Construction UK Magazine - July 2021 by Lapthorn Media

July 2021

CONSTRUCTIONMAGUK.CO.UK

ENVISION INTELLIGENT SOLUTIONS: TECH PARTNERS CREATE NEW SAFETY AND SECURITY SYSTEM FOR CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Fibrelite Out With The Old And In With The New Technology

CONSTRUCTION COMPLETES ON NEW WARWICK ARTS CENTRE IN UK’S CITY OF CULTURE

The UK Construction Sector Readies Itself for a ‘Digging Boom’

Wates Construction begins work on new £17m Edgar Wood Academy

THE XACOM ODYSSEY 10 YEARS IN THE MAKING

Contents July 2021

Lovell Together development starts on site

Works begin on new £3.4m fire station in Worksop

Strabag AG builds sustainable tunnel systems with tailor-made Progress machinery

The UK Construction Sector Readies Itself for a ‘Digging Boom’

Fibrelite: Out With The Old And In With The New Technology

Interview: David Moulton, Managing Director of Camfil UK

Bellway begins work on 258-apartment scheme in Greenhithe

Works on £3.4m Staffordshire healthcare facility progress

Tech partners create new safety and security system for Construction Industry

Construction completes on new Warwick Arts Centre

Wates Construction begins work on new £17m Edgar Wood Academy

The Xacom Odyssey – 10 years in the making

Front cover image by Lomig

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Project News

LOVELL TOGETHER DEVELOPMENT STARTS ON SITE Lovell Together, the joint venture between leading national housebuilder Lovell Partnerships and Together Housing Group, is celebrating the beginning of its latest partnership site with ground broken at The Sycamores in the East Riding village of Kirk Ella, on the outskirts of Hull.

wonderful new community, offering property seekers a wide choice of house types and purchasing options. The Sycamores is an important moment in the Lovell Together partnership and our combined goal of creating more high-quality homes for different types of buyers in the North of England.”

When complete, The Sycamores will offer 224 two-, three- and four-bedroom homes, 40 of which will be available to rent, 16 available for shared ownership and the remaining 168 will be for sale on the open market.

Lovell Together aims to build 3,000 new homes across the north in the next five years to help tackle the housing crisis, with several other strategic opportunities currently in the pipeline.

Robert Adams, regional managing director at Lovell, said: “We are delighted to have begun construction at this brandnew development. The Sycamores will be a

Kevin Ruth, Deputy Chief Executive for Together Housing Group, said: “A huge priority for Together Housing is increasing housing supply within our communities. We want to deliver quality, affordable homes

CONSTRUCTION WORK GATHERS PACE AT SYDENHAM DEVELOPMENT Building work at a new development in Sydenham is progressing well, in preparation for the first residents moving in at the end of this year. Bellway London is delivering 159 apartments at Maybrey Works, off Worsley Bridge Road, with the first properties soon to be completed.

The development will comprise 108 one, two and three-bedroom private apartments, with many properties benefitting from balconies or terraces that have views of the Pool River and surrounding green space. A further 51 affordable homes will also be provided for local people through rent or shared ownership.

to meet the growing and diverse housing needs of local people. We have the skills, expertise and knowledge to deliver on our goals but often by creating partnerships with house builders such as Lovell, we are able to fund and deliver so much more, than if we pursued every opportunity on our own. The combination of Lovell’s technical expertise and construction delivery record with our experience in the management and provision of affordable homes makes Lovell Together a really unique offering. Such a large scale and innovative partnership means we can deliver essential developments at an accelerated pace.” The scheme, which will also include a play area, is due to be completed by summer 2026. The first set of homes will be ready to welcome residents in autumn 2021.

Ground floor commercial space is set to open after the development is completed, with the area currently occupied by Bellway as a sales and marketing suite. An on-site concierge, residents’ gym and a work hub for residents working from home, will also be created as part of the development. There’s currently a range of one, two and three-bedroom apartments available to reserve at Maybrey Works, with prices starting from £345,000. Under Help to Buy, first-time buyers can buy a new-build home in London up the value of £600,000 with a five per cent deposit and 55 per cent mortgage. The remaining 40 per cent is provided in the form of a Government-backed equity loan, which is interest free for the first five years. Visitors to Maybrey Works can book an appointment to view the two-bedroom show apartment which has been designed by Vesta Interiors, an award-winning interior design team.

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Project News REDEVELOPMENT OF CHANCERY HOUSE IN CENTRAL BELFAST RECEIVES PLANNING APPROVAL

WORKS BEGIN ON NEW £3.4M FIRE STATION IN WORKSOP Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson has started works on a new fire station for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service in Worksop.

A proposal to build a new nine-storey grade A office building in a prime location in the heart of Belfast has been put forward for approval by planners at Belfast City Council, subject to the execution of a planning legal agreement.

The £3.4 million scheme, which is located at the Vesuvius development off Sandy Lane, will replace the existing fire station nearby at Eastgate which is an ageing and costly-to-run facility, built in 1963.

The project to redevelop Chancery House on Victoria Street will involve a £10 million investment in the city centre and will create an estimated 150 construction jobs over the 18-month build out period.

Plans for the new fire station scheme were submitted by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service earlier this year and approved by Bassetlaw District Council.

Positioned in a prime location next to Belfast’s law courts and the Victoria Square shopping centre, the 44,000 sq ft development is expected to be able to accommodate between 300 and 350 office workers and will also feature retail space on the ground floor.

G F Tomlinson is delivering the new-build fire station comprising of meeting rooms, offices, fire engine bays and a gymnasium for firefighters. An external three-storey training tower and compound store are also due to be built, as well as new car parking spaces and landscaping to the grounds.

The company behind the project is Chancery House Investments, who said the building will help address an identified need in the local marketplace to serve indigenous businesses which are expanding or want to make the transition from a serviced office accommodation to a small office floor plate within the city centre. Chancery House will have floor plates starting at 3,500 sq ft. Darren Donnelly from Chancery House Investments said: “We are very pleased that the planning committee has said it is minded to grant planning permission. This is an exciting new development and we look forward to progressing the project to create a workspace that meets the needs of modern employers operating in a post-pandemic environment.

There continues to be significant demand for office space in Belfast city centre and the floor plates on offer in the new Chancery House provide a number of flexible options for occupiers. We are keen to play our part in encouraging people back to work in the city, which will provide support to retail and service businesses in the city centre.

Due to be completed in 2022, the new fire station will be built using the latest renewable technology, and will have the capacity to self-generate up to 50% of its energy consumption. The scheme forms part of the wider Vesuvius development – a multimillion-pound redevelopment which aims to become the prime industrial and business location in Worksop, with a mix of light industrial units, food and drink outlets and office spaces planned, the first phase of which will be ready for occupation in summer this year. A ground-breaking ceremony is taking place at the site this month to mark the beginning of the new fire station project, with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service’s land agent, Turner & Townsend, working closely with G F Tomlinson on the programme of works.

Andy Sewards, managing director of G F Tomlinson, said: “The new fire station will provide Worksop with a modern, state-of-the-art facility that will serve the surrounding Bassetlaw communities for years to come. “The investment demonstrates the Service’s commitment to the local communities, and the station will be built to an extremely high energy-efficient standard, meaning it will cost less to run and is conscious of the environment. “We are proud to be working on this project, which forms part of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service’s long-term strategic plans to update ageing facilities across the region, so that firefighters can continue their vital work.” Deputy chief fire officer, Craig Parkin, said: “It’s great to see work starting on site for the new Worksop Fire Station. It demonstrates the real investment and leadership that the Authority and Service have in delivering their aim of creating safer communities. This is part of our long-term strategic plan to replace ageing and expensive-to-run accommodation and will provide an excellent base to deliver our community prevention, fire protection and emergency response capabilities.” Chair of the Fire Authority councillor, Michael Payne, said: “I am pleased to see building work starting on the new fire station. This investment demonstrates a clear commitment to the communities of Bassetlaw. I am looking forward to the day when firefighters can move in and continue to deliver excellent services to the surrounding communities.” Fire Authority member councillor, Sybil Fielding, said: “This will be an important day for Worksop. The new station will provide our very committed firefighters with a modern, environmentally friendly building to help them continue to keep the people of Bassetlaw safe.”

CBRE has been engaged as the agent on the new development, which was designed by Todd Architects and had Turley as its planning consultants.

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Production hall of the Strabag North Yorkshire Polyhalite project with the Progress machines

STRABAG AG BUILDS SUSTAINABLE TUNNEL SYSTEMS WITH TAILOR-MADE PROGRESS MACHINERY As a European technology group for construction services, Strabag AG implements complex construction projects that go far beyond classic road construction. Strabag SE, to which the German Strabag AG belongs, can look back on more than 90 years of tradition as one of the market leaders in traffic route construction. The portfolio includes all areas of the construction industry and covers the entire construction value chain. Strabag AG is represented in around 30 countries worldwide and has been active in the fields of building construction, civil engineering, tunneling and specialist foundation engineering in the UK since March 2011. The company continues to drive its business development activities, particularly in tunneling and infrastructure developments. Left to right: Craig Sewell, Site Manager; Ernst Gschnitzer, Project Director; Kurt Usel, Expert and Developer and Project Manager Automation; Edgar Schömig, Company Section Manager Tunnel Construction Strabag; Giacomo Vollaro, Project Manager Segment Production

For the realization of projects in tunnel construction, Strabag relies on individually designed machines from Progress Maschinen & Automation, a Progress Group company. For the project in North Yorkshire, Strabag built a precast plant on the construction site and ordered, among other things, an M-System BlueMesh® mesh welding plant with mesh rolls, a Tunnel Master ladder welding machine and an EBA S 16 automatic stirrup bender.

The rapidly increasing and urbanizing world population continuously requires more fertilizer for efficient food production. Polyhalites are a sustainable solution for this. It is extracted from a depth of 1.5 km through mine shafts and transported underground by the MTS (Mineral Transport System) to the processing hall in Teesside for processing. After processing, the product is driven to the port and mainly exported overseas.

Project of superlatives

Strabag was able to secure the contract for the planning and execution of the 37 kmlong tunnel including the transport system.

In the north-east of England, in the middle of the North York Moors National Park, a 37 km-long transport tunnel system is being created. The Strabag North Yorkshire Polyhalite Project is part of the Woodsmith Project, which is owned by Anglo American, one of the world’s largest mining companies. This is to extract minerals from the world’s largest polyhalite deposit, a mineral used in the production of fertilizer. Of the 2.66 billion tons of polyhalite deposits suspected for the site, 280 million tons are located within 5 km of the proposed mine. This represents only seven per cent of the project’s stated resource area.

Major challenges at peak times The biggest challenges in tunnel construction are the safety precautions and the evacuation strategy. High safety standards, a tight schedule, historic funding issues and contractual changes have added challenges to the project over time. The close cooperation with the client’s team on site made it possible to achieve the best possible results. For more sustainability From the design phase onwards, the project focused on sustainable, environmentally friendly construction methods. The MTS itself is an environmentally friendly measure for the mine without the use of roads or other surface transport. The precast plant that was built close to the site also fits into

Strabag AG’s S-1175 tunnel boring machine

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With the device for rolling the meshes, reinforcement meshes can be bent upwards as well as downwards.

this concept. The sustainable procurement policy guides the approach to the supply of raw materials. It was decided early on to source sand and aggregates from local quarries, and the transport routes were specifically chosen so as not to disturb the tranquility of the national park. The modern diesel-electric hybrid tunnel locomotives use kinetic energy recovery to make maximum use of the steep profile and length of the tunnel, radically reducing emissions and minimizing ventilation requirements. Efficient production of lining segments A lining segment is a component of the outer shell of a mine shaft or tunnel. At the Redcar site, a town in the county of North Yorkshire in England, the tunnel construction elements are produced in a field factory, thus avoiding long transport routes. The entire production line was designed for a tunnel boring machine feed rate of 20 m per day. The expected productivity was achieved by using local workers, many of whom had no experience in lining segment production. After a learning curve of only about 3 months, the workers were trained. Despite a higher than expected rate of more than 17 rings per day or 26 m of tunnel, the lining segment production was exceeded by the daily TBM excavation rates of up to 52.65 m. Innovations in lining segment production were also the use of robot assistants and automated welding for cage production. Many years of experience in challenging tunnel projects For the joint tunneling projects, Progress Maschinen & Automation has worked out individual solutions with Strabag, ensuring high quality and functionality of the end products. For this purpose, a special mesh welding plant from the model series M-System BlueMesh was designed with a device for rolling the mesh. This flexible production plant can weld reinforcing steel meshes from the coil according to individual specifications and thereby fulfil the requirements very well. The required production data is taken from the structural engineer’s software using a bending list, processed accordingly, and transferred to the machine. This means that the correct lengths and spacing of the bars can be precisely prefabricated.

The Tunnel Master uses computerized welding control to produce curved tunnel segments.

The cooperation with Progress to develop the equipment for this special application was excellent, especially for such prototype developments for an ongoing construction site operation with few testing possibilities, intensive teamwork is necessary. The Tunnel Master ladder welding machine from Progress is used to produce straight and bent ladders from the coil. The robust and low-maintenance welding machine is designed for fast and cost-saving production of reinforcements for tunnel segments. The Tunnel Master processes up to four longitudinal wires and arranges them, along with the cross wires, with the help of a continuously adjustable grid. Thus, this plant enables the fast, technically sophisticated, and cost-saving production of straight and curved ladders from the coil for tunnel segments and similar precast concrete elements. In combination with the fully automatic stirrup bender, Progress offers a complete solution to produce reinforcements for tunnel segments. The automatic stirrup bender belongs to the EBA S-line and covers the performance segments in the wire diameter range 6 to 16 mm. The EBA S automatic stirrup benders are easy to operate and, thanks to the integrated high-quality control, very high outputs and accuracy are achieved. Particularly high flexibility as well as low costs for operation, maintenance, and wear parts characterize this latest generation of machines. Total solution for reinforcements in tunnel construction

possibilities, intensive teamwork is necessary. This cooperation has led to success and we have been producing the parts needed for robotic welding with the required quality and quantity since autumn 2020.” Progress’ overall plant concept is in line with Strabag’ s objective and paves the way for the plant to manufacture quality products with few variables in the production processes and to remain competitive in the long term. The continuing trend towards more automation is also recognizable in the processing of reinforcing steel. Construction companies can work with Progress to take advantage of automated processes to increase efficiency.

