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News, reports, comments, profiles and site projects CHQ Architects Celebrating 20 years p46

HMS Belfast Quayside Pavilion providing a new social destination p122

Fantasy Island New attractions planned for 2013 p51

Heritage Skills Centre A new chapter written in the history of Lincoln Castle p112

CambridgeHOK Awarded BCIA Technical Innovation Project of the Year The Eden Project CambridgeHOK have been awarded the BCIA award for Technical Innovation Project of the Year for engineering and installing a new, energy efficient control system at one of the UK’s largest tourist attractions; The Eden Project. The three phase project included replacing all existing controls with Priva systems. The new system has reduced the centres carbon emissions by 111 tonnes in an 8 month period and has resulted in energy savings in excess of 1.4Gwh.

JZ Flowers CambridgeHOK have designed and installed an award winning management system for the UK’s leading producer of floral bouquets, JZ Flowers.

Based in East Yorkshire, the impressive 60,000 square feet packing house contains a myriad of energy saving innovations all controlled by the latest Priva technology.

The heat produced by the chiller plant, normally wasted, is diverted to a buffer tank, the hot water in the tank is then used to heat offices, amenity areas and the production area. There are no conventional boilers or electric heaters on site – essentially heat is provided for free. Additionally, each office used an occupancy detector. When an office has been unoccupied for a pre-set time, the lights switch off and any cooling/heating equipment reverts to stand by. Recently, JZ Flowers were awarded the RICS Commercial Pro-Yorkshire award.

If you have a project requiring building management or control please call us on 01430 449440 assistance.

CambridgeHOK, Wallingfen Park, 236 Main Road, Newport, Brough, East Yorkshire, HU15 2RH 01430 449 440 – info@cambridgehok.co.uk – www.cambridgehok.co.uk

profile 35 46 49 54 58 62 67 74 77 80 88 103 109 110 120 126 130 138 144 161

Staffordshire County Council CHQ Architects R&B Switchgear Wold Construction Ltd Construction Plant Hire Association British Parking Association BUFCA FM Conway ADA Waltham Forest Council Quinn London Ltd Kone Hall Construction Group Ltd Faithdean PLC Aylesbury Vale District Council Watergate Ltd Higgins Construction East Sussex County Council TA Law TG Beighton Ltd

health 113 131 140 150

St Ann’s Hospital Colchester Hospital The Priory Hazeldene House Care Home Princess Alexandra Neonatal Unit

community 30 42 82 101

Heart of East Greenwich St Nicholas Church Porthcressa Regeneration Cheviots Children’s Centre

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education 28 44 50 61 64 85 102 111 114 123 137 139 160

Settle College John Leggott College Heathfield Community School Wade Deacon High School Colchester Sixth Form College Frome Community College Selbourne Primary School Hackney Community College Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College Eagle House School St Nicholas Primary School Frank Wise School Swansea University

leisure 26 51 52 57 86 94 99 112 116 122 128 155 159

commercial 32 34 66 87 108 115 124 125 148 162

New Capital Quay Browns Garage Kingsway Business Park Andrew Page Ltd Macklin Street Offices Royal Mail Centre Sheffield Park Road Faringdon Ashford Road NatCen Offices Neptunus

retail 89

National Skills Centre Fantasy Island Theme Park Stretford High Sports Village Cheriton Road Sports Centre Westgate Development Tilgate Forest Golf Centre Travelodge Excel Lincoln Castle Blackfriars Road Hotels HMS Belfast London 2012 Basketball Arena David Lloyd Leisure Worcester Tydd St Giles Golf & Leisure Estate

civil 31 43 84 96 127 132

Warwickshire Highways Bunhill Energy Centre Flood Defence Middlemoor Wind Farm Sefton Highways A470 Maes Yr Helmau to Cross Foxes

housing 48 60 95 100

William Goodenough House Newton Thorpe, Hull Rollercoaster House, Margate Greenfield Crescent

Castlegate Centre, Stockton

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21 Slingsby – Dominic Slingsby NHBC – Graham Perrior 22 The Results Centre – Alan Denton Bircham Dyson Bell – Angus Walker 23 Sheridan Gold – Michael Draper Robinson Low Francis – Phil Shearer Thomas Eggar – Laura Phoenix & Kasia Burdzy

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Editor Victoria Lee Managing Editor Gareth Trevor-Jones Staff Writer John Train Editorial Raimy Greenland Robert Atherton Copy Laura Anderson Christie Newport Studio Manager SĂŠamus Norton Designer Richard Gill Proof Reader Matthew Brown

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UKC news

Class act by Elliott at Slough Grammar School Elliott Off-Site Building Solutions has completed a new two-storey classroom block at Slough Grammar School in Berkshire.

Following the successful completion, Elliott OffSite has secured a further £2.5M project for a two-storey refectory and IT centre at the School.

The Company worked in conjunction with Calford Seaden Architects as part of a design and build solution on the initial twostorey classroom block.

The new facility includes six classrooms at 60sq m over two-storeys, each designed to Building Bulletins and L2A 2010.

Designed to provide increased classroom capacity, the project had to be completed to a very tight schedule. Elliott Off-Site’s team completed the new building on a 20-week construction programme from receipt of planning approval.

The building is constructed utilising Elliott OffSite’s hybrid building system, which combines steel frame and concrete floors with timber wall panels. The roof structure is a lightweight steel deck with a single ply membrane and powder coated aluminium fascia.

Utilising Elliott’s off-site solution allows buildings to be completed in up to half the time of a conventional build. It also reduces on-site waste and provides clients with all the assured quality benefits of manufacturing large elements of a building in a factory controlled environment.

All the new classrooms at Slough Grammar School are accessed off a single corridor, with an internal steel staircase on the east side.

The external façade of the building is a combination of masonry to the ground level with Sto render cladding to the first floor. In

addition, there is a feature band of horizontally laid, cedar board cladding separating the ground and first floor to the front and rear elevations.

Jackie Wardle, Business Manager, Slough Grammar School said: “Working with Elliott Off-Site has been a real pleasure from initial design, through construction to completion.

The project was finished on time and on budget. Amazing! Elliott Off-Site’s attention to detail and client focus is very impressive and we would not hesitate in recommending them to other organisations.”

ISG wins ultimate BCO accolade ISG’s fit out of K&L Gates’ offices at One New Change, Cheapside in central London, has received the ultimate industry accolade after not only securing the British Council for Offices’ (BCO) National Award for Best Fit Out of Workplace, but also scooping the Best of the Best prize.

At a glittering annual awards ceremony attended by more than 1,000 guests, K&L Gates and ISG, alongside Washington DC based architects LSM and the project’s consultant team, received the news that the fit out had been officially recognised at the UK’s best of the best office based developments. To secure this major achievement ISG’s project

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beat off stiff competition from national winners across seven categories, including Heron Tower, the BBC’s Media City in Manchester, Fort Dunlop in Birmingham and the 7 More London development.

The BCO Awards are judged by a number of industry experts and widely acknowledged as one of the UK construction industry's most celebrated prizes. This year five ISG projects made it to the regional finals for London and the South East. K&L Gates along with ISG schemes for Pinsent Masons and Deutsche Bank competed against 11 other projects in the Best Fit Out of Workplace category, while the contractor’s

Credit Suisse scheme was a finalist in the Projects up to 2,000sq m category. ISG’s One Kingsway development was also a finalist in the Commercial Workplace category.

Paul Cossell, Managing Director of ISG Fit Out, commented: “K&L Gates’ offices at One New Change provide a stunning example of how the architectural features of a building can be maximised and enhanced to deliver a workplace that is both productive and aesthetic. Receiving the ultimate industry recognition for the hard work and collaborative working practices of all our project delivery partners is an outstanding result and firmly places ISG at the top of our industry.”

Marley Eternit’s clay plain tiles specified for major roofing project An ambitious residential roofing project using Marley Eternit’s Acme Single Camber clay plain tiles is nearing completion and already attracting significant praise.

Adjacent to the Olympic Park, the former Hackney Free & Parochial School is entering its third and final phase of redevelopment. Having begun site preparation in February, the pitched roof covers a surface area of 1,500sq m. The roof has been entirely redeveloped using a combination of colours from Marley Eternit’s Acme Single Camber tile range: Red Sandfaced, Heather Blend and Farm House Brown, with Anglian Brickwork Ltd as the Main Contractor.

Paul Mitchell, Project Architect, explains: “Without wanting the roof to look ‘flat’ we requested samples from Marley Eternit of three colours from their Acme Single Camber range. We felt these subtle shades provided an effective tonal blend so proposed the use of them to the historical buildings officer at Hackney local authority.

We went right up to the roof with the officer and explained how the colours would work and she was immediately delighted with the proposed mix and felt a combination of shades was a great idea.”

The large roof has been fitted in stages with extra care taken so as not to disturb the residents inhabiting the 36 privately owned flats.

Andy Crisp, Contracts Manager at White Roofing Services Ltd, explains: “This large roof is quite deceptive! Because it is so vast, with such complex gables, internal gutters and no flat areas, it has been quite a complicated process.

“In order to minimise disruption to residents, we employed the use of a rolling temporary roof – a modern design which was wheeled across each phase, allowing us to remove the old roof in stages. We also kept noise levels to a minimum wherever possible.”

Leadbitter completes two more care homes in Gloucestershire The Leadbitter Group has completed two more care homes in Gloucestershire offering a mix of residential and dementia care.

Jubilee Lodge Care Centre in Bourton-on-theWater and Monkscroft Care Centre in Cheltenham were both delivered by Leadbitter on behalf of the Gloucestershire Care Partnership (GCP), which is made up of The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT), Gloucestershire County Council and bpha (Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association).

Jubilee Lodge was officially opened by HRH Princess Michael of Kent in July. It replaces two existing care homes (Salmonsbury House in Bourton and Ashton House in Stow-on-the-Wold) and will provide accommodation for 74 residents with a mix of nursing, dementia and intermediate care.

Each bedroom has an ensuite bathroom and the home also features a shop and hair salon, along with communal and social spaces and landscaped gardens.

The home, designed by KWL Architects, meets Cotswold District Council recommendations

for buildings in the area. It features local stone and details such as diminishing tiles (reconstructed stone slates arranged in an authentic finish) to ensure that it blends in harmoniously with Bourton-on-the-Water’s traditional surroundings.

In contrast, the new Monkscroft Care Centre has a modern design, with white render and buff brick with a sage green fascia and eaves that mimic an oxidised copper finish. The home is the first part of a major redevelopment of the Coronation Square area of Cheltenham, which will feature buildings with similarly contemporary designs.

John Parry, Operations Director of Leadbitter’s Central Housing division, said: “We are delighted to have delivered these outstanding facilities for the Gloucestershire Care Partnership. Leadbitter has developed an in depth understanding of the requirements and standards of these homes, which means these high quality facilities will meet the care needs of the local community for years to come.”

New £7M energy technology building opens to students Blackstone Group, Stanhope plc and Lend Lease celebrated the topping out of Building 6 at revolutionary London office campus Chiswick Park recently, just ten months after ground breaking in November 2011.

Originally commenced as a speculative development, Norwegian oil and energy company Aker Solutions completed an agreement to lease the entire 215,000sq ft office space of Building 6 in May 2012. The confirmed occupation of Aker affirms Chiswick Park as a centre for the oil and energy sector and endorses Chiswick Park as the choice of UK office space for leading international businesses. It is anticipated that Aker’s move in Building 6 will accommodate 1,300 additional jobs at Chiswick Park by 2015, whilst the construction has created 200 jobs for the duration of the development.

The completion of Building 6 will take the level of built office space at Chiswick Park to 1.5 million sq ft and will make it home to over 6,000 employees from leading companies such as Discovery, Starbucks, Paramount and Swarovski. A development

site with permission for the 333,000 sq ft Building 7 remains available, which is the final phase of Chiswick Park.

Speaking on behalf of Lend Lease, Executive Director Michael Dyke said. “The topping out of Building 6 has been a fitting ceremony with which to celebrate our successful association with both Stanhope and Blackstone. And the speed of its delivery is a great testament to the collaborative working that has been a feature of our relationships throughout our presence on the Chiswick site. This is an impressive development and we’re delighted to have played our part in providing commercial space that is bringing economic benefit to this area of west London.”

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UKC news

Energy efficiency makeover of 1960s tower blocks could provide blueprint for new ways to end fuel poverty The first stage of a pioneering study, sponsored by insulation manufacturer, Rockwool, has been completed on a west London estate that could provide a blueprint for taking millions of UK householders out of fuel poverty, and demonstrates the huge impact the Green Deal could have if it is accompanied by consumer education to help householders cut energy use.

‘High Rise Hope,’ presents evidence from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on the social impact of greening homes by insulating residential tower blocks.

The study measures energy costs and social

conditions before and during a £16M repair, energy saving and acoustic upgrade of three tower blocks at the Edward Woods Estate in Shepherds Bush, west London. Radical improvements affected community pride, feelings of safety, relationships with other residents, energy bills and fuel poverty. A follow up study in 2013 will measure the longer term benefits and costs for residents and the landlord, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

Thomas Heldgaard, Managing Director of Rockwool UK commented: “Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that well

thought out, whole building energy efficiency refurbishment can have positive effects on local communities, well beyond saving money on energy bills. With schemes such as the Green Deal and ECO set to get fully underway next year, we hope this research will show that energy efficiency is only one of the benefits of greening British homes.

“High Rise Hope shows we are on the right track, but the real test will come in 2013 when we go back to the residents to ask them how they have found living with the new measures”

Legal & General completes £65M Agar Street office redevelopment Legal & General Property (“LGP”) announces that, on its behalf, Morgan Sindall has completed its £65M commercial development in the heart of London’s West End, bringing its 20-month redevelopment of 6 Agar Street to a conclusion.

The six-storey office development at 6 Agar Street provides 57,000sq ft of new Grade A office space in Covent Garden. Designed by architect Darling Associates, the West End office development (formerly the Strand Island building) has been transformed to create an entirely new office scheme, while preserving the listed façades on Chandos Place and Bedford Street.

Its unique design is focused around the

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building’s core and features an open air central atrium with two levels of landscaped terrace at its base and additional terracing on the fifth floor.

Coloured glass fins also circle the levels above to create a striking visual effect.

LGP is set to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating on the completed project. Setting this target was an incredibly bold challenge for an inner city refurbishment project but is consistent with LGP’s ambitions to keep raising the bar in terms of sustainable property development.

The building also makes provision for tenants’ increasing desire to behave in an ecologically responsible manner, and

includes a ground floor parking area for circa 60 cycles, accessed from a separate entrance on Agar Street, with state-of-the art changing rooms and shower facilities. It capitalises on the appetite demonstrated by occupiers at LGP’s award winning, central London development of Central Saint Giles, which offered 400 spaces in total.

Simon Wilkes, Head of Business Space Development at Legal & General Property, said: “We have achieved our aim of creating a sustainable Grade A office building where the key focus has been creating an exceptional working environment, enhanced by the creation of the stunning central courtyard.”

Applications invited now for 2013 William Morris Craft Fellowship Applications are invited now from committed young craftsmen and women interested in becoming one of SPAB’s (The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) 2013 William Morris Craft Fellows. Up to four successful candidates will form a small band next year, travelling together throughout the country to learn more about traditional building crafts from masters of the trades.

The Fellowship is an advanced training programme, devised to encourage and nurture young people from any trade employed in the repair of historic buildings. This unparalleled scheme is becoming increasingly relevant given rising concern at the lack of people with the skills needed to care for Britain’s historic buildings and structures Since 1986 SPAB has organised and administered the Fellowship to promote and develop the specialised skills required for the repair and maintenance of historic buildings and to promote understanding of the importance of conservative repair.

Former Fellows have included carpenters, masons, thatchers, plasterers and glaziers.

Plasterer Paul Agar, a Fellow in 2011, says: “The Fellowship has helped me learn old techniques which I have taken back to work and because of all I've learnt, my work is blossoming rapidly. I’m now more involved with site meetings, architects and surveyors take more notice of my opinion and often ask my thoughts on troubled areas of a building. Ultimately, the Fellowship proved to be inspiring, informative, thought provoking and a bit of a roller coaster nervy build up, ups and downs, thrills and shocks and once it’s finished you want to queue up for another go!"

For further information or to obtain an application form please write to the Education Officer, SPAB, 37 Spital Square, London E1 6DY or email: education@spab.org.uk The closing date for applications is 1st January each year and interviews are held in London at the end of January.

Patrick Parsons awarded Olympic Legacy contract at Lee Valley Patrick Parsons Consulting Engineers has just been awarded a £5M Olympic Legacy contract at the Lee Valley white water course, where Team GB famously won gold.

Renowned for their expertise in the white water sector, Patrick Parsons engineer world class courses such as the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Course at the Tees Barrage. This is the only white water course in the world to generate more electricity than it uses.

Continuing to make waves with their strong track record in the white water sector, Patrick Parsons has been appointed to facilitate a multi-million pound project to maximise the potential of the Lee Valley white water course’s post Olympic legacy.

The project is designed to optimise the leisure environment for the local community and improve facilities for schools. The upgrades will include adapting the course landscaping to increase spectator capacity and encourage members of the public to

get involved. Parking areas will be extended to cater for an anticipated 10,000 visitors each weekend.

The project will also involve the creation of a new facility for athletes, with state-of-the art training areas, gym equipment and offices for coaches and physiotherapists. This will help ensure that the Lee Valley white water course continues to be a centre for world class sport, nurturing Olympic athletes of the future.

Speaking of the contract, Patrick Parsons MD Peter Stienlet said: “There’s certainly an element of prestige for Patrick Parsons in having been selected to deliver this project.

It’s a privilege to be involved in creating a legacy for the local community at the Lee Valley Olympic course. The upgrades to the facilities will also secure the course’s future as a world class centre for sporting excellence, an equally important legacy.

This continues our involvement in engineering world class white water projects on an international scale.”

Lucky VELUX prize winner gets dream design consultation with George Clarke VELUX gave one lucky home owner, Jo Jones of Oxford, a unique design consultation with leading architect George Clarke.

Jo Jones claimed the once in a lifetime prize at Grand Designs Live Birmingham, which saw her receive £3,000 worth of VELUX products, bringing her one step closer to finishing the home of her dreams.

Jo and her husband Ian recently completed a series of renovations to their family home near Oxford, adding an extra bedroom and a downstairs extension which will serve as the property’s lounge and sunroom.

Following Jo’s consultations with both the daylight experts from VELUX and George Clarke, she chose a selection of VELUX roof windows, sun tunnels, VELUX Designer Blinds and accessories.

Jo said: “The advice given to me by both George Clarke and the VELUX daylight experts was invaluable and will add enormous value to the end result of my design project.

“The VELUX experts really helped me to understand what a vital part of everyday life

daylight plays and how it is often overlooked or taken for granted. Renovations projects are incredibly exciting but it’s true that every penny counts. Little extras can make all the difference in creating a dream home so I’m incredibly grateful to VELUX for the prize.”

Emmie MacMillan from VELUX added: “It has been a real pleasure to share Jo’s excitement at winning the prize. I hope that she and her family enjoyed their time at Grand Designs Live Birmingham and working with our experts. Hopefully it will help in making her project a success. We are really looking forward to seeing the results.”

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UKC news

Boost for UK construction industry in ‘buildings as power stations’ drive An Innovation and Knowledge Centre that turns buildings into ‘power stations’ capable of generating, storing and releasing their own energy has the potential to develop into a new, £1Bn industry and provide a huge boost for the UK construction sector.

Representing a major shift in energy generation for the built environment, it is forecast to deliver huge economic benefits, including up to 10,000 new jobs in the supply chain, anchoring advanced manufacturing in the UK and providing global export opportunities.

Business Secretary, Vince Cable, and Wales First Minister Carwyn Jones helped to bring this vision a step closer when they visited the new pilot manufacturing facility to start up the sheet production line that will turn

out functional, conductive steel and glass building products on a pilot scale, integrated into the fabric of roofs, walls and ceilings of new and existing buildings. The products will later be taken up by industrial partners for large scale production.

Mr Cable said: “The government’s £10M backing of the SPECIFIC project shows what can be achieved when world class university research comes together with the private sector.

“This centre will speed up the commercialisation of innovative industrial coatings, creating a whole new manufacturing sector and new business opportunities, not to mention long term environmental benefits, including turning

buildings into sources of power.

“We are committed to investing in high value, high tech sectors where the UK can gain a competitive advantage and promote economic growth.”

The partnership of government, academia and industry represents a powerful fusion of expertise, brought together under the Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) initiative. It has been triggered by a £20M investment over five years, led by Swansea University and based at the Baglan Bay IKC near Port Talbot in South Wales – codenamed SPECIFIC, short for Sustainable Product Engineering Centre for Innovative Functional Coatings.

L & H scoops industry award for landmark restoration The team at Lewis & Hickey Architects is celebrating after winning another coveted industry award for its work on the Grade II listed Westfield Folkhouse in Mansfield.

L & H’s most recent award is the Society of Chief Architects of Local Authorities’ (SCALA) Civic Building of the Year National Award 2012.

L & H was congratulated for the way it sensitively brought the rundown building back to life, creating a groundbreaking facility for young people and community in Mansfield.

Nigel Badcock, Chairman of the Civic Building

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of the Year Assessment judging panel, said: “It is an absolutely beautiful scheme and really unique. Lewis & Hickey did a fantastic job and so did the contractor GF Tomlinson.”

The £6.5M project included refurbishment of the listed building as well as creating a large and contemporary new build extension. It now features multimedia gaming zones, DJ booths, a dance studio, as well as outdoor graffiti walls and skateboard ramps.

L & H was appointed by Nottinghamshire County Council to develop designs for the

project, which was part funded by the Council and the Department for Education myplace programme, using funds from Big Fund, the non-lottery funding operation.

An important part of L & H’s role was to ensure that the Council, myplace, and voluntary sector partners were fully involved in the design of what is seen as a groundbreaking youth facility.

The house now provides a suite of offices, meeting rooms and designated areas for specialist youth and community services.

Inner city kids embrace crowdfunding to create urban oasis in south London’s concrete jungle Stockwell is one of London’s most deprived areas, but now a bid to build an urban jungle play area by sharing the cost using crowdfunding could open up a whole new world for youngsters.

Oasis, a Stockwell based kids charity, is planning to build a forest garden, an urban jungle where kids can learn about plants, wildlife and biodiversity. They are using Spacehive.com to raise the money. The charity wants youngsters in this deprived part of south London to gain firsthand experience of nature.

With public funding for these projects now nonexistent in many areas, the concept of crowdfunding, where local people and firms pledge small amounts towards a single idea, is growing in popularity.

The ‘learn as you play’ adventure garden, known as Stockwell Urban Oasis, will feature a quirky tree house designed by a local artist, as well as useful and edible plants for children to experience.

Oasis also encourage local adults to become involved with the space, be it through gardening or getting involved in projects with the children, helping the playground to become a more multigenerational space, and to generate more volunteers for the charity.

Kam-Lyn Chak, a Project Promoter and volunteer at the Oasis adventure playground said of the project: "Planting this exciting new garden in a space that’s already proven popular with local kids will create an array of opportunities for different play and learning activities. This project also benefits the local wildlife and will enhance the the natural beauty of an area that deserves a bit more love.”

Trophy comes home to KBR Kent based KBR, a leading engineering construction company, who scooped top prize in the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), Project Management Competition, also known as the ACTIVE Cup, was recently presented with its trophy by ECITB, Chief Executive, David Edwards.

The ACTIVE Cup, run by Cranfield School of Management in Bedfordshire and sponsored by the ECITB, is part of a programme of project management training. Teams are entered by employers from the engineering construction industry to enhance the skills of their graduates and apprentices.

The competition and learning event has been running for an impressive 16 years and the winning spot is highly prized. Demand has become so great that it is held twice a year. Six teams, each with five members entered the July ACTIVE Cup, with KBR winning the

competition for the very first time.

After presenting the cup to a jubilant KBR David Edwards, ECITB Chief Executive, said: "I was delighted to be able to present the cup to KBR today. Excellent project management skills are vitally important for delivering all of the infrastructure projects across the UK, including new nuclear and renewable power systems, and engineering projects in oil, gas, chemicals and refining.

At least £250Bn is expected to be invested in new projects over the next decade."

The ACTIVE Cup competition is based on a computer simulation and the task is to manage a project, from inception to completion. The winning team is judged to be the one making the most profit against their initial bid price and, in the judgement of the adjudicators, pays most heed to and operates in accordance with the ACTIVE principles.

New electro-dynamic voltage optimisation system launched Following on the success of its existing Star® range of energy saving solutions, EMSc (UK) Ltd is proud to announce the launch of an innovative new system into the Powerstar collection. Powerstar HV MAX is a low loss amorphous core HV transformer with the award winning Powerstar Voltage Optimisation combined that allows for 11,000V input and electronically regulated 380v (or user regulated) output. The new innovative product will allow companies to save costs and reduce carbon emissions in both the high voltage as well as the low voltage areas.

Speaking about the Company’s latest offering EMSc (UK) Ltd Managing Director Dr Alex Mardapittas said: “Older transformers have high levels of standing losses and the majority of modern transformers used on commercial sites use Cold Rolled Grain Oriented steel within their core, which result in significant losses for buildings in comparison to amorphous steel. Powerstar HV MAX can be used to

replace older transformers on existing sites, or be included in new build projects in order to provide the optimum voltage output for the site. This will not only reduce standing losses by around 75%, but will also lower electricity costs by reducing on-site energy consumption.”

The new solution is particularly relevant for new build developments, where it can help achieve sustainability marks and high energy efficiency ratings through accreditations such as LEED. Powerstar HV MAX is also ideal for sites with older transformers, and those that have previously been faced with physical space restrictions that make voltage optimisation installations difficult to implement.

EMSc (UK) Ltd is currently celebrating over ten years of British design and manufacturing success. It has been manufacturing the market leading voltage optimisation solution Powerstar at its headquarters in Yorkshire for over a decade.

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Adjudicators’ Duties, Right to Payment and The Scheme

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There have been relatively few reported cases concerning an Adjudicator’s right to be paid for services provided in the discharge of his or her functions where the decision has not been enforced by the Courts.

Construction Contracts (England and Wales) Regulations 1998…. and in each Adjudication committed a material breach of natural justice, in consequence of which each of the Adjudicator’s Decisions….. is enforceable”

introducing an express term which will entitle the Adjudicator to be paid for the services provided, even if the Decision is not enforced.

It remains to be seen whether the Courts will enforce such a term.

Until now, it was widely understood that an Adjudicator was entitled to reimbursement of his or her reasonable fees even when the resulting decision was not enforced by the Courts. This view was confirmed in the case of Systech International Limited v PC Harrington Contractors Limited [2011] EWHC 2722 (TCC) in which Mr Akenhead, the presiding judge, ruled that although the Adjudicator had “unwittingly fallen below the standards which are required to enable the decision or decisions to be enforced” he was still entitled to payment of his fees.

The case advanced by PC Harrington in both the TCC and Court of Appeal was that the Adjudicator was not entitled to any fee because he failed to produce an enforceable decision.

We clearly haven’t heard the last on this subject and you can rest assured that before I accept any new adjudication appointments I will be amending my terms!

The appeal of the TCC judgement, PC Harrington Contractors Ltd v Systech International Ltd [2012] EWCA handed down on 23 October 2012 appears to have changed page all that. 185mm W x 130 H

It is a matter of opinion whether parties will now look to try and avoid paying Adjudicator’s fees. No doubt we will see parties using this Court of Appeal Decision to support jurisdictional challenges and we may now see an increasing number of Adjudicator resignations as a result. It is far from clear whether this unfortunate outcome is what Parliament intended.

Adjudicators up and down the country will now be looking at their standard terms and

The Court of Appeal was requested to decide whether or not the Adjudicator should be paid where Mr Akenhead had declared that the adjudicator had “failed to produce Decisions within the meaning of the Scheme for

The Court of Appeal decided that, in the absence of an express term in the Adjudicator’s agreed terms, there is no obligation under the Scheme to pay for an unenforceable Decision or for any services provided by the Adjudicator which were “preparatory to the making of an unenforceable decision”.

Peter Vinden is a practising adjudicator, arbitrator, mediator, expert and conciliator. He is Managing Director of The Vinden Partnership and can be contacted by email at pvinden@vinden.co.uk.

Regent House, Folds Point, Folds Road, Bolton BL1 2RZ t. 01204 362888 f. 01204 362808 tvp@vinden.co.uk www.vinden.co.uk

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*Pay later offer subject to credit checks, terms and conditions

VENTROLLA HELPS RESTORE A PRECIOUS PIECE OF IRELAND’S HISTORY Sash window renovation specialist Ventrolla has helped to preserve the heritage of a 200 year old building in central Dublin.

