbour wall in 2000 at Atlantic College in Wales is still in perfect condition 10 years later. The mortar is an NHL 5 with very coarse sharp sand (pictured).

Rule 6: Vapour permeability (breathability) and good sands A breathable mortar is essential in the control of condensation. No damp; no rot; a much better living environment. It also helps in consuming less energy in heating. If a room is damp, a lot of the heating will go in drying out the damp before heating the room.

Hardened mortars with good breathability will dry faster than dense mortar. Saturation of the mortar is well reduced and so is the risk of frost damage. St. Astier NHL mortars if compared to cement/lime mortars have a better breathability by 200%. The two main factors in achieving good breathability are: •

A relatively low free lime content in the binder to avoid too much crystallisation in the mortar voids and the use of well graded sands in the mortar.

•

The choice of good well graded sand is of paramount importance in obtaining a breathable mortar.

Rule 7: Good setting, elasticity and workability Setting and hardening determine the work rate. They are also related to the mortar dosage, the water addition and the weather conditions during execution of the work. Protection and curing methods are directly connected with setting, hardening and curing mortars.

Cementicious mortars can contain chromium VI (directly related to skin allergies) and, depending on the type of cement used, components like pulverised fly ash (PFA), granulated ground blast furnace slag (GGBS) and others that contain a number of dangerous elements such as heavy metals and many other toxic elements. NHL mortars will also be easily removed from masonry units, allowing them to be re-cycled. The breathability of St. Astier NHL mortars eliminates condensation and contributes to a better living environment for people with breathing difficulties (asthma, for example).

Rule 10: Correct working and site practice Good materials can become useless if the correct site practices are not followed. Good workmanship and supervision are essential.

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.

If mortars are not dosed or mixed properly, if they are not cured and protected correctly, if they are applied badly, if the application surfaces are not properly prepared, if suction is not controlled, if salt movements are not taken into consideration and so on, the result will be a failure.

Elasticity determines the amounts of movement that the mortar will take before cracking. It is also relevant in calculating the positioning of joints. A good elasticity will help in accepting thermal movements.

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.

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.

Ii is, however, the responsibility of the mortar manufacturer to give specifiers all the information they require for the evaluation of the mortar to be adopted. St. Astier Limes not only provide this information but also, when required, the technical staff actively work with the specifier giving technical advice to establish the most appropriate mortar for the proposed intervention.

Information on the correct water addition should be given to the mason and supervisors should check that the instructions are followed.

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. Quick setting and strong hardening have become synonymous with “a good mortar” since the advent of cement but in restoration and conservation, setting and hardening should be only part of the evaluation to be made on the most suitable mortar for the job. Of course we need setting and hardening, especially in adverse climatic conditions and seasonal work. But this should never be to the exclusion of all other considerations made up to now such as compatibility, breathability, elasticity and so on. In restoration and conservation, St. Astier NHL mortars comply with all requirements. They set and harden faster and stronger than lime putty or hydrated lime without the use of pozzolans ( a “dear” word to many but essentially a poorly known subject, open to uncertain results) or cement. Many producers state that their product contains “pozzolanic” additions. This is in most cases cement. Just ask the question about re-working the mortar within 24 hours. If the answer is no, the mortar most likely has a cement content. The compatibility and other properties of NHL mortars ensure that performance and durability are achieved without the use of cement. They represent a logical and natural choice in the restoration and preservation of our built heritage.

Rule 9: Consider the environment Lime mortars re-absorb CO2. St, Astier NHL mortars will 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.

