Construction Ireland V18N03

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CARRIGALINE LIONS YOUTH CENTRE BRINGS PRIDE TO COMMUNITY

Property Developers!!

Respond! Housing Association offers its assistance in the design and provision of much needed housing in Ireland.

Respond! Housing Association, a leading provider of Integrated Housing in Ireland - having built over 5,300 dwellings nationally - offers its inhouse design, planning expertise and development assistance to Property Developers to respond positively to the housing needs of families and communities across the country.

We invite Property Developers to work with us cooperatively in a “housing construction collaboration”, towards the provision of housing of all tenure types.

Contact:

Mr. Liam Fewer, Production Manager, Respond!, Airmount, Waterford Tel: 0818-357901 Email: liam.fewer@respond.ie www.respond.ie Respond! is unique as a Housing Association in Ireland in having had its own inhouse Planning and Design department for most of its 33 years in operation.

St. John’s College, Waterford St. Johns College dates back to the 19th century and was a seminary up until its closure in 1999. It was bought by Respond! from the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore in 2007. It is a listed building which status Respond! has respected in its plans. The project was designed by and currently being project managed by Respond!’s own in-house Property Services Team.

The whole redevelopment will provide a fitting and resourced location for some 68 older persons and Respond! will work very closely with the City Council to assess all applications from prospective residents as the construction comes to a finish towards the end of 2015. The original planning permission also granted the provision of a medical facility, but unfortunately the Health Service Executive had alternative plans.

The total project costs will come to just €12 million. Some €8 million of this will be made available in state mortgages to Respond! from Waterford City Council through the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. The remaining €4 million will be provided by Respond! of which some €2.25million will come in a private borrowing initiative from the AIB Bank. This lending initiative by the AIB was the first of its kind for social housing in Ireland.

The College building itself will house 21 self-contained apartments and an 11 unit group home for older persons with a supporting Day Centre and Communal Facilities. Respond! is also constructing 36 new-build one-bed apartments on the site parallel to The Folly road, also for older persons.

Mythen Brothers of Longraigue, Foulksmills, Co. Wexford were the successful tendering contractors and construction on site began in the middle of March, 2014.

NEWS - 6

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COMMENTS 16 Neil Smith, Head of Research and Innovation at NHBC asks, what do Housing Associations think of Sustainable Technologies 17 Manchester Safety Services discuss how the construction industry can react to falling apprenticeship numbers 18 Cheetah Learning – Navigating Life’s Passages 20 Obligations to have Friendly Discussions Peter Sheridan, Sheridan Gold 21 Adjudication process – Thomas Eggar LLP 22 Stewart Lowther at Atmos Consulting talks about Public Inquiry and Environmental Legislation 23 Promoting Mental Health in construction 24 Top ten tips for Vehicle Recovery selection – Roger Williams, Director AA Business Services 26 BIM - Creating a castle in the Cloud 27 Joseph Bond at Kenzie Group discusses a recent decision regarding timely application 29 Smarter BIM Collaboration – Steve Thompson at Tata Steel

COMMUNITY 30 St Mel’s Cathedral 37 Lions Youth Centre 38 Hollyhill Library

Publications Editor Victoria Lee Operations Manager Gareth Trevor-Jones Designer Richard Gill Publications Officer Matthew Brown Robert Atherton Approvals Sarah Smith Sales Administrator Alecia Rowe Credit Control Carol Ryan

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HEALTH 35 Hospital Dentistry Department, Antrim Area Hospita

CIVIL 32 Meenadreen Wind farm 33 Balbriggan & Skerries Sewerage Scheme Phase III 36 A26 Ballinderry crossroads improvement

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ESTIMATING & VALUATION SOFTWARE Beard is a multi-award-winning construction company which designs, builds, restores and refurbishes buildings throughout the South of England. With offices in Swindon, Oxford and Guildford, it works for all types of organisations on projects up to £10 million.

What makes the company really stand out is its commitment to making every project a prompt and faultless delivery.

Nigel Rowe is the managing estimator of Beard in Oxford. He started his career there 30 years ago as a trainee estimator. Today he manages an eight-strong team, pricing projects from listed refurbishments to new builds.

Beard had been using specialised estimating software for 10 years, and in 2014, after hearing about ConQuest from various sources in the industry, it decided it was time to have a look at the ConQuest Q Series. Within a short period of time, they decided that the system that had suited them for the past number of years had been left behind by ConQuest. Beard wanted to work with a company and a product which provided a high level of stability, exceptional support, more features and a strong development plan for the future.

ConQuest was installed across all Beard offices.

A few months later, ConQuest had the chance to speak to Beard and Nigel about their experience of changing a major piece of software, the thinking behind it, the process and the results.

Nigel tells us how he felt and the reason for the move: “It is a massive step for any business to even think about changing a major piece of software, let alone to actually implement it. It is not done lightly. The more we dealt with ConQuest, the more our confidence grew. We believe that ConQuest shares Beard’s ethos and that the two companies are a very good match, the type of people we both employ, the fact that we can have sensible discussions and that ConQuest is willing to listen to our issues.”

The support and development team at ConQuest is three times the size of the ‘sales’ team. This says a lot about the way they do business. The ethos is about keeping the product at the top of its game and looking after the estimators that use it. There are a number of key functions within the suite of ConQuest modules that really separate it from other systems. If you are pricing traditionally and building up your own rates, the ConQuest Library Pack is one of them. Containing around 10 million item descriptions, rates, constants and outputs it is truly unique and offers unparalleled time saving and consistency. Another significant part

of the system is the Cloud based enquiry system. Imagine cutting the time it takes you to get your enquiries out by up to 70% and your sub-contractors being happier with what they receive!

The team at Beard recognised how clever the system was: “One of the biggest reasons for moving to ConQuest was that the On Line Enquiry system was more advanced than any other in the market.”

In 2010 ConQuest released a complete re-write of their product; Version 7 was the market leader and hugely popular but it was a text-based product. ConQuest knew that as technology grew and more sophisticated methods of measuring and estimating arose, it would be no good to try and make an old system handle them. This is why you can now view CAD and PDF drawings within ConQuest, you can browse the internet, open pictures and even send emails without leaving ConQuest. The Company consistently hear how reliable the software is and this is in part down to the modernisation of it. This is something that Nigel and the team realised very quickly.

Part of the process of implementing ConQuest into any company is product training. ConQuest have their own training centre in Lancashire; every attendee is given a computer for practical exercises while the rest of the day is presented on a 3m by 3m screen. The Company find that by taking people out of their daily work cycle and having their undivided attention, lots of ground can be covered and get customers competently using ConQuest quickly.

Everyone at Beard came to ConQuest for training and the feedback was brilliant: “The training was really good and the implementation went smoothly. ConQuest was on our computers ahead of the training which was important as this gave everyone the chance to preview the online tutorials which gave them a good idea of what to expect on the course.

“The course was bespoke to Beard’s needs in the fact that a lot of our guys were used to using an estimating system, so, we cut down on the training time, it was very well thought out. It was intensive and very relevant. It was clear that our trainer, Steve, had extensive experience as an estimator and knew what he was talking about.

“There haven’t been many issues with people not picking it up. In our bi-monthly estimating meetings, we actively review ConQuest and share learning.

Whilst migrating over to ConQuest, we retained the old system for six months but only as a reference point for current projects. The general consensus was that it was immediately better.”

It is clear that Beard is impressed with the switch-over, the roll-out and the training, ConQuest is in turn pleased to have another happy customer.

Moving on from the actual changeover, Nigel was asked about the day-to-day estimating features and processes compared to what they were previously doing: “The library is very comprehensive with extensive search functions and there is a general sensibility about it. ”Previously we were collating information, zipping it up and sending emails. Because of the tracking ability within the On Line system, which enables you to see what is going on at any time, it is such a massive improvement and has significantly reduced administration time.”

Can Nigel sum up ConQuest in a sentence?

“ConQuest is the complete estimating package, managing every aspect of the preconstruction process.”

Beard have won a number of projects in the short time they have had ConQuest. A notable and interesting one is The New Library at Queen’s College in Oxford.

A challenging £6.6 million project creating a new basement adjacent to the existing Grade I listed building.

01204 669689 sales@conquest.ltd.uk

THE ESTIMATING SOFTWARE PEOPLE

CI NEWS

FTA welcomes completion of A8 Larne to Belfast road The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has welcomed the completion of a £130M project to improve the A8 Larne to Belfast road - a vital route for freight travelling to and from the port.

Construction of the new 14.5km dual carriageway took three years and involved building a by-pass at Ballynure which cost a third of the total budget. e18.3M came from European Commission TEN-T funding which is specifically for infrastructure projects that will improve EU core trade networks.

The old single-carriageway road was an accident blackspot, in part due to the mix of lorries, agricultural vehicles and

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cars using it. HGVs were restricted to a maximum speed of 40mph while cars could drive up to 60mph. This led to tailbacks, especially at peak hours for freight traffic going to or from the ferry.

The new A8 carriageway now allows lorries to drive at a consistent speed up to 50mph while cars can now safely overtake slower moving traffic at a maximum speed of 70mph.

FTA believes the road will improve Northern Ireland’s connectivity and ensure the long-term future of Larne Port.

Seamus Leheny, FTA Policy & Membership Relations Manager for Northern Ireland, said: “It is an essential link in our supply chain between businesses in Northern Ireland, as well as Republic of Ireland, and the large freight hubs and distribution centres in Northern England and Scotland that we rely on to keep many of our businesses stocked with goods.

“The completion of the A8 dual carriageway not only improves Northern

Ireland’s connectivity to GB and Europe but it also ensures that the A8 is fit for purpose and ensures the long term viability of Larne Port.”

Mr Leheny said reduced journey time would make Larne Port more competitive with Belfast and Warrenpoint and would cut costs for transport operators. He said: “We would expect to see an increase in the volume of freight handled by the Port of Larne, ensuring its long-term sustainability.

“We would now call on the Assembly and Minister Danny Kennedy to ensure investment and EU funding is secured in upgrading the critical A6 Belfast to L’Derry road and the York Street Interchange at Belfast. These two projects must be prioritised in future capital investment schemes as they are vital in ensuring our strategic transport network is cohesive and helps drive economic development in Northern Ireland.”

Healy Kelly Turner & Townsend strengthens business by unveiling three new Associate Directors in Dublin Healy Kelly Turner & Townsend, the global programme management and construction consultancy, has appointed three new Associate Directors for its Dublin office.

Their appointment comes as the consultancy has been engaged to deliver a series of projects in Ireland’s commercial, developer, retail, education and health sectors.

Michael Gallagher joins the consultancy with 12 years’ experience on a range of public and private sector projects. He has project management experience in the construction and fit-out of large scale projects, and is an expert in the workings of the GCCC Public Works contract as well as various other contract types in the Irish market.

As Associate Director, Diarmuid Condon will oversee safety, health and quality services across Ireland.

Diarmuid has 18 years’ global experience in key sectors including commercial, hi-tech, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, health and education.

Keith Williams boasts 14 years experience in cost management and will work across health, education, infrastructure and commercial sectors from the Dublin office.

Mark Kelly, Managing Director, Healy Kelly Turner & Townsend, added: “The common thread here is that all three Associate Directors have a reputation for delivering an impeccable quality of service - which has made them consistently stand out.

“Each of them has a very strong track record of delivering complex developments.

As a result they are ideally placed to lead our expanding Dublin office from its current levels of success and growth to even bigger things, and to ensure the delivery of first class services to our clients both in Ireland and further afield.”