In a large renovation effort to restore the General Post Office (GPO), headquarters of the Irish postal service, Ventrolla was enlisted to tackle many of the deteriorating sash windows after office workers experienced draughts, leaks, rattles and operational issues.

To remedy this, Ventrolla began with removing decaying timber and filled the cavities with its unique epoxy resin VR90, moulding it to match the existing timber profile. This was followed by a service of the pulleys and sash cords to ensure smooth operation.

The windows then received a performance upgrade with the installation of Ventrolla’s unique Perimeter Sealing System, eliminating draughts and rattles.

Ventrolla carried out the work to suit the needs of the busy office and the wider restoration project, arranging night shifts in order to complete the renovation on schedule.

Building contractor, Alison Mawhinney from McLaughlin & Harvey, who oversaw the project, said: “The windows of the GPO were very old and have not been maintained throughout the years.

Ventrolla was great at dealing with this and taking an individual approach to each window to ensure the aesthetics weren’t compromised.

“The team were also very flexible and accommodating when it came to the shift changes, which we really appreciated.”

The General Post Office was built in 1818 and has witnessed many important and historic events in its time, including the Easter Rising in 1916, when the GPO served as headquarters for the uprising leaders.

Ventrolla offers a bespoke renovation service for timber sliding sash and casement windows as well as timber doors. The company has its central office in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, with additional locations throughout Ireland and the UK.

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UKC comment

Non-primary aggregates – increasing in application Graham Perrior, Head of Standards and Technical at NHBC As the house building industry works toward resolving the 2016 zero carbon challenge, new ways of designing, producing and fitting increasingly sustainable homes are continually appearing. Some of these are proven and will become standard practice in the years to come, while others are still being assessed for their longer-term impact.

The use of alternative aggregates in new build home construction is an area where we are seeing significant change.

The use of both recycled and secondary materials appears to be increasing as the home building industry explores the potential benefits.

However, as with any material, application or process used in home building, it is important to understand the potential pitfalls and risks as well as any benefits.

The latest guide from the NHBC Foundation - The use of recycled and secondary materials in residential construction - provides excellent guidance for house builders and others proposing to use recycled and secondary materials as aggregates.

Most aggregates used in the UK come from natural, primary sources, for example dredged or quarried sand, or crushed rock.

However, today non-primary aggregates are being increasingly used and these fall into two categories: Recycled: Arising from sources like demolition or construction of buildings or other structures, or from civil engineering works; for example crushed concrete or spent railway track ballast. These are recycled by processing into appropriatelysized particles, removing any contaminants, and applying quality assurance procedures.

Secondary: Produced as a by-product of mining, quarrying or other industrial activities; these aggregates will be either natural or manufactured. They include byproducts of china clay, slate or metals extraction, and coal power generation.

In both cases it is important that house builders ensure any non-primary aggregate meets the regulatory mechanisms for the re-use of materials on- and off-site to ensure that the products have been fully recovered and are no longer considered to be a waste.

The UK already has the highest proportion

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of aggregate demand met from recycled and secondary aggregates in the EU and that trend looks set to increase as more organisations note the benefits. The benefits fall into two categories: environmental / social and business.

The NHBC Foundation’s guide assesses the main applications for non-primary materials in residential construction. It considers the types of recycled or secondary materials that can be used for each application, their sources, and practical issues or limitations.

The applications considered in the guide are: • aggregates for vibro stone columns (for ground improvement on sites for residential development) • fill beneath buildings • hardcore • pipe bedding and surrounding material drainage (stormwater drains and soakaways) • coarse aggregates in some types of concrete for domestic use (including reinforced) • private drives or pathway construction (asphalt, concrete or sub-base) • bedding/laying sand for paving etc • hydraulically bound mixtures (for pathways and hard standing) These limitations are a key point for house builders, as not all recycled or secondary materials will necessarily be suitable for an end use in the construction of homes, even if they meet the relevant quality protocols.

This is mostly due to issues in their shape, grading or composition, for example colliery spoil with high levels of sulphates.

While there are clear benefits of using recycled or secondary materials, there are also some broader limitations which should be considered, as well as lessons that have been learned on sites across the UK. Despite their potential environmental benefits, some non-primary aggregates may not always represent the most sustainable option in a given project. For example, some may not be available locally, and their transportation could result in increased levels of embodied CO2, negating the intended carbon reduction. Some aggregates may necessitate modifications to concrete mix proportions, meaning their

emissions change.

Other potential pitfalls include the inappropriate use of recycled and secondary materials occasionally leading to problems with stability and appearance of homes, causing costly remedial measures. These kinds of pitfalls are assessed in the guide, with case studies.

As with any building material, the key to using recycled and secondary materials as aggregates is ensuring they are being used appropriately; their risks must be carefully assessed against their potential benefits. A wide range of high quality non-primary aggregates are available, and when used correctly they may help builders, specifiers and architects better meet the sustainability agenda while maximising efficiency of resources.

The use of recycled and secondary materials in residential construction is available to download at www.nhbcfoundation.org/recycledmaterials

Graham Perrior

UKC comment

Science research centre in University of Cambridge Botanical Gardens awarded RIBA Stirling Prize 2012 Architects of the £82M Sainsbury Laboratory, a major new plant science research centre in Cambridge, have been awarded with the UK’s most prestigious prizes in architecture; the Stirling Prize 2012.

Stanton Williams were presented with the RIBA Stirling Prize trophy and £20,000 prize money by BBC Radio 4’s Mark Lawson at a special ceremony in Manchester on 13th October. The first year that Stanton Williams had been nominated for the prize, the project was selected from a shortlist which included; the London Olympic Stadium, Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield, the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, New Court London and Maggie’s Centre in Glasgow.

The Sainsbury Laboratory sits within the Botanic Gardens of the University of Cambridge. Blending world-class architecture with world-class science, the building is a low rise, collonaded stone and glass structure designed to complement the Grade II listed garden setting. The layout reinterprets the tradition of the monastic cloister and collegiate court to create spaces for reflection, debate and collaboration amongst its users and a stylish new public garden café has been installed adjacent to the laboratory. The project was funded by Lord Sainsbury, former science minister and ex-Chairman of Sainbury’s supermarket.

Speaking at the ceremony, RIBA President Angela Brady said: “The Sainsbury

Laboratory is an exceptional building that achieves at many levels – in blending a world-class science facility with a public social space in a highly energy efficient building. It is testament to the skill, experience and imagination of Stanton Williams architects that they have found a creative solution to this complex project.

“The low-rise building with its grand, colonnaded façade cleverly integrates itself with the surrounding botanical gardens and it is no surprise that the new public café has proved to be extremely popular. I am delighted to present Stanton Williams with this accolade.”

Lord Sainsbury added: “I am delighted that Stanton Williams has won the RIBA Stirling Prize for the Sainsbury Laboratory, in competition with some outstanding buildings. I am also very proud to be associated with their inspiring building, which sets a new standard for laboratory design and blends in beautifully with the historic Botanic Gardens.”

During the ceremony, winners of the RIBA Lubetkin Prize for the Best international

Building and the RIBA Stephen Lawrence Prize were announced. The 2012 RIBA Lubetkin Prize winner was announced as Guangzhou International Finance Centre in China, which was designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects. It is the tallest building in the world designed by a UK architect and houses office space, a luxury hotel and a top floor sightseeing area; a ground floor podium complex offers a retail mall, conference centre and high quality serviced apartments.

Private house, King’s Grove in London designed by Duggan Morris Architects won the RIBA Stephen Lawrence Prize.

The house is on an enclosed site, between two Victorian terraces in Peckham, but the design ensures that the property is practical, simple, subtle, timeless and elegant.

Iubbrtkin prize winner Stirling prize winner

Stephen lawrence prize winner

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UKC comment

Infrastructure planning regime – government reforms underway

By Angus Walker, Bircham Dyson Bell Earlier this autumn, the Party Conference season was in full swing and – as is appropriate given the level of its import there were discussions as to how the government is intending to implement infrastructure planning reforms announced in early September.

I have learnt from officials at the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) that the implementation of the announcements is taking shape; it consists of four workstreams, which are outlined in a ministerial statement from Eric Pickles and an accompanying Number 10 news release. The key paragraph in the statement is quite far down, and is as follows: "... we now intend to review the thresholds for some of the existing categories in the regime, and also to bring new categories of commercial and business development into the regime - making it possible for such schemes, where they are of sufficient significance, to be considered and determined at at national level. We will also work to extend the principle of a onestop-shop for non-planning consents for major infrastructure to ensure they are fit for purpose."

So, how will this implementation be moved forward? As mentioned, there are four workstreams: Stream one: Special Parliamentary Procedure The first stream looks at reducing the situations where Special Parliamentary Procedure (SPP) kicks in after an infrastructure project has been consented.

October saw the first anniversary of the then Infrastructure Planning Commission consenting the first application under the Planning Act 2008 - however, this is still held up in Parliament, undergoing SPP. SPP happened in this case because the applicant was seeking to acquire statutory undertakers' or local authority land, and was not itself a statutory undertaker or local authority. The land in question was a small strip of one highway, but it has unlocked a complete reappraisal of the application. The Bill may

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also include reforms to SPP for other types of land set out in the Planning Act. To reform SPP would require primary legislation, either a stand-alone bill or an amendment to an existing bill.

Stream two: Thresholds The second stream focuses on the Planning Act thresholds. These thresholds decide whether a project is in or out of the Planning Act regime (see my blog at bdblaw.co.uk for posts analysing this). They may be clarified, raised or lowered. This does not need primary legislation since the Planning Act already allows ministerial orders to change or expand thresholds, as has happened once in the case of water waste storage projects.

Stream three: Fields The third stream concentrates on expanding the 'fields' that the Planning Act covers. The current fields are energy, transport, water, waste and waste water. The ministerial statement tells us that the government will 'bring new categories of commercial and business development into the regime'.

How to define that category, or categories, is now being looked at. I would suggest considering further infrastructure categories as well, such as communications and flood defences. Extending the fields outside energy, transport, water, waste and waste water would require primary legislation; including new categories within those fields, such as a general waste category, would not.

The Number 10 news story says that 'Thousands of big commercial and residential applications to be directed to a major infrastructure fast track', but I'm not sure if that really means that the Planning Act caseload will increase a hundredfold.

Stream four: One-stop-shop Finally, the fourth stream looks into the issue of the 'one-stop-shop' – or whether further consents can be brought within the regime, either compulsorily or optionally.

This could be easily achieved by repealing

the regulations that require consent to be obtained for a series of consents to be included in an application. That would not require primary legislation, and neither would the inclusion of further compulsory consents, since the Localism Act amendments allowed those to be varied by order as well.

The reduction in certification and other requirements in the back of the Planning Act at sections 127 to 138 would require primary legislation – this is also to be reviewed. These additional checks and balances were put in place when the decision maker was the independent Infrastructure Planning Commission rather than the government, as it is now. However, it now seems pointless to obtain additional certificates from the government when the government is making the decision anyway.

Angus Walker

UKC comment

Commercial property refits must undergo more stringent environmental checks

By Phil Shearer, Partner, Robinson Low Francis The UK construction industry has come a long way over the past decade in bringing sustainability considerations front and centre in the design and build of commercial property. As with residential buildings, new commercial stock is developed with a desire to ensure the best possible energy efficiencies can be achieved over the building’s lifetime, with a particular emphasis on air tightness and adequate insulation to minimise wastage.

To this end it has become increasingly important to incorporate environmental considerations throughout the design process when planning for the end-use of a new build project. Where previously, environmentallyfriendly materials and technology were perceived as optional extras to secure more lucrative tenant contracts, they now represent vital components.

You only have to look to the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating system, to see how important sustainability issues are regarded throughout the property and construction industry today. The voluntary measurement rating, first established in the UK by the Building Research Establishment in the early 1990’s, is now an accreditation that building groups strive to achieve. It is no longer seen as just another trophy for the cabinet, but its criteria is regularly applied to the business case for projects to assess viability and as such has become an essential financial consideration.

But whilst innovations in the new-build construction industry are yielding positive results in attempts to lower the overall environmental impact of commercial buildings, existing stock has proved more challenging to bring up to the required standard. Commercial tenants and landlords continue to spend vast amounts of money each year in upgrade and renovation work to make them more environmentally aligned with the increasingly robust green measures

being introduced by the government.

However, in many cases, new tenants wish to make their mark on the space they have newly leased by gutting the existing structure and installing a preferred finish purely for aesthetic purposes, doing more harm than good for the environment.

Back in 2010, RLF carried out a study to look at the money squandered in carrying out this repetitive, and in some cases unnecessary process. We calculated that businesses in central London wasted over £400M a year and frittered away considerable resources and materials refitting newly leased offices – including flooring, lighting, ventilation and fixed furnishings – as soon as tenants move in.

And although new build projects are proving successful, they have also suffered from this strip out process. The research revealed that in April 2010, a staggering 50% of office space under construction in central London could potentially undergo a CAT A fit out procedure which includes stripping out and replacing anything from raised floors to suspended ceilings and other internal fixtures and fittings. At the time, we were most concerned about the huge potential for financial environmental wastage and that was in just the London region alone.

As far as new build stock was concerned, it seemed this repetitive fit out process could in some cases negate the increased green considerations that go into the build process in the first place. It was clear to us that presenting office space in ‘shell and core’ format where applicable would offer a much more efficient method for accommodating tenant needs.

A lot has changed in this short space of time and it is encouraging to see that resource is slowly becoming available to address specifically the upgrade work of existing non-domestic space. The availability of this funding marks a significant move towards the establishment of the UK Green Investment Bank.

Last month, the government announced the allocation of £100M for energy efficiency upgrading from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Two sustainability specialist fund managers have been appointed to make and manage investments in energy efficiency projects in private sector nondomestic buildings as well as other larger scale infrastructure projects.

Clearly, the focus is only going to intensify on green issues in the design, construction and renovation of buildings and this latest news will hopefully provide a welcome boost to the commercial property sector, especially in the London region. However, care must be taken to ensure that any refit work completed throughout a building’s lifespan is assessed for environmental viability to ensure it is being carried out for the good of the environment, and not primarily because it looks pleasing to the eye.

Phil Shearer

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UKC comment

Storm warning: Every cloud has a silver lining As we head into the autumn, heed our storm warning. Adverse weather may delay and disrupt you, but it need not dampen your project account. There is a way to find the silver lining in every storm cloud.

Under the JCT Design and Build, an extension of time should be given if the delay is caused by a Relevant Event. Clause 2.26 states: “The following are the Relevant Events […]: ….. 8 exceptionally adverse weather conditions ….. 9 loss or damage occasioned by any of the Specified Perils.”

Whilst the JCT provides a list of Specified Perils, it leaves “exceptionally adverse weather conditions” undefined. You can get your money back if the problem was a Specified Peril, which includes lightning, storm, flood and earthquake. If the weather does not fall into one of these categories, then you are back with the test of exceptionally adverse weather conditions.

The acceptable definition of exceptionally adverse weather conditions is if it occurs when during a calendar month, the particular weather exceeds the long-term average. When it becomes reasonably apparent that the progress of the works will be delayed, you must give the employer a notice specifying what you think the relevant event is.

There is minimal judicial guidance as to the delay caused by the weather. However, the correct test is if the weather itself is exceptional and not whether the amount of time lost was exceptional. It is important that you don’t fall into the trap of relying on a relief being granted, as you will have an obligation to use best endeavours to prevent a delay in the first place.

Those who operate under the NEC contracts have a different beast to deal with. Although there is no need to define “adverse weather”, you still have to establish that it has happened and for that the NEC relies on empirical data. This may prove tricky if your nearest weather station was some distance away and recorded different data.

The NEC lists compensation events, with clause 60(13) stating: “A weather measurement is recorded: Within a calendar month, Before the Completion Date for the whole of the works and

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At the place stated in the Contract Data the value of which, by comparison with the weather data, is shown to occur on average less frequently than once in ten years” This is much more specific than the JCT. However, you will only be entitled to relief caused by the “extra” adverse days i.e. if on average there were three days of adverse weather and this year there were five, you are only entitled to delays caused by two days.

You may encounter a further obstacle.

Under NEC, bad weather measurement only applies in relation to the calendar month – so if it occurred across two months it may be that as an average across month A and month B, the weather may not be over the threshold (not adverse).

Whether the weather is sufficiently adverse is a matter of discretion and therefore it is crucial that if you are making a claim, you include a sufficient amount of information, Kasia Burdzy

collate all available weather information and make sure that you notify the employer.

You cannot exactly predict the weather but you can limit the potential delays by, for example, using services, such us those offered by the Met Office, whilst producing construction programmes.

To reiterate, whatever contract you operate, you must show that the weather has affected the performance of the services and that this resulted in delay, which impacted on the completion date. Just because you encountered exceptionally bad weather does not automatically entitle you to a relief.

Laura Phoenix, Associate at Thomas Eggar LLP and Kasia Burdzy, Legal Assistant at the firm.

Laura Phoenix

UKC comment

If you think you can ignore new legislation you’re wasting your time

By Dominic Slingsby, Managing Director of Slingsby Slingsby, which supplies more than 35,000 products across all industries, including an extensive range of recycling products, looks at how businesses can stay on top of their waste management policies.

In recent years the green agenda has completely transformed how businesses operate but with new legislation regularly being introduced to continue cutting carbon emissions and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill, it can be difficult for businesses to keep up with their obligations.

Indeed it’s 12 months since The Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 were introduced, but even now many businesses that we’re speaking to still haven’t reviewed their waste management policies and implemented the additional procedures that are necessary to comply with the new legislation.

The changes were introduced as part of the EU’s Waste Framework Directive and have an impact on all organisations that are responsible for producing, keeping, transporting, recycling, recovering or disposing of waste.

The government has been set strict landfill targets by the EU and this new legislation has been introduced to help meet these goals. Commercial organisations have had to abide by the changes since last October.

However, to complicate matters further, at the start of this month the government attempted to transpose EU rules on waste collections. This follows The Waste (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 which were laid out by ministers in July to try and draw a line under an on-going legal wrangle over collection methods.

The new amendment stipulates that named recyclable material should be collected separately where necessary and where it is technically, environmentally and economically practicable. However almost as soon as the announcement was made court proceedings began on the basis that the amended regulations might not comply with European Directive.

However, regardless of the outcome of this

action, many of the procedures are relatively straightforward for businesses that want to stay on the right side of the law. Basically organisations must now consider each aspect of the ‘waste management hierarchy’ when dealing with waste.

The waste management hierarchy prioritises options for managing wastes. It gives top priority to preventing waste in the first place or when waste is created, it gives priority to preparing it for re-use, then recycling, then other recovery such as energy recovery, and last of all disposal.

Commercial organisations must also include a declaration on their waste transfer note or consignment note confirming the ‘waste management hierarchy’ has been applied along with the 2007 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code for the organisation transferring the waste.

A two-tier system has now been introduced for waste carriers, brokers and waste dealers. Although there are exceptions, generally speaking, if your organisation deals with other peoples’ waste, or if you carry your own construction or demolition waste, then you must register as an ‘upper tier’ carrier.

Lower tier registration requires carriers to register if they deal with waste from mines and quarries, agricultural premises or animal by-products.

The new regulations make amendments to hazardous waste controls and introduce a new category of ‘sensitising’ so some nonhazardous wastes have been reclassified as hazardous wastes. Sensitising substances cause hypersensitisation, meaning there are adverse effects if they are inhaled or penetrate the skin.

Finally, waste controls no longer apply to activities dealing only with excluded wastes. For example, land spreading animal by-products are no longer subject to waste controls. Businesses should check the full list to see whether their waste activity is exempt.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that further changes are due to be introduced next year.

These will require any organisations carrying their own waste, outside the construction and demolition industries, to register as a waste carrier. In addition from 2015, various waste types, including paper, glass, metal and plastic will have to be completely segregated and collected separately.

For full details about The Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk or for further information about Slingsby and its product range call 0800 294 4440 or visit www.slingsby.com.

Dominic Slingsby

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UKC comment

How to be effective in 101 days or less A guide for the newly appointed and promoted in the construction industry Alan Denton, MD of executive coaching company The Results Centre (www.theresultscentre.com) explains how to achieve great results in a new role in 101 days – or less.

It’s well documented that the construction industry has been a major casualty of the global recession; a trend that looks set to continue into 2013. Inevitably, this affects those who work in the industry, and with the majority of personnel working in SMEs of up to 250 people, organisations simply cannot afford to employ senior staff who don’t pull their weight quickly.

An internal study of 20,000 executive searches performed by global company Heidrick & Struggles found that 40% of executives hired at senior level are no longer in post 18 months later – indicating serious flaws in the induction process at this level.

Statistics and experience show that the first three months in a new role are crucial to your success, and that of the business. So, whether you are a CEO, project manager, team leader – or one of any number of senior roles, how can you ensure that you hit the ground running and are effective within 101 days?

Your role in the first instance is to get to grips with learning about the company’s culture and ways of working. We advise taking control of the situation – don’t rely on what the company will do for you. We work with MDs, CEOs and senior staff on a ten point plan to ensure that they are effective within 101 days. Here are the first five to get you started.

The Ten Point Template: 1.Outcomes that key stakeholders want me to achieve in my first 101 days Having been through the recruitment process, you should already have some answers. Construction businesses are results focused, so make a note the specific outcomes and ‘must delivers’ mentioned at interview. Add to these in your first few days and be clear what stakeholders will see as amazing outcomes in your first three months.

2.Outcomes that I want to achieve for myself in the first 101 days Think about what you have delivered in the

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past. What was happening, what were you doing and how did you go about delivering brilliant results? Now, how can you project these experiences into your new position to really wow your new employer? It’s surprising how many new appointees fail to draw from great past experiences.

3. Facts that you have learned about the business by the end of 101 days Set out a plan of the facts you need to know.

It’s useful to list questions and then reflect back on them throughout the process.

Create a checklist: Who will I need to know – the key players?

What are the key measurements that company uses?

What KPIs apply to me and my new role?

4.Immerse yourself in the business’s new culture Prepare by thinking about the following questions: How would I describe the culture in my current organisation?

What cultural experiences have I had in other organisations?

What were the differences and how did I identify them?

What have I learned from these experiences; how might I apply these to the challenge ahead?

What differences do I see in this new culture; how might I overcome them?

5.What you bring to the new organisation that is unique, dynamic and compelling and that people will sit up and notice in 101 days?

Formulate a plan that will deliver compelling results focusing on: Your key strengths What you bring to the party that others don’t Examples of amazing breakthroughs from past leadership positions What your new employer was ‘buying’ when they ‘bought’ you A copy of the full ten point template is available to download FREE at www.theresultscentre.com.

Now more than ever, people in your organisation will both expect and need you to get results quickly. Preparation is key to

achieving this, so before commencing a new position, and throughout the first 101 days (and beyond) use the ten point template so you can make a difference - fast.

About the author: Alan Denton is MD of The Results Centre (www.theresultscentre.com) and regularly coaches newly appointed senior executives for the first 101 days and beyond. Alan has extensive experience working in construction, retail, manufacturing, recruitment, engineering, financial services, property and the health sector. He has created leadership and transformational programmes, including the First 101 Days programme. Alan coaches and mentors at senior levels in a variety of business scenarios, including international corporations.

Alan Denton

UKC comment

The latest ruling on global claims Walter Lilly v Giles Mackay [2012] EWHC 1773 The case of Walter Lilly v Giles Mackay has provided everyone in the construction industry with a number of interesting and notable judgments. Not only did the personalities involved in this dispute add a splash of colour to the proceedings, the judgement itself provided lawyers with some very helpful guidance on two important issues of construction law.

Last month’s article by Jonathan Gold dealt with the issue of concurrent delay, this month’s article deals with the issue of global, or total cost, claims.

Walter Lilly was engaged under a JCT standard form of contract with bespoke amendments to undertake extensive building work on Mackay’s property in central London. The work was significantly delayed and Walter Lilly claimed around £2M as resultant loss and expense which Mackay said was a global claim, i.e. a claim for the total amount of cost incurred by the contractor that is not attributed or linked to any particular delay or breach by the employer.

Mr Justice Akenhead reviewed the previous authorities on global claims and derived the following conclusions in relation to “global” or “total cost” claims (at paragraph 486 of his judgment): 1. Claims for delay or disruption related to loss and expense must be proved as a matter of fact. Thus, a contractor has to demonstrate on a balance of probabilities that i) events occurred which entitled it to loss and expense; ii) that those events caused delay and/or disruption; and iii) such delay and/or disruption caused it to incur loss and/or expense. There is no requirement for the contractor to show that it is impossible to plead and prove cause and effect in the normal way or that such impossibility is not the contractor’s fault (paragraph 486(a)).

2. There is nothing in principle wrong with a global or total cost claim. However, the contractor must show that the loss would not have been incurred in any event.

Accordingly, the contractor must demonstrate that its accepted tender was sufficiently well priced that it would have made some net return (paragraph 486(d)).

3. So far as the burden of proof is concerned, although that does not transfer to the defending party, the defending party may adduce evidence to show that the tender was so low that the contractor would have incurred the loss in any event or that other contractor risk events occurred that may have caused or did cause the loss (paragraph 486(d)).

4.The fact that contractor related delays, or other risk events, may have caused or contributed to the loss does not necessarily mean the contractor can cover nothing. For example, where the contractor caused a delay or incurred some additional costs resolving defective work. So long as the extra costs can be quantified, these will be deducted from the total global sum claimed (paragraph (e)).

(paragraph (g)).

Although this decision does not make any new law, it does summarise succinctly the position on global, or total cost, claims. The guidance provided by Mr Justice Akenhead is helpful for contractors and may encourage them to make global or total cost claims in the future. However, although the case confirms that this type of claim can be made and will not automatically be struckout, contractors will still have to satisfy a tribunal that the whole of loss, i.e. all of its costs, was caused by the employer.

Michael Draper Sheridan Gold LLP If anyone has any queries about this article or the issue of global claims, they can contact Michael Draper (ddi 01737 735511; email: mdraper@sheridangold.co.uk

Michael Draper

5. A global claim will not be automatically rejected if it is possible for the contractor to demonstrate which costs were attributable to which event. However, a tribunal will be more sceptical about a global cost claim if the direct linkage approach is readily available but is not deployed by the contractor (paragraph (f)).

6. Unless the contract expressly prohibits global claims, a global claim will not be automatically rejected if the failure to present a proper cause and effect claim was caused by the contractor itself, for instance as a result of a delay in making the claim

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ARE WE MISSING AN OPPORTUNITY TO RETHINK CONSTRUCTION? Rather than addressing the same old questions about why things aren’t working properly in the construction industry perhaps we should consider some alternative questions: • Should a career in the industry not be attractive?

• Should clients have legal obligations for construction projects and be relied upon to drive them forward?

• Should everyone working in the industry not be qualified and competent?

• Should it be such a simple matter at certain levels to set up in business in the industry?

Although a number of years ago, Accelerating Change identified the importance of attracting and retaining an ‘all qualified’ workforce at all levels, a career in the construction industry is not seen as one that will be fulfilling or rewarding.

The majority of projects are undertaken for clients who do not understand and are not interested in construction. Quite rightly, they wish to concentrate on their own business. As a customer, the expectations should be that the product will meet – if not exceed – the need (on time, cost and quality). As the supplier, surely the industry has to focus on meeting that expectation. The industry, therefore, needs to become responsible for its own leadership and delivery of its “product” which the good business practices advocated in Rethinking Construction were intended to achieve. Rethinking Construction related good practice to those of the car industry. Therefore, consider a simplistic analogy with the car industry: as a customer buying a new car, one visits the showroom, selects the model, colour, specification etc. and agrees the cost and date for delivery. As the customer, one does not expect to participate in how the car is made let alone assume legal obligations in the process. So what changes do we need to make? What are the best ways of achieving those changes?

Surely the starting point as stated in Accelerating Change is that all in the industry should be qualified and competent. Registration schemes such as Gas Safe (CORGI); OSHCR and others, such as the demolition contractors licensing scheme, point the way forward. Whilst the

government appears to recognise the benefits of such registration schemes, they are fundamentally flawed in that there is nothing to require the customer or the supplier to be party to such schemes. The other principal flaw of such schemes is that the cost usually falls on the registrant, who gains little other than the possibility of being invited to bid for work. In reality, even the most willing participant faces being undermined by clients primarily interested in lowest price despite all the advice and initiatives to support “best value“ and/or by those in the “informal economy”. At the moment therefore, such schemes do not provide either the necessary level playing field for competition or the sound basis on which the registrants can invest in implementing good business practices as advocated in the many initiatives.

Why not require all those who practise, work and offer a service within the construction industry to be licensed but critically that, in return, any construction work is undertaken only by those appropriately licensed/registered practitioners?