Strabag AG – UK Branch Wilton Site, Gate No 3 TS10 4RG Redcar, United Kingdom uk.info@strabag.com http://www.strabag.com

The prefabricated ladders mesh and stirrups are welded together fully automatically by special robots to form the finished reinforcement cage. The complete reinforcement for the tunnel construction project in North Yorkshire is thus prefabricated automatically and quickly with the Progress machines. “The cooperation with Progress to develop the equipment for this special application was excellent,” says Kurt Usel, expert, developer and project manager for automation at Strabag AG, adding: “Especially for such prototype developments for an ongoing construction site operation with few testing

Progress Maschinen & Automation AG Julius-Durst-Straße 100 39042 Brixen, Italy T + 39 0472 979100 info@progress-m.com www.progress-m.com

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Article

WHY ENGINEERS MUST ALWAYS CONSIDER HUMAN INDUCED VIBRATION Human induced vibration, or more accurately vibrations caused by human footfall, often conjures images of Millennium Bridge-style swaying or collapsing buildings. But in reality, the ‘damage’ caused by human induced vibrations is less likely to ruin a structure and more likely to cause discomfort in people. Though not as dramatic as a structural failure, any good engineer wants to make sure the people using their structures, be it bridges or buildings or anything in between, can do so safely and comfortably. This is why human induced vibration must be considered within the design process.

initial “bounce” of the structure caused by the footstep and is a concern on light or stiff structures. Engineers must, of course, design to reduce the vibration effects caused by either impulse or resonance. Potential impacts from human induced vibration Human induced vibration can lead to a number of effects upon the structure and its users. These include:

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Resonance vs Impulse There are two ways that human-induced vibrations affect structures: resonant, and impulse or transient response. Put simply, resonance occurs when Object A vibrates at the same natural frequency as Object B. Object B resonates with this and begins to vibrate too. Think singing to break a wine glass! Although the person singing isn’t touching the glass, the vibrations of their voice are resonating with the glass’s natural frequency, causing this vibration to get stronger and stronger and eventually, break the glass. In the case of a structure, resonance occurs when the pedestrian’s feet land in time with the vibration. On the other hand, impulse or transient vibration responses can be a problem on structures where its natural frequencies are too high for resonance to occur, such as where the structure is light or stiff. Here the discomfort is caused by the

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Interfering with sensitive equipment. Depending on the building’s purpose, what it houses can be affected by the vibrations of people using the building. Universities and laboratories, for example, may have sensitive equipment whose accuracy and performance could be damaged by vibrations. Even in ordinary offices the footfall vibration can wobble computer screens, upsetting the workers. Swaying bridges. One of the most famous examples of human-induced resonance impacting a structure occurred with the Millennium Bridge. As people walked across the bridge, the footsteps caused the bridge to sway, and everybody had to walk in time with the sway because it was difficult not to. Thankfully, this feedback can only occur with horizontal vibrations so building floors are safe from it, but footbridges need careful checking to prevent it. Human discomfort. According to research, vibrations in buildings and structures can cause depression and

Human induced vibration, or more accurately vibrations caused by human footfall, often conjures images of Millennium Bridge-style swaying or collapsing buildings. But in reality, the ‘damage’ caused by human induced vibrations is less likely to ruin a structure and more likely to cause discomfort in people. Though not as dramatic as a structural failure, any good engineer wants to make sure the people using their structures, be it bridges or buildings or anything in between, can do so safely and comfortably. This is why human induced vibration must be considered within the design process.

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Impulse or transient vibration responses can be a problem on structures where its natural frequencies are too high for resonance to occur, such as where the structure is light or stiff. Here the discomfort is caused by the initial “bounce” of the structure caused by the footstep and is a concern on light or stiff structures. even motion sickness in inhabitants. Tall buildings sway in the wind and footsteps can be felt, even subconsciously by the occupants. It has been argued that modern efficient designs featuring thinner floor slabs and wider spacing in column design mean that these new builds are not as effective at dampening vibrations as older buildings are.

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Jeopardising structural integrity. The build-up of constant vibrations on a structure can, eventually, lead to structural integrity being compromised. A worse-case scenario would be the complete collapse of the structure and is the reason some bridges insist that marching troops break step before crossing. Crowds jumping in time to music or in response to a goal in a stadium are also dynamic loads that might damage an under-designed structure.

How to avoid it As mentioned, modern designs that favour thinner slabs and wider column spacing are particularly susceptible to all forms of vibration, human-induced or otherwise, but short spans can also suffer due to their low mass. Using sophisticated structural engineering software is an effective method for engineers to test for and mitigate footfall and other vibrations at the design stage.

Article GEZE WINS NHS CONTRACT GEZE UK has been successful in securing a five year contract in conjunction with NHS UK Property Services. The collaboration between NHS UK Property Services and GEZE UK is believed to be one of the largest contracts of its kind. Providing a service to more than 1,000 sites and 5,000 assets, GEZE UK is the industry choice to deliver a first class service to the NHS. The majority of sites provide regional healthcare and fall into one of the following categories: • Health centres and GP surgeries • Hospitals and hospital-related properties • Offices GEZE Service has recently launched a recruitment drive to provide the necessary support for a contract of this magnitude and is recruiting for Key Account Managers, Account Administrators and Service Technicians for automatic and industrial doors. Said service director Adam Presdee, “GEZE Service is delighted to be given the opportunity to work on such a prestigious project, we are confident that this contract will provide job security and opportunity for years to come. An exciting relationship ahead, GEZE is looking forward to working with the NHS in maintaining and improving the publics’ experiences and prolonging the life cycles of its assets” The total NHS Property Services portfolio consists of more than 3,000 sites – worth over 3 billion pounds. To find out more about GEZE Service email info.uk@geze.com or to find out about GEZE UK’s comprehensive range of automatic and manual door closers visit www.geze.co.uk

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29/06/2021 14:29:26 WIELAND MAKES A QUICK CONNECTION AT PROJECT HANA

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Wieland Electric has supplied its popular Metalynx2 modular wiring system and a variety of the company’s GST products for Project Hana, a two floor CAT B fit out commercial property at St Martin’s Court in the City of London in a prime location next to St Pauls Cathedral. The Wieland products were specified and installed by Phoenix ME Ltd with the Metalynx2 system used to feed the lighting control modules and fan coil units throughout the building whilst the GST system was used in all prefabricated modular areas to provide a connection for linear light fittings. Hana, a subsidiary of CBRE Group, offers a full range of flexible working solutions and St Martin’s Court is the company’s third facility, comprising over 100,000 sq ft of private offices, on-demand meeting rooms and sophisticated co-working spaces that are available by the hour, day, or week. The Hana facility will initially be fully occupied by approximately 500 CBRE employees who will operate from the space while the company’s existing UK headquarters at Henrietta House in the West End is undergoing redevelopment work. Hana at St Martin’s Court’s amenityrich, premium shared space will become available to other occupants in early 2021. Metalynx2 provides any scheme with complete flexibility so should a design need to be changed at time of fitting or in the future, the system can be modified quickly with minimum downtime. With Wieland’s prompt delivery service this also assisted other contractors working on Project Hana as this ensured no time was wasted waiting for product on-site and allowed for final connection in line with the programme of works. Wieland also provided on-site project management and technical support.

www.wieland.co.uk

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Article

CONSTRUCTION SECTOR NEEDS TO MAINTAIN NEW TECHNIQUES ADOPTED IN PANDEMIC TO ENSURE IMPROVEMENTS, SAYS STEPNELL BOSS The UK construction sector was heavily impacted by the disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Tactics, which were speedily adopted by the industry to keep sites open, will no doubt continue post pandemic. TOM WAKEFORD, joint managing director of 154-year-old family firm Stepnell, which operates throughout central and southern England, says the industry needs to work collaboratively to keep the recovery juggernaut on track. “’Build, build, build!’ was the rallying cry last June. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new deal to put infrastructure at the heart of the government’s economic growth strategy. Johnson said he was committed to build, build, build - in order to fix not just problems created by the pandemic, but issues that the UK had experienced for three decades. “Johnson said he was committed to building new homes, fixing the NHS and tackling the skills crisis – as well as mending the gap in opportunity, productivity and connectivity between the regions of the UK. All the time, the construction industry needed to build back better, greener and faster. “Seen by many then as the industry to help lift the UK out of economic gloom, construction is vitally important to the UK’s recovery. In December, the government issued its Construction Playbook – a blueprint of how the government saw local authorities working more closely with the construction sector. It came at the right time and is being adopted

by thousands of organisations across the UK – Stepnell included. “Looking back to March 2020, COVID-19’s impact was immediate. Within a few days of lockdown, remote working was the norm. For some contractors, work on site stopped overnight – and the construction sector stood blinking as companies took in the huge catastrophe before them. “But, despite not being able to assess the future, the construction sector did what it always did – rolled up its sleeves and got on with the job in hand. Projects usually delivered from the board room were now being designed in people’s living rooms and kitchens, which meant contractors looked for new ways of working to ensure projects kept on track. “Alongside government support through furlough and other initiatives, there was stronger collaboration among contractors, supply chain and agencies. This unity meant a camaraderie and a strong sense of everyone having their part to play to achieve the common goal of delivering projects and keeping sites open. “Many contractors, including Stepnell, continued to work on site – and very quickly adapted to new ways of working to ensure colleagues’ safety. “By their very nature, contractors are agile, with their number one role being a problem solver for clients. This agility enabled us to

swiftly adjust to solve a very different set of problems during lockdown one in 2020. As an industry, we moved at speed to meet clients’ expectations and we worked closely with clients to manage risk, ensure project delivery and overcome the many hurdles COVID-19 presented together. With our clients, we focused not just on project delivery, but also health and safety and wellbeing. “We also turned to managing our projects in an even more innovative way – using digital technologies and closely looking at new ways of working in order to achieve the results we needed. As well as taking a ‘partnership’ approach with clients, we also worked even closer with our supply chains. Again, working in partnership with supply chain partners, we were able to pay suppliers as early as possible and work together to achieve the results we collectively needed. “Stepnell had a flexible supply chain, which could also adapt quickly to demand. This, like many other factors we have adopted because of the pandemic, will be in place postpandemic. The ‘not just for COVID’ approach means that the industry will continue to look at new technologies such as cloud working. The industry was way behind in terms of new technologies prior to COVID-19 - one of the positive things to come out of the pandemic for me is to see how crucial we view technology in the long term. “And of course, the pandemic has highlighted an issue that has been present in the construction industry for years – colleague wellbeing. Before the pandemic, the industry already had above average rates of divorce and suicide. Colleague mental health is something which became even more of an issue in 2020 – and will no doubt need to remain a focus for the industry once the worst of the pandemic is over. “On a positive note, the industry could potentially use the recent changes to ways of working to diversify its workforce. The pandemic has plunged the industry into the quickest and deepest possible experiment in flexible working — which has proved to be a success.

Tom Wakeford

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“Not only that, but the construction industry was in the news during the first part of lockdown – not always for the right reasons as the public could see working sites when others had to stay away from workplaces. But the news pages highlighted construction

Article and the way it was adapting, as well as new technologies. Construction companies’ ability to adapt to these changes, and so quickly, could make the industry more accessible and attractive to a wider talent pool - including young people.

Another key factor I see is the real importance of social value. Something that may have been seen as an exercise to tick boxes and score points against competitors pre-pandemic has been brought to the forefront during COVID-19 to show the genuine benefit to communities which our construction projects can bring. Whether that’s sandwiches for construction workers from a local café which has been closed for months or CSR projects to engage with local schools, which were also forced to lock their doors. “Continuing to bring young people into the industry is crucial. Stepnell has 14% of our workforce as trainees and apprentices – we

see opportunities to give young people (an age bracket affected by the pandemic like no other) a great opportunity in a fantastic rewarding industry. “A recent report shows construction output is anticipated to rise by 14% in 2021 after falling 14.3 per cent in 2020. Further growth of 4.9 per cent in 2022 is expected to ensure that construction output at the end of next year surpasses 2019’s levels of output. “These figures are encouraging. Because of our commitment to serving our clients, despite the pandemic, Stepnell has experienced an increase in new project wins with a strong order book for this year and into 2022. “Many in the industry struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic and, despite working continuously throughout the various shutdowns, Stepnell was not immune to the increased costs of working and the delays in delivering projects.

an NPS of 41 – showing that Stepnell is performing well above average. Key to this success is our ability to be involved early on in projects during the pandemic where we can understand our clients’ objectives and then ensure we work as a team to achieve them. “We believe that, in part, this assessment reflects how we adapted very quickly to the new ways of working throughout COVID-19, keeping our sites operational as our staff adjusted practices on site, in our offices and at home. “Like many others in the sector, Stepnell adapted and learned quickly in 2020. And like others, we will be reflecting and making assessments based on the year we have had and, crucially, what we have learned.

“A good level of orders has also been secured for 2021/22 across all its regions, which provides a solid stable business going forwards. We have a good workload secured for the new financial year to March 2022.

“Companies which embraced the challenges to develop and adopt new processes and capabilities to protect their workers, minimise future project disruptions and comply with government regulations and restrictions while managing clients and suppliers were the best suited to weather the storm and may actually emerge stronger. With the turbulence of the past year comes an opportunity for positive, long-lasting change.”

“Stepnell is using the Construction Net Promoter Score to assess our performance to clients. Our score to March 2021 shows

To find out more about Stepnell visit: www.stepnell.co.uk or join the conversation at @Stepnellltd.