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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 sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The powers and responsibilities of English Heritage are set out in the National Heritage Act (1983) and today they report to Parliament through the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Although sponsored by DCMS, English Heritage works with a range of government departments, notably CLG and Defra, to help realise the potential of the historic environment. English Heritage is funded in part by the government, and is also part funded from revenue earned from their historic properties and other services. In 2008/09 the organisation’s public funding was worth £132.7m, and income from other sources was £48.1m.

ment with the heritage, promotes heritage-related education and research, cares for Stonehenge and over 400 other historic properties on behalf of the nation, maintains the National Monuments Record as the public archive of the heritage and generates income for the benefit of the historic environment. English Heritage is currently running a five-year investment programme for its properties. Based on an audit of all the organisation’s properties, £30m is being targeted at those sites with the most commercial potential, in order to make as many sites as possible self-financing. Projects range from major refurbishment and restoration works at Kenilworth Castle to relatively small but significant improvements to exhibitions and interpretation, catering and retail facilities. In the construction sector, English Heritage has joined forces with ConstructionSkills to call for concerted action across the construction industry, the built heritage sector, educational es-

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 involveROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Heritage tablishments, careers organisations, funding bodies and government departments to tackle the continued shortage of heritage building skills. English Heritage has also published research demonstrating the shortage of craft skills across the country and a Skills Action Plan which they are now implementing. This includes raising the profile of vocational training and the built heritage construction sector and attracting more young people to pursue careers within it. The plan is also geared towards encouraging the use of suitably skilled and qualified people, and developing qualifications to ensure that traditional building knowledge and skills can be attained from GCSE to Master Craft level. Find out more at www.english-heritage.org. uk

Meet the conservation specialists Mike and Gary Simpson, a father and son team, run a specialist conservation firm called Heritage Consolidation from their base in Northumberland. Their specialities include stonemasonry and lime-based mortars, along with plastering and render. Recent years have seen them take the admirable and, some would say, bold decision to focus entirely on heritage restoration work. The duo have done restoration work with both English Heritage and Natural England. Their experiences have helped them to reach the conclusion that not only is a conservation-focused business an extremely viable enterprise, but that their traditional skills are lacking across the UK. And that’s without mentioning their love for the work. Gary told Premier Construction: “I just love restoring old buildings. I love working with stone and, although the work can be difficult and requires a lot of patience, nothing gives me more satisfaction than knowing that, thanks to our work, the buildings will still be around for the foreseeable future for others to enjoy too.” Gary and Mike started off doing barn conversions before moving in to heritage restoration. They bought Blenkinsopp Castle, which is on the Hadrian’s Wall site and dates from the 14th century. As the castle is listed, they became involved with English Heritage, who paid to top up their historic trade skills and advised them on the restoration project. Mike now proudly calls part of the restored castle his home. As Gary puts it, “When English Heritage told us the work on Blenkinsopp needed to be done and that we’d have to get someone in to do it, my father told them he’d do it himself. In the end, we both spent 18 months on the job with funding from English Heritage, who gave us a project on Hadrian’s Wall just after that. That’s when we realised our skills were rare and that there were other offers coming in, so we began doing it full time.” Since then, the pair have won awards for their work and taken on four employees. Recognising that their knowledge could be passed on to a wider audience, they have become involved with the Heritage Skills Initiative and conduct training days, as well as regularly visiting the Scottish Lime Centre to exchange know-how. Gary said: “In our business, young lads we take on often start off with two year apprenticeships which are an ideal start but aren’t always enough. I still feel it takes five years of practice, especially with lime, before you can claim to be fully confident. That’s why teaching and learning is something we look to make the most of.” Much of the firm’s work involves removing cement pointing and replacing it with lime. Gary explained: “People are realising that cement is not a material that will help the building last. It doesn’t allow moisture to escape and encourages damp, which

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is particularly damaging to sandstone and basically causes it to rot. That’s why there is plenty of work for people with our skills, even if you take away restoration work.” If you’ve visited an historic building in the area, you’ve more than likely seen Mike’s work. The majority of it, he says, has been carried out the way it was always done. According to the restoration expert, who began learning his trade in 1963, “The thing about traditional skills is that my generation has no risk of being obsolete as new technology comes in. In fact, some of the manuals that Scottish Lime uses are almost identical to ones from the 1950s that I remember using. It definitely helps to add in a lot of the new qualifications and knowledge that Gary has, though!”