Irish natural gas project benefits from Weholite pipes The ongoing Corrib gas project in Mayo, Ireland, has been advanced by the employment of Newportbased large diameter plastic pipe manufacturers, Asset International.

The landmark project, anticipated to be operational this summer, is estimated to harvest a massive 5,940 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

When it was discovered in 1996, the Corrib gas field was the largest of its kind discovered in Ireland for over a quarter of a century. At peak it is predicted that it will supply up to 60% of Ireland’s natural gas requirements, for some twenty years.

The Shell owned Corrib gas field is located about 52 miles off Erris Head in County Mayo in an area known as the Slyne Trough at a depth of around 355 metres. The gas is originating from a Triassic Sandstone reservoir 3,000 metres below the seabed.

Shell began work on the offshore section of the pipeline in the summer of 2009. Over 7,000 lengths of pipe have been welded together on board the Solitaire pipe laying vessel.

Asset International provided 4.9km of 750mm 4k Weholite pipe, which was used to create an air duct for part of the marine section of the large scale project.

The Weholite pipes were installed onsite by Murphy International, wholly owned subsidiary of J Murphy & Sons Limited, for the project, overseen by principal contractor BAM Construction.

Donnacha Keating, Project Manager at Murphy International, said: “The Corrib Gas Pipeline Project is one of the most significant engineering projects ever undertaken in Ireland. With the help of key people dedicated to the detail the project demanded, we ensured all design, planning, safety, quality and environmental challenges were met within time and budget. The project was considered a success on all levels by all parties, with the main factors for this being the effective planning,

good communication and skilled people involved throughout the project.”

Paul O’Regan, Technical Engineer at Asset International said: “Being involved in a project of this scale and standing has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding. We needed to ensure that nearly 5 kilometres of Weholite pipe was completely airtight, as the tunnel it occupied was to be filled with grout once completed. Despite a challenging brief, the job was well executed, and delivered on time.”

Simon Thomas, Managing Director of Asset International, said of the project: “The Shell Corrib Mayo natural gas project is another one of the largest schemes Asset has been involved with. It is truly epic in scale and we are extremely proud of our connection with this landmark project that will deliver much of Ireland’s gas requirements for the foreseeable future.”

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CI NEWS

Ministers Bruton and Nash announce the creation of 100 new jobs supported by Enterprise Ireland A new Irish biscuit company, East Coast Bakehouse, has announced an investment in a large scale commercial biscuit manufacturing facility and the creation of 100 jobs.

The e15M investment will transform a recently renovated 50,000sq ft food production facility at Donore Road Business Park in Drogheda, County Louth into a state-of-the-art bakehouse, innovation facility, warehouse and offices. The building, which is the size of a football pitch, is ideally suited to its new purpose with ample space to house the long production lines required for efficient biscuit baking complete with suspended product cooling lines.

The domestic biscuit industry is worth e170M, and the UK market is valued at over e2Bn. The East Coast Bakehouse will produce its own new brand and will also manufacture retail private label, serving

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both the domestic and export markets.

This project is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland.

Commenting at the launch, CEO, East Coast Bakehouse, Michael Carey said: “Every week over e3M worth of biscuits is purchased and enjoyed by Irish consumers, almost all are currently imported. We aim to provide a new commercially competitive local Irish source of biscuits.

There is also a great opportunity to provide high quality biscuits to UK retailers.”

“We carefully evaluated a number of locations for our facility before selecting Drogheda, and our location on Ireland’s east coast will play a key role in the future of our Company. We have worked very closely with Enterprise Ireland on this project and we have been encouraged by local support so far for the development of this facility.

“We are very pleased to be launching this new venture. Our management team combined has over 60 years experience in the sector and our drive to bake better biscuits, using select ingredients in a sustainable manner will become key to our business’ success in the coming years.”

Welcoming the investment, Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation said: “As I have said before, at the heart of our jobs plan is creating a powerful engine of Irish industry, alongside the strong multinational sector, creating jobs in every town and county in the country. East Coast Bakehouse is a great company and a great example of what we are trying to achieve with our plan - an Irish company, in a sector we are strong in, winning export markets and creating large numbers of jobs in Drogheda. I wish the East Coast Bakehouse team every success with this great project.”

Exova Warringtonfire announces expansion into Ireland Exova Warringtonfire, the specialist fire engineering, testing and certification provider, has announced its latest expansion into Dublin, Ireland, as part of its global growth strategy.

The move will see the Company provide fire engineering consultancy to help customers meet the Amended Building Control Regulations which came into force in March 2014. The changes to the Building Control Regulations relating to the commencement and certification of construction works arose from high profile failures during

Ireland’s previous building boom, most notably Priory Hall in Dublin.

Customers across Ireland will now be able to access a comprehensive range of services including fire engineering (fire strategies, fire and smoke modelling, evacuation analysis, radiation study, on-site inspections etc), fire risk assessment, fire systems design as well as fire risk profiling.

The Company will provide support to developers, architects, product manufacturers and private and public sector landlords.

David Harries, General Manager of Fire Engineering, Europe for Exova said: “As a specialist fire engineering company with global presence, we can devise fire safety solutions that support design visions while ensuring safer buildings for occupants not only across Ireland, but also to Irish companies investing abroad.

“The new office in Dublin underlines our growth ambitions and significantly strengthens our ability to help our customers in Ireland to navigate the new regulatory landscape.”

NDFA appoints BAM as preferred tenderer for development and refurbishment of seven Irish courthouses The National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), part of the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), has announced the appointment of BAM PPP PGGM as preferred tenderer in the development of four new courthouses and the refurbishment and extension of three existing court buildings.

The e135M (ex-VAT) project is a public

private partnership (PPP) set to deliver upgraded courthouse facilities in seven different regions around Ireland.

The project forms part of the Irish Government’s e2.25Bn Infrastructure Stimulus Programme announced in 2012.

The new courthouse buildings will be developed in Drogheda, Letterkenny, Limerick and Wexford and refurbishment

and extension works will be carried out to existing courthouses in Cork, Mullingar and Waterford.

Construction by BAM Ireland is expected to commence in November 2015 with final delivery due by November 2017.

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CI COMMENT

Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme – ESOS New guidance published February saw the Environment Agency publish updated ESOS guidance on behalf of the scheme compliance bodies; Natural Resources Wales, Scottish environment Protection Agency, Northern Ireland Environment Agency and Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) Offshore.

The guidance helps to clarify a number of issues raised with the helpdesk, in particular with the scope of ESOS and qualification criteria with respect to overseas undertakings and UK establishments. Further more with: ••The application of ESOS to trusts ••Determination of corporate groupings ••Calculation of total energy consumption ••Auditing approach for the construction sector ••Notification requirements ••The approach to site visits ••The treatment of assets purchased or disposed of after the qualification date and before the compliance date ••The extent of inclusion of transport energy ••Liability for compliance in cases of disaggregation, and ••What records to keep in evidence packs.

The Environment Agency is keen for companies to understand ESOS as a

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benefit, not an ogre, and how compliance will deliver benefits to both companies and the environment through a flexible scheme.

According to the government, businesses could save £1.9Bn on energy bills, citing calculations that investing £15,000 a year on energy efficiency measures as recommended by the assessment could lead to bill savings of more than £56,000 per year.

Under the new EU legislation, member says are required to implement a mandatory programme of energy audits for ‘large enterprises’. Over 9,000 companies in the UK are required to comply, with initial audits due to be undertaken by 5th December 2015.

These large organisations (employing more than 250 people or a turnover in excess of e50M), are required to review total energy use, from building energy use, to transport energy use and industrial processes; thus calculating the amount of energy used per employee, and identifying measures that could save energy.

A number of energy managers have replied to surveys stating that getting ‘Board-level buy–in’ is proving difficult, finding it hard to lift energy efficiency from the bottom of the agenda despite its proven cost savings.

“Three quarters of businesses have yet to start their mandatory energy

audits which must be completed by the end of the year.” – EnergyLive News, March 18th 2015-05-20 This is the surprising news that numerous businesses, who must comply to the ESOS scheme are ignoring the fact that,

by December, the scheme will be up and running and companies could be fined up to £50,000 plus extra charges of £500 per day for up to 80 days.

Jo Scully, ESOS Project Manager, says: “The Environment Agency, DECC and the other UK regulators have been raising awareness of ESOS over the last year.

This has involved sending letters to more than 14,000 organisations, holding workshops, speaking at conferences and trade associations, publishing detailed ESOS guidance on our website and setting up a dedicated helpdesk. We encourage organisations covered by ESOS to begin assessments now if they haven’t already done so. The deadline is only seven months away so acting now is important to ensure compliance.”

If businesses want to know more, they should consult the ESOS guidance at: https://www.gov.uk/energysavings-opportunity-scheme-esos or email the helpdesk: esos@environment-agency.gov.uk

sales@iesve.com

sales@energydeck.com

www.esosauditor.com

www.energydeck.com

CI NEWS

Storey unveils Masterplan for Donaghadee town centre Social Development Minister, Mervyn Storey MLA, has launched the Masterplan for Donaghadee town centre.

The purpose of the Masterplan is to provide strategic guidance for the promotion, implementation and timing of regeneration initiatives in the town centre over the next 15 - 20 years.

The Masterplan sets out the vision and plan for Donaghadee town centre. Proposals include: ••Redevelopment of the Harbour to include the construction of an outer nib and extension of the North Pier to the Lemon’s Wharf.

••Restoration of the Manor House grounds to create an arts and crafts hub.

••Transforming Crommelin Park into an Ecopark to include fitness and nature trails.

••Development of the Donaghadee Sports Hub. ••New motor home, touring caravan and camping facilities.

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Speaking at the launch Minister Storey said: “The Masterplan proposals provide a vision of how Donaghadee can make best use of its unique features and secure its ongoing success and prosperity.

“The town has many fine qualities such as its strong maritime history, its renowned harbour and its beautiful built environment. The Masterplan sets out a range of proposals on how the town centre can build on these assets to showcase Donaghadee as an exciting and dynamic place where the sea and shore meet.”

Minister Storey continued: “This document provides a clear framework for the further regeneration of the town and will build upon the public realm works which are currently taking place.

The launch of the masterplan today is good news for Donaghadee and I thank all the people who played a part in helping to develop this document.”

Mayor of Ards and North Down, Alderman Alan Graham, said: “Donaghadee is a vibrant and busy place with a significant

historical heritage in the borough of Ards and North Down, but it can be made even more sustainable through exciting and contemporary proposals which retain our distinctiveness and proudly showcase the town to an even bigger audience of shoppers, visitors and local people.”

While in Donaghadee, Minister Storey also took the opportunity to see at first hand progress on the £2.4M public realm works which are due for completion in the summer.

O’Dowd visits Friends’ School Lisburn as £3.3M construction project begins Education Minister John O’Dowd has visited Friends’ School Lisburn as a £3.3M construction project begins.

The project is part of the School Enhancement Programme which was announced by the Minister in 2013 and includes refurbishment or extension projects, each valued between £500,000 and £4M. The construction works at Friends’ include new accommodation for the Music, Maths and History Departments and involves the replacement of the Harding House Building.

Speaking as he visited the school where he met pupils and staff, the Minister said: “This is an exciting time for pupils and

staff at Friends’ School. The new facilities will enhance the learning environment and ensure that the school is equipped to deliver the curriculum well into the future.

“The School Enhancement Programme was established to ensure that we provide the best possible school buildings for pupils and staff. As well as benefitting the classroom, it also provides a boost to the local construction industry.”

Concluding, Minister O’Dowd said: “Improving the schools’ estate is a key priority for me and I will continue to seek additional funds to ensure that this important area of works continues to get the attention it deserves.”