Broadly, licensees could be registered with the appropriate professional and/or trade organisation with perhaps different levels of licence being granted to reflect experience and competence. In this way, the licence would clearly identify the type of work or projects that may be undertaken and would allow for periodic review. An annual license fee would replace annual subscriptions and the administration could be undertaken by existing institutions and representative organisations.

But what will Clients want from the new CDM regulations?

Simply put “as little involvement as possible” – they will want to appoint a team, provide it with basic information and will expect it to get on with it. Provided that the client appoints a competent team and resources it properly, then that is all that we might expect the client to want to have to do. So, as before, the key will be competence and proper resources – with someone to make sure that safety and health issues are properly dealt with – from beginning to end. Critically for clients, by using licensed/registered practitioners, advice would be more robust,

competition would be maintained and costs even reduced because the industry would have a sound basis on which to invest and implement good business practice. Procurement would be simplified as clients would be required only to select and appoint licensed practitioners making much of the ‘pre-qualification process’ redundant. The industry would be able to offer rewarding and fulfilling long-term careers whilst dealing a severe blow to rogue traders and “white van man”.

On the other hand, the industry needs to get rid of clipboard, checklist attitudes and the overzealous concern about risk management paperwork. So, the focus should be on Capability (which means “fundamental competence” - which includes relevant experience - plus resources plus commitment) so that designs done and projects completed well, safely and healthily, are more important than sterile lists of courses attended, CPD records and some so-called health and safety qualifications. This should inevitably lead us, once again, to the use of approved registers which might just result in the industry starting to cut out the cowboys.

James Ritchie Head of Corporate Affairs, Association for Project Safety

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HOW CAN YOU DEMONSTRATE YOUR ORGANISATION’S CDM COMPETENCE SIMPLY AND EFFECTIVELY?

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Shaping and sharing best practice in construction health and safety risk management

SHOW THEM YOU’RE AN APS REGISTERED PRACTICE The APS Registered Practice Scheme provides your Practice with:

As an APS Registered Practice you will be entitled to:

• A recognised, credible demonstration of

• Recognition of your whole organisation as a Registered

competence in terms of the CDM2007 Regulations.

•

Independent, confidential, assessments by the UK’s leading body for CDM guidance and best practice.

The APS Registered Practice Scheme provides your Clients with: • A searchable Register of Practices that have demonstrated their competence and are CDM pre-qualified through SSIP.

Practice subject to under-pinning by at least one individual who is a Registered Member of APS;

• Use of APS Quality Mark(s) on company stationery; • Access by all staff to APS CPD events at discounted Member rates;

• Access by all staff via the APS Member(s) to APS Practice Advisory Panel, Legal Advice and Working at Height Enquiry Services;

• Access by all staff to the Members’ area of the APS website;

• Digest magazine and Practice

How do you get on the Register?

• By an audit process accredited to ISO 9001: 2000 /2008 and demonstrating that your practice meets an APS Standard which covers CDM core criteria and best practice.

Notes posted to designated offices within your organisation;

• Entry on the searchable APS website directory linked to your own company website;

• Free use of the APS CDM-C Form of Appointment in digital format.

For more information Association for Project Safety 5 New Mart Place Edinburgh EH14 1RW T 08456 121 290 F 08456 121 291 E info@aps.org.uk

www.aps.org.uk

UKC leisure

National Skills Academy Improving skills and training The Backstage Centre is London’s newest production rehearsal and training facility.

Situated in Purfleet, just 11 miles east of London City Airport in a cultural industries business zone, High House Production Park, the Backstage Centre offers a fully equipped space for all types of production rehearsal and training requirements.

The new £16M flagship training facility for performing arts production has opened its doors to its first group of trainees.

Built for the National Skills Academy, the centre in Thurrock is a world class training venue for theatre, music and live events in a state-of-the-art purpose-built building that provides full off-stage and backstage technical and rehearsal facilities for large scale live theatre and music events, including arena tours, operas and commercial musicals.

Designed and specified by experts in the theatre, music and live events industry to the scale and standard of a full performance venue stage environment, it is the product of a unique collaboration funded by Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation, the Skills Funding Agency and the Homes and Communities Agency.

Developed by Creative & Cultural Skills through its National Skills Academy to meet industry demands for advanced training for students and apprentices in a safe environment, it will welcome students from its network of founder colleges from across the UK and those on one of its apprenticeships schemes, working towards and in careers in backstage and offstage production.

It is part of a £60M development to create a new national hub for the creative and cultural industries. The building comprises of a main rehearsal sound stage that is approximately 875sq m, a green room, technical production office, generic workshop space, a bar/servery, band rehearsal room, recording studio, dance studio and rehearsal space, as well as HGV access.

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Other facilities include dressing rooms that are wheelchair accessible, a laundry room and crew showers, training spaces for lighting, sound and AV, as well as props and a painting workshop.

Graham Farrant, Chief Executive of Thurrock Council, said: “When people think of careers in the arts, they don’t always consider the many roles that go on behind the scenes. This new academy will bring many opportunities for those wishing to pursue a career in this field and by opening the academy in Thurrock it gives our residents and beyond the opportunity to achieve their goals. This is part of our overall commitment to encourage and promote job creation and economic prosperity.”

The 14-acre site at High House Production Park is also home to the Royal Opera House’s Bob and Tama Manoukian Production workshop and a collection of Grade II listed farm buildings, which have been renovated for community and creative workshop use, including a café, heritage walled gardens and a children’s playground.

Pauline Tambling, Joint CEO of Creative

& Cultural Skills, and Managing Director of the National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural, said: “After a build project of nearly two years and four years of planning and fundraising we are thrilled with the results.”

The Main Contractor for the project was Kier and the Architect was Gibberd. The development was opened in October 2012.

Building the region’s most important projects …

yours

Cultural Centre - The Pier, Southend-on-sea

National Skills Academy, Purfleet

Ormiston Bushfield Academy, Peterborough

City Academy, Norwich

For more information on Kier Construction’s eastern operations, contact: 53 South Brink Wisbech Cambridgeshire PE14 0RQ Tel: 01945 582121

1 Stepfield Eastern Industrial Estate Witham Essex CM8 3TH Tel: 01376 520818

Mason Road Mile Cross Lane Norwich Norfolk NR6 6RF Tel: 01603 412131

www.kier.co.uk

UKC education

Enhancements made at Settle College Facilities improved as school takes years seven and eight for first time in over 30 years.

In February 2011, North Yorkshire County Council decided, after consultation, to amend the education system in the North Craven area. Formerly a three-tier system with primary, middle and high schools, the system became two-tier with primary and secondary schools. Settle College previously accommodated years nine to 13, with nearby Settle Middle School catering for years six, seven and eight.

A ÂŁ2.3M refurbishment programme, funded

by North Yorkshire County Council, began in February 2012 to improve facilities at Settle College and to improve links with the Settle Middle School site, which became part of the enlarged Settle College campus. The buildings had previously been linked by an underpass which was improved to feature colourful new artwork and CCTV to allow for safe passage from one site to the other.

The refurbishment works on the Settle

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College site included upgrading science laboratories, general teaching rooms and sports changing facilities. The school also now has conference facilities and the dining areas were enhanced. ICT provision across the whole site was enhanced with fibre optic installed to ensure good electronic communications between the sites, especially within the sixth form centre. The sixth form centre has additional e-learning resources with video conferencing and a wireless network for students now available.

A major aspect of the work was the refurbishment of the library, which now boasts improved ICT facilities and private study areas. The library was officially opened by author and playwright Alan Bennett on Saturday 20th October.

The new enlarged site is split into a lower and upper school with year seven and eight based in the lower school, but using

specialist facilities such as science and technology, in the upper school site.

Externally the site has been landscaped and an amphitheatre has been constructed to provide a performance space for classes and extra curricular clubs. New social areas have been created with benches and soft landscaping and the windows and doors on both sites were upgraded to provide improved natural light internally. The main entrance has been upgraded with cedar cladding and coloured render to allow for a better visual frontage.

The Architects on the development were Jacobs UK and Main Contractor was F Parkinson Building Contractors. The work was carried out over a ten-month construction phase with a break in work for the summer examination period to minimise disruption for pupils.

broadley group CONSTRUCTION - MAINTENANCE - REFURBISHMENT - DECORATING ELECTRICAL - MECHANICAL - FLOORING - JOINERY

A S Broadley Decorators are pleased to be associated with Parkinsons and the Settle College project.

Broadley Group, Bank House, Marshall Terrace, Leeds LS15 8EA T: 0113 264 9797 F: 0113 264 9297 E: info@broadley-group.co.uk www.broadley-group.co.uk

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M & G Olympic Products Ltd are pleased to support Parkinson Building Contractors and the on-going project at Settle College.

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M & G Olympic Products Ltd 109- 111 Randall Street, Sheffield S2 4SJ T: 01142 756009 F: 01142 739350

E: sales@mgolympic.co.uk

www.mgolympic.co.uk 29

UKC community

Heart of East Greenwich New community on the way The Heart of East Greenwich development will create a new destination and identity for the local community with a public square and community facilities at its heart.

Hadley Mace, a joint venture between Mace and Hadley Property Group, became the preferred development partner in 2011, working with the Home and Communities Agency (HCA), Greenwich Council and NHS Greenwich, the primary care trust, on the project.

HCA is a single, national housing and regeneration delivery agency for England. Its vision is to create opportunities for people to live in homes they can afford in places they want to live, by enabling local authorities and communities to deliver the ambition they have for their own areas.

The main goals for the project are to provide:• Regeneration of Woolwich Road, and the re-introduction of active retail frontage there.

• A new public square.

• The integration of the site with the surrounding urban grain.

• Provision of a substantial number of new homes with a high proportion of affordable, key-worker and family units.

• A carbon-neutral, sustainable development.

• A community resource including the new Greenwich Centre providing leisure, library and health services.

The 645-home scheme will transform the former Greenwich District Hospital site into a modern complex, offering a range of high quality homes and brand new community facilities.

The focal point of the development is the Greenwich Centre, which will house a library, leisure facilities, an NHS health centre and new Greenwich Council service centre.

Residents will benefit from the provision of these first class amenities alongside the new homes, almost a third of which will have three- or four-bedrooms to accommodate families.

The Greenwich District Hospital was demolished in 2006. It was built in the 1960s upon the site of the previous St Alfege’s Hospital, which was built in 1931 and replaced in 1963, but the district hospital was closed in 2001.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “News that the Heart of East Greenwich project is now pressing on full steam ahead is fantastic to hear. It is a landmark regeneration scheme, as part of a determined effort we are making across London to bring forward public land for development. As well as bringing some vital new facilities such as a library and leisure centre to the community, it will deliver quality housing that will make a real difference to families in the area.”

Of the 645 dwellings, 50% will be provided as affordable homes. Of these, around half will be social rented homes, and the remainder intermediate homes delivered through the London Wide Initiatives.

All the residential layouts comply with the essential standards of the Scheme Development Standards and the main principles of the Lifetime Home Standards.

Social rent units will be designed to meet Parker Morris space standards. Across the masterplan 40% of the residential accommodation areas are allocated to three- and four-bed family units.

Each of the residential blocks has a different character and aspect. Block one will be a range of private and affordable one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments characterised by proximity to the public square.

Block two will have a private communal garden at first floor level, which provides the focus for a range of private and affordable, predominantly two- and threebedroom apartments.

Block three will be a range of private and affordable one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments organised around a large,

private communal garden. Some ground floor units have their own front doors opening out onto the street. Upper level apartments are organised in clusters around small cores oriented towards the shared garden.

Block four will be a row of stacked threebedroom duplexes, with ground floor accessed units providing family accommodation and private rear gardens, while upper units have east facing terraces, and block five will be a row of four-bedroom family townhouses providing an up to date version of the Victorian terraced housing bordering the site.

The design approach for the facades is to unify the five buildings so they can be seen as being part of the same family, while at the same time ensuring the five separate blocks have their own unique identity and appearance.

The project aims to demonstrate exemplary performance in energy, water use, material use, waste, construction practice, planning and biodiversity to achieve net zero carbon.

This zero carbon initiative is a requirement for new developments, as stated on the London Authority website.

It requires the following in planning permission:• Be lean: use less energy.

• Be clean: supply energy efficiently.

• Be green: use renewable energy.

Mace is behind the design of the new east Greenwich hub and the idea was to minimise environmental impact and reduce water and energy consumption.

Planning permission was granted in 2008, with work starting on-site this year, and it is split into phases.

Completion of Phase I is expected late next year, with the entire development finishing in 2016.

Chapman Bathurst are delighted to be working with Hadley Mace on this prestigious development.

Building Services & Environmental Consultants LONDON

•

T: (0) 207 553 8850

KENT

•

BIRMINGHAM

•

E: info@chapmanbathurst.com

www.chapmanbathurst.com

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ABU DHABI

We recognise that high quality sustainable housing is a key factor when creating a new community hub. As a result, we are delivering homes with low energy requirements and high environmental credentials which will underpin the success of this regeneration scheme at Greenwich Square.

Our starting point was to improve the “Lean” aspect of house building by introducing high levels of insulation in the construction. This not only improved comfort but delivered improved air tightness and reduced carbon emissions.

We then moved towards installing high efficiency lighting and heating the dwellings from a centrally located energy centre containing a gas fired combined heat & power unit.

These decisions have reduced energy requirements for occupiers and driven site wide carbon emission down to 32% better than buildings regulations Part L 2010.

Environmentally, the scheme is delivering dwellings to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 accreditation. This not only ensures individual dwellings are achieving carbon emissions reductions 25% better than Part L 2010 but also reduced water consumption.

UKC civil

Warwickshire joins forces with Solihull and Coventry to make highway savings Three neighbouring councils have joined together to sign a highways contract that it is hoped will bring joint savings of £1M per annum.

Solihull Council, Coventry City Council and Warwickshire County Council have undergone a procurement process that sees them jointly employ the contractor Balfour Beatty for their highways work.

The Councils have the ability to use the contract to provide: • routine and planned highways work e.g. pot hole repairs, resurfacing, building new roads • street lighting • bridge maintenance • traffic projects, such as calming, zebra crossings, junction realignments • winter maintenance • drainage works The contract will cover around 5,400km of roads, and create savings of £1M each year.

Councillor Ted Richards, Cabinet Member for Transport and Highways at Solihull Council said: “This partnership demonstrates how, by working together, local authorities can achieve the best possible services for their residents and at the same time, bring in savings to the council taxpayer.”

Coventry will also benefit by the extra skills available in bridge maintenance outlined in their works programme.

Councillor Lindsey Harvard, Cabinet Member for City Services at Coventry City Council, said: “It makes sense in the current climate for us to work together and, using our bulk buying power, to maximise on expenditure. Balfour will provide specialist and top-up services whilst working alongside our workforce.”

Councillor Peter Butlin, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways and Transport, said: “The highways maintenance contract delivers one of our core services and its performance is incredibly important to residents and businesses. ”By agreeing a highways contract as a three-way partnership, we will be able to deliver far better value for money to the taxpayer. As neighbours, it makes perfect sense for Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull to join up and deliver a more efficient service through collaborative working.”

Terry Woodhouse , Managing Director, Balfour Beatty Living Places, said: “Balfour Beatty Living Places is delighted to be working with Warwickshire County Council, Coventry City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in this innovative, first of its kind contract. We are

dedicated to delivering an effective, efficient, reputation service across the region over the next five years.” sustainable and customer focused highways Cllr Lindsey Harvard, Coventry’s Cabinet service for the whole area.”

Member for City Services, said: “I am very The agreement comes into effect in 2013, pleased to be working in partnership with with the new contractor working from a Warwickshire County Council and Balfour base in each area.

Beatty. This partnership will complement This agreement follows on from an our in-house maintenance team at Whitley announcement made in October 2010 when and will enable us to provide the city with a Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet first class maintenance service that is good awarded a prestigious £100M five-year value for money. highway maintenance contract to “We have already made big savings just by Balfour Beatty. procuring the contract with Warwickshire.

Following a competitive tendering process, And this is just the start of what I am sure county councillors approved the contract in will be a great partnership that delivers partnership with Coventry City Council benefits and savings in equal measure.” which will deliver better value for money to Paul Galland, Warwickshire County Council’s the taxpayer.

Strategic Director for Environment and Balfour Beatty commenced the initial fiveEconomy, added: “The contract is one of the year contract when the previous highway first of its kind in the Midlands region, in maintenance contract with Carillion ended that highway work will be delivered by one on 5th May 2011. provider across two local authorities.”

Speaking at the time, Councillor Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment and Economy, said: “I am delighted to announce Balfour Beatty as the new provider of the highways maintenance contract, which is a key frontline service to residents and businesses.

“I have been involved as a board member during a competitive and rigorous Haystoun Construction Ltd is a Civil Engineering procurement process company undertaking works (both new construction since September last and maintenance), to highway structures, highways year. At the end of this process we had five and bridges. quality and pricecompetitive Our scope of works include: traffic management, submissions. diversion routes, TVCB units, demolition, excavation “The close proximity and earthworks, beam/deck replacement, concrete of Coventry and repairs, waterproofing and expansion joint repairs, half Warwickshire means it makes perfect joint repairs, cleaning & application of protective sense to link up coatings, masonry & brickworks, kerbing, vehicular certain highway parapets and safety fencing, carriageway & footpath activities and offer a resurfacing, bearing replacement, retaining walls, joined-up service to gabions, landscaping, drainage, de-silting, fencing and deliver better value for money. confined space working.

“I believe collaborative working Unit F1, Holly Farm Business Park, Honiley, is essential in these Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 1NP financially testing times and I am confident that this Tel: 01926 484 067 Fax: 01926 484 071 new highways E-mail: enquiries@haystoun.co.uk contract will provide both efficiency savings and a high

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UKC commercial

New Capital Quay The finest new riverside development in London Commanding one of the most dramatic riverside locations in London, the development will be a striking new landmark in the overall regeneration of historical Greenwich – already a highly desirable residential borough and one of only four world heritage sites in the capital.

With river frontage to three sides, New Capital Quay is widely anticipated to gain the status of ‘the most exclusive new waterside village’ anywhere along the Thames.

It will comprise more than 636 private residential apartments and is in a unique position, providing excellent views towards The City, Canary Wharf and the Millennium Dome.

The site benefits from close proximity to Greenwich town centre, the open space of Greenwich Park and the connectivity afforded by mainline rail services into London and Kent, as well as the Docklands Light Railways to Canary Wharf and The City.

The scheme combines contemporary living within a diverse new community that embraces cultural and historical uses, creating a sense of place that is in harmony with the existing character of Greenwich.

It will deliver a vibrant mix of uses including residential, convenience retail, a supermarket, ancillary bars and restaurants, and community and visitor attractions to create an active and sustainable environment. Attractions will

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include art galleries and antique workshops, while there will also be a crèche with a medical facility.

There will be high quality public realm space and there is a clear spacial strategy, enhancing active frontages that define the public and protected private space.

The residential element of New Capital Quay provides a diverse mix of luxury lifestyle apartments comprising a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units.

A large proportion offer select family styled accommodation, including the arrangement of duplex apartments at ground and first floor levels creating residential courtyards/home zones with independent front door access.

The cutting edge development is ecoenvironmental, safe and secure with 24hour porterage service. A wide range of planned amenities and facilities are on the doorstep and are cleverly incorporated along the waterfront providing activity and vibrancy to the ground floor within the main public spaces.

There is also potential for Dreadnought Wharf to provide a focal venue for maritime heritage uses enhancing the Thames frontage with active waterborne installation supported by a new heritage museum.

The mix of uses is accommodated within a total of 11 blocks. The scale of the blocks vary in height from four-storeys (pavilion blocks) to 15 floors (the

landmark peninsula building).

Build elements are arranged around a series of home zone entrance courtyards. A substantial portion of the residential accommodation benefits from favourable orientation in terms of sunlight and waterside aspect. The arrangement also enables strong visual and physical permeability across and within the site.

Oak wood floors compliment the natural black granite finishes to sleek open plan kitchens and all appliances are carefully selected to ensure they meet the most stringent energy rating standards.

Add to this the chrome, glass, fine ceramics or natural stone finishes of luxurious bathrooms, and the result is an apartment delivering a sense of luxury and style that meets the demands of even the most discerning buyer.

The site is bordered along the northern edge by the River Thames, to the east by Norway Street/Thames Street, the south by Creek Road and the west by Deptford Creek.

Cutty Sark DLR station is located within three minutes walk of the development, providing access to Canary Wharf in 11 minutes, Bank in 22 minutes, Stratford in 23 minutes and London City Airport in 27 minutes.

Designed by DP9 Planning Consultants, the Main Contractor is CJ O’Shea Group Ltd, and work on the project will be complete in September 2014.

OUR AIM: To provide our clients with an exceptional level of quality workmanship, and a proactive approach to delivery of our products, within the time parameters required by their clients.

These goals will be achieved without compromise to the Health & Safety of our workforce and the other trades which we interact with on site.

Harlequin Brickwork Ltd is the realisation of two highly respected Directors in the Construction and Masonry Industries.

Former founder & Managing Director of Landmark Brickwork Ltd, Billy Sutcliffe, and Paul Parkhouse, the former Commercial Director of Linden Homes, have joined forces in an exciting

partnership to create something unique.

Harlequin is rapidly becoming one of the leading brands and working towards being the first name on everyone’s supply chain.

Harlequin Brickwork Ltd offers individual packages for Brickwork and Stonework, and associated trades on a supply and fix and labour only basis.

Having secured steady growth over the past two years, Harlequin has emerged from our infancy with a commanding aria of diverse contracts and order values.

Current Contracts We are currently carrying out the works at Greenwich Reach for our client Galliard Homes which is the construction of 1000 apartments. 10 blocks of concrete frame construction clad in Ibstock Leicester

yellow multi bricks. An exciting and large scale volume masonry package which has been a logistical challenge which we have overcome with our client Galliard.

An order value approaching £1 million.

Royal Air Force Bentley Priory is a once in a lifetime site of residential apartments and crescent houses constructed in an English Bond with an unpresented design.

Truly a flagship contract in design and execution for our client Barratt North London.

With an order value in excess of £1.7 million, a true masonry gem, and one we are proud to be associated with as a brickwork and stonework contractor.

Finally, the largest social housing scheme in London for our client Higgins Construction.

Myatt’s Estate is the redevelopment and regeneration of the whole area of Lambeth and is another logistically testing project. The sites are spread over a large area with construction taking place on several sites at the same time.

A four year programme of works with a local labour initiative which we, as a company, have bought into to offer work to local individuals from the community.

Harlequin, in essence, has a wealth of experience which we share with our clients, with a pain and gain approach to supply chain management, and the delivery of our product.

Runcton Cottage, Oddley Lane, Saunderton, Bucks HP27 9NQ Email: Paul Parkhouse: paul@harlequinbrickwork.co.uk or Billy Sutcliffe: billy@harlequinbrickwork.co.uk Tel: 01844 347916 www.harlequinbrickwork.co.uk

UKC commercial

Browns Garage Showcasing P & A Wood’s attention to detail P & A Wood will soon benefit from a brand new coach workshop and showroom facility.

Since the Company was established in 1967, it has continued to grow. As time passed, this growth made it necessary to move in 1988 to larger premises to the village of Great Easton, Essex.

The Company also wanted to upgrade its facilities for more efficient dealing with modern crash repair work. The showroom is for Rolls-Royce motor cars that require a showroom fitted out as per their standards, something that was not in keeping with the current building.

The workshop is on two levels, with all metal and paintwork being carried out at ground level and the clean build/finishing facility is on the first floor.

The showroom will take up to six Rolls-Royce cars with an office, rest room, and toilet facilities above. In the workshop there will be a

spray booth with mixing room and two smart repair bays on the ground floor with a body jig, scissor lift and space for a further 12 cars. On the first floor there will be space to work on 20 cars plus a storage area.

The site of development is ideal - across from the Company’s current site, so the two premises will form an impressive entrance to the village of Great Easton.

The existing filling station and workshop had to be demolished and the fuel tanks were removed or decommissioned prior to starting.

During the mandatory archaeological dig, evidence was found from Roman times which was previously unknown in the area, and even some possible Bronze Age artefacts. This resulted in the dig being extended by several days.

Although the showroom inside will be a modern Rolls-Royce space, externally the building needed to blend in with the local

built landscaped so has a very traditional look to it, similar to the existing showroom building, which was completed in 1995.

P & A Wood’s work was recognised in 2001 when the Company was appointed as ‘The Official Rolls-Royce and Bentley Heritage Dealers’ in recognition of the knowledge and expertise that the Company has built up with the classic and vintage cars.

Today, with the support of fully trained and diligent staff, the Company continue to provide an extremely high standard of service for its customers, and this will increase when the new development is complete.

The Main Contractor is M G Cosgrove Construction Ltd, and the Architect is BRD Tech. In addition, PBBC Consulting Ltd is providing all the sustainability design guidance for the development.

Work commenced in spring 2011 and will be completed this Christmas.

Code for Sustainable Homes Assessments BREEAM Assessments ( Ecohomes, Domes c Refurbishment, Educa on, Commercial Offices, Industrial and Retail) SAP and SBEM Calcula ons Ecology Surveys, Tree Surveys, and Landscape Planning

Proud to be working with P&A Wood on their exciting showroom development

Where do you start with CODE or BREEAM projects?

We can help with all elements of CODE and BREEAM planning condi ons and compliance. We have been serving builders, developers and architects in this field for the last 4yrs and have built a name for ourselves in supplying what clients need - precise and cost effec ve advice.

We know that you just need to solve the problem of ge#ng cer fied, and we offer a friendly approach to cu#ng through the mass of red-tape – our site visits are always free, and we guide and support you through each step of the process.

From SBEMS to Flood risk assessments we can help arrange whatever you need to get the best out of your site. Call us for an informal no-obliga on discussion of your needs.

Sustainable Construc on Advice and Design Consultancy

www.pbbc.co.uk 34

01371 870 078

paul@pbbc.co.uk

UKC profile

Staffordshire County Council Launch pad for prosperity Staffordshire County Council’s progress in bringing greater facilities to Staffordshire has continued with the opening of a major regional business and innovation hub. i54 South Staffordshire will be the base for Jaguar Land Rover’s advanced engine plant, with other global businesses also choosing it as their base.

Jaguar Land Rover will invest £355M in its new facility as well as create 750 jobs on site, which will open in 2014. Many more advanced manufacturing companies will follow. Moog, a manufacturer of products for the commercial aircraft industry and

Eurofins UK, a leading scientific testing and analysis company, are already up and running on site.

At the end of August, leaders from Staffordshire County Council, Wolverhampton City Council and South Staffordshire Council toured the site to see how construction work was progressing. i54 South Staffordshire will greatly enhance the prospects for the area, creating jobs and attracting millions of pounds’ worth of investment.

The three councils are working in partnership to develop the site. As a result

of this, a new local access bridge across the M54 is currently being built. Construction on a dedicated motorway junction for the site on to the M54 also commenced in October.

A significant part of the site is already occupied, with the remaining plots being actively marketed to advanced manufacturing businesses together with offices, hotel/leisure and other suitable uses. Remaining plots could be split or grouped according to the types of business locating there.

Moog Aircraft Group officially opened its continued page 38 >

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Surfacing As well as laying all types of Asphalt including Mastertint (Resin bound coloured Asphalt) we also offer our Rubber safety surfacing division that has a variety of colours and graphics to choose from.

About us Dawkes & Co Ltd is a local authority approved company that have been offering Tarmacadam services for over 45 years. Over the years we have worked for Government, Health, Highways, Private sector and have been working for Staffordshire County Council for over 15 years.

We are a family run business with a long serving well trained dedicated workforce, which prides itself on delivering a high quality service to our clients.

Our work will withstand the tests of time. We continuously train our staff to stay ahead of required regulations and that means you can rest assured of a job well done.

Our comprehensive skills are in-house and only rarely would we sub contract work for a niche specialism. That means you can enjoy real expertise and that is why we expect and know they will perform professionally, courteously and have the pride needed to meet the highest, industry recognised standards.

We are a company that has built itself on reputation and quality and are a well respected company in and around Staffordshire.

Services Dawkes & Co offer a wide range of services which means we can manage your project from start to finish without the need to be dealing with 3 or 4 contractors at a time. All our work is carried out with health and safety being our primary concern so you can trust in our safety as well as our quality.

Few surfaces have to endure more than sports facilities. With high impact from athletes and sports people and high exposure to the elements, it’s vital that quality materials are used and that everything is expertly installed and finished to create safe environments where high intensity sports performance can thrive.

Beyond the surfaces, we can also provide a one stop installation of all the perimeter fencing and any floodlighting if required.

From the latest Synthetic tracks and grasses to BMX tracks, we cater for all weather solutions for all sports.