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10 Station Road, Kenilworth, CV8 1JJ Website: www.mcs-corporate.com Email: charlotte@mcs-corporate.com Phone: 01926 512475 / 07940194666

Construction UK Magazine - July 2021 11

Latest News NEW PEATLAND CONSTRUCTION METHODS COULD UNLOCK FURTHER HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS IN RURAL SCOTLAND More environmentally friendly methods for laying housing foundations on peatland could pave the way for increased economic development in parts of the Highlands and Islands, while mitigating disruption to the natural ecosystem and captured carbon dioxide. A research consortium involving Edinburgh Napier University and HeriotWatt University, with support from the Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) and JAHAMA Highland Estates is assessing the feasibility of a range of construction methods to minimise disturbance to peat and mitigate the environmental impacts. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), NatureScot, ECOSystems Tech Ltd and the Scottish Government are also supporting the initiative. Peatland plays an important role in Scotland’s natural landscape and ecosystem, comprising of dead and decaying plant material with carbon captured in the remains. As much as 20% of Scottish land is covered in peat soil serving as a significant carbon store for more than 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon - equivalent to 140 years’ worth of Scotland’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions. However, the soil is often unsuitable for building upon because of low strength, landslide risks and its tendency to deform under load. In parts of the Highlands and Islands, where peatland is commonly found, new housing is in short supply and some sites earmarked for housing development can be complicated by the presence of peat. Finding viable, sustainable methods

for building on peatland that align with restoration work already underway, could transform Scotland’s approach to rural housing. Good quality, affordable homes could help to reverse population decline and promote economic growth in rural areas, encouraging a young and talented workforce to move to, and remain in, the Highlands and Islands. Construction teams have previously relied on excavate-and-replace techniques, however, this project will explore a number of options that allow peat - and stored carbon - to be left in place, such as deep-soil-mixing, and piling. Timber piling would use tree trunks or long poles

The availability of suitable affordable housing is a key factor in regional development across the Highlands and Islands. It is needed to attract and retain young people as well as inward investors looking to locate in the region. This innovative project has the potential to make it feasible to develop housing on areas where it previously would not have been considered. This could benefit rural economies and strengthen local communities, while protecting some of the region’s outstanding natural features.

of timber to carry the foundations of a building. Disturbance of the peatland would be minimised, especially the presence groundwater, which is essential if peat is to continue to accumulate. The aim of the first phase of the project is to assess and compare the geotechnical suitability, environmental impact, logistics and cost implications of the different approaches. In a second phase, live field trials are planned to assess the suitability of proposed solutions. Councillor Trish Robertson, chair of the Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee at Highland Council, said: “Highland Council is happy to support this research project as a way of exploring innovative ways of achieving our objectives of delivering more affordable housing and inclusive economic growth, while safeguarding better croft and other agricultural land, and reducing the carbon emissions presently caused by development on poorer agricultural land, which often contains significant peat deposits. I am hopeful that the results of the research can have a practical application for future developments and help us even better achieve our objectives.” Julia Stoddart, chief operating officer at Jahama Highland Estates, said: “Preserving and restoring peatland to keep carbon sequestered and enhance biodiversity is central to the land management work happening right now across JAHAMA Highland Estates. “With over 14,000ha of peatland on the estate, restoration work forms a significant part of our parent organisation GFG Alliance’s efforts to offset the carbon footprint of its industrial operations as it progresses towards carbon neutrality by 2030. “As a large employer in the local area, GFG Alliance also recognises the importance of this research in addressing the long-standing issues concerning housing stock in the Highlands. We are committed to reconnecting people and place in Lochaber and Badenoch. Releasing constrained land for sustainable new housing would be transformative for our local communities.” Scott Dingwall, head of regional development, Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross, at Highlands and Islands Enterprise, said: “The availability of suitable affordable housing is a key factor in regional development across the Highlands and Islands. It is needed to attract and retain young people as well as inward investors looking to locate in the region. This innovative project has the potential to make it feasible to develop housing on areas where it previously would not have been considered. This could benefit rural economies and strengthen local communities, while

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Latest News protecting some of the region’s outstanding natural features. As such, it could be a key element in our shift towards a carbon neutral economy and achieving our netzero targets. We are very pleased to be able to provide support and look forward to seeing the project progress.” Dr John McDougall, of Edinburgh Napier University, said: “Peatland has long posed a challenge to construction, the solution to which has commonly been an aggressive practice of removal. More recently, planners, environmental agencies and engineers have become increasingly aware of the very significant role of intact peat in the carbon cycle. In this context, it is exciting to be leading a reevaluation of foundation options in the context of geotechnical, environmental and economic factors.” Andrew Nurse, project manager at CSIC, said: “In line with Scotland’s goals for net-zero, especially in the construction sector, we are looking at more sustainable options such as timber piles, as a solution for building on peatland - which could also make use of local, home-grown materials. Once we have reached conclusions from the feasibility study, the next stage will be to conduct a series of on-site trials at various locations in the Highlands and Islands.”

In line with Scotland’s goals for net-zero, especially in the construction sector, we are looking at more sustainable options such as timber piles, as a solution for building on peatland - which could also make use of local, home-grown materials. Once we have reached conclusions from the feasibility study, the next stage will be to conduct a series of on-site trials at various locations in the Highlands and Islands.

SMITHFIELD BIRMINGHAM MILESTONE WILL DELIVER THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS The Smithfield Birmingham development reached a significant milestone today (29 June) as Lendlease and the City Council finalised a joint venture contract for the £1.9bn scheme, which has the potential to create over 8,000 new jobs in future years. Creation of a brand new innovative and sustainable City quarter will provide local jobs, amenities and over 3,000 much needed new homes for the City, as well as opening up wider opportunities for regeneration. The 17 hectares development will anchor an expanded City Centre, helping to accelerate a wider transformation of Birmingham and support long-term economic and social prosperity within the region. The vision for Smithfield Birmingham is to create a sustainable, green and inclusive place that puts people at the heart of the development. This once in a generation opportunity will include:

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A new home for the markets: A new home for the city’s valued historical Bull Ring markets, with a new destination market experience establishing Smithfield as a prestigious and globally recognised market district.

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High quality public spaces: Significant strengthening of the city centre’s authentic character with a major new public square, high quality spaces and public art.

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Better connectivity: Improved connectivity with the integration of the Metro, bus routes and prioritisation of pedestrians and cyclists.

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Retail and workspaces: Independent retail and a variety of workspace that will be attractive to small, growing and large businesses.

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Sustainable city living: High quality city living with over 3,000 new homes in a healthy, sustainable and safe place with community facilities, a new public park, squares and active play for children.

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Outstanding leisure and culture: An outstanding leisure and cultural quarter, with live performances for all ages.

Work on a planning application for the scheme is underway, and a full public consultation will be held to work collaboratively with the local community as more detailed plans are developed. Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “Smithfield Birmingham is a real once in a lifetime opportunity to create a new community in the heart of our city – and we are really excited to be working with Lendlease Europe, who have an internationally proven track record for bringing forward major developments like this. This £1.9bn development means jobs, homes and opportunities and Smithfield Birmingham will become a shining example of inclusive economic growth and will create a real legacy in the heart of Birmingham.”

Neil Martin, Lendlease’s Chief Executive Officer in Europe, said: “This is a real landmark moment, and it is testament to the hard work and determination of everyone involved that we are now moving onto the point where we will work with the wider community to bring this development to life. As well as providing some fantastic new homes and vibrant workspaces in Birmingham, we’ll be helping create thousands of new jobs for the city over the future years.” In January 2019, Birmingham City Council announced Lendlease, an international real estate and investment group with core expertise in shaping cities and creating strong and connected communities, as its preferred development partner for Smithfield Birmingham. Lendlease is now converting and delivering a £24.1bn pipeline of work in the UK; and will work in partnership with the City Council to bring Smithfield Birmingham to life, demonstrating an enduring commitment to delivering a legacy for the City and creating a place where the benefits of growth and development are shared by all. The development is just minutes away from where the new HS2 station at Curzon Street is being built, which will bring Birmingham and the West Midlands within an hour’s commute of Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, London, York, Preston and Wigan. Lendlease is the ‘Master Development Partner’ for the over station development at Euston, which means the company is responsible for the planning and then the delivery of everything above, between and around the HS2 and Network Rail Stations on that site. The area will be the gateway to the Midlands and the Northern cities; providing rapid connections to new opportunities and helping trigger new jobs and skills along the length of the line. The Chair of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP), Tim Pile, said: “GBSLEP has allocated £2.3m of funding from its Enterprise Zone Investment Plan to enable the procurement process to go ahead. Smithfield Birmingham is a key project for the city which will provide high quality, sustainable city centre living as well as jobs and inward investment. As a LEP we have a unique triple helix structure of bringing local government, business and educational leaders together to identify key investment areas in the Enterprise Zone that drive inclusive economic growth. Working with Birmingham City Council, we are reviewing future grant requests to unlock and accelerate development on the Smithfield site which will benefit both our citizens and our city.” Lendlease and the City Council also already work closely at Perry Barr in the northwest of Birmingham where Lendlease is the Managing Contractor for the Perry Barr Residential Scheme. When complete the scheme will provide 1,400 new homes for Birmingham as part of a wider regeneration in the north west of the city that includes improved leisure and community facilities along with upgraded transport infrastructure.

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Latest News THE UK CONSTRUCTION SECTOR READIES ITSELF FOR A ‘DIGGING BOOM’ The UK is set for a ‘digging boom’ this year, according to Digging up Britain 2021. The annual safe digging report by LSBUD reveals that construction companies, contractors and the general public used lockdown to plan for almost one million projects, including house and road building, extensions and road maintenance. These are likely to get started as lockdown restrictions ease then lift, swelling the estimated four million projects which routinely take place each year. Before any project involving digging commences people must do a search to check what underground pipes or cables may be in the way. The vast bulk of these searches are done through the LSBUD portal. As a result, the company provides an accurate barometer of excavation activity taking place in the UK. In 2020, searches relating to future projects hit 904,120, a massive 235,334 increase on 2019. This meant future planning accounted for an unparalleled 29 percent of all searches. Richard Broome, Managing Director at LSBUD, comments:

Given that over three quarters of all digging work that takes place in the UK is preceded by a thorough search on our portal – that’s over three million projects every year – it’s safe to say that our data provides a clear picture of what’s going on in the digging world. And that data is telling us loud and clear that the construction industry is heading for a digging boom! As restrictions continue to ease, not only will many of the almost one million planned projects commence, but also all the construction which was halted in 2020 will get underway. Added to this will be the onset of projects financed by the Government’s plans to kick-start the UK’s economy through large scale infrastructure. One example is HS2, with construction on the UK’s biggest project in generations ramping up substantially this year. The Digging up Britain report outlines where the UK’s digging is coming from and the type of work that is taking place. The majority of excavation work is being done on behalf of the telecoms sector, 36 percent of the UK’s total. The dominance of telecoms work is partly a result of the Government’s £5 billion strategy to deliver next-generation, gigabit-capable broadband to the entire country. The UK Gigabit Programme is set to connect one million properties to gigabit broadband by 2025.

The water industry comes next with 27 percent of the UK’s digging. Other big movers include agriculture projects, such as tree planting and resurfacing gateways and tracks, and domestic works, such as building sheds.” Richard Broome adds: “We’re seeing more members of the public digging than ever before, repairing driveways, building conservatories and extensions, and putting in new fencing. COVID has clearly led people to think more about their home environment.” Hitting an underground pipe or cable can be incredibly dangerous and disruptive, so with a surge in digging activity predicted, it’s good news that the UK’s underground infrastructure is better protected than ever, as are those that work nearby.

‘USE IT OR LOSE IT’ PROPOSED LEGISLATION SET TO BOTTLENECK HOUSE BUILDING INDUSTRY House builders will be stripped of planning permission if site development does not commence within 18 months after planning is ‘green-lit’, under new government proposals. With England desperate for new houses, and close to a million plots across the country remaining unfinished, MPs argue that proposals put forward by the housing, communities and local government committee could speed up the rate of build and resolve England’s desperate shortage of homes. “The Government should set a limit of 18 months following discharge of planning conditions for work to commence on site”, states the Committee in their recently released report, “If work has not progressed to the satisfaction of the local planning authority, then the planning permission may be revoked”. With industry leading professionals agreeing that speeding up build rates will help the government achieve its house building targets of 300,000 new homes a year, others claim the committee’s recent proposals unfairly penalise developers with unnecessary bureaucracy, while avoiding the principal factors contributing to the 74,000 new build shortfall between 2019-20.

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Richard Broome explains: “Our data shows that searching on our portal before digging is second nature not only for the majority of construction workers and contractors, but also, increasingly, for the general public, which is fantastic to see. This is brilliant news as the UK gears up for this digging boom.” To download a copy of Digging up Britain 2021, visit www.lsbud.co.uk/digging-upbritain-report

Simon Das of 978 Finance, a specialist property development finance brokerage says, “These proposals are simply a kick in the teeth for our house building clients. Instead of putting the onus on developers, the government should concentrate on reforming the antiquated and protracted planning process. The planning system itself and local opposition remain the main obstacles to new homes being built. We see developers waiting up to 18 months for planning approval, then having to reschedule their builds until they can bring in new contractors often due to delays on discharge of relatively simple pre-commencement conditions. Equally, in the current climate developers are struggling with the procurement of building materials with costs spiralling over the last year. Clearly, the last thing we want are house builders rushing or cutting corners, this will directly impact on profitability and ultimately build quality. Burdening developers with increasing penalties will only lead to a bottleneck situation, and if not handled carefully, be entirely counterproductive to the industry at large. Such proposals hardly bolster the entrepreneurial spirit or encourage the formation of new SME’s vital for attaining the build figures promised in the Conservative manifesto. An added layer of bureaucracy is surely not what is needed for post covid economic recovery”. In addition to the potential revocation of planning permission, developers will also have to contend with council tax rates becoming fully chargeable on unfinished properties on sites taking longer than 3 years to complete. Such proposals have firmly been supported by The Local Government Association who have reportedly stated, “The Government needs to provide councils with the tools to encourage or oblige developers to build-out sites with permission in a swift and timely manner”.

©Thomas Léonard

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Carbon Planning

‘CARBON PLANNING’ It is well known that prevention is better than cure. For the same reasons as disease prevention is more effective than its cure, so carbon emission prevention is a better approach to the control of global warming than remedial actions later. A need for homes and a vibrant economy will always be paramount, so we must build our homes, our businesses and our manufacturing facilities with minimising carbon emissions in mind from the very outset. Carbon emissions released in the creation of building materials, known as embodied carbon, cannot later be reversed. For this reason we must design all new buildings - from homes to factories, offices to schools with all sources of carbon emissions in the creation of the materials fully considered.

The design must not only be constructed from minimal embodied carbon materials, but homes and businesses must also be designed with minimising carbon emissions in their operation and use too.

The design must not only be constructed from minimal embodied carbon materials, but homes and businesses must also be designed with minimising carbon emissions in their operation and use too. We need to look to plan the layout of manufacturing and industrial facilities so that processes with heat output from for example, cooling water, or oil warmed by the processes are located in conjunction with process that require a heat input. In this way process heat can be reused. And building planning of separate facilities within an industrial area to be co-located with others that can cooperatively share energy that would otherwise be dissipated. In office buildings, schools and hospitals, upfront design of internal walls, partitions and meeting room spaces must be designed for reusability, right at the drawing board. Current initiatives to reuse building materials from structures that are already built demonstrate how important it is to build and fit out buildings that are designed to be reused; If we are to mine the Anthropocene, so that materials move not from cradle to grave but from grave to cradle, then we must design our buildings

Current initiatives to reuse building materials from structures that are already built demonstrate how important it is to build and fit out buildings that are designed to be reused; If we are to mine the Anthropocene, so that materials move not from cradle to grave but from grave to cradle, then we must design our buildings to meet that need; they must themselves be building stores of the future and inventories of source materials. to meet that need; they must themselves be building stores of the future and inventories of source materials. Homes must be built with low carbon emission use in mind; people require warm homes that are affordable to heat, but this is not the same as needing a gas boiler – the needs must be met in ways that minimise carbon emissions while meeting people’s needs and designed in a way that allows utilisation of future technologies as they emerge. We need to build with material reuse in mind, make use of the lowest carbon materials available, use materials that sequester carbon themselves such as carbon sequestering concrete and incorporate natural materials which act too as carbon sinks, so retaining carbon in the built environment and preventing further carbon emissions. In other words, we must plan for a circular carbon economy, one that recognises and respects the carbon emissions that have already been spent in the production of building materials. An economy that values carbon emissions such that they are spent scarcely. Just as we design our wallets and purses so pennies are not lost carelessly, so we must design our buildings so that carbon emissions are not lost thoughtlessly to the atmosphere. If we are to preserve our home planet and thrive upon it, we must make best use of the carbon emissions we have already spent and conserve and be economical with those that remain. By Chief Carbon Reduction Engineer, at Tunley Engineering Dr Torill Bigg www.tunley-engineering.com

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People On The Move

VISTRY EAST MIDLANDS HELPS FORMER RAF-MAN STEPHEN SPREAD HIS WINGS Vistry Group has underlined its commitment to providing career opportunities for exservicemen and women by welcoming a former member of the Royal Air Force to its East Midlands team. Stephen Howell is joining the Peterboroughbased division as a trainee site manager, following a four-week work experience placement shadowing the site team at Judith Gardens development in Sawtry, Cambridgeshire.