Welcoming the Minister to the school and the start of the construction work, School Principal Elizabeth Dickson said: “I’m delighted that the Minister is visiting Friends’ and that work on the School Enhancement Project is going ahead. Taken in conjunction with building work currently taking place to provide new multi-purpose teaching spaces in Middle House and alongside the investment Governors have made in the last three years to provide top class sports pitches, this project, when completed, will give us excellent facilities right across the curriculum and enable us to continue to meet the needs of our pupils in the years ahead.”

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CI NEWS

Lynch and Varadkar welcome decision on new national forensic mental health facilities Minister of State for Social Care and Primary Care, Kathleen Lynch TD and Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar welcomed the decision by An Bord Pleanala to grant permission for a new forensic hospital at Portrane, Co. Dublin. This will replace the existing Central Mental Hospital.

Minister Lynch said: “I very much welcome the decision made by An Bord Pleanala to grant permission to progress the significant new facilities at Portrane in Dublin. This major health project comprises a 120bed National Forensic Hospital which will replace the Central Mental Hospital, a new ten-bed Mental Health Intellectual Disability Forensic Unit, and a new 10-bed Child and Adolescent Mental Health Forensic Unit.

“The new facility should become operational in 2018. Patients, their families and staff will benefit from transferring from an antiquated building to state-

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of the-art facilities in a new modern forensic setting. I wish to acknowledge the highly professional approach of the HSE, Fingal County Council and all others concerned in reaching today’s decision”.

As part of this project the design work will be progressed for three 30-bed Intensive Care Rehabilitation Units (ICRU) in Cork, Galway and Portrane. A fourth ICRU is planned for an existing facility in Mullingar.

According to Minister for Health Leo Varadkar the progress marked is hugely significant in terms of developments in mental health over the lifetime of this Government. “Looking after our mental health is as important as minding our physical health. Those who need help with their mental health are right to expect treatment in modern conditions.

“This new state-of-the-art facility will go a long way to meet that demand. It’s an important milestone on our path to

providing modern mental healthcare.

Later this summer the formal planning application will be lodged for another significant capital project under this Government, the New Children’s Hospital.”

Minster Lynch added: “For the past four years we have been playing catch-up in Ireland in terms of the funding and facilities provided for mental health services. Today’s decision symbolises the modern and progressive approach of this Government to mental health. The commitment in terms of prioritising resources and services to this area of health will undoubtedly pay dividends over the coming years.”

Edmond Shipway to project manage Ireland’s first Center Parcs Village Multi-disciplinary construction consultancy, Edmond Shipway, is delighted to have been appointed as Project Manager, Cost Consultant and M&E Engineer for the new Ä200M (£146M) Center Parcs village in County Longford, Ireland.

The new development will bring together the high quality features for which Center Parcs is renowned, including up to 500 lodges and more than 100 indoor and outdoor activities including a spectacular spa, a range of restaurants and cafes and the iconic Subtropical Swimming Paradise, with water rides and fun for all ages.

The new Center Parcs, which is expected to open to guests in 2019 (subject to receiving satisfactory planning permission), will create approximately 750 jobs during construction. Once open, the development will have capacity for up to 2,500 guests and will employ up to 1,000 people in permanent jobs.

Managing Director David Stevenson commented: “I’m delighted that we will be again working on a major development with Center Parcs. Following the successful delivery of the Woburn Forest village our team are looking forward to delivering Ireland’s premier short break destination and in so doing further reinforcing our position as one of the UKs leading leisure consultancies.

Grange, Bective, Navan, Co. Meath

Tel: 046 - 9021468 Fax: 046 - 9073785

www.grangeroofing.com

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CI COMMENT

What do housing associations think of sustainable technologies?

Neil Smith, Head of Research and Innovation, NHBC The social housing sector has been leading the way in the adoption of different types of energy efficiency and watersaving technologies in new build homes, which gives them a unique perspective of these in terms of installation, performance and resident satisfaction.

To identify the technologies that are being used by housing associations, and determine those that are performing well against those that are failing against expectations, the NHBC Foundation carried out a study with 200 people representing 174 housing associations around the UK. Sustainable technologies: the experience of housing associations (NF63) collates the findings from a number of focus groups and telephone interviews, summarising their specific experiences.

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The report outlines a number of key findings including: ••The Code for Sustainable Homes, planning and funding requirements have driven the widespread use of sustainable technologies ••The capital cost of the technology influences the selection of technologies ••Almost two-thirds of interviewees had experienced problems during installation due to a lack of skills ••The benefit to residents would be improved if they had a better understanding of the technologies ••Housing associations have encountered difficulties in measuring performance and benefits ••For many housing associations the primary technology choice has been photovoltaics; at over two-thirds, satisfaction levels are high and so the use

of this technology is likely to continue ••Heat pumps are generally delivering poor levels of satisfaction The report finds that unfortunately there has been a lack of monitoring of performance of sustainable technologies in use and more research is needed to confirm good technology choices. It also notes that ‘fabricfirst’ approaches are becoming more widely established but they will not be sufficient on their own to meet zero carbon new homes targets and that energy efficient technologies will have to be used in addition.

The infographic below shows some of the research findings, and the full report can be downloaded from www.nhbcfoundation.org/ sustainabletechnologies

COMMENT CI

How can the Construction Industry react to falling apprenticeship numbers?

Manchester Safety Services Despite very public claims that the Government and both private and public sectors are targeting increased apprenticeship figures to introduce more young people into careers and industries – the number of construction apprentices has fallen significantly. In 2010, there were 16,890 construction, planning and built environment apprentices in the UK, but this figure has fallen to just over 8,000 by 2015.

Government incentives for employers seeking apprentices has not stopped the dwindling number of construction apprentices – as more and more young workers look to begin a career in other industries. More than 2.2M apprenticeships have been created in the UK since 2010, with industry sectors such as health, public services, care and agriculture enjoying boosted apprentice figures.

Worryingly, the number of apprentices joining the construction industry could be diluted further as Skills Minister, Nick Boles MP, announces plans to increase public sector apprentices. This could reduce the opportunities for apprentices to join private construction firms.

He explained: “We want far more employers to get involved in apprenticeships. This means making sure that we practise what we preach in government, so we’re going to require all public-sector bodies – schools, hospitals, prisons and police forces – to employ apprentices.”

Infrastructure group, Balfour Beatty, are looking to arrest this slump by creating new Trailblazer degree course for construction apprentices, fast-tracking young workers into the industry and management roles.

Using a partnership with 12 UK universities; Balfour Beatty are hoping to enter 80 new apprentices into the industry by the end of the year – a number they will look to increase yearon-year. The group is hoping to use their partnerships with more than 7,000 industry-related companies to encourage the employment of more apprentices

in civil engineering, construction and business disciplines than ever before.

Balfour Beatty chief executive, Leo Quinn, explained: “There is a skills shortage where our industry needs talent. This is our biggest ever commitment to recruit apprentices. It’s great to work in the industry, where we develop, build and run the infrastructure that we all depend on in our daily lives.”

The Trailblazer Higher and Degree courses will provide apprentices with real on-the-job experience as well as developing a professional approach to management and logistical services.

The scheme will also encourage smaller contractors to take on apprentices – a group often dissuaded from using apprenticeship schemes by the high costs.

As an industry which contributes almost £90Bn to the UK economy; it is vital that construction is protected and allowed to continue to progress and flourish. Training skilled construction workers and managers can help the industry grow, attract new projects and perfect standards.

Paul Manchester, Director of Manchester Safety Services, explains: “From

logistical management to safety measures; we need to train generation after generation in best construction practice. It is vital that talented young people are attracted to the industry to help improve and maintain the overall quality of construction and engineering.”

Whilst the Government may have sought to increase the number of public sector apprentices, it may be beneficial for the construction industry to protect its own future by implementing more apprentice schemes and training methods without external interference or outside influence.

Imparting real-life, on-the-job experience and sharing knowledge accrued over decades could help the next generation further the success and prosperity of the UK construction industry.

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CI COMMENT

Navigating life’s passages using Project Management

By Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP®, PMI-ACP, Chief Cheetah and Founder of Cheetah Learning I recently took a class to learn how to navigate the Inside Passage to Alaska.

The goal of the class was to get our sailboat, the “David B,” 740 miles from Bellingham, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska in twelve days. The speed the boat travelled was dependent on the capabilities of all the systems on the boat, the strength of the crew to be at sea, the wind, the tides, the currents of the various channels and passages, and any obstacles or distractions encountered en route.

As with any project, the more experience the people on the project team had and the better the quality of their tools, the more likely it was we would achieve our goal. The projects that take you through life’s passages are just like navigating the Inside Passage - you might have some of the fundamental skills required, but success ultimately depends on the strengths of your team, how you use those strengths, and the quality of the resources you assemble to achieve your goals.

Keep these four points in mind when navigating the important projects through your life’s passages: 1. Use qualified resources and know their capabilities and limits.

Through one of the rougher passages called Johnston strait, I jotted a note in my navigation book: “put the sailboat on a barge to ship it to Alaska.” I knew that boat was not up for this trip. The boat is too small for big seas. To cruise across Johnson Strait in that small sailboat would require waiting for the weather to be calm. This could be a long wait, as the area has perpetual rough seas.

The same is true for any project. If you have the right tools and the right people (i.e. resources), achieving your project objective is possible. The reality of many projects, though, is that people go into them without doing adequate due diligence of the resources required for the project. BEFORE undertaking a new project. Evaluate what is required by studying how others before you have accomplished what it was they achieved.

2. Time the activity to go with the flow.

There is extensive documentation of tides and tidal currents. So for the Inside Passage trip, going with the flow was a matter of being prepared (yes, this seems a bit of an oxymoron). Yet it’s the same

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with any project - knowing when to do some activities requires an awareness of the impact of the external environment.

3. Know where the risky passages are and plan your way around them.

There are numerous narrow channels on the Inside Passage that actually have tidal rapids. You can only traverse these during “slack” times - and some of them have slack times of just five minutes four times a day. When looking at the challenges for your projects, it makes sense to plot the path as well to know the best time and way to navigate the most challenging passages.

4. Make mid-course corrections to account for changing conditions.

We anchored one night in a quaint cove that was protected and calm. When we came into the cove at 5 pm, it was relatively calm and at high tide. Since it had been a long travel day, we had planned to have a leisurely breakfast and pull anchor around 10 am. As we were eating a late dinner, the tide was going out and we noticed all the exposed rocks at the inlet.

We also heard the weather report of the sea swells starting around 2 pm the next afternoon right when we would be hitting an outside passage. We decided to leave five hours earlier, at 5 am, to avoid any rocks at the inlet and to get through the outside passage in calmer seas. The same things happen on all projects: pay attention to those things that can make your life easier and change your plans accordingly.

Learning how to better navigate the projects of your life using your innate strengths and the strengths of those around you can significantly enhance your journey as well. Learn how to chart your unique life path in the way that is best for you. Become a Cheetah Certified Project Manager - learn more at www.cheetahcertifiedpm.com.

About the Author: Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, is an entrepreneurial powerhouse with a penchant for making success easy, fun, and fast. She is the founder of Cheetah Learning, the author of the Cheetah Success Series, and a prolific blogger whose mission is to bring Project Management to the masses.

Cheetah Learning is a virtual company with 100 employees, contractors, and

licensees worldwide. To date, more than 50,000 people have become “Cheetahs” using Cheetah Learning’s innovative Project Management and accelerated learning techniques.