Case study – Shittleheugh Bastle Shittleheugh Bastle is one of several ancient fortified farms around the border between Scotland and England. The word ‘bastle’ is thought to have descended from the French word ‘bastille’, meaning ‘fortified castle’ or ‘fortress’. Shittleheugh Bastle and its like served to protect the interests of farmers in the region from cross-border raiding parties. Many still stand and, like Shittleheugh, many have fallen into ruin. Gary and Mike’s work at Shittleheugh involved protection and maintenance of the remaining structure, which was re-pointed and galletted using 3.5NHL lime mortar. Since work was carried out during one of the coldest recorded winters, the structure had to be covered with hessian sheeting (a ‘sock’, as Gary calls it) to keep the worst of the chill off while the lime cured. Work also included re-bedding loose stone. Gary says: “Some of the stones are huge – as big as a fridge freezer and weighing tonnes – and the photos don’t always get that across. The remaining walls are also three scaffold lifts high as well, so it’s a bigger job than you’d imagine. “In keeping with the conservation aspect of the work, everything was done very carefully. For example, the work schedule was made to fit the breeding cycle of bats in the area and we alternated our route up to the bastle to avoid scarring the moor with pathways.” The bastle, which was previously on the 'at risk' register with English Heritage, has now been safeguarded for the foreseeable future. Find out more about Gary and Mike at www.heritageconsolidation.co.uk and visit www.english-heritage.org.uk to find out about dozens more successful conservation projects

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Apprentices needed as construction sector faces potential retirement time bomb “Due to an ageing workforce and a limited injection of new blood, the construction industry now faces a potential retirement time bomb,” says Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of CITB-ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council and Industry Training Board for the construction industry. “When you look at the age profile demographics across the whole construction industry, there is a tendency towards older employees - certainly a significant number are coming up to retirement age in the next five to 10 years. Coming through behind them are fewer people - due to the recession in the early 1990s where 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 where firms may start to fight hard for good quality young people in the shape of apprentices or undergraduates coming into their sectors. So the construction industry does have a fight on its hands to make sure that it accesses good quality people - and from a smaller pool of talent. “The sectors ageing workforce will need replacing and hence one of our main focuses is on promoting the entry of new talent into the industry and trying to assist the industry in driving young people to us for training.” To this end, CITB-ConstructionSkills have organised a series

of events which have successfully driven a 47% increase in take-up of apprenticeships. Sixty-five more savvy employers signed up to get their hands on the UK’s best young talent following these events run as part of the CITB-ConstructionSkills’ Positive Image campaign. With over 200 employers now committed to offering apprenticeships in areas ranging from carpentry to craft masonry, CITB-ConstructionSkills is calling on companies to follow suit

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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 one-to-ones with its staff and staff from the National Construction College (NCC) as part of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW). The events 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 have committed to take on apprenticeships. Martyn Price, from CMC Ltd, one of the employers attending the event, said: “I am delighted to be associated with National Apprenticeship Week to support the benefits that apprentices can bring to any business. The pledge demonstrates our ongoing commitment which in turn 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 is really paying off.” Mark Farrar added: “These events helped show employers the wealth of keen young people who are eager to work in the construction sector. We were delighted to see so many firms sign up to offer apprenticeships. However, there is 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, further research indicated again that employers feel there are significant gaps in their employees’ skills, which could seriously limit the potential for growth in the industry in the coming years. In a CITB survey of 1450 employers in the sector, specific skills gaps identified included understanding the implications of green issues (43%), identifying potential new business (39%) and not having sufficient IT skills (43%). A further 32% also stated that their management team’s ability to identify the training needs of staff was an area that needed improvement.