Vistry employs over 100 former servicemen and women across the country, including several within the East Midlands division. Last year, Vistry signed the BuildForce Veteran Alliance Charter to show its continued commitment to employing exmilitary personnel. Stephen said: “After being furloughed in March last year, I didn’t want to sit around doing nothing.

The placement was organised by Rob Spittles, construction director at Vistry East Midlands, in cooperation with BuildForce, an organisation which helps former armed forces personnel embark on a new career in the construction industry, where he acts as a mentor.

“I took this opportunity to learn more about the construction industry. I started my first course in October and have since completed 10 more. The next step to starting my new career was gaining much-needed practical experience, and that’s where BuildForce and Vistry have helped me out.”

Stephen, 51, served in the UK, USA, Croatia, Afghanistan and Iraq during a 22-year career in flight operations for the RAF before leaving the forces in 2011.

“Over my placement, I have been able to shadow the construction team and learn all about the different stages of the build process.

And after being furloughed from his role as an assistant station controller at Stansted Airport last year, he decided it was time for a change. Over the last 15 months, Stephen has completed 11 courses and achieved an array of qualifications in management and health and safety to enable him to pursue his new career. Now, Vistry, which includes Bovis Homes, Linden Homes and Vistry Partnerships, has offered the ex-serviceman his very first job in the industry at its Judith Gardens development. Stephen said: “After spending just shy of 30 years in aviation, switching to construction was not a decision I made lightly. That being said, there are some key similarities between the two industries that assured me I could make the change. “After speaking with Rob, my BuildForce mentor at Vistry, I knew I would settle in quickly. The teams are all made up of similar personalities, and it’s easy to establish and maintain relationships. There is a real sense of comradery in construction.”

“Just like aviation, housebuilding involves a lot of planning ahead to ensure the homes are delivered on time, supplies are ordered in advance, and that everything is on schedule. “It’s been a really enjoyable experience so far, and I already feel like part of the team here at Judith Gardens.” Rob Spittles, construction director for Vistry East Midlands and Stephen’s BuildForce mentor, said: “As an ex-serviceman, I’m well aware of the transferable skills between the two jobs, and how much of an asset someone with Stephen’s experience and determination will be to our team. “I strongly believe in allowing service leavers to explore new careers in the industry, and we currently have four ex-servicemen in the production department - all of them display a great attitude, and two have already progressed to senior management positions. “This is our first placement since signing the BuildForce Alliance Charter last year, and we have been highly impressed by how quickly Stephen has integrated into the team. We are excited to welcome Stephen to Vistry East Midlands and look forward to continuing to watch his career grow.”

SAVISTA DEVELOPMENTS APPOINTS GRAHAM HILL AS CONSTRUCTION DIRECTOR Graham Hill has been appointed as Construction Director of industryleading, care home design and construction business, Savista Developments. Graham, who has nearly 40 years’ experience in construction and previously worked for Balfour Beatty’s London Region as Managing Director, will lead the build and fit out of their sister companies, Hallmark’s next generation of care homes and Santhem Residences retirement communities. In addition, Graham will ensure all projects are time lined and support the delivery of the company’s growth strategy. Kevin Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of Savista Developments and new assisted living brand, Santhem Residences said: “We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Graham Hill. Graham brings with him a huge amount of experience working on projects exceeding £100m, which will help us to execute our vision as we set out to create outstanding environments for Hallmark Care Homes’ and Santhem residents. “I am incredibly pleased to welcome Graham to the team and wish him every success in his new role.” Graham Hill said: “I am really pleased to have joined Savista Developments at a time when the business and its portfolio are undergoing a period of exciting growth. “With further expansion planned and many new projects in the pipeline, there is a clear opportunity to increase our market share across both the care home and assisted living sectors, something I am looking forward to playing an active role in straight away, working closely with the Kevin, colleagues and external stakeholders.”

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Case Study

OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW TECHNOLOGY

Fibrelite provided a bespoke composite trench covering arrangement for this manufacturing and research facility

Fibrelite were contacted in the early part of 2020 by a third-party construction company. They had been requested to source a GRP covering arrangement for their client’s service duct trenches at a major UK based manufacturing and research facility. Problem Operational difficulties posed by the previously existing concrete cover slabs led to an essential replacement programme being mandated. The end user had recently moved into the facility and established that an alternative covering solution would be needed to optimise future operations due to specialist personnel and machinery being required for removal and replacement of concrete slabs and other issues including: • Previously existing D400 concrete covers were extremely heavy and cracked in some areas (as pictured stacked, awaiting disposal) • Central and offset service access ports required in order to allow easy access to services without the need to completely remove covers A smooth finish was also required (no tread pattern). Solution Following the requested site survey, which was completed by the Fibrelite team, a solution was presented to the end user. A collaborative process between the Fibrelite team the construction company and the end user was instrumental in engineering an appropriate solution for this unique upgrade

project. Fibrelite GRP covers are extremely durable yet lightweight making them ideal for easy manual handling (designed to be removed manually by two people). Key Fibrelite engineering achievements for this project: • Fibrelite trench covers are designed to be safely removed and replaced by two people using the ergonomically designed FL7 lifting handles • The Fibrelite replacement covering solution included covers modified to include central and offset service access ports • Fibrelite covers moulded without the tread pattern per customer request to achieve a smooth finish • Installation of the Fibrelite framing system into the existing precast rebate using an epoxy grouting system

Fibrelite trench covers are designed to be safely removed manually by two people while strong enough to withstand sustained loading

Fibrelite covers eliminate the need for specialist personnel or lifting machinery for maintenance or operation Results The easy access solution provided by Fibrelite eliminates the need for specialist personnel or machinery during maintenance or operation. Key benefits of Fibrelite trench covers: Easy access to trench services using the ergonomically designed Fibrelite FL7 lifting handles • Best strength to weight ratio available in the market • Retrofit installation of bespoke Fibrelite frames • Custom designed and engineered trench covers • Fast installation

• Removing the previously installed covers: a costly and time-consuming operation

All Fibrelite trench covers can be safely and quickly removed by two people using the FL7 lifting handles

Click here for more Fibrelite case studies

Construction UK Magazine - July 2021 19

Interview CONSTRUCTION UK MAGAZINE SPEAKS WITH DAVID MOULTON, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CAMFIL UK, ABOUT THE DANGERS THAT AIR POLLUTION AND CONTAMINATION ARE POSING TO WORKERS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY David, if you could please firstly talk us though what these specific dangers are? In regards to air quality the airborne contaminant risks can be broken down to four key categories: • Particulate matter – This Includes dust, smoke and tobacco smoke, pollen, animal dander, particles generated from combustion appliances such as cooking stoves, and particles associated with tiny organisms such as dust mites, mould and bacteria. • Gaseous pollutants – This comes from combustion processes. Sources include solid fuel heating sources with insufficient venting, gas cooking stoves, vehicle exhaust and tobacco smoke. They also come from building materials, furnishings, adhesives, paint and varnish, cleaning products and pesticides. • Environmental pollution – Outside contaminants such as vehicle fumes and industrial pollution can seep into buildings, but there is also a risk from naturally occurring gases such as radon. • Human Contamination – The people in our offices and buildings are often the • carriers of Viruses which can spread around the building. These viruses can sometimes spread through the air we breathe. Have they increased over the years? The risk of airborne contaminants is always increasing as there are new

David Moulton, Managing Director of Camfil UK

contaminant risks that occur every day. If we look at the four categories we can see, from the past year alone, that the spread of viruses from person to person has been the most prevalent risk in society. One of the great things we have seen over the past few years is a drive to reduce outdoor air pollution. With the World Health Organisation(WHO) having clear guidelines and targets around air pollution this has given our country targets to try and reach. What can we do about air pollution? Air pollution isn’t just about outdoor air it’s also about indoor air. We spend 80% of our lives indoors so the best place to start is to focus on the air we breathe most. Did you know that Indoor air can be up to 50x more polluted than outdoor air? If we can focus on improving our Indoor air quality we are going to take one step to improving the health of people What are aerosol contaminants and how can they be a threat to workers? Airborne contaminants are many when we discuss aerosols we often talk about viruses. When viruses are airborne (or in aerosol format) the health of our workers are at greater risk. Just think about all the news items over the last year where we have seen outbreaks occurring. It hasn’t been about an outbreak in a park but more focussed on the indoor environment. What can construction businesses do to protect their workers more? Understanding and highlighting areas of concern is key. On sites we do risk assessments for the physical wellbeing of our employees (trip hazards, lifting hazards) but we don’t really consider air quality as a requirement. Ensuring the workers are protected from airborne contamination risks is now becoming part of this risk assessment practice

One of the great things we have seen over the past few years is a drive to reduce outdoor air pollution. With the World Health Organisation(WHO) having clear guidelines and targets around air pollution this has given our country targets to try and reach.

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We have seen over the past year the importance of protecting site workers’ health. One outbreak of virus can lead to many days of downtime on site which can mean missed deadlines and project completion dates Talk us through what air filtration technology is, and how this can help? Air filtration technology has been used for many years and has been proven to help protect the health of people. Air filtration is used in HVAC systems for ventilating buildings but it is also used in HEPA air purifiers for added protection in Indoor environments. How does air filtration protect the environment? Using the right filtration levels can help reduce energy consumption, thus reducing CO2 emissions as well as capturing and containing pollutants that are generated indoors. Air filtration technology is used for capturing not just particulate matter but also removing odours, gases and toxins from being released into the atmosphere. What other ways can the dangers be minimised? By using air filtration systems we can also help reduce the spread of airborne viruses. When using a HEPA air purifier with Certified H14 filters (according to EN1822:2019), your filters can capture 99.995% of airborne contaminants in one filter pass through. We have seen over the past year the importance of protecting site workers’ health. One outbreak of virus can lead to many days of downtime on site which can mean missed deadlines and project completion dates How important is it to recognise and action these dangers? Risk assessments are key to any business. Highlighting areas that we would consider high risk and creating solutions to lower the risk is key. Let’s take the construction Industry. Often we will see portacabins used as common areas for lunch breaks, site meetings and changing areas. With limited ventilation and high occupancy these areas could be considered high risk. Utilising HEPA air purifiers in these environments can help reduce these risks as they can supplement the air changes and capture the airborne contaminants.

ENGEL HIGH-VIZ WORKWEAR HELPS SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT A range of high visibility protective safety clothing with 50% of the material made from recycled plastic bottles has been introduced by workwear manufacturer Engel Workwear. Called ‘Safety Light’, each item of clothing can be verified to consist of regenerated

polyester fibres ultimately spun from a specific number of plastic bottles to make up 50% of its content. This is combined with 40% cotton and 10% standard polyester (245 g/m2) to produce a cool-to-wear, durable fabric. By using regenerated polyester which is equally as efficient as new, there are also significant consumption savings on energy, water and C02. The Danish firm has worked closely with Unifi, one of the world’s most advanced recycling centres which transforms the recycled bottles into a polyester yarn called ‘REPREVE©’ The smart, mix-and-match range includes boiler suits (containing 37 plastic bottles), work-jackets (20 bottles), trousers (19 bottles) with Cordura kneepad pockets and elasticated waistband, bib-overalls (23 bottles) and shorts (14 bottles). All have many practical pockets and comfort-design features. There is also a specific selection especially for women called ‘Ladies Light’, all with the same benefits. Commenting on the initiative, the CEO of Engel Workwear, John Engel said: “We are delighted to be able to make a positive contribution in helping to reduce the impact of the single-use global plastic waste crisis by putting many thousands of otherwise discarded bottles to further practical purpose. By doing so, we are able to not only do our bit to help improve the environment, but also be the first to use

Waterless Wheel Cleaning System

this versatile fabric to produce a unique range of lightweight, hardwearing and comfortable high-visibility clothing which will help keep our customers safe” The Engel ‘Safety Light’ collection is being further extended during 2021 and for maximum comfort and flexibility, no matter what the work situation, the company is also marketing their high-vis ‘Super Stretch’ range; this consists of a wide variety of garments with elastic fibres woven into a polyester and cotton mix; the strong yet extreme flexibility of the material allows each garment to return to its original shape thereby retaining all the inherent advantages of their design and style. Comfort as much as durable practicality is important to any wearer as not only does the ‘Super Stretch’ workwear provide protection throughout the day or night, it also helps reduce tiredness, further minimising the risk of accidents. For more details contact Gareth Bladen at gbl@f-engel.com Telephone +44(0) 7759 520034 or visit www.engel.eu/en & ENGEL Workwear - Catalogue (f-engel.com) Click here for more information. https://youtu.be/ nc2se7xKKlE

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Latest News MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID INSTRUCTORS PROGRAMME DELIVERS £5.5MILLION OF SOCIAL VALUE TO SOCIETY Building Mental Health, the CITB and the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity have published a report detailing the social value of their Mental Health First Aid Instructors Programme; an initiative to train 288 construction industry dedicated Mental Health First Aid Instructors. The Social Value Report shows that for every £1 invested there has been £5.50 of Social Value to society. This amazing result is despite the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, which meant that the programme had to be extended by a year. The programme achieved 99% of its target for training instructors and 166% of its target for training Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) to operate in the industry on a daily basis.

As well as demonstrating incredible social value, the ‘Mental Health First Aiders Programme’ is helping to tackle the stigma of mental health in the construction industry. We want everyone to be able to talk freely about mental health and seek support when needed. The construction industry now has the highest number of Mental Health First Aid Instructors of any other vertical industry channel which is a huge achievement. We look forward to continuing this ground breaking partnership in the years ahead

‘Building Mental Health’ was launched by a working group of construction industry leaders and experts in 2018 in response to findings published the previous year in the ‘Thriving at Work’, Stevenson/Farmer review of mental health and employers. Commissioned by the Government, the report looked into how employers could provide better support to employees, including those with poor mental health or wellbeing, to remain in and thrive at work. The Thriving at Work review identified not only the immediate human cost of poor mental health at work, but also the knock on impacts for society and the economy. It cited that employers are losing billions of pounds because employees are less productive, less effective, or off sick. In construction alone, stress, anxiety and depression accounts for a fifth of all work related illness. One of the key objectives of the Building Mental Health Programme was to address the findings of the Thriving at Work report and provide companies of all sizes a portal of free and easily accessible information so that they could develop a positive mental health culture in their organisations. Contributions from across the industry ensured that an array of comprehensive support and expert guidance was easily accessible by all. The programme also includes a 5-step framework to better mental health, which focussed on the importance of pro-active training to support the industry. To help support the aims of the Building Mental Health framework, a specific training project was created and managed by the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity and funded with £1m from the

CITB in May 2018 to deliver a programme of bespoke construction-based instructor courses to achieve the following key objectives:

•

Train 288 Mental Health First Aid Instructors

•

Trained instructors to subsequently train 3,000 Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) in the industry

•

To encourage the industry to engage and embrace the mental health agenda and raise awareness of mental health issues in the industry in general

•

To make best practice and information readily and wherever possible freely available

•

To ensure that the industry takes a huge leap forward to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health by getting the conversation started while educating as many as possible about where and when to seek help.