Michelle also developed the Cheetah Certified Project Manager (CCPM) program based on Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality profiling to help students master how to use their unique strengths for learning, doing projects, and negotiating. CCPM graduates are able to choose the right projects and complete those projects “cheetah fast” based on their personality. They also learn how to leverage others’ strengths which significantly improves overall project team performance. When an employer has a cadre of CCPMs on staff, they achieve whatever they set out to achieve in record time. This is why over 90% of Cheetah’s clients experience an increase in both profitability and revenue within the first year of retaining Cheetah Learning for their Project Management training needs.

Honoured by the Project Management Institute (PMI®), Cheetah Learning was named Professional Development Provider of the Year at the 2008 PMI® Global Congress. A dynamic keynote speaker and industry thought leader, Michelle is recognized by PMI as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Project Management in the world.

Michelle LaBrosse

CONSTRUCT

CI COMMENT

Obligation to have Friendly Discussions: Emirates Trading

By Peter Sheridan, Partner, Sheridan Gold LLP A recent case (Emirates Trading, 2014) brought together two topics that I have touched on in recent months: an implied obligation of good faith in contractual relations and steps taken by the court to encourage parties to resolve their disputes without going to court.

In a contract for the purchase of iron ore, there was a term that in the event of a dispute or claim “the Parties shall first seek to resolve the dispute or claim by friendly discussion” and if no solution was forthcoming in a period of four weeks, the matter could go to arbitration.

It was held that there had to be friendly discussions to resolve a claim or dispute before it could be referred to arbitration.

There was also a period of time which had to elapse before arbitration could be invoked. In legal language, there was a condition precedent to be satisfied before the arbitral tribunal could have jurisdiction.

The argument that the suggested condition precedent was unenforceable, because it was a mere agreement to negotiate, or “agreement to agree” did not succeed. On the basis of the authorities before this case, as the judge accepted, an obligation to hold friendly discussions is unenforceable. There are a couple of difficulties. For one thing, the obligation lacks certainty. The House of Lords had held a duty to negotiate in good faith to be unenforceable in Walford v Miles (1992). Although the judge distinguished Walford v Miles on the basis that the obligation there was not under a contract, whereas here it was, it is a distinction without a difference and does not really address the uncertainty. Uncertainty remains over what exactly the process is that the parties are said to have agreed. In the Cable & Wireless case an obligation to mediate in accordance with the CEDR mediation rules got over the Walford v Miles difficulty of uncertain process.

But it would seem that nothing could be more vague than “friendly discussion”.

It was also suggested in Walford v Miles that a duty to negotiate in good faith is inherently inconsistent with

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the position of a negotiating party and unworkable in practice. The judge in Emirates Trading sought to get over this problem by using an argument borrowed from an Australian case, United Group Rail Services. In that case there was an express good faith obligation, which was said to entail that the parties had freely agreed a constraint on their right to have regard only to their own interests. This argument also assisted the judge to a degree with the certainty point as the parties were limited in their discussions by the good faith obligation to the rights and obligations under the contract.

In Emirates Trading, there was no express good faith obligation, but the judge decided that there was an implied one.

The judge did not provide any analysis of this, merely citing the Yam Seng case. But as we have seen in my previous articles, Yam Seng and the other cases on implied obligation of good faith do not set down any general rule. On the contrary the obligation is said to be sensitive to the facts and circumstances of each particular case and the general rule is that there is no implied duty of good faith. So it was not enough to refer to the “masterly discussion” in Yam Seng; the judge needed to provide his own analysis of the facts and background of his own case.

An interesting neglected aspect of the judgment in Emirates Trading is that the judge gives no consideration to the word “friendly”; he is concerned only with the discussion. But might not the use of the word “friendly” indicate that the provision is intended to be aspirational rather than strictly enforceable (particularly as agreements to agree were not regarded as binding)? Would any aggressive or hostile discussion transgress the obligation and what would be the consequence?

Or is the word “friendly” in this context meaningless and to be disregarded?

The case in the writer’s view shares with the previous cases such as Yam Seng an unsatisfactory lack of clarity as to what is and what is not required or

permitted by the obligation to have friendly discussion in good faith. The danger is that the courts are enabled by such vague concepts to make it up as they go along.

For more information, contact Peter Sheridan Partner at Sheridan Gold LLP T: 01737 735088 E: psheridan@sheridangold.co.uk www.sheridangold.co.uk

Peter Sheridan

COMMENT CI

Pay-back Time Adjudication is often referred to as a ‘pay now, argue later’ process, where you get a speedy decision which is temporarily binding. The decision must be complied with until a court or arbitrator comes to a different conclusion on the underlying dispute to that of the adjudicator. What is the legal basis for reclaiming amounts paid out under an adjudicator’s decision?

How much later can you make the claim for repayment? These questions have made their way to the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court in Aspect Contracts (Asbestos) Ltd v Higgins Construction Plc. The Supreme Court gave their decision on 17 June and their answers to these legal questions have important practical ramifications.

Higgins engaged Aspect to carry out asbestos surveys for a proposed development. The survey report was issued in April 2004. When the development got underway, the contractor discovered asbestos which Aspect’s report had not identified. Higgins alleged that Aspect had been negligent and, in June 2009, started an adjudication claiming their extra costs which they put at £882,482.

The adjudicator found Aspect liable for £490,627. Aspect paid up in August 2009. That was the ‘pay now’ part.

There was then a long period of apparent peace during which there was no indication that Aspect might seek repayment or that Higgins might seek payment of amounts that were claimed but not awarded by the adjudicator. The peace ended and the ‘argue later’ part started in February 2012 when Aspect started proceedings for repayment.

Litigation or arbitration of a claim for breach of contract must be started within six years of the breach complained of in order to avoid the claim becoming timebarred (unless, unlike the position in this case, the contract is a deed in which case

the period is 12 years). It was now more than six years since the breaches claimed for in the adjudication. Claims for those breaches were therefore out of time.

The breaches addressed in the adjudication were allegedly committed by Aspect.

Their claim could not be based on their own breaches so what was the basis for their claim? The Supreme Court decided that Aspect’s claim for repayment arose out of a term implied into the contract which gave Aspect the right to recover any overpayment or under the law of restitution. Either way, the right to repayment arose when the payment was made and the six years for making a claim started then. In this case therefore, Aspect had until August 2015 to make their claim for repayment and had done so in time.

The result was that Higgins was out of time to pursue the balance of their claim but Aspect was in time to reclaim the amount awarded in the adjudication.

The court would decide the entirety of the dispute referred to the adjudicator.

If it found that more should have been awarded to Higgins, it could not award the higher sum. It could, however, award a full or partial repayment to Aspect together with interest. Aspect therefore had a free shot (legal costs aside).

All of this creates a risk for anyone that wins an adjudication but recovers less than the amount he was claiming. The time limit for recovering a higher sum will, in most cases, run out before the loser’s right to claim repayment expires.

Losing parties may therefore delay their claim for repayment until time has run out for the winner. The winner has a difficult decision to make – should he stir things up by starting litigation or arbitration or sit tight and hope that a claim for repayment is not made?

The Aspect decision was based on the wording of the ‘Construction Act’ and

the Scheme for Construction Contracts.

It should be possible to draft contract provisions that avoid the problems arising from the decision and no doubt pencils are already being sharpened in offices across the land with that in mind.

And adjudication was meant to be such a simple process …

Mark Clinton, Partner, Thomas Eggar LLP

Mark Clinton

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CI COMMENT

Public Inquiry?

Who are you going to call?

Stewart Lowther, Atmos Consulting The traditional quasi-judicial structure of a Public Inquiry, intimidating to some, also serves to emphasise the fact that it is an inquiry into the truth of a matter. With wildlife trusts, objector groups and the general public increasingly aware of the power of environmental legislation, it is a rare inquiry these days that does not have at least one environmental pivot point. By the very nature of the arguments being examined, the inquiry will rely on expert witnesses drawn from academia and the environmental consultancy industry.

Probably one of the longest playing inquiries in the onshore wind sector, and one in which I was privileged to participate, was that into the Mid-Wales windfarms. Although the inquiry closed last June, the outcome, at the time of writing, had not been published and is eagerly awaited not least by me, as I contributed evidence on behalf of RWE’s Carnedd Wen scheme. On its outcome depend plans for multiple wind farms and a 132kV overhead electric line connection from a Llandinam to the Welshpool substation. The potential economic impact for the community cannot be underestimated but, as an expert witness, my role was objectively to comment on specific issues under examination.

Interestingly, and like many proposals these days the proposal is for a wind farm and habitat restoration project so for me, as an ecologist, it presented an exciting opportunity to look at the real potential for proactive restoration. My colleagues

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and I measured and commented on the ecological risks, including to birdlife that would arise from the erection of 49 turbines, addressing matters raised

by CCW, now Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and the RSPB. Indeed we found that there would be a minor negative impact, but that this could be set against the net positive impact that would follow successful habitat restoration; and my work, alongside hydrologist Dr Alan Edwards and peat expert Dr Andy Mills had shown that to be feasible.

We have a deep professional respect for the bodies like NRW, Scottish Natural Heritage, Friends Natural England, RSPB et al. While we regard them on the one hand as colleagues and fellow environmental protectors, make no mistake that no quarter is given either way at Inquiry. Objective, science prevails, and anyone falling short will soon be challenged. We give evidence as scientists, not advocates of a project.

In truth, giving expert witness is reasonably lucrative work, but it entails many long hours of preparation with the timetable defined by the Inspector.

Much midnight oil is burned – I know: l’ve participated in almost thirty. The Planning Inspectors that conduct inquiries are senior and seasoned professionals, and the cross examining advocates are usually highly experienced QCs. Expert witnesses that fall short of the mark will receive short shrift.

Professional reputations are on the line; expert witness work is not undertaken

lightly – but for my colleagues and I it is still gratifying to be invited to give evidence to another inquiry.

Stewart Lowther is Managing Director of Atmos Consulting. www.atmosconsulting.com

Stewart Lowther

COMMENT CI

Promoting mental health in construction UK Construction Media exclusive Mental Health Awareness Week, which ran between 11th – 17th May, has become a huge part in raising awareness for mental health and wellbeing issues.

Following its success, UK Construction Media spoke to Kate Nowlan, Chief Executive of CiC – an international employee assistance provider which delivers practical and emotional support around the clock to organisations all over the world.

Kate works with leading names in the construction industry and she spoke to UK Construction Media about resilience and how it can promote good mental health within the construction world.

The Department of Health estimates that 2.3 million working days were lost in 2013/2014 due to sickness on construction sites across Britain and much of this sickness absence is due to mental ill health.

But through promoting emotional resilience, leading names in the construction industry are taking positive steps to tackle the issue and impact of mental health.

Put simply, emotional resilience is your attitude towards the people, places and things that you’re faced with – whether that’s in your personal or work life.

It is the ability you have to deal with life and when people lack resilience they often suffer from mental health issues such as stress and anxiety which, when they get too much, can cause them to be absent from work or to be present but not focused on their work which is also known as ‘presenteeism’.

relationship problems or heavy drinking.

If left unchecked, the dangers become more serious and can lead to burnout which is characterised by chronic sleeping disorders and exhaustion, deterioration of mental capabilities, memory loss, taking unnecessary risks, panic or anxiety attacks or severe depression and addiction.

And considering the impact of any of these symptoms on a busy construction site – or within any organisation for that matter – emphasises the potential dangers of not supporting and promoting good mental health.

Of course, it’s worth acknowledging that any given situation can feel tense and pressurised for one person whilst another might find it stimulating and exciting. And this is why emotional resilience can be a valuable and practical tool for an individual to develop in order to support their own mental health, help them identify stress triggers that are affecting them and enabling them to create strategies to cope.