• Synthetic Pitches • Tennis Courts • Football / Rugby • Bmx/ Moutain Bike Tracks • Multi-Use- Games- Areas

Call us on 01785 252609 Dawkes & Co Ltd: Unit 1 Aston Fields Road, Stafford, Staffordshire ST16 3UF

Fax: 01785 211 548

www.dawkesltd.co.uk

Civil Engineering With over 45 years experience in Civil Engineering, our product knowledge and technical expertise in this area is unsurpassed. There are a wealth of innovations and opportunities available now for imaginative, environmentally positive and durable surfaces with Dawkes Ltd best placed to advise you on the ideal solution for your needs.

Drainage We understand drainage and its effects on the surfaces we lay. It ensures the beauty of the products we install is more than skin deep and means you can rely on their performance for years to come.

• SUDS – Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems • Soak aways • Catch pits • Sports pitch Drainage • Land Drains • Permeable Tarmacadam Solutions

Schools A good education includes the provision of exceptional play environments in which children can learn to be safe and stretch their imaginations.

By stimulating their senses and ensuring that children can play in secure and safe areas, Dawkes has completed many projects for schools over the last 25 years with outstanding results in terms of impact on the environment and enhancement of the learning experience for children.

All our employees are CRB checked and understand the latest health and safety regulations, thereby working in the appropriate manner within a school environment, ever mindful of the need to meet strict deadlines to work around the school year.

We are a Constructionline credited company and have been CHAS assessed.

We can suggest themes and advise on the appropriate play equipment and design schemes which will work for you. We can even offer on-going maintenance if required.

Fencing Sometimes it’s the aesthetics that matter, sometimes it’s the security and sometimes it’s both. One thing is certain whatever the application we have the ideal fencing solution.

We start with a thorough survey of the location. This identifies the challenges and the best fencing system combination for the environment as well as aiding the efficiency of the installation process because nothing will be there to surprise us.

Thereafter we can supply a complete range of suitable fencing systems including; • Welded Mesh Panel Systems • Vertical Bar – Solid Bar / Hollow section / Contour • Bow top – Solid Bar / Hollow Bar / Contour / ROSPA • Sports Systems (Sports Pitches, Multi Use Games Areas, Tennis Courts) • Palisade – Higher level security • 358 Prison Mesh – Security Fencing • Pedestrian Guard Rail We also have a fabricating unit to manufacture bespoke gates and other metal works, plus a mobile team of welders and fabricators who can work on site.

new centre in September following an open day.

Andy Hughes, Moog Aircraft Group’s Operations Director said: “The i54 South Staffordshire business park gives us the opportunity to offer location continuity to existing employees as well as an ideal future off-ramp exit from the M54 motorway.

“We have a beautiful new building that affords us the unique opportunity to incorporate optimised flow-line technologies and development labs.”

Staffordshire County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and Enterprise Ben Adams said: “Moog’s official opening on site is a key milestone for i54 South Staffordshire and demonstrates it is very much open for business.

“It’s great to see a world leading company up and running on site, joining Eurofins and soon to be followed by Jaguar Land Rover.”

Other work in the county includes the education facilities, with Staffordshire University Academy in Hednesford, being part rebuilt and completely refurbished after it was awarded £9.7M in government funding.

In July, students and staff saw the last parts of the old school building, which was formerly Blake Valley Technology College, marking the beginning of the construction work. Initial groundwork started in the spring after the Council approved the planning application in March.

Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Skills Liz Staples said: “It’s exciting for everyone associated with the Academy as we’re seeing the

38

beginning of the construction phase of the new building and extensive refurbishment.

“Students and staff at Staffordshire University Academy are really looking forward to being in a new and improved building. However this is about far more than buildings.

“The Academy will look to raise the profile of education in Cannock Chase and Staffordshire. We look forward to working with the Academy, the community and the district council to extend further the huge successes already achieved.”

Staffordshire University Academy replaced Blake Valley Technology College in the existing buildings in September 2011 in a move designed to attract funding to improve facilities at the school.

This summer also saw substantive works on a major scheme take place to improve transport in Lee town centre.

Staffordshire County Council supported Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s ambitions for a vibrant, thriving town centre that works both now and in the future and this important scheme has made this possible.

It included significant work to the public spaces around the iconic Nicholson War Memorial, opening up the surrounding area so that the Memorial becomes even more prominent as a fitting testament to those people from Leek who gave their lives for their country.

Work at the Memorial Junction included the removal of the roundabout, new kerbs, new carriageway construction including surfacing, drainage, lighting columns and traffic signals, road markings and the diversion of gas

mains. An additional pedestrian crossing was also incorporated within the work.

In August, the libraries across Staffordshire became the latest county council buildings to get a boost from renewable energy, after 13 library buildings were fitted with solar PV (photovoltaic) panels as Staffordshire County Council continues to deliver on its commitment to make savings, reduce carbon emissions and boost the use of renewable technology.

The scheme is expected to cut £11,618 from the authority’s electricity bills for the first year, with a further £26,000 to be gained from the government’s Feed in Tariffs (FiTs).

The £450,000 investment in libraries from the Council’s Corporate Priorities Fund is expected to be paid back within nine years, and will put Staffordshire at the forefront of renewable technology use.

Alongside the range of existing and planned biomass boiler installations and the exceptional energy efficiency of the County Council’s new Staffordshire headquarters, the use of renewable energy will cut the Council’s carbon emissions by 84 tonnes per year.

The scheme has benefited from the government’s FiTs, which was introduced to stimulate the market in small scale renewable projects, by paying for each KWh of renewable energy generated from solar panels.

Staffordshire County Council councillor, Mark Winnington, Cabinet Member for Environment and Assets, said the scheme was an opportunity to bring real benefits to the people of Staffordshire, and by working with local private companies, provide a real >

We are pleased to be suppliers of Carpets, Vinyl and Wood Flooring, Curtains, Tracks and Blinds to Staffordshire County Council

We are pleased to be associated with Staffordshire County Council and wish them continued success for the future

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Ron Dyke Electrical Contractors Limited

Professional Roofing Contractors to Local Authorities. Specialists in commercial and residential flat and pitched roof refurbishment.

Supporting and providing roofing services to Staffordshire County Council for over 25 years.

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39

boost to the local economy.

He said: “Each library fitted with solar panels has a public facing meter installed so that residents can see for themselves how much energy is being generated.

“Solar power offers a big win for taxpayers. It saves us money and reduces our dependence on the energy grid.

Combined with biomass heating and the hugely energy efficient Staffordshire Place, we are leading the way in value for money and renewable innovation.”

Library Chief, County Councillor Pat Corfield added: “We are a forward looking library service that is keen to embrace state-of-the-art technology to improve the benefits to local people whilst saving the Council money.

“Solar panels are the latest in a series of recent innovations, including a brand new computer library management system, self service kiosks and free Wi-Fi, aimed at transforming Staffordshire’s libraries into a service fit for the 21st century.

Staffordshire County Council’s highways team has been working closely with

Tamworth’s Sainsbury’s store and the borough council to resolve congestion issues at the Jolly Sailor retail area and ensure people enjoy their shopping experience.

It has resulted in the new car park exit on to the A453 Bonehill Road, meaning traffic leaving the store does not have to head back along Elmhurst Drive.

The highways team ensured detailed plans had been drawn up beforehand with the Sainsbury’s consultants so that any issues could be overcome in the design stages.

Work began at the beginning of October and was completed earlier this month.

Local County Councillor Mick Oates said: “This is a big project by our highways team, which will make a real difference to traffic around Ventura Park and help to ease congestion.”

34 Silkmore Crescent, Stafford ST17 4JL

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Formed in 1995 Highway Traffic Management Limited has become one of the most reliable and experienced traffic management companies in the country.

Highway Traffic Management is a Quality Assured (BS EN ISO 9001:2008) and Health and Safety Assured to (BS EN OHSAS 18001:2007) and Sector Scheme 12A/12B approved company we also are Environmental Assured to (BS EN 14001:2004). We have fully trained opera ves in all aspects of traffic management with back up from our experienced design, supervision and management team.

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We are able to offer a complete traffic management service from pedestrian management through to contraflows and are totally commi"ed to our clients and work force as well as health & safety, quality and the environment. We are accredited to various inductry bodies.

If you would like to know more about what we do and how we can help you, please don’t hesitate to contactus.

Strata Group Limited.

For over 30 years there has been a company based in the Stoke on Trent area that has prided itself on first class, honest and reliable service.

That company is Strata.

Formerly known as Strata Window World, the company set out to provide a very high standard of both product and service that puts other window installers to shame.

Strata Group Limited, the home of quality and reliability. Strata has been a trusted name within the replacement window industry for over 30 years serving Stoke on Trent and the surrounding areas.We have an impressive range of windows, doors, conservatories and orangeries all on display within our showroom based on Festival Park, Stoke on Trent.

Forge Lane, Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent

Tel. 01782 279081 Fax. 01782 202353 www.stratawindows.co.uk

Now re-branded as Strata Group Limited, after a successful management buy out in August 07, Strata has developed their product range vastly and now incorporates specialist products such as Aluminium Curtain walling, Commercial Upvc section, Hardwood windows, doors and Orangeries – all manufactured to exact standards and with the years of installation experience, Strata really can cater for all glazing requirements.

Trust.

A small word but one that makes all our lives so much easier.

When you trust a specialist to carry out any task the confidence just grows and grows. That’s why Strata have build a reputation designed to take away the hassle factor of any project, large or small.

Strata’s accreditation to Chas, Constructionline and to BSI for the survey and installation shows that getting right first time is exactly what the company is about.

Be inspired.

Based on Festival Park, Stoke on Trent, Strata’s showrooms house all the product displays, including commercial products that your clients would need to view. Having just completed two state of the art Orangery displays, customers cannot fail to be impressed with the potential improvements they are planning.

All the showrooms are manned by experienced staff who will guide clients through the planning and design process.

Free design, planning and quotations are available for all projects be it domestic or commercial, phone us today and prepare to have your confidence boosted!

Ian Dowson Blinds Ltd Window Blinds from your local specialist supplier of Commercial & Domestic Blinds.

We supply all types of Window Blinds to Homes, Offices, Schools and Factories throughout Staffordshire, Shropshire and the West Midlands including Birmingham.

The type of blinds we measure, fit and supply include:

• Vertical • Venetian • Panel • Pleated • Roller • Roman • Conservatory • Clear Plastic Doorway Strips We are a family business now in our 23rd year. We pride ourselves on attention to detail and putting our customer´s needs first. We will find the right blinds for you. So why not contact us now and see for yourself why our customers keep on returning.

We offer a free on-site measuring and fitting service.

Contact us to discuss your window blind requirements.

Ian Dowson Blinds Ltd, 29 Ferrers Road, Weston, Stafford ST18 0JN Tel: 01889 270638 Fax: 01889 207020 Email: dowsonblinds@aol.com www.iandowsonblinds.co.uk

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UKC community

St Nicholas Church Restoration to its former glory A medieval church in Warwickshire that was severely damaged by fire is more than halfway through its redevelopment to restore its standing in Radford Semele, Leamington Spa. The blaze at St Nicholas Church began in March 2008 and at its height, about 50 fire fighters were working to put it out.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service said the building had been left structurally unsafe and all that was left standing were the external walls and tower, with everything else destroyed.

Work will provide a combined restoration and redesign so that from one side of the Church, it will appear to be restored as it previously was.

Behind the Church there are two small units that will provide an office and toilet facilities.

Inside will also be new because the damage was considerable.

The original building goes back centuries and was even mentioned in the Domesday Book. Part of the south wall is original 11th century stonework.

The tower was added in the 14th century and is a nice deep red stone. The rest of the building is a Victorian brick rebuild. The medieval church was knocked down, though part of the south wall was kept.

Since the Church has been out of use, the

42

services have been held at the community hall in the village, which in itself has been a good experience because it was available straight away, and has allowed the exploration of different ways of worshipping, which has helped with the thought process of the new building’s design.

It has been a frustrating few years for all involved with the Church because for most of that time, progress has been very slow.

But now, thanks to the work of the construction teams, and the fine work by the community to raise funds for the restoration of this Grade II listed building, there is obvious progress being made, which people are understandably excited about and the levels of support have increased.

The growing interest in this can be displayed by the fact that more and more people are asking about the restoration, its progress, when it will be completed, and if they can have a look at the restoration work.

Facilities will include the office, and the east end of the Church, where it will be located, is being made into a distinct unit that will be open during the week and have multiple uses. It will have a separate heating system and will mean the toilet facilities will be in the building, making the building much more usable for the community.

Inside, the Church will look very different.

Previously, it was very Victorian with rows of fixed pews and, although it had seen some work in recent years, it will now be open so that the space can be used for many different reasons, and therefore the seating will not be fixed.

There are some stunning new stained glass windows that are being designed by Emma Blount, a stained glass window artist in London. She has designed five new windows, one of which is a war memorial with the names inscribed on it.

Reverend Martin Green, who has worked tirelessly throughout the project, said the stained glass windows, designed on the theme of ressurrection and renewal, will provide a different look that will take people’s breath away.

The experience of the team involved in construction has been an integral part of the process. The Architect is Caroe & Partners, and the Main Contractor is Croft Building & Conservation, who have done and continue to do an amazing job on the project, while the Quantity Surveyor for the development is Starkey Button & Co. Work started in April 2012 and will be completed in April 2013.

Croft Building and Conservation Limited, appointed as Principal Contractor for the restoration of St Nicholas’ Church, Radford Semele, is one of the leading building conservation specialist contractors in the Midlands and surrounding areas with an annual turnover in the order of £10million. Croft is synonymous with high quality restoration work on historical buildings.

Croft undertakes conservation and restoration work on listed buildings, cathedrals and churches, castles and large estate houses as well as on smaller private houses and cottages. Schemes comprising alteration works and the construction of extensions in keeping with historical buildings have also been successfully completed. We have also gained a reputation for high quality work on the consolidation of ancient monuments and cater for a diverse range of works - from minor repairs to complete refurbishment and restoration projects.

Unit 7 Hemlock Park, Hyssop Close, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 7FB

Tel: 01543 509156 Fax: 01543 509157 Email: office@croftbc.co.uk www.croftbc.co.uk UKC civil

Bunhill Energy Centre Part of Islington Council’s Decentralised Energy Programme Work is nearing completion on a local energy centre and district wide heat network in Bunhill that will provide cheaper, greener heat to homes on several estates and buildings.

The first of its kind within Islington, the Bunhill Energy Centre will supply energy to over 700 residential properties and two leisure centres.

The Energy Centre will be connected to satellite and estate plant rooms around the scheme by the installation of hot water pipes forming a district heating network.

In essence, the system is similar to that found in a residential property where a boiler is used to heat and then pump hot water around a radiator circuit, though this is on a far bigger scale, with the Energy Centre like a more efficient boiler and the estate plant rooms like the radiators.

Unlike normal electricity production that wastes up to two-thirds of the fuel used to make it, Bunhill Heat and Power will use the otherwise wasted heat to heat homes, the baths and leisure centres, so it is much more efficient.

Combined heat and power technology will be used to run the Energy Centre and there will be strict monitoring of the air quality.

The Energy Centre enclosure is being constructed of sustainably sourced green oak cladding with two new mature trees and climbing plants in the planting that surrounds it.

It is all part of Islington Council’s Decentralised Energy Programme, a groundbreaking scheme to cut carbon emissions and fuel bills in the borough. It will yield both financial and environmental benefits by generating heat and power locally.

The scheme will work through a series of underground pipes carrying hot water

between the local Energy Centre and the buildings connected to the network.

Designed by Tim Ronalds Architects, and built by Vital Energi, work will be completed in time to give cheaper and greener heating to homes for winter 2012.

43

UKC education

John Leggott College New teaching block to inspire education Students who returned to John Leggott College in September are now able to learn in new, industry-standard teaching and learning facilities after the curtains came up on a new teaching block.

The new building is a replacement, providing enhanced facilities for the performing arts, music, IT, English and geography departments at the campus on West Common Lane, Scunthorpe.

Classrooms for all of those subjects all form part of the two-storey, 1738sq m building, which was handed over to the College in August 2012.

A top-lit double height atrium gives the building an aesthetically pleasing look, and the feature-shaped exterior of the performance space are focal points.

The L-shaped building has its main entrance and performance space with two supporting rehearsal rooms at the junction of the two wings. The two teaching wings with central corridors project out from the central atrium, with teaching and support spaces on either side.

Features include a lift at the junction of the two wings, rising up within the double-height

44

atrium, while natural ventilation is a feature of the building’s design, with the use of air conditioning relating to some IT rooms.

The site was previously occupied by the original Block G, which was built in the 1970s in a Ushaped courtyard plan, providing classrooms and performing arts studios.

However, these facilities had become inadequate and difficult to maintain, and were no longer able to provide the flexibility required of modern teaching and learning methods.

As a result, the block was demolished to make way for the new building, which has benefited from good ground conditions. The project sets a new standard for teaching facilities on the north west side of the campus, with open views to the north and west.

The College itself is set in an edge of town campus location. It has open playing fields to the north and west, suburban housing to the east, playing fields and a secondary school off at a distance to the south.

The building comprises of a steel frame, two-storey structure, with masonry walls and concrete floors, finished in golden brown and blue engineering brick.

Panels of terracotta coloured render provide

highlights between random windows.

Integrating the building with the existing campus buildings is a feature brise soleil/canopy in natural metal, which gives emphasis to the main entrance and integrates with campus circulation routes.

The principal performing arts studio, which is the focal point of the building, is clad in natural zinc-coated steel cladding. It will be used as a venue by the wider community and features the new College logo in full colour, which is back-lit.

Windows are double glazed with solar reflective glass in dark grey polyester powder coated aluminium frames.

Natural ventilation is a key feature of the overall design, but other sustainability features have been incorporated, such as PV panels on the roof and rainwater harvesting.

Fully DDA compliant, the building also has security features including an alarm and CCTV, and the whole development has benefited from both soft and hard landscaping.

Designed by GHM Partnership Ltd, the project was built by Clugston Construction and was opened for the new school year in September 2012.

Photo: Mark Lees

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UKC profile

CHQ Architects Celebrating 30 years Known for its long standing reputation for producing and delivering innovative, sustainable, mixed use developments, CHQ has worked on projects covering all design aspects, including new build, refurbishment, conversions, restoration works and building surveys.

CHQ has grown to become a substantial architectural and building surveying practice with a team of more than 40 employees.

It was in 1982 when Bob Hatt and Ray Clarke founded the Clarke Hatt Partnership, which later became Clarke Hatt Quirke after Martin Quirke joined.

The Company expanded into London earlier this year, opening its second office in High Holborn, and after 30 successful years in the construction industry, CHQ hold an extensive client list, with a Practice comprising of a talented mix of staff.

The Ministry of Defence were among the first clients for CHQ, providing alteration, extension and refurbishment projects on a wide variety of building types within the UK and US air force and navy bases located in London, East Anglia and the Home Counties.

New builds and alterations to numerous MFI stores also feature heavily in the early portfolio of work for CHQ, alongside some residential works.

In terms of major early works, CHQ did a number of large retail parks, one example being East Kilbride. A number of new retail units for large companies, including

46

Sainsbury’s, Toys R Us, ASDA and B&Q also played a big part in the future success of the Practice, helping to build client relationships that still remain today.

Re-roofing the three listed World War I hangers in Duxford was one of a number of refurbishment projects that CHQ worked on for The Imperial War Museum, providing the team with some unusual work, while other refurbishment and office projects were secured as part of a framework agreement for the Department of Work and Pensions, which initially involved the merging of benefit centres and job centres into Job Centre Plus’. Later, work involved altering them to increase capacity.

The Practice is currently working on the development of a Sainsbury’s store in King’s Lynn.

Located on the Hardwick Roundabout at the junction of Scania Way, Hardwick Road and Queen Elizabeth Way, it is considered to be the gateway into King’s Lynn.

The mostly single-storey development, comprising of 11,532sq m, will have a customer restaurant and colleague areas at first floor level.

There will be a petrol station on-site with eight filling pumps, and a car and jet wash, while the sales area will comprise of 7,029sq m of food, clothing and general merchandise. Parking will be available for 596 cars including 35 disabled spaces and 24 parent and child spaces.

Materials used will include ceramic

rainscreen cladding, mid grey horizontal cladding panels, glazing and vertical timber cladding.

Planning permission was granted in 2010 and the store should be completed and open by the end of the year.

Other Sainsbury’s developments undertaken by CHQ include the 26,000sq ft store built on former agricultural land in Dawlish – Sainsbury’s most sustainable supermarket to date.

Described as a step towards a change in sustainable supermarket design, the building is predominantly timber, using a number of construction methods. The core is a glulam frame made from Spruce, which internally has been designed to fit a 18x12M regimented grid with square columns, creating a large interrupted workable space, with the flexibility to be changed along the front of the building, providing a long swooping canopy, which is supported along its perimeter with timber cylindrical columns running at 84 degrees from the ground to its curves.

This development was completed in April 2011 and now CHQ is awaiting submission of its application for a Sainsbury’s store in Aylesbury, which is part of the Aylesbury regeneration scheme, so the future is certainly looking good for CHQ. CHQ Architects, Tannery House, 23 High Street, Baldock, Hertfordshire, SG7 6BE. Tel: 01462 895110.

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UKC education

William Goodenough House Extensive refurbishment to facilities Brand new facilities now greet residents of Goodenough College. William Goodenough House, one of the College’s two residences, has benefited from refurbishment, as well as a new extension and landscaped courtyards.

Work was required to refurbish the existing fabric, upgrade the complex, its study rooms and flats to increase accommodation capacity and shared facilities.

A new two-storey extension has been added to the Heathcote Street and Elysium blocks providing 54 study rooms, two studio flats, which have a new lightwell within the east courtyard, offering a private timber decked terrace. The extension also provides a link between the east and west sides of the complex.

This new two-storey extension has been added to Elysium with new green roof and to Heathcote with a mansard roof clad in slate to match the existing. The external brickwork and stone have been sensitively cleaned, external lighting upgraded and works carried out to the existing timber and metal windows, with replacements as necessary. Areas of existing asphalt have been repaired and the metal railing repainted. All existing metal railings were retained and repainted.

Existing buildings have been extensively remodelled to provide ensuite single study rooms, and five wheelchair accessible study rooms.

The existing reception area, function rooms and administration offices have also been refurbished along with existing flats that have been modernised at Julian Crossley Court and Ashley Ponsonby Court.

There are many other key features from the project – including a new disabled platform lift from reception, improved and new

48

courtyard is landscaped with a specially shared facilities such as accessible cooking facilities, music rooms, children’s play areas commissioned water feature chalice.

A new fountain courtyard is incorporated, and modern laundries, refurbished commemorating the visit by HRH Queen courtyards with new hard and soft Elizabeth II in 2011, and the new extension landscaping, new secure bike storage, seamlessly blends in with the existing refurbished accessible function rooms buildings on the complex. including common rooms, a library and a New lifts have been installed in existing reading room. shafts and two existing staircases have been The layout of the existing building has extended to access the new extension remained unaltered, with the linking the two complexes. Air conditioning accommodation on both sides of the has been provided to basement offices, complex accessible via the main reception.

In each complex, the accommodation comes children’s play areas, laundries where the option of natural ventilation has not been off spines of refurbished circulation spaces possible. The telecom, data and power and access is via refurbished staircases and supplies have been upgraded to provide for new lifts. New floor and wall finishes have the refurbishment. also been installed.

The Architect was Wilson Mason & Existing building features such as parquet, Partners and the Main Contractor was terrazzo flooring brass features of the main Ardmore. Work commenced in summer staircase have been retained or repaired.

2011 with the main works completed in Reclaimed parquet has been used to repair time to accommodate new students in and patch floors in areas affected by strip September 2012.. out works.

The key rooms still located at ground and basement levels around the reception area are easily accessible via new ramped access or lifts, and the services areas are located in Our organisa on has over twenty years experience and has indeed been heavily basement and at involved in the meline of the development of all major communica on network roof level. systems since the early nine es.

The private courtyards As a recognised specialist within the Defence Sector, our knowledge of the environment we work in and the associated resource u lised is unsurpassed. Along have been redesigned with an understanding through experience gained of our defence industry client with security and requirement, we offer a complete service provision which offers our customer lighting improved. The comfort & security through intelligence gained throughout the year. west courtyard Bedrock Communications Ltd includes new Unit 8, Kestrel Court, Network 65, Burnley, Lancashire BB11 8NA landscaped terrace and bike parking Tel: 07540 723210 areas, while the east

IRTECH VENTILATION Ltd Design, Manufacture and Installation of Ductwork Systems for the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Industry

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Tel: (029) 2086 7604 Fax: (029) 2086 0730 Contact Ceri Bryant on 07711 152 559

Tel: 020 75388364 Fax: 020 7538 8423 Mobile: 07889 800659

UKC profile

R&B Switchgear Ltd Based in Heywood, Lancashire, R&B Switchgear builds electrical switchgear for low and medium voltage installations, centring around the industrial, marine and offshore markets. On-site installation, maintenance, repair and modification services are also offered by the Company.

Established in 1985, the three principal Directors are Mark Beswick, Alan Rowland and Stuart Burgess, who worked together before deciding to embark on their own venture.

The success of the Company has seen two further offices open in Hamilton, Glasgow (1992) and Fort Lauderdale, Miami (1998).

UK operations mainly centre around shipping companies, offshore rigs, and steelworks, while in America the business mostly deals with the cruise line market.

In December 2006, M/V Mighty Servant 3, sank following a submerged discharge off Luanda, Angloa in some 60m of water.

Following salvage of the vessel by SMIT, the electrical system was assumed to have suffered unrecoverable damage and complete removal and reinstallation of

installation, commissioning and project electrical wiring and related components management including manufacture of the was deemed necessary. The original HV and LV control panels at the R&B electrical system of the vessel was installed Switchgear facility in the UK. during the new building of the vessel in 1983. These systems were considered outdated and components were no longer For further information on the Company available, and new regulations were in place please email info@rbswitch.co.uk with respect to selection of replacement equipment and materials.

All electrical wiring (some 150km with 40,000 terminations) and equipment had to be completely renewed.

R&B Switchgear Ltd was awarded the $18M contract by the owners of the vessel, Dockwise BV, to re16 Swordfish Close, Swordfish Business Park, engineer and Burscough, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L40 8JW integrate all the ships’ electrical systems, including supply, supervision of

Test Equipment & Instrumentation, Hire, Sales & Technical Services

Tel: 0870 787 0105 Fax: 0870 787 0106 www.instruments4hire.co.uk

49

UKC education

Heathfield Community School An inspiring learning environment for students and staff In recognition of Heathfield Community School’s inclusive philosophy, the local authority has worked in partnership with the School to provide a much needed specialist autism centre.

The autism centre is an invaluable resource for parents and students in the area, providing significant cost benefits for the local authority.

The project also included a new library on the ground floor, which has freed up other spaces to provide English teaching accommodation that was also a requirement at the School.

Located between the English and Maths blocks on the southern boundary of the school campus, it is a quiet area and the arc shape of the building takes reference from an imposing cedar tree.

The two-storey building has a floor area of 420sq m and comprises of a steel frame construction. In the library, the interior steel columns and ceiling beams, together with the glass elevations, make for a building that the School believes to be of genuine architectural merit.

The library incorporates new IT facilities, work and study areas, as well as quiet reading spaces. The autism centre provides specialist teaching spaces, kitchen facilities, a calm room and social area.

Specifications, including colours, have been incorporated into the design to ensure a suitable environment for students on the autistic spectrum.

The development site is in the heart of the campus, with playing fields adjacent to the southern boundary.

There are classroom blocks to the eastern, western and northern boundaries of the site with a large coniferous tree at its heart, and the school campus is formed of buildings with a variety of architectural styles.

The area of the site is generally flat and is bounded by single-storey pitched roof

50

means that it enjoys good levels of buildings on both the eastern and western natural daylight. boundaries, while the existing buildings The Main Contractor for the project is adjacent to the site are of a pale Melhuish & Saunders and the Architect is orange/brown brick colour with a brown Kensington Taylor. Work started in November tiled roof.

2011 and was completed in September 2012, On the southern boundary, a hedgerow costing approximately £620,000. and trees are used to screen the site from the playing field with distant views of the residential development to the south west.