The MHFA Instructors course lasts seven days but is delivered over a six week period to allow for reflection on the complex issues raised. Attendees said that hearing first hand from guest speakers who were prepared to share their personal mental wellbeing experiences provided invaluable insight into real life journeys and helped to get behind the raw figures. Many reported that being on the course was both emotionally challenging and life changing. Key Achievements of the MHFA Instructors Programme

•

284 Mental Health First Aid Instructors trained resulted in £1,215,141 of social value

•

Instructors delivered training to 5,318 Mental Health First Aiders, outperforming target by 66% and resulting in £3,638,842 of social value

•

3349 Mental Health Awareness courses delivered £654,730 of social value

•

Total social value of the Mental Health First Aid Instructors Programme £5,508,713

The report clearly shows that expectations have been surpassed, but there is no room for complacency. Deborah Madden, CITB Engagement Director, said: “This project has outstripped expectations by helping to train over 5,000 mental health first aiders. Their impact will be enormous, providing vital support to people when they need it most.

22 Construction UK Magazine - July 2021

Latest News As one of the founder members of Building Mental Health we are delighted by the social value this training programme has delivered and we now have another 5000 front line mental health first aiders. The report cites that the instructors trained are under no illusion that the industry still remains much closer to the start of the journey towards de-stigmatizing poor mental health than the end, but there are extremely positive outcomes so far. Together, we have been able to offer a fresh, industry-wide approach to ensure mental health support is available for all and to drive a more inclusive and caring cultural change in our industry for this generation and the next. “Mental health and wellbeing in construction is a large and complex issue that won’t be tackled overnight, but this project is an important step in the right direction.” Bill Hill CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity added, “As one of the founder members of Building Mental Health we are delighted by the social value this training programme has delivered and we now have another 5000 front line mental health first aiders. The report cites that the instructors trained are under no illusion that the industry still remains much closer to the start of the journey towards de-stigmatizing poor mental health than the end, but there are extremely positive outcomes so far. Together, we have been able to offer a fresh, industry-wide approach to ensure mental health support is available for all and to drive a more inclusive and caring cultural change in our industry for this generation and the next.”

CONSTRUCTION STUDENTS OFFERED JOBS ON NEW AFFORDABLE DEVELOPMENT A development of affordable homes in Newhaven has created employment opportunities for three students from Sussex College. Leading housing provider Stonewater has teamed up with housebuilder Hill to build 145 homes on the former Parker Pen factory site off Railway Road. Construction is now underway and to support the build, Hill has offered roles to three students following a recruitment drive with the local college. Tom Mills from Hill delivered a presentation to students when they visited the Parker Pen scheme, which was followed a visit to the college and an opportunity to interview with the company. Tom Mills, Project Manager at Hill, said: “Following the interviews, I was really impressed with the attitudes and enthusiasm presented by three of the students and was delighted to offer them each a job based on their ambitions. “One of the students, Andy Dean, is completely new to the industry and so we’ve agreed to support him in gaining site experience to help him identify which trade he wants to craft and build a long-term career in.” Andy started on site, at Stonewater’s development, as a labourer this month. He said: “I’d originally hoped to join the army but for medical reasons had to make a new plan. I’ve always had an interest in construction and was just finishing a four-week course at

the college when we got to visit the Parker Pen scheme. “I’m really grateful for this opportunity. It’s been good to get on site but it’s also really great that I’m being given the chance to learn more about the various roles available in construction so I can figure out what I most enjoy and then decide what job I’d like to work towards.” Matt Crucefix, Director of Development at Stonewater, said: “Building homes is about more than providing a roof over people’s heads. It’s about the opportunities it creates for those new residents, who now have somewhere they are proud to call home, and the wider community. “We’ve worked closely with Lewes District Council and local residents to identify how this scheme can enhance the area for everyone and we’re delighted that this development has been able to create further opportunities to help shape and teach the next generation of construction professionals.” The entirely affordable development – with homes available for affordable rent, shared ownership and Rent to Buy – will comprise of one and two-bedroom flats as well as two, three and four-bedroom houses. Upon completion Stonewater will also be landscaping the open space and providing features to enhance the public realm, maintaining areas of the local nature reserve and potentially working with the Town Council to provide a community garden.

Simon Blake, CEO of MHFA England commented “As well as demonstrating incredible social value, the ‘Mental Health First Aiders Programme’ is helping to tackle the stigma of mental health in the construction industry. We want everyone to be able to talk freely about mental health and seek support when needed. The construction industry now has the highest number of Mental Health First Aid Instructors of any other vertical industry channel which is a huge achievement. We look forward to continuing this ground breaking partnership in the years ahead.”

Construction UK Magazine - July 2021 23

Latest News MINISTER FOR DEFENCE PEOPLE AND VETERANS VISITS LEARNING CURVE GROUP CONSTRUCTION ACADEMY IN MIDDLESBROUGH The Minister for Defence People and Veterans visited Learning Curve Group Construction Academy in Middlesbrough after hearing about the fantastic work that Learning Curve Group (LCG) are doing with the Building Heroes Charity. LCG partnered with Building Heroes in January 2020 to provide fully funded training to members of the armed forces and military veterans. The partnership helps get thousands of veterans back into employment and prepares serving personnel for life after

the military, with servicemen and women gaining a range of skills including painting and decorating, plastering, joinery and bricklaying. The Minister was shown around the Academy by CEO of Building Heroes, Brendan Williams and LCG Academy Manager, Merika Hagley. He chatted to learners and staff and was impressed by the scale of the academy and how many different courses were delivered. The Minister was then shown how to lay a

ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGY DEGREE APPRENTICESHIP APPEALS TO INDUSTRY The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has launched a degree apprenticeship in architectural technology following calls from industry. Some of the region’s top architecture companies have already signed employees up to the new course, which will begin in September. This includes family-owned Collinson Construction, based in Garstang, Preston-based Cassidy and Ashton and Aew Architects in Manchester. The University has introduced the degree apprenticeship route on the back of feedback from several regional businesses who wanted to develop their employees’ skills through study alongside on-the-job training. Employers can also take advantage of the apprenticeship levy, which allows larger businesses to pay for training through their levy account, while smaller businesses can benefit from government funding to cover 95% of course costs, or even the full cost via levy transfer* if they are eligible. Collinson Construction is enrolling a team member on the course after already seeing another member of staff, senior architectural technologist James Swarbrick, benefit from studying at UCLan. Tim Potter, architectural design team manager at Collinson Construction, said: “Having degree apprenticeships gives us an intrinsic link to the University. It provides an up-to-date understanding of the content

taught on architectural technology and allows us to monitor the latest industry trends. We are able to upskills our staff in the relevant areas of the profession and tailor our resource strategy to ensure we are joined up with the University to give the student a strong skill set.” Alistair Baines, Chairman of Cassidy and Ashton, said: “As a long standing Preston based firm of architects we are delighted to support the new degree apprenticeship at UCLan and look forward to continuing to grow our links with our local University from which we have recruited a number of staff over the years.” Commercial Director of Aew Architects Colin Savage commented: “A key priority in our current business plan is to ensure we continue to invest in our people and provide the appropriate support, training and opportunities for our future generations. It’s therefore great to be involved in this pioneering new course, which provides an alternative route to becoming an architectural technologist. We look forward to supporting our degree apprentices Johan and Louis to complete their studies whilst continuing their employment and mentoring with Aew.” Ann Vanner, course leader for the architectural technology degree apprenticeship, added: “We’re excited to launch this new course in response to industry demands. We know that employers are keen to invest in their best asset, their workforce, and the degree apprenticeship route delivers highly skilled individuals who not only fill the skills gaps but also help to bring new ideas and innovation into the business.” More information about UCLan’s new degree apprenticeship in architectural technology can be found on the UCLan website, by emailing uclanapprenticeships@uclan.ac.uk or by calling 01772 895500.

24 Construction UK Magazine - July 2021

brick by one of the Building Heroes learners and LCG bricklaying tutor, Trevor Maidment. (Pictured) MP Leo Docherty is an ex-soldier who served in the British Army in Iraq and Afghanistan before going into politics and becoming MP for Aldershot in 2017. Due to his military background he was asked by the Prime Minister to take up the role of Minister for Defence People and Veterans in April 2021. The Minister, Leo Docherty, said: “Veterans make a fantastic contribution to companies across the country and the work done by Learning Curve Group is vital in giving people the skills they need. Many veterans have positive experiences leaving service, but we know some find the transition difficult. The free training provided by the Academy to our veterans ensures they can flourish in civilian life and maximise their employment opportunities. I was delighted to see the training firsthand in Middlesbrough and understand more about the diverse range of courses on offer for veterans.” CEO of Learning Curve Group, Brenda McLeish, said: “This partnership is a perfect example of how we can support people to better their lives through relevant training programmes at no cost to the learner. We’re really proud of the work we do with charities and communities. As a proud Armed Forces Covenant silver award employer, LCG is passionate about supporting ex-service personnel, current serving personnel and reservists, and this partnership has been proven to provide opportunities to support them even more and give them the skills for future employment and enhance their lives.” Since the partnership between LCG and Building Heroes began in 2020 there has been over 1,000 military personnel complete training at the construction academy on Skippers Lane industrial estate in Middlesbrough through the Building Heroes charity. The courses run for five days per week over a five-week period, each course is worth over £2,500 but is available at no cost to the individual. Learning Curve Group are preparing to take on their next cohort of Building Heroes learners on the fully funded 5-week Construction Skills course at the Middlesbrough Academy on the 28th June 2021.

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Events & Awards News ALANNA MAXWELL SECURES BUILD LANARKSHIRE CHAMPION 2021 BUSINESS AWARD ON BEHALF OF COATBRIDGE’S BUILDING FINISHING SERVICES LIMITED Alanna Maxwell of Building Finishing Services UK Ltd. has won the Build Lanarkshire Champion 2021 business award at the conclusion last week of the Build Lanarkshire 2021 programme. The highly successful instructional programme guides local construction businesses on how to win new work from both the public sector and Scotland’s Tier 1 building contractors. Run in partnership with North and South Lanarkshire Councils, the Build Lanarkshire 2021 programme is conducted by hub South West, the public-private partnership of local authorities, NHS, blue light services and a clutch of leading construction industry Tier 1 building contractors. The Build Lanarkshire 2021 programme culminated in an online awards ceremony where each participating business presented to a panel comprising representatives of the two local authorities, Tier 1 contractors, and hub South West. Coatbridge-based Building Finishing Services, founded in 2018 by Cameron Greenshields, Alanna’s brother, employs nine people who specialise in refurbishing and overhauling existing homes to a high standard throughout Scotland’s Central Belt. Alanna said: “I am delighted to have won this award. The Build Lanarkshire 2021 programme was absolutely brilliant. I have gained a lot from the experience and, above all, it has given me huge confidence in taking the business forward. I want also to thank Mark Houston and Margaret Milton who made us all so welcome throughout the eight week-long programme”. Second place went to Kirsty Hunter of BDL Demolition who impressed the judges with her presentation and business

Alanna Maxwell

maturity beyond her years. Close behind in third spot was Crawford MacGregor, of MacGregor Flooring Company Limited who gave a superb presentation to convey all that the family business took from the development programme to assist its further expansion. Mark Houston, supply chain development manager at hub South West, said: “congratulations from all at hub South West to Alanna, the runners up and to each business who took part in Build Lanarkshire 2021. “It has been a joy and inspiration to work with these businesses over the last eight weeks, all of which have shown incredible ambition, a hunger to learn and a willingness to embrace new ways to better their businesses and themselves.

We should like also to thank the representatives of our Tier 1 contractor partners, David Mackenzie at Robertson Construction Central Limited, Willie Campbell of Morgan Sindall Construction, Patricia Murphy of BAM Construct UK, Fraser Hatton & Daniel Hamilton at CCG (Scotland) Ltd, Gordon Reid of Kier Construction, Gwen Blair of Linear Design & Construct, Robert Dickson at Cruden and Jim Johnstone at Morrison Construction for their ongoing commitment to supporting the programme, and for following up with the businesses to engage with them further in their quest for working together on future contracts. “My personal thanks go also to North Lanarkshire Council’s Robert Steenson and South Lanarkshire Council’s Daniel Lowe who, alongside hub South West CEO Michael McBrearty, had the difficult task of judging the presentations”. Robert Steenson, Executive Director (Enterprise and Communities) at North Lanarkshire Council, said: “I was impressed by the commitment of all participants in the Build Lanarkshire 2021 programme to develop thriving businesses capable of fulfilling the demands of Tier 1 contractors. It was clear to me that we have a wealth of business talent in our council area that deserves all possible support from us as a local authority”. Daniel Lowe, Executive Director, Housing and Technical Resources at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “The Build Lanarkshire 2021 programme was a revelation to me and the economic development team at hub South West should be congratulated on conceiving, organizing, and conducting such an excellent initiative. I left the session I attended full of optimism that the economic future of our region is in good hands”. Michael McBrearty, Chief Executive of hub South West, said: “congratulations are due to Alanna and all the other Lanarkshire businesses which participated in this, our fourth and, yet again, highly successful Build Lanarkshire 2021 programme. “There is no doubt that with this and other hub South West-led initiatives such as our Building for Growth programme, that we are all playing a vital part in helping local businesses up their game to compete for, and win, profitable business from our Tier 1 contractor partners”.

28 Construction UK Magazine - July 2021

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Project News

BELLWAY BEGINS WORK ON 258-APARTMENT SCHEME IN GREENHITHE

Adam Cadman of Kendrick Homes, by the mini monument at its Parsons Grove development

Construction on a major new housing development in Greenhithe is now underway. Bellway has started work on the first homes at Crossways Quarter, a development of 258 apartments being built on a five-acre site off St Mary’s Road and Crossways Boulevard. The housebuilder is developing an area of overgrown grassland into a collection of seven apartment buildings with a pocket park and podium courtyard. The homes will include a range of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with 207 homes for sale on the open market, and 51 properties for affordable rent or shared ownership. Tom Sherriff, Managing Director of Bellway Thames Gateway, said: “There’s always a sense of anticipation when construction work begins on a new site, and we are looking forward to unlocking the potential of this disused land off Crossways Boulevard to create an attractive new neighbourhood in Greenhithe. As well as providing much-needed high-quality housing for the borough of Dartford, the development will revitalise a previously unloved and neglected piece of land which has become something of an eyesore. “The homes we are building have been designed to accommodate buyers at various stages of the property ladder. The range of one and two-bedroom apartments are ideal for first-time buyers, while the larger three-bedroom properties will be well-suited to families. Crossways Quarter is in a prime location for commuters, as it is just a five-minute walk to Stone Crossing railway station, which has direct trains to central London in under an hour. Residents will also benefit from being just four miles from Ebbsfleet International and high-speed services to mainland Europe.