When it comes to creating these strategies to enhance emotional resilience and boost mental health, there are a number of ways that individuals can be encouraged to adopt, as are outlined here.

Identify your vulnerabilities – there can’t be resilience without emotional awareness.

Can you pinpoint the things that are making you feel stressed and overwhelmed?

Challenge negativity – pessimism can become a terrible habit but it can be overcome by trying to reframe any negative thoughts in a more positive light.

Work on your acceptance – resilient people know that a situation – good or bad – has to be accepted before it can be changed.

Get moving – stress of any kind is always accompanied by a build-up of stress hormones in the body that have a dramatic impact on the emotions.

Working these off with regular exercise can make all the difference.

Get connected – social support is vital to strong emotional resilience, whether from friends, colleagues or family. And if you feel deeply cut off and isolated from those around you, it’s probably time to get some outside help.

Enhancing emotional resilience within an organisation will not reduce stress or improve mental health overnight, but as part of a focused initiative that encourages employees and managers to rethink their own wellbeing, it can have a longer term positive impact on absence, safety, performance and productivity for organisations and their people.

The factors that can erode emotional resilience are varied and include: ••Highly stressful or traumatic events ••Experiencing several stressful events at the same ••Suffering stress over a long period of time ••Lack of control, especially in the workplace ••Lack of social support When people feel under pressure there are a range of symptoms that can emerge, such as headaches, back pain, insomnia, depression, anxiety, mood swings, apathy, irritability, forgetfulness, poor concentration, boredom, paranoia, poor teamwork, loneliness, withdrawal, intolerance,

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CI COMMENT

Top Ten Tips for Vehicle Recovery Selection Roger Williams, Director, AA Business Services 1: Does the cover fit your fleet?

There are a variety of breakdown cover types available and not all of these may be suitable for your fleet. Vehicle weight, length and height can all be a factor, particularly when European cover is required, and some cover is tailored to a specific type of vehicle, such as minibuses, motorcycles and HGVs. It is vital to find a breakdown cover provider who can respond quickly with appropriate resources in the event of an incident.

2: What are your vehicles used for?

If you’re running a fleet of specialist vehicles such as courier vehicles, ambulances, ice cream vans or taxis, look out for cover that has been specially developed to meet your requirements.

3: Basic cover v. comprehensive?

Depending on your company policy, you may be looking to cover your fleet as cost effectively as possible or conversely you may be under pressure to arrange the cover with all the bells and whistles! The right cover for your vehicles will depend greatly on a number of factors: how far from base are they travelling? Where are they garaged – on one site or at the drivers’ homes overnight? Will they be travelling outside the UK? Removing services you don’t need can help to keep costs down without leaving your drivers or vehicles stranded when they need assistance.

4: How can you tell whether the breakdown cover will live up to the hype?

With a plethora of breakdown cover options available, it can be difficult to assess how good the cover actually is – customer service, speed of roadside response and roadside fix rate are all areas that will make the difference between an excellent, satisfactory or disappointing service. There are independent and objective measures of breakdown cover quality – whether via consumer agencies (such as Which?), industry and supplier awards, comparison websites or social media recommendations. It is worth checking a variety of sources before making your final choice.

5: Do you qualify for any special deals?

Most breakdown cover providers have arrangements with selected trade organisations and business associations, offering preferential rates on breakdown cover as a benefit of membership. If

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your company is a member of a trade association, check with them whether they have such a scheme in place – or consider becoming a member. In some instances the breakdown cover savings can actually offset the cost of the membership.

6: Could you benefit from ‘whole fleet’ offers?

Some breakdown cover policies will allow you to add optional extras such as European cover or parts and labour cover to your whole fleet at a low ‘per vehicle’ cost. This is a cost-effective way of managing additional cover where you may not know in advance which vehicles may require these services.

7: Do you have a rapidly changing fleet?

If you think you may regularly need to add or replace vehicles during the course of your breakdown cover period, it’s worth checking with breakdown providers whether they apply any restrictions to amendments that can be made, or whether there is a charge for vehicle substitutions.

You may also want to consider setting up a Direct Debit authority to facilitate easier and more convenient payment of pro-rata fees during the term of cover.

8: Consider buying online.

Breakdown cover providers often offer special introductory deals to online buyers – and unlike buying over the phone, you can select and pay for your cover online 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

9: Check the small print!

Unless you are purchasing your breakdown cover on a ‘pay-for-use’ basis, it will be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the same way as any other insurance policy. This is good news for business customers as you will benefit from statutory protection if something goes wrong. This includes a 14 day ‘cooling off period’ if you change your mind after purchasing cover, a commitment to provision of full terms and conditions of cover, and strict rules around response to complaints. Remember to keep all of your policy documentation in a safe place in case of any queries.

10: What about the future?

As technology brings new developments to the breakdown cover marketplace, look out for additional services either as part of the breakdown package or as a bolt-on.

Smartphone apps, GPS live-time tracking, telematics, online account management and in-cab entertainment for recovery vehicles could all become an integral part of the breakdown cover offering in the coming years. Check when purchasing if you can benefit from any of these enhancements, either now or in the near future.

For more information and advice please visit the www.theaa.com/businesscustomers/index.jsp AA website.

COMMENT CI

Smarter Bim = Smarter Collaboration The digitisation of the construction industry has been increasing rapidly since the turn of the 21st Century and as more devices have become connected to the internet, architects, developers and engineers continue to look for ways to increase productivity and enhance the design of buildings across Europe. Steve Thompson, BIM Programme Manager for Tata Steel looks at the use of BIM in the industry and how the process and collaboration between designers, engineers and the wider supply chain can be made more efficient.

In addition to the rapid growth of worldwide connectivity and the emergence of ‘The Internet of Everything, the United Nations has predicted that global population will increase by 2.3 billion people before the year 2050 with urban population increasing by 2.4 billion. In short, that means to house the increase in population at an average of 100 people per building, around 2,000 residential buildings need to be built every single day for the next 35 years.

So, as the world becomes smarter, more connected and the construction industry continues to focus on the challenge that the population boom will create, new buildings also need to integrate physical, digital and human systems to become smarter and deliver a sustainable future for the world’s cities. This includes creating buildings, which connect to and can provide data on energy usage, water usage and transport throughout their lifecycle, for example.

One way in which this can be achieved is through more efficient use of BIM (Building Information Modelling). In today’s construction industry, BIM is increasingly accepted as a modern design process, enabling improved multidisciplinary integration and the ability to detect and resolve design issues earlier in the process where they have most potential to be resolved efficiently. This means there is potential to build a more complete picture of a construction project

at the design stage, showing how it can be delivered, operated and maintained to achieve the best possible outcomes.

But further than this, BIM can enable manufacturers, architects, engineers, builders and the end users to collaborate easier throughout the procurement, assembly, operation and renewal stages to achieve smarter, more efficient buildings.

However, many manufacturers and contractors feel that there is a great deal of “BIM-wash” in the industry and a lot of mixed messages about the use of the technology. Similarly, many users of BIM technology state that there is simply too much information currently available to them and are becoming overwhelmed with the task at hand to decipher, unpackage and ultimately understand what is required to ultimately benefit from the technology.

With BIM user-experience in mind, forward-thinking manufacturers, such as Tata Steel have seen an opportunity to evolve BIM content beyond current requirements to ensure the correct level of information is available at each stage of a project. The new format is based on information that remains with the product through its lifecycle, which involves the provision of selectable detailed product information alongside 3D objects.

By providing the data in this way, BIM users will be provided with appropriate, timely and relevant BIM information for construction products, which can be tailored to a specific point or requirement in the project process such as the location, context, profile or geometry.

This means BIM users can make better decisions about the products they use by having the right information in the right format, for their projects.

Additionally, through this approach, contractors can start to find a more efficient BIM process and easier collaboration with architects, manufacturers and the supply chain. Tata Steel’s BIM

content, for example is being created to include software agnostic content along with 2D and 3D geometry for over 7,000 products in over 41 countries. The data is organized to include accessible content in IFC, to meet national requirements (for example COBie in the UK), and to provide additional specification, support and software-specific information where relevant; the aim being to maximize the flexibility of the information available to enable users to tailor it to their needs.

To register for the Tata Steel’s BIM content, visit www.tatasteelconstruction.com/bim

Steve Thompson

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CI COMMENT

Creating a Castle in the Cloud It is a really fascinating time in the world of construction and architecture, the development of buildings, architecture and infrastructure is getting quicker and easier. But this is creating a whole new set of challenges and while some organisations are just coming to terms with BIM workgroups and changing software, some are now moving towards point clouds and cloud working to construct and deliver their projects.

So who is designing in the cloud?

Architectural and construction organisations have started to realise the challenges faced when trying to manage ever-growing volumes of information across multiple projects, locations and with a variety of different stakeholders. Building Information Modelling (BIM) design processes can often create a great deal of changes, alterations and has proved to be one of the biggest drivers for organisations to consider a move to cloud based operations.

BIM projects can produce enormous files and often involve a great deal of complexity and engagement from a wide range of additional contractors and key stakeholders.

These multi-faceted challenges can often create miss-communications, rework and difficulties when facilitating cross-partnership working. All of this has created the need for greater collaboration and a better way of interacting.

Many of the organisations using cloudbased services currently are those that are often working on multiple projects, in localised offices, requiring a variety of inputs from different partners.

Some need the opportunity to adapt and change the model, whereas some are only required to interrogate and understand their particular section. To operate effectively these organisations require a way of communicating with a number of stakeholders clearly, precisely and effectively to achieve their targets.

The move to cloud is an easy way to solve these issues without the need for expensive internal and back–up data storage data storage capacity.

By implementing cloud-working, organisations have benefitted from more efficient working practices, a reduction in the level of rework and design improvements.

So why are people reluctant to use Cloud-based CAD? Well in reality a lot of organisations are fearful for putting highly complex and often sensitive data in the cloud, which is often perceived as less secure. Recent scares in the media have made people wary of the security of using cloud based storage and many industries, such as

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the nuclear industry, have expressed concerns about using this medium due to worries about security and the importance put upon the industry to keep confidential and restricted data secure.

However many other organisations haven’t considered cloud-based storage for a range of reasons, many of them without substance.

Broadband speeds have often been highlighted as one of the issues especially when dealing with multiple users working on and saving large data-heavy documents. However as high-speed internet connections and connectivity rates have improved around the country, so has the opportunity to operate in a cloud-based environment.

Another concern organisations have voiced is around the security of the data. Contrary to the belief of many, the security of data through cloud-based systems has developed substantially over the past few months and years.

Most platforms available adhere to the ICO 27001 security standards and are rigorously tested to ensure the security of the data. Stakeholders can gain access to documents via passwords and can be given varying levels of rights to change, alter and save over documents. They can also be restricted to purely view the model or specific sections of the model if required.

This means that data can be transferred and amended where and when appropriate.

So why should you consider working in the cloud Disaster Recovery - The data is stored off site protecting it from local damage. The cloud service provider is responsible for continual access to the data, removing the need for a managed local backup solution.

Collaboration - The most up-to-date data is accessible by all designers, engineers, quantity surveyors or facilities managers. Project communication may also be conducted through the cloud portal, which allows a range of users to access the same screen at the same time.

Ubiquitous - Access to data stored on cloud services is not limited to desktop workstations. Many portable devices such as tablets and smart phones are also

able to view and interrogate the data.

So where’s your castle?

There are many good reasons to consider a move towards cloud working and there is a growing belief that the cloud is rapidly becoming the way to interact and develop good business relationships as well as improved efficiency and effectiveness.