Work on the project left the coniferous tree at the heart of the site, but the hedgerow and several trees on the southern Heat Radiation Ltd is a well-established Building Services company, founded in 1965, with the skills and experience to provide a top boundary were class service in all aspects of building services. removed because they obstructed A dedicated management team and skilled workforce, which the footprint of operates from the Head Office in Taunton, are able to undertake the building. projects throughout the South West region from Bristol to Plymouth, Care has been taken providing a complete Mechanical Services package covering both throughout Commercial and Domestic Ventilation, Plumbing and Heating. development to make We offer a wide range of services from our Main Office in Taunton: sure that the library is inspiring and uplifting • Design – Full Design Service, either by our own trained staff or by consultancy as a learning • Mechanical Services – Commercial and Industrial Installations of all types environment, while • Combined Mechanical and Electrical Services Packages the autism centre is • Domestic Heating – Domestic Housing Sites or Large Refurbishment Works • Plumbing – All Traditional Plumbing Skills calm and tranquil.

• Air Conditioning and Ventilation The removed • Solar Heating hedgerow and trees to • Ground Source Heat Pumps the south of the • Air to Water Heat Pumps • Rainharvesting Systems building have been • Biomass Boilers and Delivery Systems replaced in order to • CHP Systems create a green buffer between the building For further details see our website: and playing fields and www.heatradiationltd.co.uk or contact the office on 01823 253177 further enhance the building concept of wrapping around the mature tree.

The large degree of glazing to the library

UKC leisure

Fantasy Island New attractions planned The Directors of Fantasy Island are pleased to announce further investment in the site and its operation.

New for 2013 will be a fantastic children’s soft play area, which will be self contained within the second level of the 100,000 sq ft Pyramid Building.

This investment will include an adventure type play area with ball ponds, rope bridges and ladders etc, a separate children’s party area, which can be used by visitors or booked for a child’s birthday, as well as water rides and children’s amusements.

A family seating and dining area will also be incorporated within the newly designed area, which will cost some £150,000 to install. It is hoped that the new attraction will be open for the start of the 2013 season.

A refurbishment programme is also underway of the Seaquarium ride in readiness for next year.

There are also plans to expand the famous Eastgate Market at the rear of the site with more stalls and further diversify the merchandise on offer. Its current 220 stalls are both outdoor and indoor. An increase in indoor capacity is currently being planned.

Great new free character and tribute shows have been introduced this year, while maintaining wristband prices at 2011 prices and the ever popular discounted drink offers in both Scallywags and Castaways Bars. The shows take place every evening throughout the season in Scallywags and top sporting events are shown in Castaways.

A company called ‘Save Money Cut Carbon’ has been busy installing new LED Lighting throughout the park to further enhance its appearance, saving energy, carbon emissions and utility budget.

A new climbing wall was introduced mid season and has proven very popular. Also, a Bucking Bronco was introduced for the Halloween weekend, which had the customers queuing.

New marketing techniques and materials, incorporating social media and a new website have also been introduced in 2012, which has helped deliver a successful season – in particular for the Diamond Jubilee Weekend and throughout the Olympics, when record attendances were achieved.

Unlike many theme parks, Fantasy Island

didn’t suffer from the adverse weather conditions this year, due to its wide-ranging number of attractions and entertainment.

Laurence Davis, Fantasy Island’s Chief Executive, said “This further investment demonstrates our commitment to Skegness and Ingoldmells as a resort, we are not sitting on our laurels we are making things happen and plan to invest further capital over the next five years in the site.

We attracted over three million visitors to the area last year and we are forecasting an increase on these numbers in 2013.

“I am very optimistic about the expansion of tourism in East Lincolnshire, especially with ‘Staycationers’, traditional holidaymakers and day trippers’’.

For further information please contact: Craig B Smith on 07799133501 or at cbsconsultants@yahoo.co.uk

Vekoma Rides is one of the largest roller coaster manufacturers in the world and a market leader in the amusement industry. With the entire process in-house from (concept) design to engineering and manufacturing, of all types of coasters, such as family coasters, thrill and mega coasters, indoor coasters and family attractions, Vekoma Rides offers a versatile line of products.

Vekoma Rides designs are characteristic for its innovation, high quality and durability, whereby special attention is given to the specific wishes of clients to custom design their attractions.

A WIDE PRODUCT RANGE Vekoma Rides’ innovative designs and developments are driving the coaster industry of the future by setting new standards for quality and innovation.

Vekoma Rides continues to focus on making rides appealing and accessible to a wide range of guests, so the entire family, from children to their parents and grandparents, can ride and enjoy the Vekoma Rides coasters and attractions.

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51

UKC leisure

Stretford Sports Village Benefiting Stretford High School students and the whole community The opening ceremony of this new Sports Village was performed by Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Richard Scudamore, Chief Executive of the Premier League.

The project consists of a new four-court sports hall, dance studio, fitness suite, and community room, as well as all weather and grass pitches at Stretford High School and on land in Gorse Hill Park.

Stretford High School is a co-educational secondary school that has reached high standards of attainment after time in special measures, but the school and community recognised that it was not complying with the best principles for sports facilities required for a secondary school.

It needed to provide safe access to sports facilities for all its pupils and this new Sports Village has addressed the issue.

The sports hall is in keeping with Sport England requirements and the development also comprises of the entrance reception and administrative offices, as well as changing facilities, storage and plant room areas.

Surrounded by Great Stone Road and Talbot Road in Manchester, the building comprising of the sports hall, dance studio, fitness suite and community room, known as Talbot Centre, is a steel frame construction with the use of three elements for the elevations – a brick plinth, composite

52

cladding panels and fenestration. There is a profiled metal roof with a line of wind catchers to provide natural ventilation to the sports hall.

The overall building is two-storey and the multi-use pitches comprise of one grass pitch and one synthetic turf pitch.

There is a proven need and demand for an all weather pitch and more sports facilities for the north of Trafford Borough, and this is something that has been directly addressed within the development.

It will significantly improve the neighbourhood community by providing shared sports facilities to compliment the existing Stretford Leisure Centre across the road.

Detailed consultation with Trafford Community Leisure Trust has ensured that the two facilities compliment, rather than compete with each other, something that has wholehearted support from Bernie Jones, the CEO at Trafford Community Leisure Trust.

The two facilities, Stretford Leisure Centre and Stretford High School sports hall have been branded as the Stretford Sports Village and managed by Trafford Community Leisure Trust to allow school use during school times and public use in holidays, during evenings and at weekends.

Challenges included the difficult ground conditions that were built on, which were

dealt with by using consolidation techniques and value engineering, while concerns from the community over the scale of the development and the use of park land were overcome thanks to an extensive consultation exercise.

Stretford High’s Headteacher, James Haseldine, said: “This facility is testament to a fantastic partnership created to support community development and wellbeing. By working together we have achieved something for everyone to be proud of.”

The Sports Village will offer an affordable, unique and comprehensive mix of sport and fitness opportunities. Coaches from Sport Trafford, Manchester United Foundation and Salford City Reds will also operate from the site to deliver a range of sporting sessions for the community.

Mr Haseldine added: “The Village lays the foundations for a legacy of sport. I hope the facilities bring our community together and inspire everyone who uses them.”

Bernie Jones said: “The new facilities are fantastic and will provide the community of Stretford and the surrounding areas with great opportunities.”

The Architect for the project was Ansell & Bailey and the Main Contractor was Kier Construction. Work on the £3.4M development commenced in November 2011 and was completed in August 2012.

Mill House, 293 Palatine Road, Northenden, Manchester M22 4HH

Outside play, learning and meeting areas T: 01925 811311 www.twinfix.co.uk/canopies

Tel: 0161 902 0770 Fax: 0161 946 0395 e-mail: admin@gilbraithe.co.uk web: www.gilbraithe.co.uk

Congratulations to Kier and Trafford Council/ Leisure on the opening of Stretford Sports Hall DES is a progressive and pro-active services contractor providing quality electrical and mechanical services to a diverse range of sectors.

DES delivered the M & E installation at Stretford School & Sports Hall including the lighting, fire alarm, security, audio & visual systems, air conditioning and heating & gas installation. We are proud to have supported Kier and be associated with the project.

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Blakedown Sport & Play are proud to have installed new sports facilities at Stretford High School. Manchester United were involved in the development, with Sir Alex Ferguson offically opening the sports pitch. The top class sports facilities which Blakedown constructed included a high spec 3rd Generation rugby and football pitch built to IRB standards and a natural sports pitch, which was all built within an existing park and completed with paths and landscaping.

Blakedown Sport & Play have been established for over 40 years and are an approved Sport England contractor for all artificial sports facilities, so are committed to providing top quality installations. As an industry leader, offer excellent customer service to both existing and new clients, whilst continuing to providing a comprehensive range of quality artificial surfaces and products.

With dedicated contract managers and in-house site operatives covering the UK, ensures projects are seen through from concept to completion.

Other Prestigious Projects include: FIFA 2* 3G pitch at Accrington & Rossendale College, Global FIH pitch at Southgate Hockey Club, QE2 Athletics Track opened by Seb Coe, Loughborough University and Goals Soccer Centres.

The company is ISO 9001:2000 accredited, Constructionline registered, Sinclair accredited contractor and is a member of the BALI and SAPCA, to name but a few. With a reputation for quality within the industry, Blakedown enjoys long-standing relationships with local authorities, schools, consultants, architects, sports clubs and private ventures.

53

UKC profile

Wold Construction Ltd Responding rapidly and effectively to customer needs This civil engineering, construction and building company has been trading since 1991 and in that time has prided itself on delivering high quality construction and building projects on time, within cost, and with an excellent health and safety record.

Founded by Paul Woolfitt and Jonathon Woolfitt, Wold Construction is based in Beverley, operating mainly in the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire areas, but also providing work on projects throughout the whole of the UK. Projects vary from building to civil engineering, throughout the private, commercial and the public sectors, with contract values ranging from ÂŁ2,000 to more

54

than ÂŁ4.5M. Aimed at all these sectors, the Company ensures that its 25 members of staff are trained to the highest standards and are employed with a varying range of qualifications, giving opportunities to all.

All staff are experienced and qualified at all levels in the building and construction industry, and are flexible enough to delivery any type of project, whether it be a design and build or professional contract.

All services are conducted in a highly professional manner, with the Company working closely with clients to meet their every need. Wold Construction forms a friendly relationship with all clients in order

to deliver projects quickly and cost effectively without compromising quality or health and safety.

As well as having CHAS accreditation, the Company is a member of The Federation of Master Builders and The Humberside Occupational Health & Safety Group.

Since establishment more than 20 years ago, a large range of contracts have been completed, including work in highways, sewers, demolition, housing, factories and offices, sea defences, flood defences, play parks, skate parks, bridges, urban renewal, schools, reinforced concrete structures, earthworks, restaurants, wharfs, wind turbines, piling and block paving. >

No long term contract

0800 169 2489 www.livetrak.co.uk

Megaplant Ltd PLANT HIRE • PLANT SALES PLANT REPAIRS • PLANT TRANSPORT Megaplant is pleased to be a supplier of Contractor’s plant to Wold Construction and wish them continued success in the future

01482 323800

Wyke Street, Hedon Road, Hull HU9 1PA

Topsoil • Sand • Gravel • Hardcore • Limestone Tipping Facilities

Humberside Aggregates Limited are a well established, privately owned company.

Newport Road Quarry This is an active Sand and Gravel extraction and processing facility located 20 Km west of Hull in North Cave.

Humberside Aggregates Limited North Cave Quarry, Crosslands Lane, North Cave, Brough, East Yorkshire HU15 2PG Tel: 01430 421503 Fax: 01430 421116 E-mail: enquiries@haggs.com www.humberside-aggregates.com

www.ramcrete.co.uk

Ramcrete Pumping Services Ltd who supplied Wold Construction with trailer pumps and spray equipment 55

The Company is currently working on the renovation of Livingstone Skatepark.

Awarded because of its reputation from working on past contracts, Wold Construction is working to bring the existing famous park up to present day standards.

It is the only full pipe design park in the UK. Work has included the demolition of a remote control car track and the installation of three metre deep drainage, while excavation work on skate bowls has also been undertaken.

West Lothian Council awarded the contract to ensure development of this facility, which will also include an extension to include further bowl and street features.

Originally built in the early 1980s by the Livingston Development Corporation, Livingston Skatepark has long been recognised as one of the key facilities of its kind in Scotland and renowned throughout the UK and Europe.

The investment underlines West Lothian Council’s intention to put Livingston Skatepark back on the map as one of the top skate and BMX facilities in the UK and Europe.

D&D TAYLOR

Costing ÂŁ188,000, work started on the 2,200sq m development in October 2012 and will be completed early next year.

The Company is now operating with new management, streamlining and diversifying into new specialist areas to make Wold Construction successful in a difficult financial climate.

Wold Construction Ltd, Suite A, Wold House, Annie Reed Road, Grovehill Industrial Estate, Beverley, East Yorkshire, HU17 0LF. Tel: 01482 861141.

Yorkshire Plastics & Drainage Plastic Drainage and Ducting Supplies Riverdale Business Park, Wheatley Hall Road, Doncaster, DN2 4PE Telephone: 01302 363667

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UKC leisure

Cheriton Road Sports Centre Centre of excellence for cricket and hockey with enhanced facilities

regularly completed for local authorities Work on the new sports ground, completed and businesses on sports grounds, in three phases, has provided some of the pitches, multi-use games areas and best sporting facilities of their type in the recreational areas. country to Folkestone, Shepway and the With a large selection of specialist surrounding areas. machinery, ATB Sports Solutions provide In May 2011, work started on the exciting new £7.8M development that will be a centre sports turf maintenance and sports ground construction services at golf of excellence for cricket, hockey and netball. courses, football pitches, cricket pitches, It will also promote other team sports that bowling greens, race courses, polo fields do not have suitable facilities in the area. and rugby pitches.

The project has been entirely funded by a donation from the Roger de Haan Charitable Regular and seasonal sports turf maintenance includes deep tine aeration, Trust and the land provided by Shepway hollow tine, Koro field top maker, District Council on a 125-year lease. The overseeding, sand spreading, scarifying, facility is owned and run by The Cheriton sports turf installation and top dressing.

Road Sports Ground Trust, a registered As well as the outdoor pitches, the charity made up of volunteers from local development comprises of a new sports hall sports clubs. with a first class indoor cricket hall with six There is one national standard hockey cricket lanes and nets, a games court Astroturf pitch, two cricket pitches, one of marked up for indoor hockey, indoor which is county standard and the other is netball, indoor football and basketball, and club standard, a multi-use Astroturf pitch a dedicated spectator viewing gallery. for hockey, football and netball, two netball The new clubhouse is an attractive twocourts, one hockey practice area, four storey building with viewing balconies to outdoor cricket practice nets and one multieach outdoor sports area. use games area.

The ground floor has extensive changing ATB Sports Solutions was the Main rooms, lockers and bag storage areas, Contractor for the pitches on the umpire’s and visiting official’s rooms, a development and is one of the countries leading sports turf contractors.

The Company offers a full turnkey service for construction and LIMITED maintenance of Established 1984 sports turf ALL TYPES OF SCAFFOLDING covering both Sales/Hire/Erection • Large & Small Contracts natural turf and Domestic & Trade • 7 days a week • Emergency Call Out artificial surfaces.

Dock Work • Roof Structures and Temporary Roofs A highly Council Work Undertaken experienced team Covering Kent & South East London provides the best Tel: 01304 823501 Mobile: 07836 297353 Fax: 01304 829501 value solutions, at e-mail: info@cloke.biz www.cloke.biz a local and Yard: 2 Poulton Close, Dover, Kent CT17 0HL national level.

H.Q. 1 Old Park Avenue, Dover, Kent CT16 2DY Projects are

reception desk and sports shop, toilets for players and public with full disabled access, and stairs and lift to the first floor.

At first floor level, there is a large bar and relaxation area with fully catered function suite, outdoor viewing balconies for the cricket pitches and Astroturf pitches, an indoor viewing balcony for the sports hall, the scorer’s room, youth room with TV and electronic games, gym for club members and a fully equipped catering kitchen.

The Architect for the project was Guy Hollaway Architects and the Main Contractor is ISG Jackson Ltd. Work started in September 2011 and was completed in September 2012.

• Sports Pitch Renovation • Golf Course Refurbishment • Cricket Square Construction

57

UKC profile

Construction Plant Hire Association By its members, for its members The Construction Plant Hire Association membership comprises in excess of 1,500 companies, who jointly represent over 90% by turnover, of all UK Construction Plant Hire. The CPA, through its strong membership, has a powerful voice within industry and government on all matters relating to construction and the hire of plant.

Formed in 1941, the CPA offers a variety of services that assist its members with their day-to-day issues, including advice on legal matters, contractual matters, employment matters, and health and safety, as well as training. In addition, the CPA’s members can benefit from competitive insurance premiums obtained through the CPA recommended insurance brokers.

The Association tackles new legislation that may have a detrimental effect on its members. The CPA is currently focused on the Opt-Out Agreement under the Working Time Regulations and the Whole Body Vibration issue.

Successes that the Association has had recently include: RDCO – Registered Dealers in Controlled Oils, FSMA – Financial Services and Markets Act, and ADR (Carriage of Diesel) – Fuel Browsers.

Construction plant hire companies from owner operators, through tool hire shops, and up to the market-leading multi-depot organisations, hire out all types of construction equipment and plant.

These plant hire companies form the membership and are represented on various working committees. In collaboration with these companies, CPA conditions of hire have been created, together with improvements to health and safety and training.

CPA is run by its members for the benefit of the industry. CPA has its own premises in London, with a permanent staff of experienced employees.

The Association is governed by a Council of Members, who are elected from within the membership and are representative of plant hire companies of all types and sizes

58

throughout the country.

The UK plant hire industry is the best established and most professional in the world and CPA is the leading trade association for the UK industry. Members range from owner-operators with a single machine, right through to the largest in the industry, with hire fleets of thousands of machines. Together, CPA members supply over 85% of hired plant to the construction industry.

The progressive fee structure is designed to ensure that membership is good value, even for small companies.

There are huge benefits for members of the CPA, who boast a team that is experienced in the industry and areas that matter. The Association’s Chief Executive is Colin Wood.

He has over 40 years experience in the plant rental industry. Prior to joining the CPA, Colin had spent his entire career in senior positions in the crane industry, and knows the business inside out.

CPA has developed an extensive range of support services in response to members’ needs. Insurance policies have been created for the plant hire business, giving members what they need, at the right price.

Advice on legal, training and health and safety issues is available over the phone, and more detailed support is provided through the Legal Support Telephone helpline.

Personnel law, PAYE, VAT and a range of other business problems can be resolved straight away by a call to CPA’s free helpline service.

The Association has an unrivalled understanding of safety issues with operated and nonoperated plant. Best practice guides and other technical

publications help with all aspects of plant safety and operator competence issues.

This is backed up by direct access to some of the most experienced advisors in the industry and guidance produced by CPA is used by HSE Inspectors.

CPA’s subscription fees are based on the applicant’s company turnover. This progressive structure is designed to ensure that membership is good value, even for small companies who wish to use the model conditions and other CPA terms and conditions.

More information can be found by contacting CPA, 27/28 Newbury Street, Barbican, London, EC1A 7HU. Telephone 0207 796 3366. www.cpa.uk.net

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UKC housing

Newton Thorpe On track with a new housing development

Railway Housing Association has started work on an eco-friendly, affordable housing scheme at Swanland Village near Hull.

The development will see Railway’s developing partner Yuill Homes deliver 26 new sustainable homes for local residents to rent, including 16 new two-bedroom apartments, as well as ten two-bedroom bungalows.

Part-funded by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the scheme will include an innovative sedum roof, which will be planted on top of the new apartment complex – transforming a typically unused space into a microclimate for birds and insects.

Set to be planted with an array of herbs and flowers, the roof will help to improve the insulation of the building as well as reducing the surface run off of rainfall.

Situated at the Newton Thorpe Cottages site on Mill Rise, homes on the development will be built to the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 standard.

The bungalows will be installed with solar panels to provide up to 60% free hot water for the occupants to help further reduce the cost of heating bills.

Established in 1919, Railway Housing Association owns more than 1,340 affordable rented homes located within 24 local authority areas, mainly in the North East and Yorkshire/Humberside areas of England.

This wide geographic spread means one of the biggest challenges is to ensure the Association provides an equitable and fair service to all, and establish a presence within each local community.

In addition, the Association manages 73 units of leasehold accommodation for older people. The areas in which Railway Housing Association has a significant presence are Doncaster, York, Hull, Leeds, Newcastle, Durham County and Tees Valley. The core business is the provision of affordable accommodation and a management and maintenance service to residents.

Anne Rowlands, Chief Executive of Railway Housing Association said: “Our core business is to provide affordable

60

housing for the over-55s and we have done this successfully for over 90 years.

“We already own social rented homes in the East Riding of Yorkshire and with this new development we are looking forward to making a further contribution to providing much-needed affordable homes in the area.

“We are also delighted that our current residents will benefit from moving into new, high quality, energy efficient properties.”

Alexandra Ross, Partnership Manager at Yuill Homes said: “We’re delighted that construction work has started on our first affordable housing scheme in East Yorkshire. Yuill Homes has a reputation for delivering sustainable communities across the North East and we’re committed to repeating this success here in Swanland Village.

“We’re particularly looking forward to working alongside Railway Housing and their residents on such an exciting eco-friendly scheme that will integrate new sustainable techniques with traditional building methods to provide new high quality homes for residents.”

Peter Page, a resident who will be moving

into the new apartments said: “Everyone is very excited about moving into the new homes when they are built. From what we have seen from the plans they are going to be first class apartments, giving us more room and being very environmentally friendly. We can’t wait.”

The 16 two-bedroom apartments are now completed and residents are being moved into these, which will allow demolition of the old apartment block. This will then be replaced with the ten twobedroom bungalows.

The Main Contractor is Yuill Homes and the Architect is Gammond Evans Crichton. The apartments were completed in October 2012 and the bungalows will be finished in December 2013.

The total cost of the development is £3.9M, with £1.1M of this coming from HCA.

x 130 H

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Malden Roofing Contractors is a medium- sized company established for over 20 years, which has gained a solid reputation during the years of trading.

Malden specialises in many different aspects of the roofing industry, including: Green roofs - Built-up bituminous felt roofing systems - Mastic asphalt - Single ply membranes Malden prides itself on our workmanship and complement it by using only skilled tradesmen and competently trained workers. All our jobs are created and carried out to the highest specification possible and always comply with the client's requirements.

Malden Roofing are proud to have been associated with Yuill Homes on the Newton Thorpe Cottages project.

2 Platt Street, Sheffield S3 8BQ Tel: 0114 272 5399 or 0114 275 3399 Fax: 0114 276 0221 www.malden-roofing.co.uk

UKC education

Wade Deacon High School Helping to achieve world class educational outcomes The school redevelopment at Wade Deacon High School is taking shape, and the traditional topping out ceremony was held on-site back in May. The ceremony marked the highest point of the building being completed and was attended by the Main Contractor, VINCI Construction, and the site team, Halton Borough Council, Hochitef, pupils, staff and governors. The celebration of the topping out ceremony included the bedding of the last block of masonry.

Once the ÂŁ25.3M project is completed, the redevelopment will create a school for 1,500 pupils.

The contract involves partial demolition and refurbishment to the façade on the existing 1930s two-storey building and the adaptation to a new three-storey building, which will house the majority of the School.

The post-tension frame of the new building, which sits directly behind the existing School, has been completed and a waterproof membrane has been erected to the new sports facility. This will contour and construct the roof.

The frame of the new sports hall has been constructed, with cladding to three sides and all internal block work completed, while external brickwork is being constructed. The project also includes upgraded sports pitches.

Building work is continuing on the lower wing of the Birchfield Road Campus, with much of the structure of the new building now in place.

The School operates on two sites, as it has recently been federated with Fairfield School, but the rebuild project will allow the School to become a single institution on one site, completing the amalgamation of the two schools and its drive to improve standards.

Wade Deacon is

currently held in high regard in the community. The aspiration for this scheme is not only to improve on the attainment of young people, but to build on the community role the School has.

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UKC profile

British Parking Association It's important to remember that people don't park cars for the sake of it Parking is a means to an end, not an end in itself. The car park is the gateway to the retail centre, the hospital, the university, the commercial office, and so on, and it’s where your customers and visitors gain a first impression of the kind of organisation you are. It is also their last impression when they depart. If their experience of your parking operation – be they customers, clients or employees – is not a good one, their opinion of you will reflect that.

There are, broadly, two different types of parking – public parking, which takes place on the public road and in car parks run by the local authorities, and public or private parking, which takes place on private land.

Parking on the public road network is regulated by law, whereas parking on private land is unregulated but can be subject to a range of apparently unrelated laws in many situations As of 1st October 2012, parking operators who manage parking enforcement on behalf of landowners may not clamp or tow a vehicle without lawful authority.

When parking on private land is required to be controlled and regulated there are two primary areas of law that are involved: Where parking is allowed and vehicles are invited on to the land this is covered by the law of contract.

Where vehicles are not permitted on land then usually a trespass occurs in England and Wales.

Remember that private land includes not only office and factory premises, for example, but also many retail centres, supermarkets, railway stations, business parks, hospitals, universities, leisure centres, housing estates, residential property including individual homeowners land – the list goes on.

Landowners and their contractors or agents

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are permitted to undertake enforcement action, which before 1st October 2012 commonly involved wheel clamping and vehicle removal, but after legislation to ban these activities, in England and Wales it now means the issue of parking charge notices is probably the only viable form of enforcement in these cases.

In managing parking schemes on private land, operators are generally acting within parameters of two separate contracts – firstly a contract with a landlord (assuming that the landowner is not directly undertaking the management of the parking scheme and has employed someone else to do this), to manage and operate the parking scheme on their behalf and secondly, a contract with a motorist to provide facilities to park in a car park. These two contracts set out the authority for an operator to act in a particular way, so it is important that each contract is clear and legal.

It is well understood that a contract is a legally binding agreement between two or more parties. Contracts do not need to be written down; they can be made by the spoken word, in writing or by a combination of both. Where public parking takes place on private land the parking operator is normally the ‘offeror’ of the contract and the driver is the ‘offeree’. The ‘offeror’ is providing parking and related services. The offer is accepted by the driver of the vehicle – the ‘offeree’ – when they enter on to the land.

So for example, in a public parking place provided on private land, there would usually be a notice or information sign at the entrance. This should indicates that it is private land but that public parking is permitted, subject to certain terms and conditions such as a time limit or for a fee, or, a combination, or other such reasonable

terms and conditions. When a driver enters the car park, having read the signs and proceeds to leave a vehicle in a parking place, they are deemed to have accepted the offer. They may be in breach of contract if they do not comply with all the terms and conditions.

Approved Operator Scheme (AOS) companies who wish to become a member of the BPA and who undertake any kind of parking management on private land must join the AOS; otherwise, membership of the BPA is not possible. The AOS is intended for those companies and businesses that operate parking enforcement services on private land and unregulated public car parks. Operators may conduct a range of services in this sector, including, but not limited to, ticketing, or services such as back office functions, data management and debt recovery. Landowners and businesses, especially those that provide public parking, are encouraged to employ only companies that are members of the BPA’s AOS to manage their parking. This ensures high standards, plus fair and reasonable enforcement, and should mitigate the number of complaints of poor parking management.

In 2006 the BPA introduced its Code of Practice for vehicle immobilisation; in 2007 this was followed by a Code of Practice for the use of private parking tickets issued directly to the vehicle or the driver or through the post as a result of camera enforcement. Both of these codes were superseded in 2009 by the Code of Practice for the Approved Operator Scheme (see below).

In 2007 the BPA also entered into an arrangement with the DVLA to limit access to its records only to those companies that were members of an Accredited Trade

Association. This was done to ensure that vehicle keepers’ personal data was better safeguarded and only released to responsible car parking companies where it was absolutely necessary, to aid and support proper enforcement action. The DVLA will not release data to a parking company that is not a member of an ATA. In practice this means the BPA, as through its Approved Operator Scheme it is the DVLA’s first and currently only ATA in the parking sector.

AOS members are required to comply with the Code of Practice and are subject to a stringent compliance audit upon joining and then once annually. In addition, they operate a complaints and sanctions scheme and members that do not comply with the terms of the Code can have sanctions applied and are liable to have their membership suspended or terminated. There are around 160 members in the Scheme and a list of current members can be found on the BPA website at http://www.britishparking.co.uk/AOSMembers Where, for example, a business, local authority, retailer, university or a hospital contracts out parking enforcement on private land, that third party will be required to become a member of the AOS in order to gain access to DVLA vehicle keeper data.

The Protection of Freedoms Act introduced the concept of 'keeper liability' for vehicles parked on private land. However, for this,

there had to be an independent appeals service, provided by funding from the parking sector. That independent service is known as Parking on Private Land Appeals or POPLA. Car parking operators who are members of the BPA’s Approved Operator Scheme, will be bound by the decision of an independent adjudicator who will review evidence submitted by both the motorist and the operator and determine whether the charge should stand or not. Car parks managed by operators who are not members of an Accredited Trade Association will not be covered by the IAS. However, if the appeal adjudicator finds in favour of the parking operator, no early payment discounts will apply.