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Futureproofing with Fabric First With its endless sustainability credentials it’s no wonder timber frame is immensely popular. With the obvious ‘green’ argument won, Joe Martoccia, director of the UK Timber Frame Association, explains why the emphasis of any self build should be on putting the fabric first. For many it’s a long-term dream and the chance to own their ‘forever home’; for others it’s a sound investment and a fast track way to climb the property ladder. Little wonder that more and more people are turning to self build with timber frame fast becoming the preferred construction method of choice, thanks to its many proven advantages.

turn on investment by increasing your home’s appeal to design and environmental conscious buyers in the future – that’s if you ever want to sell it, of course. Let’s also not forget the wider implications for the global community and the need to focus all our efforts on using sustainable building products for the benefit of the entire planet. It’s time to think fabric first.

However, self builders constructing their dream homes want somewhere to live for the rest of their lives. Once they have moved in, they certainly don’t want to be hit with high energy bills and ongoing maintenance costs – it’s got to be manageable, not just for now but also for the future. When it comes to timber it’s time to think about how it works in real world situations (its thermal performance, the financial benefits, and its installation time) if we are to truly understand why timber frame is not just the future of the self-build industry, but the here and now. The Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH), a compulsory environmental impact rating system for housing in England, which includes self-builds, is helping to shape this agenda thanks to the government’s target to see all new homes reach Code level 6 by 2016 – the zero carbon home. For self builders, the decisions they make when selecting their build method will be pivotal in minimising on going energy consumption. Luckily the answer is timber frame and it’s something that can be proven with hard, cold, indisputable facts. A two year continuous assessment of timber frame homes built at the BRE Innovation Park has shown unequivocally that timber frames homes are ideally suited to the CfSH. It is no surprise that the first homes reaching Code level 6 were timber frame buildings. With its inherent thermal efficiency, timber frame is a perfect fit with the low carbon agenda. Not only is it much easier to achieve very high insulation levels, it also has fewer defects and increased air tightness, all with extremely low embodied energy. To achieve code compliance, the priority is getting the fabric of a building right first and foremost, which is great news for timber frame. Forget about sourcing fancy renewable energy systems to bolt onto leaky, poorly built buildings with high-embodied carbon - the emphasis should be on putting the fabric first. By using timber within the fabric of your building, you can not only reduce energy consumption, but also achieve a greater reROMA PUBLICATIONS

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Efficiency Of Ground Source Heat Options It is becoming increasingly clear that alternatives to the consumption of oil and gas must be implemented if the escalating costs of energy and the increasing concern for the environment are to be appeased. The benefits, both economic and environmental, of utilising ground source heat options are clear to see. Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery will often halve the heating requirement of a building, and geothermal heat provides a clean, green, economic and environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to oil and gas. A heatpump used with ground source heat can extract free heat from the ground and can be a financial investment due to the Government’s Green Deal.

A number of different methods can be used to extract heat from the ground, depending on the geology and hydrogeology. An open loop system abstracts groundwater from a borehole sunk into an aquifer and pumps water directly through heat pumps to release the heat for distribution into a building. Open loop heat pumps can achieve a Coefficient of Performance (CoP) of 5 or 6 when serving an efficient underfloor heating system. Since the groundwater abstracted is around 10° to 12°C, the heat pump does not have to work hard to raise the temperature of the underfloor heating water to 30°C or less. If groundwater is not present at reasonable depths then the closed loop method can be used. This involves the circulation of water and antifreeze through pipes installed vertically through boreholes. These boreholes are drilled to the depth required to extract the heat from the earth and carry it to the heat pump. In October 2010, the government confirmed its intention to introduce the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). In June 2011 the tariffs for non domestic (which includes systems serving 2 or more residences) heat pumps were set at 4.5p per KW inflation linked and payable for 20 years. Domestic customers can receive a Premium Payment of £1250 in 2011 and will be eligible for ongoing tariff payments as part of the Green Deal due in 2012. The RHI tariffs ensure that a properly installed heatpump system provides low cost heating and an excellent financial investment.