For more information about whether your organisation should be looking to the cloud, get in contact www.quadrasol.co.uk or bim@quadrasol.co.uk

COMMENT CI

The price of a Timely Application A recent decision in the Technology and Construction Court (TCC) by EdwardsStuart J in the case of Leeds City Council v Waco UK Limited [2015] EWHC 1400 should serve as a wake-up call for contractors in the trade who fail to recognise the importance of applying for interim payment on the exact contract date which has been agreed to.

This decision from the courts has the potential to influence the validity of interim payment applications sent on any date other than the exact date specified in the contract.

Leeds City Council (LCC) contracted with Waco UK Limited (Waco) under an amended JCT Design and Build Contract 2005 (Rev 2 2009 edition) to carry out the design, manufacture and installation of new factory-assembled modular classroom buildings at Roundhay Primary School in Leeds.

This may seem nothing out of the ordinary, as detailed (and as some contractors regularly tell us - overtly complex) payment provisions are nothing new, however in practise how many contractors adhere to the exact contract date on which interim applications are to be submitted?

Whilst this may be a generalisation on our behalf, most contractors (like Waco in this instance) often submit their interim payment applications around the time period that the application is due in accordance with the contract, but more often than not this can be a couple of days early or similarly a couple of days late. In practise, it is very rare that the paperwork trail is accurate on a monthly basis to the exact specified date as stipulated in the contract.

Back to the case of LCC v Waco, where Waco submitted an interim application on 22nd September 2014 for the sum of nearly £500,000, however this application was made and received a full six days before the bi-monthly required date as

specified by clause 4.9.2 of the contract being the date of 28th September 2014.

LCC in response didn’t serve a payment notice, or a pay less notice and did not make a payment. As one might expect, adjudication followed and Waco succeeded in this matter, and in due course a payment was made by LCC. This matter was then taken to the Technology and Construction Court, where LCC submitted that there was never any entitlement under the contract provisions for applications for interim payments to be made on any dates other than those stipulated by the contract.

Edwards-Stuart J decided that an interim application was required to be made on the relevant date agreed, and had to include the total value of the work properly executed up to that date, and whilst a degree of flexibility was inferred from the parties conduct in terms of when a valid application could be submitted after the due date, the judge concluded that an application could not be made before the relevant due

date - on the basis that an application made early could obviously not cover work between the date of the early application and the later valuation date.

But is this correct?

Don’t all contractors in the main when quantifying their work to date, work on an accrual basis of ‘projecting’ the amount of work to the end of the relevant period? - we think so, and it certainly makes sense to do so - but the moral of this story is that if you plan to rely on the opposing parties default in terms of a Payment Certificate or Pay Less Notices, then there can be no substitute for making those applications on the exact date that you agreed to make them on.

Applied for on any other date, and an application for payment may just find the decision of LCC v Waco to be a substantial hurdle.

Joseph Bond, Managing Director, Kenzie Group Limited

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CI COMMENT

Exclusive Interview: Aurora

Aurora is a leading specialist developer of Facial Recognition systems.

Renowned internationally for the unparalleled accuracy of its Facial Recognition algorithms, Aurora has emerged as the face of biometrics.

UK Construction Media spoke with Aurora about the Company’s experience and the many construction applications of Facial Recognition systems.

Could you tell us a bit about the company and its origins?

Aurora is a UK based world leader in Facial Recognition technology. With nearly 20 years’ experience and a unique approach to the technology, our solutions are in use worldwide in different applications, which include airport passenger management and access control. We carry out all development and support “in house” and offer a range of products that have been designed specifically for the construction industry. Our Technical Support team provides direct support to our customers, both on site and remotely.

Has your work always been within the construction industry and if not, how did that happen?

We work in different industries with this technology, but construction has always been a key part of our business.

The construction industry was an early adopter of biometric technology due to the high incidence of wage fraud. Biometric verification eliminates these issues.

Knowing who is on site is important to every industry, but in construction there are enhanced Health and Safety considerations and it’s also useful for management to know exactly how many individuals from each trade are working at any given time.

Using Face Recognition for this task offers a number of advantages over normal biometric systems. For operatives, the main benefit is the hardware being non-contact and extremely fast. For management, the system eliminates buddy punching and ghost workers. Our systems save our customers many hundreds of thousands of pounds per year by eliminating fraud and making administration easier Your biometric facial recognition system is used in construction.

What does this involve?

ClockFace+ is our most widely deployed solution in this industry. Operatives

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enter a PIN code (or use a card) and look at the sensor to be verified, with the whole process taking a few seconds.

Because ClockFace+ was designed for the construction industry, users can also receive Health & Safety graphics and even individual messages when they pass through. ClockFace+ can also control a turnstile for controlling access to site and we produce a rapidly deployable combination of these called the Integrated Biometric Turnstile, or IBT. There is an extensive suite of software modules for reporting on site attendance, hours worked, trades on site and each operative’s record can include comprehensive data such as HMRC details, scanned documents and safety records.

Which other of your products are useful in a construction environment and what do they do?

We also offer a phone and tablet solutions which keep photo records of individuals clocking in/out together with the GPS location of the device at the time. This is an ideal solution for semi-permanent sites or a small, mobile workforce.

These mobile solutions link in the cloud to the same reporting and analysis software as the ClockFace+ biometric units, so we can offer a solution for any size of company across many varied locations.

What do you believe you can offer the construction industry that is different to what already exists?

We are the only company manufacturing a Facial Recognition based solution for this application. All other biometric systems are based on Fingerprint or Palm/Vein scanning technology and Facial Recognition offers a number of advantages over these. For example, we take an image of everybody using the system so anyone attempting to enter as somebody else, or enter when they shouldn’t, will have their picture taken. We also believe we have the most comprehensive reporting software available, having refined this over many years of working with some of the country’s largest construction companies.

How do you see these products further improving the industry in the future?

These are exciting times for us, as we have just deployed the world’s first Facial Recognition system for construction industry Time & Attendance use using Deep Learning, a form of artificial intelligence. This new method increases both the speed and accuracy of recognition and soon users will not even need a PIN number or card, this new breed of Facial Recognition will recognise them as soon as the present to the sensor and clock them in or out of site.

For more information on how Aurora’s Facial Recognition systems can benefit your business, please visit www.facerec.com

COMMUNITY CI

Refurbishment breathes new life into Herbert Park Excitement builds in Dublin as the comprehensive refurbishment and extension of a once careworn bowling and tennis pavilion reaches completion.

Situated at the heart of Herbert Park, the e750,000 renovation marks a significant structural intervention on behalf of Dublin City Council, and has seen the pavilion furnished with a new tea room and servery alongside a function room, universally accessible public sanitary facilities and two external seating areas.

The pavilion, which previously failed to comply with modern building regulations, has been reconfigured internally with a view to creating a warm and welcoming space. All internal walls have been removed and replaced, while contemporary mechanical and electrical facilities, thermal insulation and double glazing has been introduced to ensure a high performance building.

Crucially, the design - which comes courtesy of the Dublin-based SBA Architects - is sympathetic to its surroundings and in keeping with the history of Herbert Park. Externally, the walls have been clad in horizontally treated timber to compliment the natural landscape, while the north gable - which houses the tearoom - is glazed to provide a visual link to the adjacent tennis courts and croquet lawn. Rooflights have also been introduced to provide high levels of natural light to the interior of the pavilion.

Quick to recognising the obvious importance of the refurbishment, Dublin City Council also exhibited the designs and invited feedback from the public, actively involving the community in the design process.

A raft of additional improvement works have been undertaken as part

of the project including the extension Dublin’s many city parks, the initiative has of the neighbouring tennis court, the so far proven an unequivocal success. construction of a new walkway linking With the pavilion now complete the public the pavilion to an existing playground has yet another reason to visit Herbert Park. and a degree of hard landscaping.

Construction commenced in September 2014 with the renowned contractor C&A Build and Civils at the helm. Close collaboration between Dublin City Council and the Contractor was paramount to ensuring minimal public disruption throughout the eight month programme.

The refurbishment of the Herbert Park We are pleased to be associated with the pavilion is the most recent milestone Herbert Park renovation and wish all in a Dublin City involved continued success Council initiative to introduce cafes into Dublin’s city parks.

St Patrick’s Park and Harold’s Cross Park have seen the completion of similar schemes Woodland Dooish, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal in recent months, with the Harold’s Cross Park tea Contact us on: room now operated (086) 4164652

by Noshington Email: woodlandroofing@outlook.ie Cafe. Intended to encourage visitors into

Woodland Roofing

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CI COMMUNITY

Saint Mel’s Cathedral reopens five years after devastating fire It was a particularly cold winter in 2009, with the local area being covered with heavy frost and snow when St Mel’s Cathedral in Longford, one of Ireland’s most beautiful and cherished cathedrals, was destroyed in a fire.

On Christmas Eve, the boiler in the Cathedral would normally only be in use for a few hours before midnight mass. However, because of the bitterly cold weather conditions, the boiler of the dated heating system had been running for 17 hours.

It was these circumstances that led to the fire which devastated St Mel’s. When the boiler was turned off at 11 o’clock at night as usual, embers from within the flue received combustion oxygen causing a chimney fire that led into the sacristy. This culminated in the near total destruction of everything within the walls of the Cathedral.

A bird’s eye view of the Cathedral the morning after the fire would show the four walls and the campanile of the Cathedral but a look inside would reveal the complete devastation. The roof, the barrel vault ceiling and the ground floor of the nave and the isle were destroyed. The heat being so intense that even the marble fittings had melted.

Sadly, many historic paintings, tapestries and statues were also consumed in the flames.

Even with what amounted to only the external walls still standing, there was a strong determination from within the devastated community to see St Mel’s returned to its former state and glory.

In January 2010 a statement was issued

by Bishop Colm O’Reilly confirming that the Cathedral would be restored and that same month, The Friends of St Mel’s Cathedral restoration fund was set up to facilitate the many people wanting to contribute to the work of reinstating the original splendour of St Mel’s Cathedral.

There was, however, a real fear that the building core could actually collapse because of the initial damage caused by the fire and the remains required emergency stabilisation works.

Hegarty Demolition arrived on-site to secure it and make the building safe for inspection. They carried out work initially under the direction of the Gardai and structural engineers.

Hegarty Demolition had to ensure that all internal walls were sufficiently supported and installed a temporary roof structure to cover the Cathedral to protect the inside from the elements and to allow work to go on underneath.

Shutters were fitted to the windows of the Cathedral in order to seal the building from the elements. In order to halt the deterioration and for safety, the internal columns and arches had to be supported with steel bracing and netting.

Main Contractor Gem Purcell faced many huge challenges in the restoration, with perhaps the biggest one being trying to replace 26 huge limestone pillars that lined the central aisles of St Mel’s.

Ronan Moore, Senior Project Manager for Gem Purcell, said: “We had to painstakingly remove every one of them and replace them with new stone.

This was one of the most challenging pieces of work I have ever had to take on – when one considers that each of those stone columns stood eight metres high, each one consisting of a decorative capital, a fillet stone, four intermediate drums and a base. Each weighed something like five tonnes.”

Gem Purcell had to contend with there being no floor, no roof and that the 26 hand-carved limestone columns which supported the structure were by and large destroyed, they devised a system which allowed the restoration work to proceed on three levels at the same time.

Without any floor to support scaffolding, a suspended steel support bridge structure was built which allowed one team to work on the roof while the replacement of the columns below could continue alongside the defrassing of the firedamaged internal masonry walls.

During the restoration of St Mel’s there existed an opportunity to modernise certain aspects of the building and improve upon some of its design flaws.