POPLA is free to the motorist and its decision will be binding on the operator.

However, you can only use the appeal service if you live in England or Wales, and the parking ticket was for a car parked on private land in England or Wales. This service does not cover Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Keeper liability can only apply to parking tickets issued in accordance with the Protection of Freedoms Act, Schedule 4.

This will only be possible when Schedule 4 comes into effect. It should also be noted that the driver is the person who entered into the contract, or trespasses, and is initially liable for any payments due as a result of the breach of contract or trespass.

Schedule 4 simply introduces a duty on the vehicle keeper to identify the driver, failing which the keeper becomes liable.

Parking on private land is managed under the law of contract or tort of trespass and only the driver can enter into a contract or commit the act of trespass. The Protection of Freedoms Act does not change this principle. Nor does it change the legal right to justice through the courts. Motorists will always have the right of redress through the courts and this cannot be taken away.

However, the government has insisted that the decisions of the independent appeals service must be binding on the operator.

This can be achieved through the AOS Code of Practice.

In requiring the BPA to develop an Independent Appeals Service, government placed five conditions on the service: 1) That it be free to the motorist.

2) That it must be funded by the private parking industry.

3) That it is binding on operators.

4) That it is independent and seen to be independent.

5) That it is available for all tickets issued by a member of an ATA. The British Parking Association’s website contains useful information related to different areas of parking: www.britishparking.co.uk

63

UKC education

Colchester Sixth Form College Laying the foundations for a new generation of internationally aware students This high-flying college has benefited from two projects – the development of a new stand-alone single-storey teaching block and the refurbishment of a Victorian dining hall and kitchen on the BCIF project.

Both projects were for Colchester Sixth Form College, the only sixth form college in the town, with approximately 3,500 students and staff passing through it on a daily basis.

The first project was the ‘Sister Building’, constructed to match the adjacent buildings constructed over the last ten years, and it was the final building in the longer-term development of the site.

The second project was a BCIF scheme that included the refurbishment of the dining hall and kitchen incorporating new boilers and control systems for the hot water and heating to the original three-storey Victorian block on the same site.

This was largely completed during the six week summer holidays and was successful because of the close cooperation of the client and contractor on site.

The Sister Building was officially opened in June 2012, providing a new languages centre on the north boundary of the college campus.

It was opened by the Mayor of Colchester Chris Arnold and his wife Mayoress Amanda Arnold, accompanied by Eddie Ross of the school languages department, Andy Beatty, Chairman of the Governors, and the School Principal, Ian MacNaughton.

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The completed building comprises of six new teaching rooms with associated office space, state-of-the-art teaching technology, and has been designed by Roff Marsh Partnership to match the adjacent College buildings.

The centre is the fourth major building programme to be carried out at the North Hill College since it opened 25 years ago, and during its development, particular attention was given to the archaeological interest of the area, including the requirement for shallow dig foundations and a temporary bridge over the buried remains of Roman baths.

The building is sited just behind the main Roman wall and occupies a prominent site in Colchester.

At the opening ceremony, after a short speech, the Mayor cut a ribbon sealing the doors to the new teaching accommodation, formally marking the beginning of a new chapter in the history of modern foreign language teaching at the College.

This was followed by a few words from Eddie Ross, who has been with the College since its beginning and who has lovingly preserved an example of the more primitive facilities from earlier days, in the form of the original tape recorder that he was issued on his first day!

When work on the languages centre first commenced, Ian MacNaughton explained: “The centre will be the foundation for a new

generation of internationally aware students. The timing couldn’t be more appropriate as the College’s work in this area has just been recognised by our receipt of The British Council’s prestigious International School Award.”

After the official opening ceremony, the Mayor and Mayoress took the opportunity to brush up on their Italian speaking skills alongside students from the international Baccalaureate course, before being treated to a performance from some of the College musicians.

Mr MacNaughton added: “It will provide a significant visual statement for those entering Colchester from Westway.”

All of the classrooms are equipped with new smart-boards, which are particularly helpful with interactive features that come with some language textbooks. In addition, this allows teachers to save lesson notes as pdf files and email them to students.

The Main Contractor was Gipping Construction Ltd for both projects, and both were also designed by Roff Marsh Partnership.

Work on the languages centre commenced in July 2011 and was opened in June 2012, while the BCIF development started in July 2012 and was completed in September.

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Gipping were delighted to be appointed by Colchester Sixth Form College on these prestigious projects involving the construction of a new stand-alone single storey teaching block, the ‘Sister Building’ and refurbishment of the Victorian dining hall and kitchen on the ‘BCIF project’.

Aerial view Sister Building

BCIF Project external elevation

Refurbishment external elevation

Sister Building

Internal Sister Building

Gipping Construction Ltd, Lower Street, Baylham, Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 8JP Tel: 01473 834070 Fax: 01473 834008 Email: mail@gippingconstruction.co.uk

www.gippingconstruction.co.uk 65

UKC commercial

Kingsway Business Park New and emerging community Homes, shops, a hotel and offices form this multi-million pound transformation for Kingsway Business Park in Rochdale.

Fronting the canal, the latest phase of work has seen the development of 168 new one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom homes.

Located on Sir Isaac Newton Way, there are 11 different house types in the development that created approximately 200 new jobs during construction.

The Winton is a superb two-bedroom traditional style home. The ground floor accommodation comprises a downstairs cloakroom, fitted kitchen with feature double doors leading onto the hall into a spacious living room, dining area, and French doors leading out to the garden.

Upstairs, there are two bedrooms and a family bathroom.

A stylish three-bedroom home ideal for every lifestyle, the Archford has a ground floor with a bright and airy kitchen/dining room with French doors to the garden.

There is also a spacious separate living room with a bay window and a downstairs cloakroom. The first floor benefits from a master bedroom with its own private ensuite, while there are two further bedrooms and a family bathroom.

One of the two four-bedroom properties is the Irving, which has a master bedroom complete with a fitted wardrobe and luxury ensuite.

This attractive detached home also features a large kitchen/family/dining room with separate utility and the choice of a fourth bedroom or study, making it perfect for flexible family living with style.

The housing at Kingsway is part of a new and emerging community, with a development of green open spaces, and a range of quality home designs.

It is close to Rochdale’s many local shops and a short distance from Manchester.

Kingsway has been developed with sensitivity to the environment. Set in an attractive, naturally rolling landscape, the area includes new created woodlands and walkways.

The setting is perfect to showcase houses in Rochdale, built by a five-star rated Main Contractor in David Wilson Homes.

Designed by DLA Architecture, the housing

is now completed, with families already moved into some properties.

The scheme is part of a major investment in the local area, providing new homes and new business. The village has 60,000sq ft of office space, with five units. The village will also incorporate a convenience store, four small shops, a budget hotel, a pub/restaurant as well as childcare facilities.

The overall business park will create thousands of jobs, all of which will be easily accessible to the people of Rochdale given the location of the park.

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preparation for clients and new home owners alike. It is a pleasure to work with and provide quality alongside David Wilson Homes and many more.

UKC profile

Government schemes turn green

By Leonie Onslow, Executive Director, British Urethane Foam Contractors Association Energy saving reductions across Europe could save e50Bn following approval of the Energy Efficiency Directive by the European Parliament in September 2012.

This requires member states to cut energy consumption by 20% by the end of the decade with individual countries having to comply in 2014. As well as aiding security of energy supply and environmental goals, the Directive should boost the economy and help create jobs.

It is unclear as to how the Directive will

affect policy in the UK, as there is much legislation already in place. The latest government scheme, the Green Deal, commenced in October 2012, with the first jobs to be carried out in the first part of 2013. The scheme provides householders and businesses with the funding for insulation and renewable measures, eliminating the financial barrier to carrying out the work. The scheme works by repaying the loan out of the savings achieved following the installation. Repayments are

made via the energy bills which are passed on to subsequent owners.

Where housing is occupied by those with low incomes who may not heat their homes adequately, a parallel scheme, the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), is used to provide the funding to pay for insulation and/or renewable measures. It may also be used to finance insulation measures in hard to treat properties which might not meet the golden rule, i.e. financed out of continued page 70 >

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Green Deal, Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Flood Risk Given the concentrations of Hard-To-Treat/Non-Standard Cavity Homes in some of the most deprived areas appropriate and relevant recognition of energy efficient Non-Standard Cavity insulation measures now contained within the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation will improve the housing conditions of a great many of our most vulnerable residents and help address the combined agendas of health inequalities, fuel poverty and carbon saving, and reduce the risk to homes from severe wind driven rain exposure conditions and flooding.

5.2m homes in England alone are at risk of flooding. For many people, flooding is a fact of life.

However, the practical steps to reduce the impact of flooding starts with being better informed and using the information currently available. When carrying out an energy survey it is essential that a flood risk assessment is carried out of the property to be treated.

The advice given by the Association of British Insurance (ABI) in 2001 and in the report* published jointly by DEFRA, DCLG and the Environment Agency, and in the Pitt Review following the 2007 floods should be strictly followed if homeowners are to avoid the major remedial works and high costs associated with drying out, removal and replacement of incorrectly specified measures in flooded homes.

Technitherm速 structural stabilization and flood resilient PUR thermal insulation has been proven in use for over 25 years to be the most economical, efficient and practical flood resilient solution for many of the properties designated as being Hard-To-Treat or having Non-Standard Cavities.

Technitherm速 provides an opportunity to insulate properties in flood risk areas as well as acting as mitigating risk and cost to the public and private sector purse as local authorities under their carbon and environmental plans take a co-ordinated approach with partner organisations such as the Environment Agency.

Stuart Pye Housing Support and Customer Services Manager said, "The housing stock in Blackburn with Darwen has thousands of hard to treat homes that without Technitherm速 we would not be able to tackle economically. The use of Technitherm速 all-in-one system solution has helped Blackburn with Darwen to develop sustainable refurbishment solutions for poorly performing, difficult to treat privately owned properties. It has done this by providing fabric insulation, draught proofing, increased the life span of the fabric of the building together with improved thermal performance to substantially reduce energy demand and wastage through the building fabric. This has resulted not only in consequent significant financial cost benefits to the residents but, in addition, the solution also provides high resistance to wind driven rain penetration overcoming damp problems associated with these properties thereby improving the health and wellbeing of the residents of Blackburn with Darwen."

For further information e-mail marketing@isothane.com or visit www.isothane.com *DEFRA, DCLG and the Environment Agency (Improving the flood performance of new buildings.)

Technitherm® Hard-To-Treat/Non-Standard Cavity Wall Insulation 25 Years Proven in Use Protecting UK Homes THE ONLY WHOLE HOUSE BBA APPROVED TREATMENT FOR CAVITY WALL STRUCTURAL STABILISATION AND INSULATION

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There are still millions of houses that have not been treated with standard insulation measures because of their age and construction type, and many are currently incorrectly classified as being hard-to-treat solid walls but are in fact Hard-To-treat/Non-Standard Cavity properties.

Hard-To-treat/Non-Standard Cavities include: • • • • • •

Random stone and coursed stone properties with variable width cavities Narrow, sub 50mm cavities Standard cavities with structural problems caused by missing, defective, or corroded wall-ties Properties without damp proof courses Properties subjected to severe wind driven rain exposure conditions Properties in flood risk areas

Homes with the above cavities should not be insulated with standard measures but can be treated with Technitherm® structural stabilisation and flood resilient PUR injected in-situ insulation.

The Result: • Local Authorities and Housing Associations have a cost effective method of insulating their housing stock, suitable for a wide variety of housing types.

• Since all drilling takes place through the mortar joints, the aesthetics of the properties are maintained, with no adverse effect on appearance.

• Tenants are now benefiting from warmer, more comfortable homes and lower fuel bills, particularly in high exposure areas of the country.

• The lifetime of the properties is extended.

• All installations are covered by a 25 year independent insurance-backed warranty.

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the ongoing savings. The ECO subsidy will be integrated within the Green Deal framework as one package.

One method of insulating a building is by utilising spray-applied or injected polyurethane foam. The polyurethane twocomponent liquid system produces a highly efficient blanket of insulation with an exceptional thermal conductivity figure. It is a versatile material which can be applied to many differing applications and includes roofs, walls, ceilings, voids, agricultural buildings, and warehouses. It can be applied to most building substrates and provides an effective, seamless barrier of insulation.

In roofing applications foam can be sprayapplied directly to the underside of tiles to bond them to the structure or to supporting timbers, providing additional stability to the roof, as well as preventing heat loss. When insulation is installed at rafter level the loft area is kept warmer and condensation build up is prevented. The foam can be sprayapplied in any thickness to suit the thermal requirements of the building. Roofs being insulated with polyurethane foam should first be surveyed to check that they are sound, with any faults being resolved prior to installation.

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In cases of nail fatigue, the insulant can be applied to bond the tiles in place, providing structural integrity with more resistance to ingress of wind-driven rain, storm and impact damage. This is normally a much less costly process in comparison to re-roofing.

Polyurethane foam can be economically applied to the underside of traditional residential roofs, as well as those constructed from steel, asbestos and aluminium. Systems can be applied to various depths and have K-values in the range of 0.025 to 0.028W/mK. When sprayed to a depth of 100mm the U-value of a typical roof with 100mm fibreglass at ceiling level is reduced from 0.34W/m2K to 0.16W/m2K bringing the building up to current Building Regulation requirements. This can save the equivalent of more than one tonne of CO2 per annum by reducing energy consumption.

Cavity walls can be insulated with injected polyurethane foam, which offers superior insulation values over other products. The process also provides structural stability to the wall, which is particularly important where wall-ties are failing. The material can be used in flood-plain areas, providing an additional barrier.

Walls and lofts provide the most potential for achieving energy savings, but the process can be used on other building substrates and in voids, which are often impossible to insulate with alternative materials.

The properties of polyurethane foams provide a highly efficient blanket of insulation, with a thermal conductivity approximately twice as efficient as mineral fibre. Its closed-cell nature renders it very resistant to moisture ingress, and grades are available which achieve both Class 1 and Class 0 fire ratings when tested to BS 476 Part 7 and 6 respectively.

Polyurethane foam systems can be used to prevent the transmission of sound due to its monolithic sealing properties. Application to the building substrate can reduce airborne sound penetration. It is also ideal for soundproofing interior walls and floors and around plumbing stacks to reduce the sound of water rush. Filling voids can also prevent habitation by rodents.

In new build applications properties must comply with the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH), which are awarded a star rating from one to six. Spray applied or injected foam is able to achieve U-values and air permeability to meet the energy

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performance requirements of the Code for Sustainable Homes. As an example, to achieve Level 3, a home will need to be 24% more energy efficient compared to Part L 2006; Level 4 requires 44%; and Level 5/6 – zero carbon. As an added incentive or marketing tool, zero carbon homes may be entitled to no, or reduced, stamp duty on their sale.

The agricultural industry is very dependent upon good insulation, particularly within root crop stores and livestock buildings. The application of spray-applied foam to roofs or walls results in a very good U-value, achieving significant savings on the energy bill, helping prevent condensation, and by installing directly to the surface of the roof or wall cladding voids can be eliminated preventing rodents from nesting or breeding. Buildings can be completely sealed, which is important for gassing and fogging.

When advising commercial building owners, larger organisations have to declare their carbon emissions and subsequently purchase allowances, where required, in accordance with the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC). This scheme directly incentivises building owners to meet their carbon trading commitments. By insulating commercial premises, more funding can be ploughed back in to the business.

The British Urethane Foam Contractors Association (BUFCA) is the national trade association representing the spray-applied and injected polyurethane foam industry. It

aims to promote high standards amongst its members with installers having to conform to the Code of Professional Practice, which aims to further good technical and professional practice and encourages sound relationships between members and their customers.

Thus, when appointing an installer, member specifiers can be assured of the highest standards of quality and service. A 25-year insurance-backed guarantee may be obtained for both domestic and contract work undertaken by members using BBAapproved products.

It is recommended that architects, builders, contractors, developers, and other specifiers form partnerships with BUFCA installers in order to offer sprayed or injected polyurethane foam to householders, local authorities, housing associations, businesses, and other customers. This can be helpful when carrying out grant/incentive scheme works on an ongoing basis.

In areas where energy efficiency improvements are taking place the local economies can be boosted as householders may have an increased disposable income as a result of savings on their energy bills, with local job creation resulting from energy efficiency installation. In theory, hospital admissions can be reduced, as housing is warmer and less draughty following insulation, with less burden on the National Health Service.

A series of technical datasheets are freely available on the Association’s website to

help specifiers meet current Building Regulations and the Code for Sustainable Homes at www.bufca.co.uk, with recommended depths of insulation for various building applications. These provide guides to ascertain U-value calculations, construction detailing and dew point analysis, etc. However, actual calculations must be carried out on an individual basis.

Further information or a brochure and list of members is available from the British Urethane Foam Contractors Association, based at The Bothy, Albury Park, Surrey GU5 9BH; or Tel: 01483 209666; Fax: 01483 202646; E-mail: info@bufca.co.uk.

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UKC comment

The Tile Association launches Christmas Charity Appeal The Tile Association has launched its Christmas Charity Appeal in support of the Children Today charity with the aim of helping to give Tom the best Christmas present ever.

Like any three year old, he loves the sparkling lights of Christmas, but, for Tom, flashing lights are not just a seasonal decoration, they are essential to this little boy's development every single day of the year.

Tom has a rare condition resulting in a lack of connection between the right and left sides of his brain. The only way to address this is to bombard him with sensory experiences that stimulate the nerves to try to communicate and therefore build connections.

However, the only time Tom sees a sensory room is when he has a hospital appointment, two hours away from where the family live. When Tom sees the bubble tubes and colours his face lights up and he crawls towards them, reaches out and touches them so he can feel the vibrations.

He loves playing peekaboo through them and it's amazing to watch him being so animated and full of fun.

But every now and again is not enough to stimulate the brain development Tom requires. He needs a sensory area at home to experience every single day and Tom's mum has asked Children Today for help to provide this, saying: "It's not just a bubble tube and flashing lights, it's a key to unlocking Tom's potential."

Commenting on the launch of the TTA Christmas Charity Appeal PR & Marketing Coordinator Les Rolt said: “The Tile Association has proudly supported Children Today with fundraising at The Tile Association Awards dinner, and now we have the opportunity not only to make this Christmas memorable for Tom, but to make a lasting positive impact on his life. I would

encourage you to donate whatever you can to support his cause, and if you can’t afford to donate then spread the word.”

Donating to The Tile Association Christmas Charity Appeal is easy, simply visit www.justgiving.com/tiles. By doing so you will make a huge difference to Tom and

children like him. If you want to find out more or need balloons or collecting boxes to support your fundraising plans then please contact Emma Fawcett on 07912 308576 or emma@childrentoday.org.uk Thank you for your support.

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UKC profile

FM Conway Strength in civil engineering With more than 50 years of experience, FM Conway delivers the infrastructure services to support, develop and maintain the UK’s vital transport networks, built environment and open spaces.

Working on behalf of both communities and businesses, the Company has developed a self-delivery model that combines in-house consultancy expertise with front line operational excellence.

From initial inspection through to design, delivery, refurbishment works and ongoing maintenance, this approach enables FM Conway to supply all services required to keep the nation’s infrastructure and open spaces operating effectively and efficiently.

The Company has worked extensively with many local authorities and commercial organisations to provide integrated and cost effective sustainable solutions. Renowned for the flexible and creative approach and excellent customer service, FM Conway work collaboratively with its customers to become a valuable project partner.

Its origins began in 1961 when company

founder, Francis (Frank) Michael Conway, came home without his car and with a lorry instead. The foundations of FM Conway were literally laid that year.

Frank built FM Conway from that day on and after reaching an impressive £380,000 turnover, decided it was time to retire.

His son, Michael Conway, took over, setting in place his visions of where he wanted to take the Company and increasing turnover to £1M in just four years.

Michael’s commitment is at the heart of the Company’s core values, which define FM Conway and guide all actions and decisions.

These values are: - Care: By caring, developing, encouraging and empowering its people, FM Conway supports its customers and communities in achieving their goals, within a safe working and living environment.

- Integrity: FM Conway treat people customers and the communities that it lives and works in with the respect and integrity they deserve. An open and honest relationship is key to all success.

- Innovation: A huge passion is to always search for the best possible solution for all parties and partners. With a proven track record in innovation, the Company continues to research, develop and invest in new products and solutions.

- Excellence: Excellent people, delivering excellent work and service are the fundamentals to making FM Conway a successful company.

The Company made a great start to this year, winning four new civil engineering contracts worth £6.5M on behalf of Transport for London, Kent County Council, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and Land Securities.

In London, FM Conway has been awarded a £3.5M contract by TfL to complete the second phase of the East London Transit (ELT) project. The project will deliver road improvements necessary to expand the ELT bus transit system to incorporate new housing developments situated along the route.

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frequent and reliable journeys and links to the wider transport network, including Network Rail, London Underground, Crossrail and other local bus services.

There are two phases of ELT. The first is now completed and services are running from Ilford to Dagenham Dock station via Barking town centre.

Phase II, from Barking town centre to the Barking Riverside development, will deliver dedicated bus lanes in selected areas to improve journey times, reduce congestion by removing parking and loading from traffic lanes, better footways, as well as a treelined avenue along River Road.

Using asphalt materials supplied by FM Conway’s new asphalt plant in Erith, the ELT project will see civil engineering works undertaken to improve residents’ access to community services, employment, education facilities and town centres.

In order to ensure that River Road remains open for traffic, all lane closures will be conducted overnight. Works commenced in February and will take 60 weeks to complete.

In Kent, FM Conway won a contract to complete hard and soft landscaping works to Churchfield Wharf in the Church Marshes Country Park.

Based near Sittingbourne, the three-month project saw FM Conway complete site clearance and earth moving works as well as the hard and soft landscaping, and all work was completed in May 2012.

The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham has awarded FM Conway a £2.15M contract to conduct civil engineering improvement works to the Borough’s iconic Shepherd’s Bush Common in the heart of Shepherd’s Bush town centre.

Landscaping works have now commenced, which include the installation of new kerbs, paths and cycle lanes, as well as improvements to CCTV and lighting systems to improve security.

FM Conway has also been awarded a contract worth £800,000 from Land Securities, the UK’s largest commercial property company, to deliver works on a project to construct up to 1,000 new homes to be built on the former Kodak site in Harrow, Middlesex.

The Company will provide construction of new access routes, junction improvements, traffic calming and facilities for cyclists and pedestrians under Section 278 of the Highways Act 1980.

Commenting on the Company’s strong start to 2012, Brian Morris, Civil Engineering Director for FM Conway, said: “In the current economic climate, procuring these four contracts has been a fantastic achievement and given the Company a real boost.

76

projects such as the Olympics development, “FM Conway is well known for delivering national stadia, ports and the motorway excellent quality of service on civil network. engineering projects and these tender wins are testament to our strength.”

Key to the success of FM Conway is the FM Conway, Conway House, Rochester commitment to providing a reliable, high Way, Dartford, Kent, DA1 3QY. quality standard of service, using innovative Tel: 0208 636 8822. approaches, and delivering cost FENCING CONTRACTORS effective and quality solutions.

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UKC profile

Association of Drainage Authorities Water level management The Association of Drainage Authorities (ADA) is the membership organisation for water level management authorities and companies in the United Kingdom, and is recognised as the national representative of Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) in England and Wales.

Members include: 120 IDBs, the Environment Agency, 13 Regional Flood & Coastal Committees (RFCCs), the Northern

Ireland Rivers Agency, local authorities, and suppliers, contractors and consultancies of the water level management industry.

Established in 1937, ADA was created to watch over and support the interests of drainage authorities at a national and parliamentary level, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and discussions, and to disseminate information of common interest.

Today, ADA is recognised as the

authoritative voice of the water level and flood risk management industry, providing definitive technical information, plus news and guidance from across the sector.

From its office in Surbiton, Surrey, ADA is run by a diverse team of highly educated and qualified professionals, working closely with ten branches across England and Wales and involving many key experts of water level and flood risk management.

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ADC GOES TIDAL ADC (East Anglia) Ltd working for the Environment Agency was approached to clear the silt bank at Denver Sluice Lock on the river Great Ouse near Downham Market.

Every 2 years or so the silt bank re-forms because of the tidal nature of the river and has to be removed.

The silt bank had formed to such a size that the boats were having extreme difficulty entering and leaving the lock, with several getting stranded on the top of the silt bank for 12 hours having to wait for the next high tide.

Environment Agency project leader, Alan Keyworth said “We are looking at solutions that will restrict the silt reaching the Lock as it comes in with the tide, to prevent the silt bank reforming in the future. Until then, we must remove the silt bank to make the river safe and navigable for the boaters. The ADC silt pusher working together with a long reach excavator is removing in the region of 1000 tons of silt and the project will take 2 weeks to complete. “ Alan continues to say “In the past we have used silt pumps and dredger boats to remove silt from the river as the distance from the bank is to great for an excavator to reach. The silt pusher enables us to cost effectively bring the silt into the bank area, making it easier for the excavator to remove from the river”.

Michael Reeve, General Operations Director for ADC said “This is a big step forward for the company and the silt pusher. Working on a fast flowing, tidal river, has given us several new obstacles, with its ever changing depth of water,

boat traffic and the nature of the very hard compacted silt bank. Working with the Dutch who use the silt pusher extensively, we manufactured and fitted buoyancy side saddles to give us more stability in the deep water”.

Michael Reeve said “We have not worked in a more relaxing location as this before. The lake set in the middle of woodland with 1000 year old oak trees and wildlife in abundance everywhere you looked”.

This project follows the £220k project for the Environment Agency at Stanmore, Middlesex.

This involved to desilting of Bentley Priory Lake for Natural England. This 20 acre lake being in the middle of a SSSI site with no movement of heavy plant allowed making the task more difficult and ADC (East Anglia) Ltd was pleased to be the chosen company by Natural England to complete these high profile works.

Colin Street for the Environment Agency, who over saw the works stated “This project proved very difficult to deliver and was in a very sensitive area. The working restraints on the contractor were huge”.

The silt pusher was used to move the silt and sediment from the bottom of the lake to an appropriate are where we had slurry/chopper pumps removing it. Through a series on in line 6” pumps, the silt/slurry was pumped 400m across woodland and wet pastures to an area outside of the SSSI. The silt/slurry was processed using the ADC dewatering system and the clean water was returned to the lake using another series of 6” pumps.

Michael Reeve said “The use of multiple in line pumps to move water and materials over long distances is something we have used for many years. It enables us to complete difficult tasks such as this with minimum disruption/disturbance to the environment”.

Within one week of completion, on inspection by us and the client, the working area had returned to its natural pre works state.

For more information about this type of project or other information, please contact us at www.adceastanglia.co.uk.

With such a high level of responsibility for its members and the industry as a whole, ADA provides the following services: • Response to government legislation and consultations – for example, responding to the consultation on and the implementation of the Flood and Water Management Act. • Gathering and presenting industry reports – for example, on how to form a new IDB, risk management plans, and the importance of water level management to UK communities, infrastructure, farming and other businesses.

• Providing technical support – for example, giving specific guidance as to how members should carry out certain tasks.

• Organising conferences, workshops and demonstrations – ADA holds an annual conference, local authority seminar and a working demonstration for water level management equipment and plant hire, and many other workshops, such as for climate change risk adaptation, and the eel regulations workshop.

• Links with European water level managers – ADA is a founding member of the European Union of Water Management Associations (EUWMA), established in 1996. At present, organisations from Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom are members of EUWMA. Each year, EUWMA members meet to discuss European legislation, regional and local water management issues within the member states.

The increasing support for ADA from its members has enabled ADA to promote and fulfil the needs of the water level management industry. This has resulted in an increase in staffing and services provided by the Association.

For instance, the Association has recently relaunched the ADA Gazette (distributed quarterly) into a respected journal that its readers consider to be the initial point of

the word ‘drought’. Clarity of such issues resource for current guidance and news is critical when interacting with the within the industry. A new feature of each general public. issue is the guest editorial piece, which is Ultimately, the biggest foe of the written by a highly respected individual Association’s members is the commenting on a particular subject of unpredictability of these weather extremes, interest. Guest editorial authors so far as the consequences of poor water level include: Caroline Spelman MP, Secretary of management can reach as far as the UK’s State for Environment, Food and Rural food security. If crops lack protection from Affairs; Lord Chris Smith, Chairman of flooding or water logging (for instance), then Environment Agency; and Chris Elkington, they cannot be harvested. Likewise, if urban retired Clerk & Chief Executive of Witham and rural areas are susceptible to flooding, First, Third and Upper Witham IDB. impacts of the weather extremes need to be The recent challenges caused by the monitored and managed correctly to reduce drought and then floods in 2012 have focussed attention on the roles associated the risk of populations losing their homes, livelihoods, or the UK its infrastructure. with water level management. Both The responsibility of ADA is essential to extremes of water level can cause the UK’s welfare and with greater support damage to infrastructure, such as power from the government, leading authorities stations and distribution networks, roads and organisations, the Association can and railways. work towards a safer and secure future With weather extremes becoming more for all of society. frequent in recent years, the need for guidance, support and action from water level management organisations and For more information, please visit authoritative bodies is at an all-time high. www.ada.org.uk or contact ADA on ADA’s dedicated team of experts meets 020 8399 7350. regularly to discuss recent topics of interest and concern in order to resolve the issues, but also to better manage their future occurrence.