The first stage of design is always a full assessment of heating requirements. This process includes a heating loss calculation, which exceeds the calculations for building control and enables precise heating requirements to be specified. In order to enable the optimum heat extraction system to be designed within constraints of capital budget, an assessment of local geology and hydrogeology will also be required. It is essential that the total geothermal solution is designed, installed and commissioned by an MCS qualified installer with expertise within the company of heating engineers, geologists and hydrogeologists. The design must include ventilation, heat recovery, insulation, underfloor heating, screeding, floor coverings, boreholes and heat pump as minor changes to any element can affect the efficiency of the system. The efficiency of a heat pump is directly proportional to the difference in temperature between the source heat and the heating water. By optimising the design of the underfloor heating and floor covering, water at a mean temperature of 30°C can produce a heat emission of more than 50w/sqm with a room temperature of 21°C, which is more than adequate for most houses. Efficient systems will significantly reduce heating costs, increase property value and reduce carbon footprints.

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Taking Measures to protect you from asbestos Employers of building maintenance and repair workers are required to carry out a risk assessment before undertaking any work which exposes, or is liable to expose, employees to asbestos. They must take the appropriate steps required by the Asbestos Regulations to prevent or reduce these risks. However, in many cases, the employers and their workers have little or no information about the premises where they will undertake work, and are not aware if materials containing asbestos are present. Consequently, it is difficult for them to consider the risks, or if precautions may be needed. A duty to manage the risk from asbestos in non-domestic premises was therefore added to the Control of Asbestos at work Regulations in 2002 to address this issue. These requirements have since been brought forward unchanged in the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 as Regulation 4. Those who own, occupy, manage or have responsibilities for premises that may contain asbestos, will either have: •

A legal duty to manage the risk from asbestos material; or

•

A legal duty to co-operate with whoever manages that risk

They will be required to manage the risk from asbestos by: •

Finding out if there is asbestos in the premises, its extent and what condition it is in;

•

Presuming the materials contain asbestos, unless you have strong evidence that they do not;

•

Making and keeping up to date a record of the location and condition of the ACM’s or presumed ACM’s in their premises;

•

Assessing the risk from the material

•

Preparing a plan that sets out in detail how they are going to manage the risk from this material

•

Taking the steps needed to put their plan into action

•

Reviewing and monitoring their plan and the arrangements made to put it in place; and

•

Providing information on the location and condition of the material to anyone who is liable to work or disturb it.

In the United Kingdom, work on asbestos has by law to be carried out by a contractor who holds a licence under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, although there are exceptions. Normally, non-licensed work includes work on asbestos-con-

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A s s o c i ati o n s taining textured coatings, asbestos cement and certain work of short duration on asbestos insulating board. The duties imposed by regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 supplement the provisions of some of the duties imposed by other sets of regulations, in particular the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 which require the client to provide designers and contractors who may be bidding for the work or who they intend to engage, with the project’s specific health and safety information needed to identify hazards and risks associated with the design and construction work.

Asbestos awareness training is a legal requirement for most employees and supervisors working in the construction industry. In addition to initial training, the Approved Code of Practice which accompanies the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 also states that refresher training should be given at least every year. Therefore, there is an ongoing annual legal requirement for refresher training to be carried out for the identified employees. ARCA is the leading supplier of asbestos awareness training aimed at building and maintenance workers. To find out more or to arrange a no obligation meeting to discuss your employees asbestos awareness training needs please contact ARCA on 01283 531126.