Niall Meagher, Managing Director of Interactive Project Managers Ltd, who had overall responsibility for delivering the restoration of the Cathedral said: “The Cathedral is a protected structure in the Irish context, which means that the works proposed to the Cathedral had to be done in cooperation with the local authority and all of the stakeholders.

You also have the need for historical restoration and accuracy. Allied with that is an opportunity to right the wrongs of the past. For example, the roof would originally have been slate but it was subsequently covered in copper.

The new roof, therefore, was instead constructed with a natural Bangor blue slate, which will now provide a modern, ventilated and insulated roof.

“The barrel vaulted ceiling would have originally been lime plaster and the replacement of that was with traditional lime plaster. There was no modern plasterboard used in the replacement of the critical elements such as the barrel-vaulted ceiling.

“The mechanical and electrical systems provided an opportunity to completely revaluate what was required and install the latest systems. Smoke detection, fire detection, heating systems, under floor heating, modern boilers, low energy and long life LED lighting – we’ve completely changed the electrical scope in the Cathedral.”

Arup was heavily involved in the restoration process as Services Engineers and provided lighting design, mechanical and electrical engineering services.

The lighting scheme in the new Cathedral strives to find a balance between the old and new to create an appropriate atmosphere through the use of modern LEDs and lighting concepts.

Image courtesy of Laura O’Hagan

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Another of the new lighting’s functions is to highlight liturgical and architectural features in the building, whilst taking into consideration the building conservation and energy efficiency issues and also taking account of the textures of the building fabric and volume of space.

This was done by the use of a complex system of lighting types but with controls that are easy to use by providing a simple interface in the form of ‘pre-set’ scene settings that could be used for typical services throughout the liturgical year.

New lighting technology was combined with original brass fittings in some areas to maintain some of the history of the Cathedral whilst being able to provide a better solution in terms of control, maintenance and energy efficiency.

Along with the restoration works, new mechanical and electrical services were provided throughout and new lifts were installed to improve access to the upper levels. Measures to protect against the spread of fire were also incorporated, reinforced by a special fire detection system recessed within the ceiling of the Nave.

Susan Cormican, Lead Engineer for Arup said: “Arup was delighted to be part of the initiative. I think we have arrived at the optimum balance between old and new to create an atmosphere appropriate for such a sacred place.”

Recreation of the Cathedral’s historic features did not prove to be the easiest of tasks given that original documentation was quite limited. Fortunately, an architectural inspection done a few years prior to the fire provided a good quality photographic evaluation of roof spaces.

This showed various elements of the interior and exterior aesthetics of the roof.

This resulted in the sophisticated and innovative recreation of the roof structure, which is a glue laminated base beam and solid timber making up the rest of the queen post truss. This supports not only the slate roof above but also the barrel vault below.

When putting back the barrel vault roof, there were surviving pieces of plasterwork. Moulds and photographs of these were taken and then recreated.

One addition to St Mel’s Cathedral is the new organ, built in Italy by Fratelli Ruffatti, a family owned business from Padua. The contract was tendered to three companies but the beautiful design submitted by Ruffatti meant that they became the obvious choice.

The organ was relocated from its original location with the choir at the back of the Cathedral and moved beside the altar in the transept.

In terms of the sound and acoustics provided by the organ, Niall Meagher said: “It is an astounding addition to the Cathedral and the sound of it is amazing. Acoustics in a very hard atmosphere like that are very reflective.

You need a very sophisticated sound system in order to be heard. If you put in traditional amplification, the sound quality can be very poor

because of the reverberation time.

Colm. He said that St Mel’s would be “We had to put in a quite specialist rebuilt; that was the voice of leadership. amplification system which you might Today, from the bottom of my heart, I describe as ‘zoned’. It controls the wish to thank Bishop Colm for his vision pressure to the various parts where and his determination. Here we are five people sit. That’s quite different from years on, in our beautifully reconstructed your traditional speaker, which in an Cathedral of St Mel, ready to open its uncontrolled way just blasts noise all over familiar doors in welcome to the faithful the place. This actually funnels noise and, of the town, the diocese, and beyond.” as a result, the acoustics are stunning.”

Bishop Colm O’Reilly said: “The Cathedral Other alterations to St Mel’s have come restoration is done (and even dusted) about because of the change in Liturgy.

I am pleased to say. The many people As it was built in various stages between who have been digging and drilling, 1840 and 1893, the Cathedral has lived plastering and painting and a hundred through a number of re-orderings, most other things can lift their eyes at last significantly the 1970s and 1980s. This and admire the work of their heads and involves the rearrangement and adaptation hands. The Project Manager, Design of church elements to accommodate Team, and all who have pored over changes in religious practise. maps, drawings and cost estimates can Now in the new millennium, thinking has begin to close the books. A building of moved on again. The baptismal font would quite exceptional complexity has been have originally been in one of the five steered into the destination that seemed porches, before moving closer to the altar at times to behave like a mirage, almost in the rethinking of the 1970s and 1980s. there and then moving away. From the The font will now take up a new position Main Contractors, Gem Purcell, to the to reflect more modern liturgical thinking. people who were employed in any of The reconstruction of St Mel’s created up the many subcontracts that we had, to 100 jobs and contributed e7.5M to the all can look back with great pride and state’s tax revenues. In total, e30M was satisfaction on a great achievement.” spent on the restoration project, with the Colm Redmond, Project Architect, said: majority of that money coming from the “We have been very fortunate with the Cathedral’s insurers, Alliance. A further quality and the skills of the craftsmen e1M was donated in voluntary funds. and women who have worked on the It is estimated that for every on-site job, Cathedral over the last four years. an off-site job was also created. The Many of the crafts and trades are restoration of the Cathedral also resulted traditional skills, which have found in two training courses for 60 people new life and vigour in new hands being created, one of which upskilled where knowledge and skill has been local workers in heritage restoration. passed on to a new generation. These On Friday 19th December 2014, Main skills harken back to older traditions Contractor, Gem Purcell, successfully and play an important part in the handed over the restored Cathedral management, care and restoration of in time for a series of ceremonies, our historic buildings on this island. ahead of Christmas Eve Mass 2014.

“It is my hope that the people of the Representatives of Gem Purcell presented Diocese of Ardagh and Clonacnois will Bishop Francis, Bishop of Ardagh & embrace their Cathedral as the return Clonmacnois with a commemorative of an old friend, that they recognise in chalice in memory of the works that the building features they have known took place and all that were involved for many years, while welcoming in the painstaking restoration. new the interventions as a new Fr Tom Healy, Administrator of St Mel’s, phase in the life of the Cathedral.” co-celebrated the first Mass since the fire, along with Bishop Francis Duffy, Bishop Emeritus Colm O’Reilly and other members of the clergy.

Bishop Francis Duffy, speaking at the press conference to mark the reopening of the Cathedral said: “I recall seeing the reports of the fire on Christmas Laura O'Hagan produces sculptural ceramics, murals, 2D and 3 D Day 2009. There mosaics for exterior and interior, for private individuals and was a clear sense corporate clients. of devastation and sorrow Laura O'Hagan Architectural Ceramics among people Coolard Studio, Unit 10, Downs Industrial Estate, Delgany, Co. Wicklow interviewed. One Fax: 01 287 0963 Mobile: 087 2477417 voice was clear Email: ohaganlaura@gmail.com www.lauraohagan.com about what would happen, Bishop

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CI CIVIL

Financial close reached on e145M Donegal wind farm Energia Renewables has reached financial close on the new e145M Meenadreen Extension wind farm in Co Donegal.

The contract with Main Contractor, Nordex, will see them supply and install 38 N90/2500 turbines to provide over 255 gigawatt hours each year, enough energy to provide power for 70,000 homes, in addition to the provision of service for 15 years.

The Meenadreen wind farm represents Nordex’s largest project in Ireland to date. In 2014, Nordex installed eight N90 turbines at Thornog wind farm in Northern Ireland, also for Energia Renewables. Since its inception in 2002, Nordex has installed more than 200 turbines throughout Ireland.

A new e11M substation will also be built which will help to further strengthen the electricity network in Donegal.

Energia have been providing electricity and gas to Irish businesses since 1999.

Over 25% of all Irish businesses have chosen the Company as their energy supplier, including more than third of all Irish small and medium sized enterprises.

The Company’s operational wind farm portfolio, which combines power from Energia’s own wind farms and power from third party wind farms contracted to Energia under power purchase agreements, currently supplies 795MWs of green power. This will increase further by 300MWs of green power by a number of wind farm facilities, including Meenadreen, which are currently in development.

Peter Baillie, Managing Director, Energia Renewables said: “ We are delighted to reach this significant milestone in the development of our flagship 95MW Meenadreen Extension wind farm project.

The development of this new wind farm is a very positive step forward for renewable energy in Ireland and this is

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something that is very important to us. and improvements to local “Energia currently supplies over 795MWs infrastructure such as roads.” of renewable energy to homes and Work is due to start on the installation business across Ireland. We are on track of the wind farm in March 2016. to supply over 1,00MWs by the middle of this decade. Energia Group remains one of the most significant contributors to the achievement of Ireland’s renewable targets and one of the most significant contributors to the achievement of Ireland’s renewable targets and one of the largest investors in the renewable sector.

“We’ve received a lot of support from the local community and we’re very grateful for this. The The leading provider of technical consultancy services development of to the Irish wind industry. Proud to work alongside our new wind farm is a very positive Energia on our 10th project together with more step forward for renewable energy exciting opportunities still to come. in Ireland and this is something that is very important to us. All our wind farm developments www.windprospect.ie bring significant E: Ireland@windprospect.com benefits to the T: +353 (0) 1 845 5031 local economies, including job creation, Planning | Pre Construction | Construction | Operations construction suppliers, increased The Hyde Building | The Park | Carrickmines | Dublin 18 | Ireland rates for the local authorities

Wind Prospect Ireland

CIVIL CI

Balbriggan & Skerries Sewerage Scheme Phase III Phase III on the construction of the new pumping station and associated works at the Dublin Road Roundabout in Balbriggan is currently on going. Phases I and II of the Balbriggan & Skerries sewerage scheme included the construction and extension of a new treatment works and three main pumping stations, which have already been completed.

The new pumping station will carry effluent from Balbriggan and Skerries to be treated in the new plant, located at Barnageeragh.

It is hoped that the new pumping station will help to alleviate the number of pollution incidents that have occurred previously during flash flooding. The huge volume of water resulted in a failure of a number of pumping stations around the county, which led to an outbreak of E.coli and swimming bans in the waters of Balbriggan beach.

Main Contractor, working on behalf of Irish Water, is Jons Civil Engineering. The Company has over 28 years experience in the successful delivery of infrastructural projects in Ireland and specialise in complex civil engineering projects.

Consulting Engineer for the project is JB Barry and Partners Limited. The Company is one of Ireland’s leading consulting engineers and offers a wide variety of services in the civil engineering, environmental engineering, structural engineering, transportation engineering and health and safety sectors.

Unfortunately, this crucial work on the pumping station and associated pipework has meant severe disruption for local businesses as a section of a public car park had to be closed, with intermittent traffic disruption and road closures are also in operation. A consultation meeting was held and attended by contractors, business owners, member of the council and local people to discuss and find

solutions to help ease these difficulties.

A spokesperson for Irish Water said: “Each set of works will take approximately six weeks. The much needed Dublin Road Pumping Station project will provide the ability to deliver modern sewage infrastructure that will serve the area well into the future and provide capacity for future economic growth.”

The 14 month project began in July 2014 and is scheduled to complete later this year.