With work now underway at Crossways Quarter, we are looking forward to making the first apartments available for sale next year. Plans for the new development were approved by Dartford Borough Council in December 2020.

KENDRICK HOMES DISCOVER ‘ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIND’ AT PARSONS GROVE DEVELOPMENT Creating new homes has unearthed a rare archaeological find in the village of Sedgeberrow it was revealed today. Kendrick Homes, a medium-sized regional builder with sites across the Black Country, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, commissioned Rubicon Heritage to complete a full strip of its Parsons Grove development after signs of historical structures were found during the initial build. Working in partnership with Wychavon and Malvern Hills District Council, the fifth-generation owned family firm halted work immediately to allow experts to undertake the project, which found ditches, occupation features, pits, structures and human remains dating back more than three to five centuries. There were also two corn driers discovered, a mix of Roman and AngloSaxon pottery and, interestingly, two burials, with one of them revealing the head placed by the feet of the skeleton. This was quite common in Roman burials and various historical myths range from suggesting the death of a wrong doer or the burial rite of a gladiator. All artefacts and samples from the excavation will be stored at the offices of Rubicon Heritage and at Hartlebury Museum, whilst a mini monument and has been created at the entrance to the estate, showing historical details and photos of what was found. “This was the first time we have been part of an archaeological dig for more than a century and we were pleased to help local experts uncover and preserve important artefacts from Sedgeberrow’s past,”

32 Construction UK Magazine - July 2021

explained Adam Cadman, Marketing Manager at Kendrick Homes. “All of our developments are designed and built with the interests of the local area firmly in mind and, where we can, we always try to incorporate some of the history in the homes we are creating. Parsons Grove has gone one stage further and we’ve marked the ‘find’ with a special monument that will become a real point of local interest for years to come.” Kendrick Homes build and sell modern homes, designed by an in-house team with style and high-quality materials and fittings, including Porcelanosa, Villeroy & Boch, Siemens and Zanussi. Founded in 1880 by William Kendrick, the Black Country headquartered firm currently has seven sites live across the West Midlands and is just about to start on site at a further six as it looks to maximise strong demand in the housing market. Parsons Grove, a 20-strong mix of 2, 3, 4 and 5-bed houses set in the idyllic village of Sedgeberrow, is now ‘sold-out’ with homeowners citing the quality of the development and its sought-after location near the historic riverside market town of Evesham yet within easy access to Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. Adam concluded “Covid-19 has thrown lots of challenges at us, but we have emerged in a strong position. We only have five properties left to sell across all of our existing developments and are either just starting on or about to launch another six schemes. The business is also looking to make a number of land acquisitions before our financial year end in June.”

Project News

MULTI-MILLION-POUND LLANELLI REGENERATION PROJECT SECURES GOVERNMENT APPROVAL A landmark regeneration project on the outskirts of Llanelli has been given the go ahead by the UK and Welsh Governments, securing £40m in City Deal funding. Arup has worked closely with Carmarthenshire County Council and project stakeholders to develop a brief, explore design options and submit RIBA Stage 3 proposals for the Pentre Awel scheme which is due to start on site later this year. This innovative provision of social infrastructure will transform the post-industrial site to create a vibrant new amenity for the whole community. The Delta Lakes site, once home to a range of industries that made Llanelli prosperous in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, has remained undeveloped since the late twentieth century. Historic uses have left a legacy of contamination which this development will address as part of a site-wide regeneration to create a generous public landscape themed around health and wellbeing, while setting the context for future phases of development. The initial phase will bring together higher education and employment in life sciences businesses, community healthcare and modern leisure facilities - within a single building. The ‘one building’ solution brings together diverse user groups with the aim of improving outcomes for the Llanelli community, from health and wellbeing throughout the five life stages set out in the Welsh Government’s Wellbeing of Future Generations Act and addressing the UK Government’s post-covid ‘levelling up’ agenda in a community challenged by high levels of unemployment and chronic health conditions. This pioneering development is arranged as a series of five two and three-storey buildings connected by an enclosed street, its scale paying homage to the proportions of Llanelli’s historic core. A major driver of the design was a desire to maximise daylight throughout. Meanwhile, the landscaping seeks to bring the outside in, encouraging people to explore and remain active. It permeates into the courtyard entrances that erode the building form, and key spaces within enjoy spectacular views across the adjacent lake and west to the Loughor Estuary. A simple and robust palette of external materials have been selected to create a timeless, welcoming and low-maintenance building which responds to its context. The elevations of brick and profiled metal reflect the site’s industrial heritage, whilst the fractured massing avoids the scale of the building overwhelming its context. Roofs are profiled metal and green/brown roofs, with photovoltaic panels generating electricity which contributes to the renewable energy strategy.

Sustainability is a central consideration, with a requirement to achieve BREEAM Excellent as a minimum, reducing embodied and operational energy where feasible within the budget constraints, thus minimising whole life impact.

“The designs showcase the council’s ambition to create a development that is landscape-led, connected to local communities and amenities and is sustainable and we are very excited that we will soon be in a position to start delivering this truly original development.”

Carmarthenshire County Council Leader Cllr Emlyn Dole said: “Pentre Awel will be the first development of its scope and size in Wales delivering business, research, health, education and state-of-the-art leisure facilities all on one location along the Llanelli coastline.

Pentre Awel is being delivered by Carmarthenshire County Council in partnership with Hywel Dda University Health Board, Universities and Colleges including Coleg Sir Gar, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Swansea University and Cardiff University.

“It will generate a wide range of employment and training opportunities for local people while considerably boosting the local economy to further accelerate our economic recovery from Covid-19.

The development will also include assisted living accommodation, along with a nursing home, a hotel, and elements of both open market and social and affordable housing.

PLANNING APPROVAL GRANTED FOR BRITISHVOLT’S WORLD-CLASS GIGAPLANT IN NORTHUMBERLAND Manufacturer Britishvolt has received a huge boost by obtaining planning permission to regenerate the 92.2hectare disused coal stocking yard (used as part of the former Blyth Power Station) in Northumberland into the UK’s first battery Gigaplant with a gross internal floor area of 386,357m² that will have the capacity to produce 300,000 batteries per annum for the Electric Vehicle market.

& Project Management, Architecture, Sustainability, Digital Engineering, Land & Building Surveying, Health & Safety and Principal Designer services. Ridge is working alongside partners Rolton Group (Engineering), G&T (Cost Consultant), Potential Realisation (Process Design), Dentons (Solicitors) and ISG (Construction Partner) to deliver the overall project.

A total investment of £2.6bn will make this one of the UK’s largest ever industrial investments creating 3,000 highly skilled jobs and up to 5,000 more in the wider supply chain. Electrification of mobility, including domestic battery cell production, is strategically important to the UK automotive industry and a key component in Boris Johnson’s ten-point plan for the UK’s green recovery and a key step towards the Net Zero Carbon economy by 2050.

Ridge employs 650+ people and brings specialist expertise in Advanced Manufacturing understanding and delivering complex, highly serviced technical facilities with multiple stakeholders. This multifaceted approach has crystalised all the requirements for Britishvolt in terms of people, specialist equipment, process, safety, logistics, security, environment, design, layout, quality/specification, budget, sustainability and social value exploring all opportunities for collaboration.

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Construction UK Magazine - July 2021 33

Project News

WORKS ON £3.4M STAFFORDSHIRE HEALTHCARE FACILITY PROGRESS Works are moving along well at the new Greenwood House Medical Centre on Lichfield Road in Burntwood, Staffordshire, and an event was held on 22nd June to mark the progress of the project. The £3.4million medical facility, which is being constructed by Midlands contractor G F Tomlinson, is due for completion in September 2021 and will bring first class healthcare facilities to the community to relieve the pressure on local hospitals. The new single storey centre is being constructed on a site previously occupied by a residential care home, which has been vacant since 2008. The centre will replace the current provision on Hudson Drive, approximately 300 metres away from Greenwood House, with medical services still being provided by the Darwin Medical Practice from within the new facility. Consisting of 12 consulting rooms, five treatment rooms, a healthcare and phlebotomy room, and a health education space with an adjoining pharmacy unit, the Greenwood House Medical Centre will provide much-needed upgraded and accessible healthcare facilities for the area. There will also be 61 onsite parking spaces created and surroundings will be landscaped, with the centre using the existing road entrance for the former care home. The site progress event for the Greenwood Medical Centre was held onsite on 22nd June and delegates from partners involved in the project attended,

including Staffordshire County Council, Entrust, The Darwin Practice, CCG and G F Tomlinson the main contractors. G F Tomlinson was selected from the Staffordshire County Council Framework to provide the construction works for the site which began in November last year, this being their fifth project secured on the framework. The scheme has been funded by NHS England’s Estates and Technology Transformation Fund, which aims to improve healthcare services for patients across the country with modernised facilities and technology. Works onsite are taking shape, with the centre’s steel frame and new car park constructed first to enable staff parking and material storage, minimising disruption to local residents. Works to the drainage, render, masonry and curtain walling are all complete, with work underway on decoration and ceiling and floor finishes which will allow for the installation of radiant panels and lighting to commence. The electrical and mechanical installation is also nearing completion. Chris Flint, director of G F Tomlinson, said: “This important project is progressing as planned and will see new, modern and spacious healthcare facilities delivered to the local community. “Recent months have highlighted how vital accessible healthcare services are for communities, and with an ageing population, Burntwood’s current facilities were inadequate and unable to meet public demand.

We are pleased to be working alongside Staffordshire County Council once again to deliver another crucial public service building to the area, providing local residents with access to excellent healthcare. We look forward to seeing the project reach completion later this year. Alan White, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said: “Part of the strategy for reducing demand on our hospitals from ageing communities is to provide more facilities and services in the community and we have always earmarked this councilowned site for use to benefit the people of Burntwood. “This will be a first-class health centre on the community’s doorstep and it will make a huge contribution to residents’ health and wellbeing, as well as supporting older people’s independence.” Dr Gerbo Huisman, GP partner at Darwin Medical Practice, said: “I am delighted that years of collaborative working and planning between skilled and dedicated professionals from local health authorities, the county council and The Darwin Medical Practice are now coming to fruition.

Our patients, as well as the wider community, are now getting what they have asked for so long; a modern, spacious and comfortable health centre from which we, their GP practice, will be delivering high quality, responsive and patient centred primary care services. Lynn Miller, director of care for the NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent CCGs, said: “This will be a fantastic health centre for the people of the area and is a great example of the NHS working with our local authority partners in an integrated way. This centre is specifically tailored for the new multi-disciplinary teams we are building in primary care, with GPs supported by a range of other highly skilled professionals including Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Pharmacists, First Contact Physiotherapists and Social Prescribers.” Staffordshire County Council is leading this project, with project management from ENTRUST, G F Tomlinson acting as main contractor, CPMG as architect and Jackson Purdue as structural engineer.

34 Construction UK Magazine - July 2021

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Speak to a member of our team 01242 237661 www.hazlewoods.co.uk We strongly recommend you take professional advice before making decisions on matters discussed here. No responsibility for any loss to any person acting as a result of the material can be accepted by us. Hazlewoods LLP is a Limited Liability Partnership registered in England and Wales with number OC311817. Registered oﬃce: Staverton Court, Staverton, Cheltenham, Glos, GL51 0UX. A list of LLP partners is available for inspection at each oﬃce. Hazlewoods LLP is registered to carry on audit work in the UK and regulated for a range of investment business activities by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

TECH PARTNERS CREATE NEW SAFETY AND SECURITY SYSTEM FOR CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY Two tech companies have joined forces to create a new turnstile with an in-built software system to improve safety and security on construction sites across the UK and Ireland. Security technology company Envision Intelligent Solutions, which has offices in Northern Ireland, England and the USA, teamed up with software development firm NTD (North Time and Data) to launch the latest development of their bespoke security turnstile that uses facial recognition technology and records temperatures to help ensure a Covid-free workspace. The Gateway Turnstile, which is manufactured by Envision, incorporates a new cloud-based software system that links directly to the client’s payroll and HR systems. The software has the ability to link in with most payroll systems and can generate a number of useful reports and statistics to help keep projects within budget and to assist with job costings and financial reporting. For example, as employees

Two Northern Ireland tech companies – Envision Intelligent Solutions and NTD (North Time & Data) have joined forces to create a new turnstile with an in-built software system to improve safety and security on construction sites across the UK and Ireland. The first Gateway Turnstile has been shipped to a major construction site in Wales. Pictured at the launch of the new turnstile are: (from left) Darron Pressley (NTD), Philip Murdock (Envision), Stephen Brown (NTD), Amanda Campbell (Envision), Glen Murray (Envision) and Mike Wiseman (NTD).

The Envision Gateway Turnstile uses facial recognition technology and records temperatures to help ensure a Covid-free workspace. clock in and out using the facial recognition system within the turnstile, the software can generate statistics on hours spent on site per Employee and per Contractor, as well as generating reports per Trade (e.g. Electricians, Joiners etc.). The Health and Safety element has a dashboard showing live reporting of who is on site (e.g. First Aider, Fire Marshall, CSCS/CSR). The first turnstile with the new cloud-based software has rolled off the production line and has been shipped to a large building site in Chepstow in Wales for construction fit-out company Beacons Business Interiors (Bbi Group). Philip Murdock, Envision IS Managing Director said: “Our clients in the construction industry asked for a bespoke contactless security system that could link back to their head office and provide the data in real time.” Amanda Campbell Envision IS Commercial Director added: “Envision moved quickly to get facial-recognition turnstiles with linked software to the marketplace to support construction companies to keep sites open and personnel safe.” Envision partnered with NTD to create the cloud software for the new turnstiles that give construction companies improved security and communications between the sites and their head offices. NTD adapted its successful NT Pro Workforce Management System to the requirements of the construction industry. NTD Managing Director Stephen Brown explained: “The Biometric Facial Recognition

Terminals and NT Pro Software not only record the time and date of an employee coming onto a construction site, but it also takes their temperature and alerts management if an employee has a high temperature.” The software comes with modules that are particularly useful to construction site security. For example, it allows companies to upload CSR/CSCS qualifications and gives access to personnel training files that can all be viewed from the live dashboard ensuring health and safety qualifications are up to date. The first turnstile was shipped to commercial fit-out specialists Bbi Group, which design, fit-out and refurbish commercial premises across the UK. The company has secured a contract to completely refurbish a 20,000m2 storage warehouse in Chepstow and will have approximately 100 people working on site over the 13-month period. Dave Bastier from Bbi said the company chose the Envision Gateway turnstile as it needed an efficient means to control access to and from site that would not cause an issue with social distancing and contamination of touch surfaces. He said: “The Envision Gateway has been positioned between the car park and the principal entrance to site and provided the perfect solution to that need. Training and backup for our site administrator provided by Envision has also been excellent.” For more information on the Gateway Turnstile go to www.envision-is.co.uk.