On the edge of a renewable energy explosion? The RenewableUK 2011 Offshore Wind Conference The past few months have seen several landmark events for the renewable energy industry in the UK, including the introductions of key government proposals and initiatives. But with binding international agreements demanding serious reductions in UK carbon emissions by 2050, how exactly will the country reach its challenging targets? Over the past few months, the government’s climate change targets, including reductions in carbon emissions and increases in the proportion of the UK’s energy to be produces by renewable methods, have been repeatedly revised. The major longterm target is to reduce carbon emissions by 80% on the 1990 figures by 2050, with a binding international agreement to make a cut of 34% by 2020. The latter of these targets will only be achieved if a minimum of 15% of the UK’s energy is generated from renewable resources. These targets essentially demand the growth of an entire, fledgling business sector in the economy to produce the means for generating renewable energy. The construction industry will of course have to play the leading role, as the UK currently does not have the facilities to produce the amount of ‘green’ energy that these agreements will require. Some of these effects are already being seen: on June 23rd the Energy Secretary Chris Huhne named eight sites around which the government will build nuclear power plants. At some of these sites, such as Sellafield in Cumbria, contracts have already been undertaken to demolish old facilities and begin preparing the areas for the construction of the new reactor plants. The UK construction industry has the practise and expertise to deliver nuclear plants, but what about building the facilities to generate power from other sources such as wind, wave and tidal power?

The Theory Recently, delegates from the world-wide renewable energy industry attended the RenewableUK 2011 Offshore Wind Exhibition and Conference in Liverpool. Premier Construction went along to find out what those at the forefront of renewable energy construction thought about the future growth and success of the industry. Day two of the 2011 Offshore Wind Conference, June 29th, opened with speeches by RenewableUK Chief Executive Maria McCafferey, Shadow Secretary for Energy and Climate Change Meg Hillier and the Director of Poyry Energy Consulting, Richard Slark. Taking into account the UK’s targets for producing renew-

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able energy, Miss Hillier MP and Mr Slark outlined the recent progress and setbacks of the relatively young industry, whilst Miss Hillier MP offered the Labour point of view on future growth. Government investment in renewable energy was top of the agenda, with Meg Hillier pointing to Labour’s 2010 competition as an example of a successful initiative to encourage construction activity. Alastair Darling’s spring budget had included an invitation to bid for £60 million worth of funding to build renewable energy plants. Meg Hillier said that sustained incentives were needed to encourage more businesses to move into the

driven down by more than 15% in real terms between 2011 and 2022, under standard market conditions. Under more favourable conditions this fall could be as much as 33%. Naturally the report came with a warning that this scale of reduction would require significant and successful government stimulation and investment in the industry. With this support, the offshore wind sector could support 45,000 long-term jobs until 2020 - representing an injection of around £60 million in the economy and carbon emission savings of 800 million tonnes. sector, suggesting that if the current government pass their Fourth Carbon Budget and introduce their proposed ‘Green Investment Bank,’ it will be a huge boost to the industry. Richard Slark added that the UK renewable energy market would need an injection of approximately £35 billion investment in order to achieve the 2020 15% renewable energy target, and a further £50-100 billion for the 2030 target. Meg Hillier also spoke on the five main themes of Labour’s policy regarding change in the energy sector. In brief, the ideas were as follows: the market should be powered by ‘home grown’ businesses; progress should be ‘market led’ by ‘innovative’ developments in technology; the market should be ‘fair’, rather than dominated by the Big Six; and government investment should be ‘permanent’ rather than short-term. The second day of the Conference also saw RenewableUK’s announcement of a report into the overall cost of generating electricity from offshore wind in the next ten years. The report, ‘Offshore Wind – Forecasts of Future Costs and Benefits?’, was compiled by BVG Associates. It studied the ‘whole-life cost’ of offshore wind farms, including capital expenditure, operational costs and the energy yield. Taking into account technological advances, the larger-scale of wind farms and the increasing use of sites with better wind resources further offshore, the report predicts that the wholelife cost of energy from UK offshore wind projects could be

Since the 2011 Offshore Wind Conference, changes and proposed changes to government legislation in the renewable energy sector have been welcomed by RenewableUK as steps forward, and address some of the themes on which Meg Hillier spoke. The white paper on Energy Market Reform and the government’s ‘UK Renewable Energy Roadmap’ were published on July 12th, proposing that up to 18GW of offshore wind capacity be built by 2020. The ‘Big Six’ (Npower, British Gas, Southern Electric, Scottish Power, E.on, EDF) acknowledged that the plans would drive forward investment in low-carbon energy, although it would cost both them and the consumer.