MORDAUNT CONSTRUCTION LTD We are pleased to be associated with the Balbrigan - Skerrie Sewerage Scheme Phase 3 and wish all involved continued success

Unit C Croghan Industrial Estate, Arklow, Co. Wicklow

Contact us: Tel: 086 2665177 Email: mordaunt1@msn.com 33

CI COMMERCIAL

Mylan investment a shining endorsement for Irish economy Mylan - one of the largest generics and speciality pharmaceutical manufacturers worldwide - has bolstered its commitment to the Irish economy by investing in its Dublin facility.

Initially established in 1967 as a means to help rural communities in West Virginia to gain access to affordable medicines, Mylan now applies that same methodology internationally across an approximate 145 countries and territories. With a single global quality standard across all facilities and product ranges, Mylan is renowned as an industry leader dedicated to setting new standards in health care.

This recent multi-million euro investment has paved the way for a comprehensive redevelopment of Mylan’s current Baldoyle

Industrial Estate site, and will see the Company’s existing production and research facility integrated into a newly built state-of-the-art commercial production hub. Two neighbouring units have been demolished to facilitate the extension, which will provide additional laboratory, office and warehouse space. The three-storey structure will also incorporate a number of energy efficient technologies to ensure a responsible and high performance building.

Designed by the distinguished Fewer Harrington & Partners and overseen

by M+W Group - a leading global engineering and construction partner the redevelopment marks a significant milestone for Mylan in Ireland.

Such investment in key infrastructure is

indicative of the Organisation’s ongoing commitment to expanding its Irish operations. In 2012 Mylan pledged to invest up to e76M annually over the next five years, with a view to strengthening research and development capabilities within the Company’s respiratory, injectables and oral solids franchises.

Mylan is also set to add to its Irish-based workforce by creating a further 500 positions by 2016. Of these 220 will be based in Galway, with the remainder located at the newly extended Dublin site.

Mylan is the latest in a number of highprofile pharmaceutical companies to increase its stake in Ireland, proving that the country remains an attractive proposition to the global pharmaceutical industry.

Established in 1995, G. Sexton & Partners are Chartered Engineers and Fire Safety Consultants providing expert technical consultancy services covering all aspects of Fire Safety from the overall fire safety design assessment of buildings through to fire safety management practices.

Deise House, Link Road, Railway Square, Waterford T: 051-878806 F: 051-853395 E: info@gspfire.ie www.gspfire.ie 34

HEALTH CI

New Hospital Dentistry Department due to open this summer Work on a new Hospital Dentistry Department for the Northern Trust is due to be completed this summer.

The new £1.2M department will include four orthodontic chairs and two special care dentistry rooms will be located towards the front of the Antrim Area Hospital site.

The Northern Trust is one of five health and social care trusts in Northern Ireland and provides a comprehensive range of health and social care services to almost 436,000 people across an area of 1,733 square miles, making it the largest geographical trust in Northern Ireland.

The Trust has a budget of £600M and employs 11,700 staff across a full range of medical, health and social care disciplines.

The new Hospital Dentistry Department will see the Orthodontics Department and the Special Care Dentistry and Oral/ Maxillofacial services will be brought together for the first time. Having both departments situated together will see an improvement in the service for patients with highly complex oral needs that require specialist skills.

Braid Valley Hospital in Ballymena and Antrim Hospital Outpatients Department will see existing services transferred to the new department.

Main Contractor on the project is Mascott Construction Ltd. Since its formation in 1988, the Company has created an enviable reputation within the local construction industry for the delivery of bespoke, high quality projects over a wide range of construction sectors.

Architectural services are being provided by RPP Architects Ltd, which is one of Northern Ireland’s longest standing architectural firms.

Assistant Director of Acute Services

with the Northern Trust, Rebecca Getty said: “This much needed facility will replace out-dated accommodation and dramatically improve the provision of dental care services to people living in the Northern Trust area.

“By providing services in one building, the patient’s experience will be much improved with closer working with specialist teams and sharing of information.

The new build will include the latest equipment to ensure patients receive the treatment and care we would expect for our family and ourselves.”

D. Robinson & Son were established as a quality painting & decorating firm in 1982, providing a wide range of quality craftsmanship to all types of clients from the N.E.EL.B to private clients.

27 Loan Road, Cullybackey, Co. Antrim, BT42 1ES

Mob: 07771 716963 or Mob: 07713 565104 Email: david@drobinsonandson.com www.drobinsonandson.com

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CI CIVIL

A26 Ballinderry Crossroads Improvement scheme Work is now complete on a £1M project to create a new junction at the Ballinderry Road crossroads.

Work on the scheme commenced in December 2014 and has seen improvements made to the A26 Glenavy Road at the junction of Lower Ballinderry and Ballinderry Roads in Upper Ballinderry.

The A26 links the M1 at Moira to Glenavy and the international airport.

Transport NI oversaw the improvement scheme. Operating as a business unit within the Department of Regional Development, Transport NI play a fundamental role in facilitating the safe and convenient passage of people and goods throughout the province and the safety of road users, through the delivery of road maintenance services and the development and management of the transport network.

Transport Minister, Danny Kennedy said: “This scheme represents a significant financial investment in the area and will bring substantial benefits for all road users.

“The improvements include a realignment of the Ballinderry Road and provision of right turn pockets on the A26 Glenavy Road for vehicles entering the Ballinderry and Lower Ballinderry Roads.

“This much anticipated scheme will help improve road safety and traffic flow on this busy stretch of road.”

Main Contractor on this project was Gibson Bros Ltd. Founded in 1950, the Company has developed into one of Ireland’s most recognised familyowned businesses operating in the civil engineering and surfacing sectors.

Councillor Thomas Beckett and Jeffrey Donaldson have been campaigning for five years for safety improvements to be made to the crossroads, which has seen numerous vehicle accidents over the years.

Speaking just prior to the project’s completion, Mr Donaldson

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commented: “I am delighted to see road without disrupting traffic flows.” the junction improvement scheme Councillor Thomas Beckett said: at Ballinderry crossroads making “The improvements will mean it progress and look forward to its will now become more easier to completion in the next few weeks. cross what had been a busy and “Together with my colleague, Councillor dangerous junction to negotiate.”

Thomas Beckett, I had several meetings with the Roads Service on behalf of local residents who were experiencing significant difficulties in crossing the main A26 airport road, especially at peak traffic times.

“This caused much Looking for professional road marking? inconvenience From transit systems to parking solutions, for local people M McG.Roadmarks Ltd. can handle it all who could find themselves sitting M McG. Roadmarks Ltd. are not just a road marking company; we offer in a queue of traffic other services from car on either side of the parks to bicycle lanes and junction for several markings for residential minutes. There projects, new retail and business parks. were also concerns about road safety, We hold maintenance with motorists contracts with the and pedestrians Department of Environment running the gauntlet and have been involved in many of Northern Ireland's to try and cross leading major commercial over the junction developments. So why not in the middle of trust us to deliver the high fast moving traffic level of workmanship and on the main road. professional results your site requires?

“With the changes to the layout of the junction, such M McG.Roadmarks Ltd. delays can now 24 Moor Hill Road, Newry BT34 2QJ be avoided and Tel:028 3026 7021 both motorists and Email: mmcgroadmarks@googlemail.com pedestrians will www.mmcgroadmarks.co.uk feel much safer crossing the airport

COMMUNITY CI

Lions get new den Image courtesy of Adrian O’Herlihy

The e1M Carrigaline Lions Youth Centre is now close to completion. Built in one of Cork’s largest towns, the centre will provide a dedicated building for the youth of Carrigaline between the ages of 12 and 18.

The Carrigaline & District Lions Club was founded in 1988 and is one of the most active Lions Clubs in Ireland. The Club felt that young people in the community deserved and needed a dedicated building where they can spend their leisure time in a safe and secure environment.

The Youth Centre will house a youth café that will provide a meeting place where young people can meet and socialise with friends. The activity room is the main hub of the building with facilities to watch sports, movies, play table football or relax in the couched seating area. The space lends itself to music events, drama workshops

and other similar organised activities.

The Centre also contains a music room, an IT area, and meeting room which can be used for study groups and meetings.

The design of the Centre is a bold statement of character as the external façade is bounded by vertical cedar fins. There was consultation of the project with similar existing centres in Waterford in order to fully understand how they operate. Surveys were also conducted by the Lions Club with the youth in the community to see what they required from such a facility.

Chairman of the Carrigaline Lions Youth Project, Sean Duggan, was a major driving force behind the project. Brian Thoma, Committee Member of Carrigaline Lions Club said: “Without his strong leadership, the project would have faltered or fallen between the cracks. With a strong character

like that to carry the project through, it will always work out in the end.”

Main Contractor on the project is Vision Contracting with architectural services being provided by Kieran J Barry & Associates Ltd. The new Centre will be self-financing and sustainable in the long term. The building will be divided into a 60/40 ratio with 60% of the building being a dedicated space for the young people of Carrigaline. The remaining 40%, which contains the meeting and office facilities will be used to generate income to cover the running costs of the building.

One of the biggest challenges for the Lions Club in getting the project off the ground was fundraising, which is still an on-going process. Anybody interested in donating can do so by visiting: www.carrigalineyouthcdentre.ie.

37

CI COMMUNITY

Hollyhill Library

Hollyhill community to benefit from purpose-built library facilities Excitement builds in Hollyhill as the construction of a state-of-the-art library draws to a close. Built on the grounds of the Terence MacSwiney Community College, the e4.1M Hollyhill Library development replaces an existing facility previously deemed no longer fit for purpose by Cork City Council. It’s completion – expected in the summer months – will come as welcome relief to the Hollyhill community and to Cork City Councillor Tony Fitzgerald, for whom this has been a major undertaking.

Construction of new building first began in early 2014. In the intervening months Hollyhill Library has been relocated to a temporary site situated close to the Library’s former premises. Despite the potential for upheaval, disruption has been kept to a minimum, with a full library service made available to the community throughout the construction process.

Blarney-based Cumnor Construction is currently putting the finishing touches on the Harbour View Road development, while a comprehensive interior fit-out – which will see the installation of a

raft of shelving and ancillary equipment – is expected to take place in May. A collaborative endeavour, the scheme has involved the combined efforts of a number local contractors alongside Cork City Council, who have provided architectural and project management services. More than 60 short-term construction jobs have been created as part of the contract, making this a valuable addition to Hollyhill’s local economy.

The external leaf brickwork, laid by Cumnor and industry partner GSM Construction, is composed of concrete blockwork.

Polished limestone blocks have been introduced to the front of the library with a view to creating an eye-catching feature entrance. The strict 4mm mortar joint complicated matters however and required finesse from both contractors to ensure a prosthetically pleasing finish.

Excited at the prospect of the finished building, the Library’s staff are currently working to have all new books ready in advance of the prospective summer opening. Completion of the Hollyhill Library development will mark an important

milestone in Cork City Council’s ambitious North West Quarter Regeneration Plan – a multi-million euro scheme set to improve the fabric of Cork’s North West Quarter.

To date the regeneration has included a number of reparation works to existing estates in addition to the wholesale creation of new developments.

In Knocknaheeny the first phase of a e4.3M housing development to provide 23 three-bed houses is taking shape.

Due for completion in September 2015, the project is further indication of the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government’s long-term commitment to the North West Quarter.

Speaking of the scheme Minister for Housing, Jan O’Sullivan said: “My Department is firmly committed to the successful regeneration of the Cork North West Quarter and has made a substantial investment to the Masterplan for the regeneration of the area which I believe will revive communities, create employment opportunities for local people and improve housing stock.”

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