36 Construction UK Magazine - July 2021

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Project News

CONSTRUCTION COMPLETES ON NEW WARWICK ARTS CENTRE IN UK’S CITY OF CULTURE National contractor Willmott Dixon has this month (June 2021) completed work on the new and improved Warwick Arts Centre situated on the University of Warwick’s campus. The Arts Centre now boasts a large new building with a number of newly created spaces including three digital auditoria with high-end digital projection and sound, as well as a ground floor gallery to exhibit contemporary art, sculpture and photography.

The building also features a new foyer offering a larger, more environmentally friendly and attractive entrance for visitors, in addition to a new restaurant and bar to ensure the complete experience. The project also involved the refurbishment and upgrading of the existing building.

Designed by Ellis Williams Architects with Bond Bryan as delivery architect and project managed by Turner & Townsend, the project aims to make Warwick Arts Centre the region’s leading cultural centre and a place where creativity, collaboration and innovation thrive.

The £25.5 million investment in Warwick Arts Centre was supported by an award of £4.2 million in National Lottery funding from Arts Council England and is a key venue in Coventry’s year of UK City of Culture in 2021.

Peter Owen, managing director at Willmott Dixon, said: “We are very pleased that, after a difficult time for the much-loved arts industry, Warwick Arts Centre will later this year be welcoming audiences back to a space that supports and enhances everything the arts has to offer. The project involved a number of challenges, not least the constraints of a tight site in the middle of campus and the changing requirements related to COVID-19, so a collaborative approach was vital. “We have a strong relationship with the University of Warwick, first established during our work on the University’s Oculus Building, then their Sports Hub and Wellness Centre in 2019, and earlier this year the IBRB. This means we are able to truly understand their campus vision and help make it a reality. We are very proud to have become a trusted advisor to the University and to have built a relationship which allows us to contribute to the wellbeing and development of not only students but also the people of Warwickshire and beyond.” Throughout the project, the equivalent of £1.8 million of social value return on investment was delivered to local people by

SHEFFIELD’S BIGGEST SPECULATIVE OFFICE DEVELOPMENT UNDERWAY Scarborough Group International (SGI) has started works on site to deliver a new 62,862 sq ft state-of-the-art office building in Sheffield city centre. Currently the biggest speculative office development underway in the city centre, ‘Endeavour’ forms the fourth and final phase at the acclaimed Sheffield Digital Campus (Sheffield DC). Representatives from the project team, alongside Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council, Kate Josephs and Councillor, Paul Turpin, met on site to mark the official ground-breaking on Friday 11 June 2021. Yorkshire-based GMI Construction is contracted to deliver the impressive eightstorey Grade A office building, which offers highly-efficient floorplates of up to 10,323 sq ft. A private 3,584 sq ft roof terrace on the sixth floor overlooking the city’s transport interchange, the iconic Park Hill Flats and panorama beyond is also included.

Scheduled to be completed by the end of summer 2022, the fully funded development is the final of four visually impressive buildings on the Sheffield DC site. Electric Works, Ventana House and Acero have all been successfully let and subsequently sold to investors with high profile occupiers including Sky, Kennedy’s, Michael Page, Atkins and the flex-office workspace provider Spaces. The design of Endeavour has been modified to respond to trends in respect of the future use of workspaces, accelerated by thee pandemic making the office environment a safer place to work including reduced touch points, but also appreciating the increasing prevalence of agile-hybrid working styles many businesses are adopting. The development, which has a GDV of £27m, will create up to 140 construction jobs and, once complete, will accommodate up to 800 office workers. It is a major

38 Construction UK Magazine - July 2021

vote of confidence in Sheffield city centre, where the supply of existing and pipeline office space has diminished, leaving a major shortage of space to cater to existing and future demand. Adam Varley, Head of Commercial at SGI, said:

We are pleased to announce the start of speculative construction on site to deliver the final phase at Sheffield DC which brings nearly a quarter of million sq ft of prime business space to the city centre. GMI Construction is a trusted long-term partner on the project and, together with our design consultants CJCT Architects, they have helped us to evolve the building in line with the future of workspaces. “We are delighted to report that there is already strong interest from potential

Project News way of a number of community initiatives. Over 17,000 hours was spent supporting local young people with work experience opportunities, as well as 20 weeks with the University’s civil engineering students. Warwick Arts Centre is now a hybrid consisting of new and old, following the demolition of an existing section of the site. By matching the existing build and bringing together the new elements of the project seamlessly, there are now over 20 different roof levels on the site. Bruce Raw, Birmingham studio director at Bond Bryan, said: “We’re delighted to see Warwick Arts Centre completed. Our team are deeply passionate and proud of our growing presence and relationships across the West Midlands and this project has been at the heart of that drive for the last two years.

From start to finish the project has been a really positive team collaboration between client, endusers, architects, project managers, consultants and the contractor – with everyone all pulling in the same direction on what has been a very complex project on a constrained site, working closely together to solve challenges.

Commenting on the completion of Warwick Arts Centre’s redevelopment its Director, Doreen Foster, said: “Today is a fantastic day for Warwick Arts Centre as we are now one step closer to welcoming visitors back to their arts centre. We cannot wait for our audiences to enjoy the experience and make new memories as they engage with the exceptional range of arts and culture that has always been our hallmark, including in our new spaces – such as our new three screen cinema, restaurant and the reimagined Mead Gallery. With people throughout the UK and Europe set to visit our city to mark Coventry’s year as City of Culture, 2021 is set to be an exciting time for arts and culture in our region – and I’m delighted that we will be part of its success. I like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved with the redevelopment of Warwick Arts Centre for making this possible and ensuring that audiences and visitors will be able to join us for decades to come. We’re back, bigger and better than ever, and our doors will be open wider than ever before.” The University of Warwick’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart Croft, said: “Sat right at the heart of our main campus, Warwick Arts Centre has been an integral part of the cultural life of our University and region for almost five

decades. As we celebrate Coventry City of Culture 2021, it is wonderful that Warwick Arts Centre will soon be open again for audiences and visitors to come and enjoy all that it has to offer.” Robert Freeman, Director of Ellis Williams Architects, said: “This is the culmination of many years of planning and working with Warwick Arts Centre and the University of Warwick and we are really excited to see the project completed. “The biggest design challenge we faced was to retain the unique character and top-light of the original Mead Art Gallery in the new galleries that was much loved by artists, whilst also providing new galleries at ground floor creating more accessibility to audiences and at the same time adding the three new large digital auditoria all on the original site. We are extremely pleased that Willmott Dixon has completed the renewed Warwick Arts Centre in time for it to be part of Coventry City of Culture 2021.” Warwick Arts Centre is now taking bookings for shows from October. To find out more and to make a booking, please visit: www.warwickartscentre.co.uk

With the project beginning in 2019, followed by the closure of leisure, arts and entertainment venues for much of the last two years, the venue is all set to welcome audiences for shows beginning from October.

occupiers looking for a well-located, premium workspace with flexible, open plan floor plates in the city centre. The building’s impressive design really creates a sense of arrival, with a double height entrance reception and new social space allowing visitors and colleagues to interact.” Kate Josephs, Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council, said: “Easily accessible, high quality office space is absolutely central to attracting investment into our region and Endeavour offers great potential for coworking in the heart of Sheffield. As a council we are committed to delivering infrastructure, space and buildings that reaffirm our position as England’s fourth largest city and create an environment where we can thrive for years to come, and I believe that Endeavour will be a great asset to our city and complement the transformation of the city centre that is currently taking place.” Councillor Paul Turpin, Executive Member for Inclusive Economy, Jobs and Skills at Sheffield City Council, said: “The next couple of years will be a vital time for new developments and regeneration as we begin our Covid-19 recovery and start to look

towards the future of our city. I am pleased Endeavour will have an “excellent” BREEAM rating and is taking wellbeing into account using the WELL building standard. “Wellbeing and sustainability must be the focus of new developments in Sheffield. Sheffield Digital Campus will play an important role in boosting the local economy and offering an attractive setting for colleagues to come together; whether you’re working in the office multiple days a week or just visiting for an important meeting. It’s essential that we have a variety of flexible spaces on offer in the city centre that best meet the needs of those using them - for some people that will be open plan hospitality venues such as Kommune, Cutlery Works, or a coffee at Marmadukes, and for others it will be purpose-built, dedicated office space such as Endeavour.” Lee Powell, Divisional Managing Director of GMI Construction Group, said: “It is fantastic to continue our work at Sheffield DC and start on site with Endeavour, the final phase of this impressive project. It is the last parcel of land on this prime site and so there are tight constraints on space for construction but our experience in delivering the other buildings on

site allows us to apply value engineering to complete within the 71 weeks schedule.” Sheffield DC is part of a new office quarter in a super-prime location next to the city’s major transport hubs and in the centre of the development framework for new HS2 Midlands Station. SGI is one of the most active developers across the Northern Powerhouse, with over 3.2m sq ft of commercial/mixed-use space under development over 524 acres of land. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the Group has maintained its ‘Keep Building’ ethos, continuing to deliver transformational schemes that breathe life back into the North’s former industrial heartlands to support the Government’s ‘Levelling-up’ agenda. Most recently, the Group secured funding from OakNorth Bank for a new 133,118 sq ft HQ office building at Thorpe Park Leeds as part of the next phase of development to deliver an additional 1.3 million sq ft of mixed-use accommodation including 300 new homes and a 113-acre public park.

Construction UK Magazine - July 2021 39

Project News

WATES CONSTRUCTION BEGINS WORK ON NEW £17M EDGAR WOOD ACADEMY National contractor, Wates Construction, has begun work on a new £17m secondary school serving the local communities of Heywood, Middleton, Birch and Langley in Rochdale. The Edgar Wood Academy will be operated by the Altus Education Partnership (Altus), a multi academy trust.

health and safety and pre-construction collaboration. He said: “We are using our Prism off-site manufacturing facility, which offers many advantages, including substantially reducing waste on site and lowering the carbon footprint of both our construction activities and the operational use of the buildings.

The project was procured via the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Framework and is the first of six MMC projects to hit site that Wates is undertaking since its appointment to the framework in January 2020.

Additionally, we have been moving forward on this project since August 2020 and have fostered a really strong collaborative relationship with complete integration of all the parties involved – the highways department, the local council, the DfE, our own team and Altus, who from the start, had a very clear idea about how they wanted the building to look.

Designed by architectural practice, Sheppard Robson, the 900-pupil school for 11 to 16-year-olds, which has a footprint of 6,720 sqm, is being developed in response to increased demand for secondary places following the expansion of local primary schools and will be ready for September 2022. It will comprise a three-storey teaching block containing 23 general classrooms and 34 specialist classrooms, a sports hall, sports pitches, soft and hard play areas, car parking and drop off areas. At the same time, Wates has worked closely with the DfE to develop temporary accommodation to house The Edgar Wood Academy’s first 120 Year 7 students when they arrive in September 2021. The accommodation will be located on a site about three miles away at Hopwood Hall College. As Dave Saville, regional director of Wates Construction North West explains, there have been massive benefits of working through the MMC framework in terms of

“The contract was signed in early May 2021, and we were on site by mid-May 2021, which was only made possible because of the close working relationship we have established. We are also privileged and delighted to have been appointed through a separate tender to provide the temporary accommodation for the first pupils arriving in September and we are making timely progress.” James Jones, partner, Sheppard Robson, has been working with the designated headteacher and his colleagues on the interior styling, which incorporates some additional features to reflect the work of

the architect and draftsman, Edgar Wood, who practised in Manchester at the turn of the 20th century, was a leading player within the Arts and Crafts movement and whose name the school takes. He said: “We looked at the sequence of spaces in the layout and took our lead from the work of Edgar Wood, asking how he would have done it. He was also a painter and some ideas from his landscape paintings have been introduced in the landscaped approach to the school, while patterns, influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement have been reproduced within the school’s branding and literature.” Recognising the commitment of all parties to making the Edgar Wood Academy a reality, Marcin Kojder, headteacher designate, said: “As a headteacher, I have been incredibly fortunate to work with a team who will listen and provide expert and reasoned advice. Furthermore, Wates Construction have paid particular attention to the school’s vision and how the building can help to achieve it. As the school has developed, time has been set aside for additional meetings, just so that we can get the school exactly how we want it. I would like to thank everyone involved with the project for their enthusiasm and dedication towards creating a fantastic school for our children.” John Milburn, Project Manager at the DfE, commented: “The approach of Wates Construction’s team during the CEM process was incredible. Weekly meetings, ad hoc meetings and issuing of plans and minutes were all done for the benefit of the scheme and in a very timely manner. As both the permanent scheme for September 2022 and temporary scheme for September 2021 reach site, we as the DfE have real confidence in Wates’ ability to deliver the schemes. There are some considerable works to undertake and some risks to manage but we are confident we have the right partner for delivery.” Wates Construction has already made some strong community connections as part of its commitment to local spend and job creation, including supporting the supply chain. In partnership with Class of Your Own, its site team has also assisted with delivering the Design Engineer Construct programme to Hopwood Hall College students. Meanwhile, Wates Construction is also close to completion of the 900-pupil Whitehaven Academy secondary school in Cumbria, in time for the start of the new school term in September and has recently handed over two schools in Cheshire - Hartford Church of England School in Northwich and Upton Primary School in Chester.

40 Construction UK Magazine - July 2021

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Opinion Piece CAN APPRENTICESHIPS TACKLE THE SHORTAGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE WITHIN THE UK CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY? Getting into schools and offering opportunities at apprenticeship level is key to keeping our industry moving forward and attracting diverse young talent. The UK economy grew by 2.3% in April, Its fastest monthly growth since last July. Shops reopened and some restrictions were lifted, helping the economy in its efforts to bounce back from a difficult 12 months. However, after strong growth in March and still remaining above its pre-pandemic peak, we saw construction figures fall. Rumblings of labour shortages are being heard throughout the country with the construction industry reporting around a 50% rise in vacancies but fewer candidates to fill them. We typically think of construction industry roles as being trade based: builders, construction managers and joiners. The demand for quantity and building surveyor roles is also high and the industry is struggling to fill them. It could be the knock on effect of less graduates in our job market. Graduate jobs have declined by 12% with a further dip anticipated this year due to the pandemic. With any kind of economic downturn we see a decline in graduates being taken on, which then affects the job market in the ensuing years. Businesses find that later on they struggle to fill senior experienced roles. There is also a skills shortage within the industry which must be addressed. Within the trade part of the industry Brexit has had an impact on the lack of skilled people available on site. Within the quantity and building surveying and consultancy part of the industry we are seeing slightly different skills shortage challenges. In a year you may get 100

graduates and there are three core areas of expertise to fill within the sector. Many will gravitate to one area leaving the other two lacking. We must concern ourselves with understanding all aspects of the construction industry and the gaps within and educating those coming into it to ensure growth. A return to apprenticeships, with more of the larger companies onboard could be a way of getting hold of diverse and talented individuals straight from school. Apprenticeships train and qualify youngsters on the job whilst they earn. Already, that provides a greater attraction for those who cannot afford or do not want to go to university and the recruitment talent pool widens for businesses and their investors. Just targeting higher education establishments won’t sustain the demand for recruitment.