The Practise Moving from the conference room to the exhibition hall, one thing was clear: there are many energy and construction companies who see the immense potential of the UK renewables sector and are eager to carve out their share of the market and get building. However, seeing and speaking to those running the exhibition stands raised further questions about the UK renewable industry, on top of those discussed by Hillier, Slark and McCafferey. Some of the problems raised by those in the business emerged as more pressing hindrances to the development of UK renewable energy plants. One of the main trends was that companies found major dif-

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ficulties with contacts and the supply chain in the UK, as the industry - still so young - lacks centralised co-ordination and information sources. Alexander Jonat, Head of Communications for the German firm Areva (core sponsor of the event), expressed surprise that the main focus of the Offshore Wind convention had been in the exhibition hall rather than the conference. He said that Areva were there to create a buzz about their decision to enter the UK market, and that they had experienced great success in building up a contact-base with suppliers and technicians in a short period of time. Mr Jonat’s feelings were echoed by many. Project Manager Casper Toft spoke for Danish company Vestas, and was very encouraged by the number of good contacts that the firm had made. He also saw some issues with the supply chain - including pricing - but felt that these would prove surmountable problems if the right relationships and dialogues were created with the right people. Many of the companies present are giants on the continent, some globally, who are prepared to bring all their experience to the UK. However they have been slowed down by the current lack of connections throughout the sector. Several representatives also identified that the Crown Estates Round Three programme is set to have a major impact on the renewables construction industry over the coming decades.

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The Crown Estate, which controls the UK’s offshore territory, announced in 2008 that it would take a more prominent role in its third round of offshore wind farm leasing. It pledged to co-invest with developers, combining the technical experience of the offshore wind industry with efficiencies generated by The Crown Estate’s access to resources and stakeholders. This suggests the promise of sustained investment combined with expertise which has the potential to really get large-scale construction of wind turbines of the ground. Amongst all of the discussion, it must be noted that one of the most striking things about the exhibition hall was the not just the variety of companies present aside from the ‘Big Six’, but the high representation of specialists from mainland Europe.

Warnings to home-grown industry not to fall behind If the keen foreign interest in investing in renewables in the UK is utilised efficiently, it will prove a great asset in reaching the UK’s mandatory 2030 targets for carbon consumption. However, some industry experts have taken a different stance on the issue, warning that the UK industry should not hold back on investment, with new figures indicating the potential value of the UK’s wind and marine energy sectors between now and 2021. The findings of the report by RenewableUK and Energy & Utility Skills were published in early July. It included models for