A great example of how ADA’s guidance is needed was this year when there was flooding during a drought period.

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UKC profile

Waltham Forest Dramatically improving green spaces in Leyton Renamed Leyton Jubilee Park in August, this is a key project for Waltham Forest Council, to rejuvenate a semi-rural open space covering approximately 14 hectares to make it more like a park in its look and feel.

The £2M investment in the Park brings sports facilities, including natural turf football pitches. A dilapidated sports pavilion has now been rebuilt to Sport England standards, and there is a strong play theme at the Park so there are two new playgrounds, one for children up to seven years old, and the other for those between eight and 13 years old.

Entrances into the space have been improved and general landscaping improvements have also been undertaken.

As well as this, more parking facilities have been added in a sensitive but attractive way, supporting the pavilion. A new basketball court has been introduced, with the previously existing court removed to make way for this new one, which is again built to Sport England standards. It is open and free to use by the public.

Very much in keeping with Play England’s new thinking about natural play, those facilities are of a very high standard and quality, with both areas featuring mainly bespoke items.

Lots of timber products were used, including hardwearing timber, and there are many intuitive play features that are really exciting for children of all ages.

Despite being located in a densely populated area, Leyton, Jubilee Park has a uniquely rural feel to it, and has seen the planting of wildflowers to ensure it is in keeping with Lee Valley, using the same principals used when landscaping the Olympic Park.

It is different from many other developments because the community was consulted as part of the design phase

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of the project.

Because the site is next to a secondary school, an established running club, and some temporary allotments, it was important to ensure that all these groups took part in a public consultation, helping to create a space that brings them all together and reaches out to the wider community, something that has been undertaken successfully.

The Main Contractor was The Landscape Group. Work commenced in February 2012 and was completed this month, costing £2M. Part of this contract for Landscape Group is the development of Abbotts Park, which is a more traditional park situated on the other side of Leyton.

Now completed, work included refurbishment work to upgrade its sports pavilion, improvements to the public realm surrounding the pavilion and significantly, refurbishment of the tennis courts.

The pavilion was completely renovated inside, while the roof was repaired and a zinc overlay was added. The façade has been dramatically improved and is very modern in its aesthetic appearance.

A multi-functional community room can be found within the building, as well as a small kitchenette and improved toilets.

Tennis court redevelopment was undertaken in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), who also part funded the scheme.

The LTA approached Waltham Forest to upgrade these courts because they were investing in all the Olympic boroughs as part of their capital programme. They looked at issues that others may not, such as the correct run off space required and the orientation of the courts and decided refurbishment was necessary.

This resulted in a better run off space, and a rotation of 90 degrees to make best

use of the prevailing wind and sunlight to the courts.

Instead of six full size courts, there are now four full size and two mini courts.

Crucially though, the quality is much higher and a progression of training and coaching is now possible.

Children can be taught in a more appropriate environment, while there is also a pathway into adult coaching. It is now classed as a development site for tennis, which is important for further funding in the future.

The hard standing surfacing has been resurfaced and rather than covering one side of the Park as they used to, the courts are now split so there is a walkway between them, resulting in the pavilion now relating more to the open space and the courts now appearing integral to the Park, rather than a stand-alone facility.

The overall value at Abbotts Park was £500,000 and like Leyton Jubilee Park, it is now completed.

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UKC community

Porthcressa Regeneration Beachfront scheme in Cornwall Porthcressa, Isles of Scilly

Porthcressa is part of Hugh Town, the only town on the Isles of Scilly, and effectively the capital of the islands. The Scilly economy is heavily reliant on the tourism industry, which in turn depends on the quality of the urban and natural environment, the islands’ unique ecology and their distinctive identity.

It makes an important contribution to the economic, cultural and community life of the isles, but has the potential to do much more.

The building project will transform the former lifeboat station and bulb store into a library and registry office. The library was a necessary improvement, while the green and seafront gardens will be landscaped and the walkway surface improved. Other work included demolishing and rebuilding the Schiller building.

Work is continuing at pace on-site now.

February saw the continuation of the demolition works, with the Schiller shelter and library buildings both taken down and the rubble processed.

Granite from the Schiller shelter was salvaged for re-use later in the redevelopment works, while all other materials have been crushed.

Crushing of the materials at the former library site took a week to complete. It is intended that as much material as possible from the demolished buildings will be reused where appropriate.

The removal of asbestos was also completed in February, and the internal floor from the bulb store was removed and will be re-laid in front of the new library as the project progresses.

Demolition of Kate’s Garage has also taken place, with materials coming out of the site being moved to the former library and crushed along with the remainder of the rubble from the library.

82

the town hall where they will remain until Work has commenced on the excavation the project is completed. of the sea front path and the laying of May saw the continuation of subfootings for the new low walls that will structure works to the registry office, run along its length. Work will also be with the installation of block work undertaken to the front of the former drainage and concreting.

Schiller shelter to provide the increased Work to the roof of the new library footprint for the new shelter building and building commenced with the removal of Kier then set out the new shelter ready asbestos slates, removal of existing roof for commencement of construction. timbers and commencement of The removal of excavated materials was complete in the middle of March and sample construction of the concrete ring beam to support the roof structure. panels of the new surface were presented The surface of the viewing platform was for sign off that week, paving the way for completed, as well as the concrete footway concreting to start along the eastern end of in front of the Porthcressa disco. the Porthcressa sea front.

Additional drainage was installed in the area Designed by Poynton Bradbury Wynter Cole and built by Kier, final completion is so that water will return to the beach more expected in December 2012. easily than previously. Other work has seen the removal of the concrete deck at the western end of the walkway.

By the end of April, the new floor slab for the library building had been completed and birdcage scaffolding erected inside the new library around the perimeter of the building to allow the commencement of works to the roof.

Most of the foundations for the new registry office Specialists in Stainless Steel were excavated and Alloys & Steel Fabrications concreted, and the first Arc, Gas, Mig & Tig Welding layer of viewing Portable on Site Welding & Fabrication platform has also been concreted along with Plasma Cutting bays of the sea front Machining in all Materials path at the western Shotblasting. end of Porthcressa.

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UKC civil

Flooding! Is your business prepared?

Last summer was a total washout! This autumn is flowing suit! We used to look on flooding as a ‘season’ between October and March, but nowadays flooding can occur at anytime! In the last few years we have seen an increase in ‘deluge rain’, which dumps itself on localised areas, causing both misery and devastation to homes and businesses alike. With our changing climate, all this is promising to get worse!

With the ending of the statement of principles next June – a gentleman’s agreement between the insurance industry and the government the cost of flood insurance for businesses is set to rise substantially. If your business is deemed at ‘high flood risk’, you may find that insurance cover will no longer be available!

There are approximately 185,000* commercial properties at risk in England and Wales; businesses need to be sure that they are not only aware of their flood risk but how they can be better prepared in the event of a flood.

The average losses from a flood are £28,000 compared to just over a £1,000 for burglary*.

The chances are you will have an alarm fitted to protect your office. Do you have similar solutions to prevent it flooding? Do you have a ‘Flood Plan’ in place? How will you manage the clean up if you are flooded?

Taking a few steps to plan what you’d do if you were about to flood could cut down the misery that so many suffer. And furthermore cut down on vital business disruption!

Of thought and preparation before a flood, planning ahead breaks down into the following sections: 1) Find out if you are at risk of being flooded by visiting the Environment Agency’s website www.environment-agency.gov.uk.

Click on ‘flood’ and this will take you to an interactive map and will give you the level of risk your business faces from being flooded.

If you are thinking of buying/renting a business that might be at risk of being flooded, think about buying a flood report (such as Landmark Sitecheck ) They are not expensive, cover all the different types of flooding and will give you the information you need before you make what is probably the biggest investment of your life 2) If you are at risk of being flooded then it is essential that you sign up for a FREE Environment Agency Flood Warning via the Environment Agency (EA) website by registering with the EA website or by ringing 0845 988 1188. If you are not eligible for an EA warning, consider investing in our own flood alarm or telemetry system.

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3) Prepare a ‘Flood Plan’ especially for your business. Most business can save up to 90% on their cost of lost stock and moveable equipment by taking actions to prepare in advance of a flood. The priority in any flood is the safety of the people who work for you.

However, there are actions you can take to minimise the damage. Planning before a flood really does make a difference when the panic is full on!

4) Think about how you can cut down on any damage by buying flood protection products in advance. The humble and inefficient sandbags should be relegated to the last century! Most people are unaware that there are quality flood protection products on the market now that can easily be fitted. Many properties have been saved from the recent floods having used them! Always seek advice from a suitably qualified flood risk surveyor to ensure that appropriate flood protection products are fitted to protect against your particular flood risk.

5) Think about reducing the amount of damage the flood causes if it does enter the building by raising electrical sockets, electrical wiring and controls for ventilation systems. Raise equipment and machinery onto plinths and use a water resistant plaster on the walls. Your flood preparation does not have to be a costly exercise.

6) Make sure all data is stored securely, back up off-site and make sure your insurance policy is secure and in an accessible place. (All this information can be detailed in your flood plan) One final word of warning – just because your business is not near a river or the sea don’t dismiss this and think it won’t happen to you! Over half of last summer’s insurance claims were from surface water flooding. Reports from Yorkshire have told of properties on a hill being flooded from water cascading down. In my book everyone is at risk of being flooded. Being aware and being prepared can reduce the misery and financial loss caused!

For further information visit www.environmentagency.gov.uk

/business/topics/flooding/32362.aspx www.knowyourfloodrisk.co.uk www.thefpa.org.uk The Flood Protection Association has an interactive website. You can click on the commercial building and will be signposted to appropriate flood protection from trusted members.

Mary Dhonau Mary has been flooded herself on many occasions and has extensive experience in supporting and advising the victims of flooding during their recovery. She has championed promotion of individual flood protection and resilience and is a passionate advocate of empowering communities to recognise and take responsibility for minimising their collective flood risk.

Mary has represented the ‘voice of the flood victim’ at government level, in the media, and at many flood risk management national conferences and is a respected figure within the flood protection industry.

Mary was awarded an OBE in 2009 for her services to the environment.

Mary is the Chair of the Flood Protection Association and the Chief Executive of the ‘Know Your Flood Risk’ campaign. Formally Mary was the Chief Executive of the National Flood Forum but now runs a small consultancy (MD Associates) specialising in community engagement and was recently contracted to the Environment Agency, working with communities in the Midlands.

Mary is also a member of the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee for the Anglian Northern area * Environment Agency figures

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UKC education

Frome Community College looks to the Futures July 2012 saw the Right Honourable Vince Cable MP and David Heath CBE MP open the Frome Futures Building.

This landmark building houses study facilities, ICT suites, advice centres, recreation facilities and a range of work areas for academic and vocational study, all in landscaped grounds. This means Frome Community College can offer an even broader range of courses and better facilities to the young people of Frome.

Wendy Missions, Principal at Frome Community College said: “The staff and students were delighted that Vince Cable and David Heath could join us to open the extension “The Futures Centre is a multi-million pound initiative and a key development for post-16 education in this area.

“It will extend the range of courses we can offer in both traditional A-levels and more vocational courses such as BTECs, as well as providing state-of-the-art ICT and study facilities.

“Our sixth form has grown in recent years and is under pressure to grow further. With young people now staying in education until

the mass of the building down into a more they are 17 years old, we wanted to ensure human scale. The scheme also aims to we could offer first-class courses which minimise the environmental impact of the would help all of them into university, development with the use of natural stone and training or work. mixed mode ventilation, LED lighting and “The investment that has been made here is ground/air source heat pumps. a sign of confidence in the work we do, and The Main Contractor on the project was a real boost for education and training in Halsall Construction and the design was Frome and the surrounding area.” provided by NVB Architects.

The building has been located to the south west edge of the site, therefore maintaining a clear and close Contract Carpentry proximity to the To The Construction Industry remainder of the Building Refurbishments College. An entrance courtyard has been Construction Interiors Leading Edge Carpentry provided to the south west corner of the site Tel: 07801 398442 01225 341454 which it is intended to Network House, give a pleasant and attractive entrance to 9 River Street Place, the building.

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85

UKC leisure

Westgate Centre A progressive and sustainable mixed-use scheme Conveniently located within Aldershot town centre, close to numerous public transport facilities, Westgate Centre is a major regeneration scheme with an 86,512sq ft foodstore, seven screen cinema, restaurants and 91-bed hotel around a new piazza that is over a decked, 500-space car park.

It is only a three minute walk between Westgate and the retail core of the town centre, via the pedestrian Upper Union Street.

Family restaurants will provide a range of food choices throughout the day and evening, while each restaurant will have its own outdoor seating within an attractively landscaped piazza.

The hotel will provide additional accommodation for visitors to Aldershot and the state-of-the-art cinema, opened at the end of October, will show the latest blockbuster films.

The foodstore, a Morrisons, will improve customer choice and enhance the range and quality of convenience shopping in Aldershot town centre, and is complete with a petrol filling station.

It will be linked by a travelator and lift system to provide easy pedestrian and shopping trolley access directly from the car park.

The variety of day and evening uses will ensure Westgate attracts additional visitors to the town centre. Westgate will boost the local economy by retaining retail and leisure expenditure within Aldershot, which used to be spent elsewhere.

The cinema, Morrisons and all restaurants can be accessed from the central piazza,

development and water saving devices are with pedestrian access located on Barrack incorporated where practicable to do so.

Road and Alexandra Road. The piazza offers The car wash within the filling station al fresco dining and public seating in a recycles water. continental town square atmosphere. It is a The tenants within Westgate, as well as wonderful place to meet, relax and enjoy Morrisons, include Cineworld, the some great hospitality.

Travelodge hotel, Pizza Express, Nando’s, Accessible from Wellington Avenue, the car Frankie & Benny’s, Subway, Toby Carvery, park provides more than 500 spaces and Harvester and Real China. offers well-lit, safe and secure parking The Architect for the project is Mountford facilities with generously sized spaces Pigott and the Main Contractor is McLaren incorporating designated disabled and Construction. Some of the facilities are now parent and toddler parking, as well as a open, with the Cineworld and Travelodge CCTV system. both opening at the end of October 2012.

The scheme has embraced energy The restaurants are being fitted out and the efficiency with 10% of the energy being whole development is expected to open provided from renewable or low carbon sources. The Westgate development aims to before Christmas. minimise waste and encourage recycling.

Cycle storage facilities have been provided and an area of planted green roof has been incorporated to promote biodiversity, habitat enrichment, rainwater retention and also to reduce the urban heat island effect.

Extensive tree planting and Asphalt surfacing for large or small main landscaping has been provided in and contractors as well as working directly for Local around the Authorities, Government and Educational and

Leisure facilities Road Sweeper hire for Swindon and local areas Gibbs Surfacing Limited 21 Turnpike Road, Blunsdon, Swindon, Wiltshire SN26 7EA Fit out in the commercial / retail and residential sectors having successfully completed the Westgate Development

2, Bringewood Forge, Tanners Drive, Blakelands, Milton Keynes, MK14 5BP

T 0207 8711 330 F 0207 8711 329 E info@bayanix.co.uk

www.bayanix.co.uk 86

Tel: 01793 524692 Fax: 01793 487171 Email: info@gibbssurfacing.com Web: www. gibbssurfacing.com

UKC commercial

Andrew Page Ltd Part of the Markham Vale Business Centre Leading car parts distributor Andrew Page Ltd has set up its new national distribution centre at Markham Vale, which was developed with partner, Henry Boot Developments Ltd. Located in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, the centre is 100,000sq ft and Andrew Page has agreed a 15-year leasehold deal to locate its brand new distribution centre at Markham Vale.

Leeds based Andrew Page employs more than 1,600 people and distributes car components, workshop equipment and tools.

The Company has been delivering car parts and garage equipment to the motor industry for more than 90 years.

Throughout this period of time, Andrew Page has gained huge experience and as one of the UK’s largest distributors of quality vehicle components, tools and diagnostics, the aim is to ensure customers have complete satisfaction from the full service provided.

With 93 branches and rapidly expanding, Andrew Page remains to this day one of the UK’s most successful motor parts companies.

The Company has rapidly expanded since the turn of the century, with the creation of the AP-Tech division in 2000 – dedicated to fulfilling customer’s tools, workshop equipment and training requirements.

AP-Tech now employs four sales advisors, three full-time technical representatives and a service engineer, responsible for equipment demonstrations, warranty and customer support.

The Andrew Page training programme, Auto Education, was established in 2003. By acknowledging the need for training within the industry, Auto Education now consists of more than 25 courses to improve and advance technician skills.

The latter part of 2009 saw the launch of the updated Auto Education website, where garage technicians can now view all up and coming courses and book securely online.

During March 2010, Andrew Page joined partnership with Phoenix Equity Partners, a leading UK middle-market private equity firm.

Phoenix will support the existing Andrew Page management team in continuing to develop and grow the business.

This year has also been busy for the Company. As well as the distribution centre, other branches have been opened, bringing the total number in the UK to 93.

Annual sales now exceed £120M, an extraordinary example of how business acumen and the support of loyal staff has created one of the UK’s most successful aftermarket automotive organisations in the UK. Andrew Page’s national distribution facility is the biggest to be constructed at Markham Vale to date, and has brought more than 120 new jobs to the area.

Mark Roberts, Managing Director of Andrew Page, said: “Markham Vale has excellent communication links, immediate access to the M1 motorway and is the ideal location for our national distribution facility.

“The development supports our expansion plans as a leading supplier of quality parts and we are delighted to bring 120 jobs to Derbyshire.”

Councillor Kevin Parkinson, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: “This is fantastic news for our Markham Vale regeneration scheme. A major company like Andrew Page coming to the site shows the investment we have made as the solid foundation for our long-term aim of creating 5,000 jobs.”

Designed by AJA Architects, and built by Kier, work took 20 weeks to complete.

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UKC profile

Quinn London Ltd Building an invaluable reputation of success These are exciting times for this forward thinking main contractor Quinn London Ltd, after significant contracts have recently been secured, and the coming weeks will also see the re-launch of a new look website and branding package.

Delivering a completely refreshing, full scope of construction service to its clients, Quinn London continues to outperform the market, with a 36% growth this year, up 14% from last year.

Headquartered in self-built offices located in Mill Hill, north London, the Company is also supported by strategically positioned regional offices, making it ideally situated to service clients across London and the south of England.

These new projects include the £2.1M design and build form entry expansion at Orleans Primary School for the London Borough of Richmond, while the Company has also been appointed as framework partner with Kingston University to deliver a programme of minor refurbishment works.

The Company has also been appointed to deliver a £550,000 project to design and install an MRI scanner for the Kings College Hospital.

Unlike its competitors, Quinn London has a broad business portfolio that spreads interests across the design and build and traditional construction markets, spanning public sector, residential, higher education, primary and secondary education, healthcare and commercial sectors, enabling the Company to gain exposure in a number of markets while remaining competitive.

Future opportunities for company growth are in the higher education, commercial and healthcare markets. With a solid reputation in public sector housing and primary education, Quinn London is well positioned to build upon this experience and evolve the business to strategically respond to the differing needs of these sectors.

A key statistic in the quality of the Company’s work is that 80% of its business comes from repeat custom – this is a direct result of customers experiencing an increased level of service.

Over the last decade, Quinn London has

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room facility within the desirable Barbican carefully expanded its operations, ensuring Estate of the City of London. resources are not over-leveraged. This has Success on this scheme was recognised by allowed the Company to be more being given first place in the public buildings competitive in the current market category for the Architects’ Journal Retrofit conditions, while also offering clients 2012 Awards. certainty and reliability when having work With such project success, Quinn London is undertaken by Quinn London. confident that growth predictions this year Committed to operating in the most will be exceeded, resulting in a further rise sustainable manner possible, Quinn London in turnover of more than 20%. is proud of its reputation as a totally environmentally responsible contractor.

This commitment is underpinned through Quinn London Ltd, Dome House, 8 Hartley the Company’s ISO 14001:2004 accredited Avenue, London, NW7 2HX. Tel: 0208 238 1950.

Environmental Management System.

The Company recognises how business activities have a direct impact on the environment and is committed to mitigating and offsetting these at every opportunity to guarantee communities are enhanced and environments are Comprehensive scaffold design, erection and preserved. dismantling for commercial and private clients As a result, Quinn across London.

London is heavily involved in implementing With over 50 years experience in scaffolding, Griffin sustainable offer one of London’s leading specialist scaffold initiatives to ensure services; great design, fast and efficient construction it continues to and dismantling with full site support and an deliver excellence in impeccable safety record. Everything we do is aimed sustainability.

Recent project success at providing the exceptional to our customers. includes completing 332-336 Holloway Rd, London N7 6NJ work on the award winning Golden Lane Tel : 020 7607 1651 Leisure Centre for the Corporation of London.

Mobile: 079 49875010 / 078 60305720 This £2.3M design and build comprised of a info@griffinscaffolding.co.uk two-storey swimming www.griffinscaffolding.co.uk pool centre, badminton court and a single-storey club

UKC retail

Castlegate Centre Revamp in Stockton Castlegate Shopping Centre’s £1M development of the historic market at Castle Way is quickly moving forward, and with the estimated completion of mid December 2012, shoppers will be in for a real treat at Christmas.

This existing market hall was in need of a revamp, with people keen on conversion into more retail space.

AG Lathe Shopping Centre LLP, a joint venture between the asset manager Lathe Investments and new equity partner Angelo Gordon, acquired the scheme in 2010 with the primary aim of capitalising on the strong independent market trading ethos in Stockton.

This resulted in the plan to redevelop the market hall, increasing its size from 20 stalls to 28. The retail area is being expanded from 5,000sq ft to 8,000sq ft.

Because of the direction of the redevelopment, rather than getting major high street tenants into the market, local businesses have been encouraged to get in contact if they are interested in moving premises, growing their business, or are looking for a suitable location.

It has resulted in much interest from many local businesses looking to build and be part of the trading fabric of the town, and there has been a very high degree of pre-lettings.

In addition, there has been a refurbishment on the existing multi-storey car park that has just been completed.

Lasting three years, this project has been works and how it presents itself to the public. undertaken in phases. The existing multiThis not only incorporates the market hall, storey car park had to have its pillars but also the entrance to it, so how this strengthened, while all concrete was treated entrance looks has been an important part and the whole car park was repainted, its of the process. All of this has been handled electrics renewed, as well as the car park successfully and professionally. barriers and car park lining.

Robertson Construction is the Main Contractor Every floor is now colour coded and the on the market hall, while the Main Contractor exterior of the car park is going to be for the car park development was Makers decorated, with the type of façade treatment Construction. Roar Image has been important to be used now being investigated because in the rebranding of the Centre. The there is an impressive angled wall that Work started on the market hall in April 2012 overlooks the river. and completion is due before Christmas, The aim is to get the maximum impact on though some phases that don’t effect trading this to show that there is effectively a new will continue into 2013. car park and a very user friendly car park comprising of 800 spaces, which is a major parking facility in the town.

Work on the market redevelopment is being undertaken in phases to try and minimise disruption to traders.

The main challenge within the Elite Roller Shutters and Doors are a company based in the North East redevelopment was of England and specialise in all types of commercial and industrial deciding on the final security doors, including roller shutters, fire exits and sectional design, with the layout overhead doors. of the stalls, how it We are a local company who pride ourselves on the quality of our products as well as our rapid installation times.

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UKC profile

Enterprise Plc Enterprise is the UK’s largest dedicated maintenance and frontline service provider to the public sector and utility industry.

More than 15 million people use the Company’s services, which is 25% of the UK population.

The Company has long term partnerships with local and central government, working together to ensure that people’s essential daily services are delivered efficiently and on time.

Enterprise work closely with utility companies to provide people’s homes and businesses with reliable power, gas, water and communication links every day.

For local authorities, Enterprise provide daily frontline services, with its teams repairing and maintaining essential utility infrastructure for gas, power, water and telecoms companies.

The work for central government includes property and asset maintenance, and repairs to strategic highways.

Services can be provided as a single activity or bundled into full asset management packages to achieve the best benefits in terms of value and efficiency.

Enterprise offers a one-stop-shop approach to service delivery, working with customers from stage one; helping to shape the vision and requirements for future service delivery and procurement, ensuring that services are as efficient as possible and respond to the needs of the customer and the local area.

Enterprise focus on developing partnering agreements with mutual goals, a high level of transparency and open communication. The Company believe this mutually supportive framework creates better relationships and effective working solutions.

The many successful long-term partnerships are testament to this approach. Enterprise has partnership arrangements with customers and complementary organisations alike. The flexible, proactive nature of these arrangements allows contracts to evolve with the changing needs of the customer and the industry.

People drive and shape Enterprise’s organisation. The collaborative culture of the Company encourages its people to work at their best in partnership arrangements.

Enterprise also appreciate that everyone needs to fulfil their potential, participate and engage fully in the Company and work in a fair and ethical environment – which is Enterprise’s commitment to its people.

The Company has a number of successful partnerships, one of which includes working with the National Grid since 2005. Three years after this, Enterprise deployed 50 gas engineers to restore gas supply in Rawtenstall, Lancashire after an incident

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had left 18,000 local residents without gas.

Enterprise also enjoys an innovative service delivery partnership with Liverpool City Council. Together they form the joint venture partnership EnterpriseLiverpool.

The first of its kind, this joint venture has produced exceptional results including reducing highways budget by 28% while improving the level of service, reducing the number of annual tripping claims from 6,000 to 500, and improving the frequency of highways inspections from less than 50% to 100%.

Another joint venture, EnterpriseMouchel, works in south London maintaining the Transport for London (TfL) road network.

London’s Blackwall Tunnel runs under the River Thames and at the time of its opening was the world’s longest underwater tunnel.

The large amount of traffic going through the tunnel on a daily basis makes it difficult to maintain high levels of cleaning without causing major disruptions.

EnterpriseMouchel identified some new, improved equipment that would enhance the efficiency of the cleaning process.

The joint venture worked closely with Mercedes-Benz to develop an innovative cleaning method using one specialist vehicle called a Unimog Mulag washing unit.

This only needs to pass through the tunnel once to complete thorough cleaning. The purpose-designed machine uses flexible, long reach arms, has a ‘rotating wrist’ brush mechanism to reach the most difficult areas, has interchangeable heads allowing for different operations to be undertaken, uses brushes to ensure a better finish than the previous jetting system and requires a

minimum amount of water, enabling the 3,000 litre tank to last for a full shift.

Enterprise collects the rubbish and recycling for over one million homes, keeping the streets clean in four major cities and large areas of London. The Company also looks after parks and gardens in six city regions, including three of The Royal Parks and the gardens of 10 Downing Street.

The teams at Enterprise upgrade over 400km of water pipes every year and repair power networks in every country across Britain. Enterprise also maintains 34,000km of strategic highways and local roads including in London.

The Company maintain the infrastructure of the UK, and the way it manages, plans and delivers these services makes all customers happy.

Enterprise has developed an innovative partnership with Staffordshire County Council that has led to it forming a virtual joint venture and becoming a great example of best practice. The partnership was commended at the MJ Achievement Awards in 2008 for its ‘Best Use of Resources’.

Staffordshire Highways was created in 2004 to deliver maintenance services to the county’s road network. Following an external Partnership Healthcheck in 2007, project ViSTAH was launched to improve operational efficiency and transform the partnership into a virtual joint venture to achieve even greater integration, transparency and best value.

The innovative nature of the joint venture has meant that tight restrictions on operating overheads have been met. >

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Ver cally integrated services Planning, project management, implementa on Minor works to capital projects R&M, rehabilita on, main & service laying HDD, moling, burs ng, slip lining, trenching Vacuum excava on Full re-instatement www.temple-construc on.co.uk Tel 01453 821536 1 Rooksmoor Mill, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL10 3PW

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These have been reduced by 3% in real terms year-on-year since Staffordshire Highways was created. The team also achieved upper quartile road condition with lower quartile spend.

Enterprise value the contribution and energy that young people bring to the business and feel it is important for the Company to support and encourage young people into challenging and enjoyable careers.