Universities are not for everyone, we need to be offering our young people different routes into the industry. Apprentices enter into an organisation as a blank canvas of knowledge and are ripe for inclusion into the company ethos and culture. It is mostly a win-win situation. Currently apprenticeship schemes seem to be stalling with the Department for

Maddison Berkeley

Christine Scott the director of Development and Construction for Madison Berkeley. She has been working in the property recruitment market since 2000, starting her career with a boutique executive search business and then from 2004 with a large real estate recruitment company. Over the past 20 years, Christine has built up a strong network of long-term relationships and an extensive contact base. She has a demonstrable track record of connecting candidates with the right clients and making successful placements.

42 Construction UK Magazine - July 2021

Education reporting it had to surrender 250 million pounds of unused apprenticeship funding last year, because demand for apprenticeships from employers was “lower than expected” partly due to the impact of Covid-19. Government figures also showed that apprenticeship starts from those living in the most deprived areas had fallen from 22% to 14% at the end of 2020. It’s hardly surprising then that a search for a project management apprenticeship in Greater London on the government website turned up just one opportunity. Getting into schools is key to keeping our industry moving forward and attracting diverse young talent. We need the big firms to go into schools and explain what the different Real Estate construction roles are. What skills and interests are needed to do the jobs and how to access those opportunities. In terms of building and quantity surveyors there are roles to fit all different types of characters and interests. Construction is such a large industry there is a role for everyone. It is time to invest in making the industry more attractive to young people or we will find ourselves ‘candidate short’. In reality we need to be targeting children as young as 13 who are making their GCSE choices and show them what the industry can offer them at all levels. For example certain parts of our industry are almost recession proof. Organisations will always need building surveyors. Roles are varied and not often solely office based. It is no secret that we need to attract more diverse candidates, so now is the time to focus on inner city schools as well as universities. Diversity and inclusion within the industry is happening but it does need to be from the grass roots. We must be genuine in our commitment to diversity and inclusion at both apprenticeship and graduate levels within the construction industry. In terms of building and quantity surveyors roles, often companies ask for a list of diverse candidates for their roles who have 10-15 years experience. If those people aren’t starting in the industry early on then candidate lists won’t be able to reflect the diverse world we now operate in. If companies can’t reflect a workforce that mirrors their clients and investors, they may take their business elsewhere. The industry owes it to itself to hire with diversity and inclusion in mind and from entry level roles upwards. The government is offering incentive payments of £3,000 for employers to take on apprentices until this September and the skills minister Gillian Keegan says she is committed to building really solid skills pipelines in this country through the apprenticeship levy. It seems there is opportunity, but whether large Real Estate and construction companies get on board remains to be seen.

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Company News GRAHAM WINS £13M STUDENT ACCOMMODATION JOB IN SOUTHWARK GRAHAM has been awarded the contract by Student Urban Living Bermondsey to build a new, £13 million student accommodation block in Bermondsey Spa Gardens, Southwark. Designed by Maber, the development will comprise 185 bed, studio based rooms across six storeys with a range of amenities including a gym and bike storage. There will also be a number of indoor and outdoor areas dedicated to socialising, such as a rooftop terrace and external courtyard. In terms of the construction, the building will be framed around a reinforced concrete structure with a mixture of brickwork, particle cement board cladding and curtain walling. Geoff Thomas, Managing Director of CKC Properties commented: “It has been a long road for SUL Bermondsey working closely with CKC Properties Ltd in achieving a satisfactory planning consent for this scheme.

We have agreed a forward funding package with Curlew Alternatives Eleventh Property L.P and have negotiated the delivery with Graham Construction. We very much look forward to its satisfactory conclusion in June 2022. Rob Joyce, Regional Director at GRAHAM said: “Southwark is home to six of London’s universities and requires high-quality accommodation to support its growing and diverse student population. This a strong scheme that puts the student experience at its heart, giving them independence in a professionally managed environment that allows them to thrive, learn, and socialise.”

COP26 CREATIVE HUB SEEKS SUPPORT FROM THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR Scotland’s construction sector is being asked to get involved in the delivery of a creative and cultural hub for Glasgow opening in the run up to and during COP26 – the 2021 UN climate change conference being hosted in Scotland later this year. Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) has partnered with founders of the initiative, After the Pandemic (ATP), to support the delivery of a specially designed venue which will take shape on 3,000m2 of vacant land near to the River Clyde. It aims to put people and communities at the heart of the COP26 conversation, with additional support from Fair Futures Partnership and Dandara. The hub has been designed to present global challenges at a local level. The space will be a creative, cultural and community hub for the city throughout the COP26 build-up and during the conference and will allow local people to engage with international communities from around the world.

Work is already underway and completion on the project is due June 2022.

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The project team is now seeking construction delivery partners who can support this one-off design and build project and is keen to engage and collaborate with forward thinking, sustainable construction companies who help to showcase Scotland’s credentials and experience when it comes to sustainability in the built environment. Jennifer Smart, senior innovation manager at CSIC, said: “Later this year, the spotlight will fall on Scotland as the world’s leaders unite for COP26. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for those in the construction sector to help deliver a venue for both the local community and a global audience that can demonstrate the potential of our built environment. “ATP has secured a site in close proximity to the COP26 venues, right beside the main access routes which visitors will have to use. As well as supporting the build, partners will have the chance to showcase skills, innovation and supply chain achievements and will be included within the exhibition and events programme.”

Company News ALDERMORE PROVIDES £1.3M CONSTRUCTION FINANCE FACILITY FOR MANAGEMENT BUYOUT OF BUILDING SYSTEMS ARCHITECT Aldermore bank has provided a £1.3 million construction finance facility to the management team of Horizon Controls, the building systems architect, enabling them to purchase the business from a majority stakeholder. The deal included a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) facility. Horizon Controls Ltd believe smart cities start with intelligent buildings and is committed to maximising the opportunities and increase in demand for intelligent building management system infrastructure within commercial and living asset sectors in the UK and across Europe. Joseph Simpson, senior relationship manager at Aldermore bank, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to support the ambitions of the management team to complete the management buyout. Our bespoke construction finance facility provided the funding they needed to enable the business to prosper and focus on achieving their next goals. We’re excited to see the next stage of Horizon Controls’ growth and continuing to develop a strong relationship with them.” Craig Needham, CEO of Horizon Controls, said:

Covid-19 restrictions meant that all meetings with Aldermore were undertaken online, but the entire three-month transaction was handled professionally and seamlessly. It was clear that we were in very safe hands with all parties, and we are happy with the deal secured. Reach Commercial Finance, the independent financial brokerage, recommended Aldermore for the funding. Phil Trueman of Reach Commercial Finance, said: “With a new senior management team working within a global sector that’s booming, we’re looking forward to watching the company grow and expand into different markets and countries. We’re also extremely grateful to Eric DeArmitt, Shaun Bennett and Joseph Simpson, at Aldermore, for their assistance on this deal.”

KNIGHT PROPERTY GROUP SUBMITS PLANS FOR £50 MILLION BELGRAVE LOGISTICS PARK Prime Bellshill site set to be transformed into 245,000 sq ft state-of-the-art logistics facility Knight Property Group has submitted a full planning application to South Lanarkshire Council to develop a brand new £ 50 million logistics park in Bellshill, south east of Glasgow city centre. The development, which will be branded as Belgrave Logistics Park will be located on the site of the former Devro manufacturing facility, which was acquired by Knight in February this year and is currently undergoing demolition and site clearance works. Knight’s submission for the 14-acre site, which will be developed on a speculative basis, includes plans for five high-quality logistics units of 28,940 sq ft, 18,940 sq ft, 33,945 sq ft, 47,940 sq ft and 125,665 sq ft. If approved, the development has the potential to attract new businesses and bring employment opportunities to the area. Each unit will have a target EPC rating of A. Further green credentials include electric car charging points, solar photovoltaics panels to the roof, all electric heat recovery / air conditioning to offices and water management flow restriction to conserve water. Howard Crawshaw, managing director of Knight Property Group said: “We are hugely excited to have submitted our proposals for this significant development. It is fantastic to see the redevelopment of the site moving swiftly and gaining momentum and the lodging of

the application after the consultation period takes us another step along the path.

We firmly believe the delivery of high quality logistics warehousing to the Scottish market will be well received and even more so given the location and multi access points to the motorway and road network that are accessible within minutes. Construction work should start later this year and the first units will be available in the second quarter of 2022. Alan Gilkison, partner at Ryden added: “Knight has a strong track record of developing and delivering versatile and welldesigned industrial and logistics units. Given the prime location and excellent connectivity, we anticipate positive demand from discerning logistics businesses. Belgrave Logistics Park is certain to be well-received.” Belgrave Logistics Park will be situated within the popular Bellshill Industrial Estate with excellent transport links and quick access to the A725 dual carriageway which provides direct access to the M8 motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh and also the M74 which is Scotland’s main road link south. Glasgow international airport is only 25 minutes drive west via the M8 motorway and Edinburgh International airport is only 40 minutes drive east. Ryden is agent for Knight Property Group at Belgrave Logistics Park.

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Company News

TOLENT WIN £17M CONTRACT TO DELIVER 113 AFFORDABLE HOMES IN WEST YORKSHIRE A £17.7m contract to deliver 113 new homes for Yorkshire Housing has been awarded to contractor Tolent. The development in Menston includes a mix of two, three and four bedroom homes and will be available for a mix of tenures including shared ownership, right to buy and affordable rent. The development will be delivered on behalf of Yorkshire Housing who manages more than 18,000 affordable and social rent homes, and is supported with Homes England funding. Sian Grindley, director of development at Yorkshire Housing, said: “At Yorkshire Housing we’re passionate about building homes and communities that our customers are proud to live in and call home. Menston is a desirable location for many people and we’re proud to be able to offer a choice of homes at this site. “We’re excited about what we’re doing with smart technology here, which will benefit both the customer and the environment. We’re looking at how we can use innovative products at every stage, from the construction method itself through to the technology that our customers will use and benefit from. This is the first site that we’re looking to use structurally insulated panels for the build and we’re also considering a number of different smart tech options for the finished homes. This will mean greater resident control and it’ll also make it easier for us to monitor the energy performance of our rental homes. “Our progress means we can deliver more, much needed homes to the region and continue working towards our strategic

priority of delivering 8,000 homes by 2030. We’re delighted that our hard work will give hundreds of people an opportunity to move into a high quality new home.” Tolent, who has regional bases across the North East and Yorkshire, will be using a mix of modern methods of construction (MMC) on a number of units, which would see the structure of some homes go from foundations to roof level in just one week. Other benefits of MMC ensure homes are more environmentally friendly, more energy efficient and reduces the carbon footprint of the development. Mike Brown, commercial director for Tolent said: “This is a fantastic win for us and we’re delighted to be working with the team at Yorkshire Housing to deliver this flagship scheme.

“It’s a privilege to be involved in creating new, inclusive communities and we’ll also be delivering on our commitment to create employment and apprenticeship opportunities as well as engaging with local schools, colleges and universities.” Work is expected to start on site later this summer and is expected to complete in spring 2024. Tolent announced its intentions to expand its housing division further into Yorkshire in 2020 and has recently won a string of new contracts in the area. Contracts include a £2.6m project to create 14 affordable homes in Batley and a £4.1m job that will see 32 new homes delivered in Kirkbymoorside. Including work completed in 2020 and secured work into 2023, Tolent is set to deliver around 3,000 new homes covering both the private and public sector across the North East and Yorkshire.

This is a fantastic win for us and we’re delighted to be working with the team at Yorkshire Housing to deliver this flagship scheme. It’s a privilege to be involved in creating new, inclusive communities and we’ll also be delivering on our commitment to create employment and apprenticeship opportunities as well as engaging with local schools, colleges and universities.

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THE XACOM ODYSSEY – 10 YEARS IN THE MAKING Xacom Project Controls celebrated its ten year anniversary in February 2021. It has been a remarkable journey from modest beginnings to being one of the UK’s most respected Project Controls consultancies.

February 2011 and Michael Higgins had a decision to make.

The consultancy services are structured around Scheduling and Planning, Earned Value Management and Risk Management and are delivered to an extremely high standard with a focus of adding value at every stage. Xacom also provides multiple Project Controls associated training at their training venue in Preston, on site at client premises or in a virtual environment.

It was a difficult decision to make as his senior employed position provided a comfortable lifestyle for himself and his family. But Michael had a bigger mission and wanted to deliver quality and value to organisations which he saw first-hand was lacking from most external consultancies operating in the Earned Value Management and Risk Management space.

Does he stay in his corporate role or leave and enter the world of self-employment?

Driven by his own personal core values Michael took the latter approach and Xacom Project Controls was born. Fast forward ten years and the business, whilst still true to its core values of delivering maximum value and outstanding quality in an environment of mutual trust, is vastly different. Today Xacom Project Controls is a fully

fledged APMG Accredited Training Organisation specialising in Earned Value Management (EVM), Risk Management, Planning and Scheduling, Primavera P6 Training, Deltek Training and Schedule Reviews. Commenting on his business journey Michael said ‘Establishing Xacom required a leap of faith. Whilst I knew I had the expertise, drive and passion to be successful, leaving a stable employed position always throws up doubts in your mind. But when I stepped back and considered my core values I knew I had to do it’. Xacom operates on an international scale with a base of associates who are experts in their field. This ‘specialist’ approach enables the consultancy to tailor its services precisely to meet client requirements using a dynamic and experienced team. The consultancy services are structured around Scheduling and Planning, Earned Value Management and Risk Management and are delivered to an extremely high standard with a focus of adding value at every stage. Xacom also provides multiple Project Controls associated training at their training venue in Preston, on site at client premises or in a virtual environment. There have been many milestones in the company’s 10 year history - from setting up the Magnox Contract in May 2011 to consulting on the Hinkley Point C project in July 2014 to assisting in the Ignalia Nuclear Decommissioning project in April 2016. As part of the development of the company Michael and his team undertook a brand re-development exercise in May 2020. The new logo, colour palette and corporate values were defined to be more representative of both the company and its vision for the future. Michael also took centre stage in a number interview style videos which have been highly acclaimed by industry peers. You can learn more about Xacom Project Controls at www.xacom-projectcontrols.com

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