three potential growth scenarios in the sector, claiming that the lowest growth scenario - defined as up to 25.7GW capacity from offshore wind and marine energy - would lead to the creation of 44,000 jobs. A high growth scenario would mean 51.8GW production capacity and the creation of 115,000 full-time jobs through the supporting sectors, including raw material suppliers and manufacturers. The study also suggests that the UK skills system is currently failing to ensure that an adequate supply of newly-qualified recruits is entering the UK labour market. It warns that if this is not rectified then more jobs will be moved abroad, or will be carried out in Britain by non-UK companies and workers. Certainly the range of overseas companies represented at the 2011 Offshore Wind Conference seems to confirm this theory. Foreign investors are clearly aware of the opportunity to offer their experience in a country that is lacking in renewable energy construction specialists. RenewableUK and Energy & Utility Skills say that the messages for employers and the government are clear: employers must step out and invest in their current and future workforces, and the government must also show a willingness to invest, and establish stable policies and frameworks for renewable energy, with clear incentives for all parties to invest. Maria McCafferey spoke for RenewableUK: ”This report shows the enormous potential that exists within the renewable energy industries to provide tens of thousands of permanent, well-paid jobs for the engineers, scientists, technicians and economists of the future – building on the enormous successes we have achieved already. However, we must ensure that the right training is available to ensure that the workforce has the appropriate skills to serve this dynamic sector, as it continues to expand at an extraordinary rate.” Meanwhile Tim Balcon, Chief Executive for Energy & Utility Skills suggested, amongst other things, that the government has a responsibility to continue to back national initiatives to boost the industry. He said: “This research provides clear and compelling evidence for the need for government, employers and the providers of skills to work in collaboration to meet the skills needs of this rapidly growing sector of the UK economy. No one organisation can achieve this on their own. Both EU Skills and the national Skills Academy for Power are working hard to make sure that the UK skills system is aware of the scale of the challenges ahead and are capable of meeting employers’ needs going forward.” July also heralded the announcement of a bid by the Technology Strategy Board to establish an Offshore Renewable Energy Technology and Innovation Centre. Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable said: “An offshore renewable energy technology and innovation centre is the next step towards fulfilling the Government’s commitment to creating a greener economy.” The industry may be wondering, however, whether -if the idea is given the green light -the centre will prove to be the deliverance of the UK industry, equipping the country with homegrown workers with the skills to drive the sector without such great reliance on foreign investment. Moving on from a series of landmarks and debates in the history of the UK’s renewable energy industry, challenging targets lie ahead, and rapid growth is required to meet them. The impression given by the Offshore Wind Exhibition was that if foreign construction firms are welcomed on board and provided with better information about suppliers, then that growth will not be difficult to achieve: the components simply need combining efficiently. But in addition to that, if the home-grown construction industry can work with national organisations to equip workers with the skills to take on these building projects, then it could also see a sudden boom. The board is set and there is no doubt about the potential. Perhaps the remaining question is simply, who will monopolise first?

RenewableUK RenewableUK is the largest trade association representing the interests of the marine energy in the country. With 676 company members, including small firms to the largest international corporations, RenewableUK plays a vital part in initiating discussion within the industry and then providing a collective voice speaking out for change. Established in 1978 as the British Wind Energy Association, the name was changed in 2004, and since then wind power has been the world’s fastest-growing renewable energy. The name change reflected the broadening horizons of the association, as they aimed to steer wave and tidal energy technologies in the same direction of growth and commercialisation as the wind sector. The association’s primary aim is to promote the use of wind, wave and tidal power throughout the UK, acting as a central body which performs various roles to ensure the continual growth of the industry. Communication is central to the operations of RenewableUK: it is a mouthpiece between the government, the industry and the general public. The organisation commissions and publishes research and statistics, notifies the industry of relevant government legislation and provides a forum for those in the industry to discuss current issues. The information available on their website and in their quarterly journal, Real Power, is always an up-to-the-minute, comprehensive overview of the industry. But it is by no means all talk: RenewableUk always initiates research and discussion with a focus on finding solutions to current issues. The result is a trusted voice of authority who lobbies for the promotion of wind, wave and tidal energy to the government, media and public - acting as a catalyst for policy change to support the maximum deployment of these technologies in the shortest possible time. The RenewableUK Conferences are must-attend events on the industry calendar. Looking ahead to the annual conference in Manchester in October 2010, RenewableUK’s Head of Brand and Marketing described the conference as the company’s “biggest event of the year”, and said that every year saw an increase in the number of exhibiting companies. “We are expecting up to three hundred companies in total,” he said of the Manchester 2011 conference. “More than five thousand delegates are expected to attend.” He commented that the conference has had to extend into new facilities in order to meet the demand for exhibition space. He concluded by pointing out that the conference is of benefit to those from all aspects of the marine energy sector, saying: “Overall, it is a great opportunity for manufacturers, developers, suppliers, financiers and research institutes to find out about the latest developments in the fast-growing wind, wave and tidal sectors.” ROMA PUBLICATIONS

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