In addition to the apprenticeship and graduate programmes, the Enterprise Foundation runs Transitional Employment Programmes (TEP).

These offer local, long-term unemployed young people training and experience, that respond to their needs. working alongside Enterprise teams.

The Company focuses on adding value with The Company deliver social housing its services, which can be through new maintenance for Barking and Dagenham technology, innovation, environmentally Council and have taken on ten young people responsible techniques, community-focused on a TEP. Once they have completed the sixprojects or service re-engineering to bring month programme, Enterprise organise a significant savings and improvements in special day where local employers and the quality and reliability. young people get together and have the Enterprise’s bespoke IT systems improve opportunity to network, talk about the efficiency in maintenance activities and potential roles available and get some enable the Company to deliver best value interview practice. They can then go on to throughout its operations. There are find steady employment either with transparent systems that are used. These Enterprise or with another local employer. improve communication channels between The Company has held a 40-year sites, offices and customers. Enterprise also relationship with BT and this continued believe investment in IT to be essential to during the creation of BT Openreach. deliver cost, improved performance and Openreach required a network ensure a safe workplace. installation supplier to mobilise a The Enterprise system, WorkManager, contract in Wales within a short time is just one of the successes. It is a frame and to maintain service delivery bespoke management system that was during the transitional period. developed in-house, supporting over Enterprise was asked if it could conduct a 6,000 users and handling around 60,000 seamless transition into Wales while transactions a month. delivering £6M of overdue work.

It allocates resources effectively to A robust mobilisation plan was a critical improve productivity and provides real success factor. This included details of:time updates and reports on work. It is • Management resources and HR. also completely adaptable to contractual • Depots and offices including commercial and local requirements. control and coordination.

In-cab devices and hand-held • Roles and responsibilities at all levels. technology are used on the Company’s • Health, safety and quality control. frontline activities so it can work with • IT systems. real time information. This makes • Vehicles and plant. service delivery much more efficient, The introduction of a dedicated Enterprise accurate and transparent.

Regional Director gave the Senior Innovation is a key element in Openreach Managers a single point of Enterprise’s commitment to continuous contact and provided a level of improvement. It can help to reduce accountability, which encouraged an environmental impact and improve the integrated, communicative approach. health and safety of the Company’s Enterprise ensured that the outstanding operatives as well as the general public. work was reduced from £6M to £2M in the first three months and customer service was greatly improved.

Enterprise’s 40 years of experience and in-depth knowledge of its markets are aligned We are proud to be asset support with the priorities Engineers for Enterprise Mouchel and requirements of its customers. This allows services to be superservice@btconnect.com combined into www.super-service.co.uk bespoke packages

01491 837000

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Innovation is encouraged throughout the Company and helps ensure it remains at the forefront of the industry.

Enterprise also supported the Homes and Community Agency innovative self-build project. This enabled people in need of housing and training to contribute to the construction of their own homes and receive NVQ training.

The Company teamed up with Lewisham College to help ten people take part in this project. Enterprise provided the hands-on experience and training in the local community, while also providing property management services to the Council.

In 2010, Enterprise introduced solar powered traffic lights onto a number of its projects with Severn Trent Water. They reduce environmental impact and minimise disruption to the local population.

The lights are silent, causing much less disturbance than diesel powered lights and they require no re-charging like battery powered lights.

Enterprise will continue to enhance its reputation by working on a wide range of projects, displaying technology and innovation, working to sustainable practices, as well as with each community and local authorities.

For more information, please visit www.enterprise.plc.uk

Upstream Pipeline Services A specialist supplier of pipeline inspection and cleaning services CCTV SEWER AND DRAINAGE SURVEYS GIS/GPS SURVEYS AND DATA COLLECTION HIGHWAY DRAINAGE SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA COLLECTION SEWER AND DRAINAGE CLEANING RECYCLING JET-VAC TANKERS

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Tel: 01823 444999 Fax: 01823 444121 Email: enquiries@upstreampipeline.co.uk Website: www.upstreampipeline.co.uk

UK Cover, UKAS Accredited.

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Rachelfield Ltd. Installation of Sub-Surface Vehicle Detection Equipment Installation of Traffic Signal Equipment 11 Adlington Court Birchwood Warrington WA3 6PL Tel: 01925 818223 Fax: 01925 838621 Email: ask.rachelfield@btconnect.com

Rachelfield Ltd. was established in 1982 and is now recognised as one of the country’s leading specialists in Traffic Signal and Sub Surface Vehicle Detector Installation.

Strategically based in Warrington, a stone’s throw from the M6 & M62, we can mobilise to anywhere in the UK which enables us to keep our prices keen and competitive.

Over the years we have built a strong reputation for reliability, efficiency and providing a quality service to our clients with all our staff being accredited to the relevant National Highways Sector Schemes. Rachelfield Ltd. undertakes work for various local authorities, main contractors and other leading organisations involved in the construction and maintenance of the country’s highways.

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UKC leisure

Tilgate Forest Golf Centre New clubhouse Following planning approval in January 2012, the detailed design of Tilgate Forest Golf Centre’s new clubhouse facility was completed and work commenced in May 2012.

Located in Crawley, the new clubhouse is being constructed on the site of the previous clubhouse, which was destroyed by a fire in May 2011.

The site has remained open, with golfers enjoying the café and course facilities from temporary buildings. The pro-shop and driving range were unaffected by the fire and remained open for business.

Linking to the surviving driving range, the clubhouse will be a single-storey construction, providing better access for all visitors, an improved entrance directly from the car park and will facilitate improved views from the bar to the 18th green.

Main features of the new clubhouse will include state-of-the-art facilities for golfers and walkers including a café, shop, meeting room, changing facilities, reception, bar and function rooms.

The construction of the new building will be done using methods, materials and systems that are more environmentally aware.

The chosen single-storey design provides easier access to the clubhouse directly from the car park and will be light and airy, with floor to ceiling windows so that golfers using the café can enjoy the views across the course.

The course itself is set in the wooded countryside of the High Weald of Sussex, conveniently located close to the M23 and A264, and adjoining Tilgate Park – itself a popular beauty spot. The course is known for its unparalleled views of the Sussex woodland.

The golf centre makes the most of its beautiful surroundings, incorporating trees and other natural features into its design.

Tilgate is widely regarded as one of the best municipal courses in the south of England, and with a 14-day advance booking facility, people do not need to pay expensive membership fees to guarantee access.

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After a round of golf, people can enjoy a drink in the bar, have a meal in the restaurant overlooking the course, or sit out on the sun terrace. There is also plenty of free car parking for visitors.

Facilities at the golf centre include a PAR 72 18-hole course, a PAR 3 nine-hole course, a 36-bay, floodlit driving range, putting green, PGA professional tuition, a golf shop, restaurant, equipment repair workshop, sun terrace, bar, changing room and showers.

In order to improve access around the course in line with the development, the 18-hole course is being ‘reversed’ with the back nine holes becoming the front nine holes. Tilgate Forest are holding a competition inspired by this change entitled the Reverse Play Challenge, which began in August invited golfers of all abilities to play the course for a chance to win a Skycadie and a plaque in the new clubhouse.

Built in 1982 and designed by Neil Coles, the 18-hole course winds through woodland of pine, silver birch, oak, gorse and heather. It is an excellent 6,359-yard course, with natural hazards and strategically placed bunkers.

Although it is manageable by inexperienced golfers, this course still holds plenty of challenges for the expert golfer.

The narrow tree-lined fairways, tight dog legs and well guarded greens will test the accuracy of any golfer. The large greens have been specially constructed to allow good drainage and rapid green reinstatement, so they remain true.

The challenging par three course has been created by the imaginative use of the natural countryside. For those who do not have the time for a full round or wish to improve their short game, this course, with holes in excess of 100 yards and excellent greens of the same standard as the main course, is available for golfers of all ages and abilities.

With shorter daylight hours through the winter, this course offers the opportunity to

play on the actual greens and enjoy a challenging game.

The driving range allows those who haven’t played golf before to come along and try their hand. The driving range has 35 top quality mats, including a sloping and chipping mat to simulate playing on the course.

It is a superb facility for both beginners and experienced players, and features a selection of targets to improve club selection. There is also wheelchair access for the disabled.

The shop at the golf centre carries a complete range of golf equipment to meet the needs of any player, regardless of the standard they play at. Highly trained staff members are on hand to advise on what would be best for anybody and the stage that they play at.

The championship 18-hole golf course and driving range will remain open throughout the build phase of the project and little disruption is expected to the course itself.

Colin Chilvers, Manager of Tilgate Forest Golf Centre, said: “This is a really exciting time for us. The new clubhouse is going to be a fantastic facility for the whole community, with a purpose built function room and café.

“We hope it will become a community hub, with access to golf for all.”

The development is benefiting from high quality construction work from Main Contractor NU Construction, as well as the Project Management expertise of Parkwood Consultancy Services.

Designed by William Saunders, the development is being undertaken for the client, Glendale Managed Services, whose expertise lies in bringing a modern twist to the management and maintenance of ‘pay and play’ golf facilities.

Glendale has introduced a refreshing new way to enjoy a round of golf, where people don’t have to be members of a private club and can enjoy the same excellent facilities and much more, with the freedom to play as and when people want to.

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www.cpslimited.org UKC housing

All Saints Avenue Social housing in Margate The All Saints Avenue project is an attractive mix of seven houses in two separate blocks and a four-storey block containing 14 flats.

Continuing the regeneration of the centre of Margate, this project has provided affordable rent in the area.

Owned by Town and Country Housing Group, a social housing provider based in Royal Tunbridge Wells, providing housing in Kent and East Sussex, the properties are located adjacent to The Promenade pub and Arlington House, which is one of only three high rise tower blocks in Thanet.

The site was previously a section of disused public road and pavement and is very close to the sea front and ‘Dreamland’, Margate’s former funfair attraction. The funfair houses the only Grade II listed timber rollercoaster in the UK. All seven houses in the project are threebedroom, and the flats are a mixture of oneand two-bed.

Built on a generally flat site with a short

been chosen by Town and Country Housing. bank at the boundary, the buildings are all The Main Contractor is Coombs of timber frame with brick and block/render (Canterbury) Ltd. Work started in March external leaf. There is also a large glazed 2011 and was completed in September 2012. curtain wall to the front elevation of the flat block, which faces the seafront. The roof is a The total cost was £2.1M. wavy design to emulate the waves of the sea and shape of the adjacent rollercoaster.

There is a small communal garden to the front of the block that faces the sea front and the houses have a small • Residential • Industrial 9a High Street, Brightlingsea courtyard at the rear.

All properties are DDA • Commercial • Education Colchester, Essex CO7 0AE compliant, with t 01206 308300 further opportunities f 01206 308830 to adapt if necessary for disabled purposes, e info@timsnowarchitects.co.uk and all finishings have

Tim Snow Architects

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UKC civil

Middlemoor Wind Farm Generating electricity for more than 25,000 homes Construction is well underway at the Middlemoor Wind Farm site near Alnwick in Northumberland, which should be delivering clean energy by Spring 2013.

The Wind Farm will have 18 turbines each with a height of up to 125 metres, including the blades, and has a total generating capacity of approximately 54MW. Once built, Middlemoor Wind Farm will generate enough electricity each year to supply the average needs of 27,600 homes, which is more than enough to power every home in both Alnwick and Berwick.

As part of the construction works, a new road access directly from the A1 will be built as part of the traffic management plan that will reduce the amount of traffic passing through the nearby village of North Charlton.

Since proposals for a wind farm at Middlemoor were first announced in 2004,

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plans have been subject to extensive public consultation, ending in a public inquiry that concluded at the end of December 2007.

In August 2008, RWE npower renewables received planning consent by the Planning Inspectorate and since then, RWE has been working closely with the Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Defence and Northumberland County Council to ensure the scheme complies with the various planning conditions.

The site is located approximately eight kilometres north of Alnwick in Northumberland. While the majority of the 730ha site comprises of agricultural land, small pockets of UK BAP priority habitat, such as lowland dry heath and lowland dry acid grassland, are also present. A number of protected species utilise the site, but good design principles have been followed

and no significant impacts are predicted.

A number of conditions were placed on the development by BERR and EcoNorth, who provide a comprehensive range of ecological and land management services across the north of England and the Scottish Borders, were commissioned to compile a ‘scheme to protect wildlife and fauna during construction’ and gain approval of the scheme by the local planning authority.

A number of method statements were compiled in relation to species known to be present on the site. These included goshawk, short eared owl, crossbill, other breeding birds, white clawed crayfish, fish, badger, otter, red squirrel and reptiles.

Additionally, a small number of surveys were undertaken to confirm the extent of site usage by the white clawed crayfish, goshawk, short eared owl, otter and badger. >

n n n n n

An Ecological Clerk of Works was employed to ensure that method statements were compiled and activities in or near sensitive locations were monitored appropriately.

Proactive discussions with the County Ecologist ensured rapid approval of the ecological method statements, which consisted of a number of different options for each species depending on the season over which the construction work is taking place. This means that all eventualities have been taken into account.

The 27,600 number of homes predicted to have electricity supplied is based on an annual electricity consumption per home of 4,700kWh, which is derived from a total UK domestic electricity consumption of 117,589 terawatt-hours (TWh) and 25.2 million UK households giving 4,666 kWh per year, per household. The figure takes into account fluctuations in wind speeds, including when the wind speed is too low for the turbines to operate.

RWE npower renewables offers a range of community benefit packages at its operating onshore and offshore wind farms, these usually benefit those communities living closest to the site.

There are a number of existing models, which have been negotiated locally to meet the specific needs of individual areas. The model varies depending on the size, type and geographical make up of local communities.

These packages have been used to fund a wide variety of activities including community building refurbishments, environmental education programmes, energy efficiency schemes and supporting local groups and organisations.

A modern wind turbine produces electricity 70-85% of the time, but it generates different outputs dependent on wind speed.

Over the course of a year, it will generate about 30% of the theoretical maximum output, and npower renewables will ensure that at the end of the Wind Farm’s life, the wind turbines and associated equipment would be removed, leaving barely a trace of its previous existence.

September 2011 saw the highway upgrade works and site interface works begin, and at the beginning of this year construction of site tracks and site foundations started.

March 2012 saw the commencement of highway works from the A1, and in

August, the first delivery of turbine components was made.

September saw the grid connection works and electrical works completed and October has seen the start of the commissioning of turbines.

The Main Contractor for the project is Galliford Try and work should be completed in spring 2013.

Through its existing projects and those in development, npower is working in close partnership with communities and companies throughout the UK. As government policy drives the UK towards a target of supplying 15% of electricity from renewables by 2015, npower will be at the forefront of realising this aim. npower renewables is a fully owned subsidiary of RWE Innogy, and sister company to RWE npower, a leading integrated UK energy company, with more than six million retail customers in the UK. RWE is one of Europe’s five leading electricity and gas companies. It is active in the generation, trading, transmission and supply of electricity and gas.

LEEHILL Leehill Construction Ltd. The premier sub-contractor supporting renewable energy with Galliford Try at Middlemoor Wind Farm

All your building and civil engineering needs completed without compromise Camphill Close, Dallamires Lane. Ripon. North Yorkshire HG4 1QY

Contact: David Allinson 01765 607023

98

UKC leisure

Travelodge Now with 58 hotels in the capital Travelodge opened seven hotels in July, with four sites located in London, making the budget hotel chain the largest hotelier in the capital for the Olympic Games.

One of these is the new five-storey hotel located on Victoria Dock Road near the ExCel centre, featuring 131 bedrooms.

Stephen Kennard, Head of Development at the London Development Authority, said: “This new hotel, close to ExCel and its International Conference Centre, will

help bring more people and more jobs to the area.”

Strictly ordered masonry facades, though not rigid in their approach in order to allow a more playful approach to be taken where appropriate, form a strong precedent for the development of the exteriors and the general appearance of the buildings, and brickwork is high quality with a recessed joint to accentuate the detailing.

The landscaping has a central courtyard for the use of all guests, easily accessible from the rear entrance with a large specimen tree at the centre to provide shade for circular seating beneath.

The perimeter and edges of the site are defined by clipped

formal hedging and car parking spaces are delineated by planting beds with native species.

The previously existing grass embankment at the rear of the site was retained along with the existing tree line.

Semi mature trees were planted sensitively across the site to create landscaped courtyards and bird/bat boxes are provided in appropriate locations.

The 131 guest rooms within the scheme fall into three main types, split in accordance with the hotel operator’s requirements.

There are 91 standard shower rooms, 32 family rooms, which are located on the southern façade facing towards the Royal Albert Dock, and there are also a further eight rooms with disabled access.

The Main Contractor for the project was McLaren Construction and the Architect was Aros Architects. This hotel, along with the other three in London, created 117 jobs across the city.

The Precision Group has grown through the determined pursuit of excellence and continuous client relationships to become a leading specialist in the sealants application and passive fire protection sectors of the construction industry.

14 London Road, Grays, Essex RM17 5XY

Tel: 01375 893633 Fax: 01375 893644 e-mail: sales@precisionsealants.co.uk 99

UKC housing

Greenfield Crescent Accommodation in a traditional setting This pair of previously vacant semi-detached Victorian villas have been converted and now provide student accommodation in the heart of the Calthorpe Estate in Edgbaston.

They were first built as a pair of semidetached dwellings between 1875 and 1878, constructed of solid masonry with brick and decorative stone dressing.

At the rear of 15 Greenfield Crescent, there were a number of varying quality one-storey extensions that were built between 1945 and 1951.

Vacant since April 2001 and March 2005, numbers 14 and 15 Greenfield Crescent have been refurbished to bring the properties back into active use and to restore and preserve them for the future.

The success and continued occupation depends on the viability of the designated use for the properties and in this location, high quality student accommodation represents a sustainable development.

Detailed survey work to the rear extensions at number 15 revealed the requirement for a complete demolition and rebuild due to the presence of asbestos and the loss of structural integrity, which gave the opportunity to build a fully designed, high quality extension in the scale and footprint of the demolished accommodation.

This new accommodation provides three-, four- and five-bedroom cluster flats with shared kitchen, living and dining rooms. 14 Greenfield Crescent also offers studio bedrooms, which include ensuite bathroom and kitchenette facilities.

A total of seven flats with 30 new bedrooms are provided and the development also includes a shared garden space to the rear of the properties and designated secure bike and bin stores.

The villas have been returned to two separate properties, with the main entrances providing access to front ground floor flats.

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Side doors provide access to the feature staircases and cluster flats on both upper levels. There is also an additional main entrance door to the rear of the extension of number 15, which contains a further cluster flat.

The cluster flats are all different in layout but include a main hallway where the communal kitchen, living, dining room, bedrooms and shared bathrooms are accessed.

The layout works with the existing fabric of the buildings and is based on a traditional, residential design. The studio flat is located on the ground floor of number 14, with studio bedrooms accessed from a central corridor.

Original Victorian staircases have been painted completely white with a gloss finish to the balustrades and handrails, while a dark blue accent colour has been incorporated within the design of the communal kitchen, living and dining rooms.

All bedrooms and corridor spaces have been finished white to maximise the reflection of natural daylight and express the quality of the internal finishes.

A light touch approach was applied to the exterior of the villas, including refurbishment of windows and localised

brickwork; roof repairs were also made.

Interventions, such as the insertion of new windows were limited to the secondary facades and to the roof. The primary north east street elevation was cleaned, repaired and refurbished to enhance the quality and beauty of the street faรงade.

These original sash windows, refurbished to full working order, retain the original Victorian character of the buildings, while providing natural light into the properties.

Each room is unique in layout and the individuality of the spaces give students a sense of place and ownership. Attic rooms have proven particularly popular and are full of character.

The scheme retains the landscaping features at the front of the properties, including cobbled driveways, feature trees and original low-level decorative brickwork walls. A new landscaped garden has been created at the rear for all students to use and includes a purpose-built secure bike store.

Built for Calthorpe Estates, the Architect for the project is Willmore Iles Architects Ltd and the Main Contractor is Bullock Construction.

Work commenced in January 2012 and was completed in September 2012.

CONCISE KITCHENS Everything you need

• 100cm, 120cm, 150cm and 160cm models • Flat door or Shaker style • With or without hotplates • Safety timers available • Cherry, maple, beech or white • Includes fridge with ice box • Various microwave options

info@ansonconcise.co.uk

www.ansonconcise.co.uk

Tel 0115 926 2102

anson concise Ltd UKC community

Cheviots Children’s Centre The new and improved facilities at the Cheviots Children’s Centre will provide additional spaces and modern facilities for staff and clients.

Cheviots Children’s Centre/Disability Services is the social care agency within the Joint Service for Disabled Children.

The Joint Service was developed through the Children’s Trust and includes key partnerships with education and the Primary Care Trust.

Cheviots is central to the delivery of high quality innovative service provision to disabled children and their families living in Enfield. As a specialist children’s centre, Cheviots plays a pivotal role with its partner agency – the Early Intervention Support Service (EISS) in disseminating and modelling best practice to generic children’s centres throughout the borough.

The benefits associated with undertaking specific redesigning of identified areas at Cheviots Children’s Centre were to improve, create more space and upgrade the building in order to comply with current fire and health and safety regulations.

Particular areas of concern included poor condition of toilets and welfare facilities for staff and clients, continuing boiler and hot water failure, security, and disabled access.

The current accommodation is also inadequate to allow the service to develop and continue to offer high quality care and support – some additional spaces are therefore required, while all fire doors are in need of upgrade to comply with fire regulations.

Alteration and improvement works allow for improved flow of natural ventilation, improved lighting levels in office space, better security, improved user accessibility, a safer working environment, the creation of an additional working space and better wheelchair accessibility.

Demolition has not been required on this two-storey building but alterations within the existing development have been required to create the wider space that is necessary.

Comprising of traditional cavity construction with a flat roof, there is

added value to the exterior of the building as the refurbishment has benefited from new double glazing windows, external paving and soft play area for children together with the new extension.

The Main Contractor for the project Jarvis Ltd.

101

UKC education

Selborne Primary School Bringing enlarged facilities to Middlesex Located on Conway Crescent in Greenwood, the Selborne Primary School’s new extension is finally going to be completed this month.

Part of the Medway Estate community, the development involved minor demolition of old toilet blocks, a new two-storey construction extended onto the eastern end of the main building together with internal reorganisation of the existing building.

The new extension has been constructed in facing brickwork to match the existing building, along with powder coated white aluminium double glazed windows and doors under a flat polymer modified felt roof system.

The new building, when complete, will give Selborne a proper front entrance to the School via Thames Avenue.

There will also be a new 100-place nursery and a two-class additional resource provision for children with autism, in

addition to a bigger kitchen and hall.

It will house additional classrooms required as the School expands from a two-form to a three-form entry school, while there will be new administration offices, a staff room and conference room.

During the summer, all lighting was rewired and renewed throughout the older part of the School too, and a new fire alarm and security system was installed in every room, including the new and older parts of the School.

Even the Gilbert White building did not escape works as it had all the flooring replaced due to faults found in the original fixing.

Also during the summer, the two old toilet blocks were remodelled and brought up to date and the entire flat roof has been replaced. A new staff car park is also part of the development.

During the development, the School lost use

of its KS1 hall and two sets of toilets on either side of that hall, and the Main Contractor, Buxton Building Contractors, screened off the hall and outside area completely to make it safe and secure to staff and children.

Buxton is a traditional, experienced building contractor founded in 1924. The Company’s key operational sectors are affordable housing, commercial, community, conservation, education, healthcare, leisure and private housing.

Buxton is a well-established business with the goal of continuing to be successful and build upon an already enviable reputation and this is no different at Selborne, where the extension is now watertight, and development challenges such as weather delays have been overcome.

The Architect for the project is EC Harris.

Work commenced in November 2011 and will be completed this month.

TH Mechanical & Electrical Ltd Mechanical & Electrical Engineers & Contractors

TH

Mechanical & Electrical

Plumbing – Ventilation – Air Conditioning – Heating – Plant Rooms – LV Systems CCTV – Access Control – Fire Alarms Installations – Data Systems – Voice Systems Security Systems – Aerial & Digital TV Systems – Lightning Protection Systems.

TH Mechanical & Electrical Ltd is proud to be associated with Buxton Building Contractors Ltd with the project currently being undertaken at Selborne Primary School. We look forward to working with Buxton Building Contractors Ltd on many more future projects.

9 High Street, Penge, London SE20 7HJ Tel: 020 8776 8374 Fax: 020 8776 8376 Email: Info@thme.co.uk Website: www.thme.co.uk

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UKC profile

New industry-leading elevators from KONE KONE, an innovative leader in the elevator and escalator industry, has recently unveiled a completely transformed elevator portfolio to the global marketplace, its largest new product offering for years.

The firm’s industry-leading elevators have set a benchmark for the whole industry with leading eco-efficient performance, premium

ride comfort, award-winning design, and improved space efficiency. The new range is expected to cover approximately 60% of KONE’s elevator offering, and will gradually replace KONE’s current volume elevator offering globally. ”The new elevator portfolio is the core of our product offering and will therefore have a

significant impact on our business. These products will come to represent a substantial part of KONE’s elevator supply over the coming years,” says Matti Alahuhta, President and CEO of KONE Corporation.

The new elevator range further strengthens KONE’s competitiveness in the new continued page 106> > copyright © Kone

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NORTHERN

Escalator Installations LLP

The UK's leading Escalator Installations company Working in conjunction with many of the World’s leading escalator manufacturers.

Operating from purpose built facilities in the north of England, Northern Escalator Installations LLP is able to provide comprehensive solutions to the escalator industry.

From simple storage to design, build up transportation and installation, all are carried out by fully qualified and highly experienced personnel.

The Company use lifting equipment and transportation vehicles, which it owns and operates. This helps Northern Escalator

Installations deliver a truly seamless cost effective solution tailored to the exacting requirements of individual clients.

Northern Escalator Installations operate full bespoke turn-key installation and removal packages for escalators and elevators, providing a comprehensive installation and commissioning service that covers a wide variety of leading manufacturer’s. All of the company’s escalator engineers have a minimum of ten years manufacturer experience and

are fully qualified to diagnose the cause ofa problem on site and advise the action needed to prevent further occurrence.

Each package is tailored to each individual client, and can include a range of services from feasibility and site surveys, advising customers prior to work being carried out, consulting with manufacturers, builders and architects, producing detailed method statements CAD drawings, risk assessments, transportation and crane requirements,

right through to gaining authority for road closure and special escorts.

With the Company, every aspect of an installation or removal project is handled in house from start to finish. The project management service removes the risks otherwise imposed on the customer trying to coordinate various contractors to a deadline.

On average, the company installs and commissions more than 400 escalators annually worldwide. The company is registered by the British Standards Institute (BSI) to the: 1. ISO 9001: 2008 Quality Management System Standard 2. ISO 14001: 2004 Environmental Management System Standard

We have implemented the OHSAS 18001: 2007 Occupational Health & Safety Assessment System where the BSI assessment is planned for early 2013.

Northern Escalator Installations has many years experience in the removal and installation of lifts and elevators, together with a range of specialist lifting and transport requirements for such projects.

As part of the specialist range of services, escalators can either be built to testing stage at the purpose built assembly and testing facilities and then transported to site or be built and commissioned on site.

Escalators are transported using the impressive fleet of specialist trailers and tractor units so that the machines arrive safely and in correct working order for assembly and installation.

Thereafter, cranes and other specialist purpose built lifting equipment is used to split and join escalators, fit balustrades and steps, built to testing stage, as well as test and commission.

This ensures total quality control of the clients’ valuable machinery.

Northern escalator Installations has over 100,000sq ft of covered storage space with lifting and off load facilities, as well as a large area of secure external hard standing.

As a supplier of “EHC Handrails�, Northern Escalator Installations carry a full stock of handrails for all make and models of escalators.

Northern Escalator Installations LLP: Lumbrook Mills, Westercroft Lane, Northowram, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 7TY

Tel: 00 44 (0) 1422 202 777 Fax: 00 44 (0) 1422 202 888 Email: info@northerninstallations.co.uk www.northerninstallations.co.uk For any further enquiries please give us a call on the number above

copyright © Kone

equipment markets. He said: “Today, we are the second biggest elevator and escalator provider in our industry.”

The new products will be available in Europe and Asia Pacific during the second half of 2012, and in the Americas in 2013. The portfolio includes the machine room-less KONE MonoSpace® for the global markets, and KONE N MiniSpace™ with a small machine room for the Asian market.

The industry’s most energy-efficient elevators KONE is a pioneer in eco-efficiency within its industry. The new KONE MonoSpace elevators are up to 35% more energy efficient than KONE’s previous industryleading elevator platform. The improvements are made possible by the completely renewed KONE EcoDisc® hoisting machine, a highly efficient drive, and enhanced standby solutions. ”The construction and real estate customers are demanding when it comes to energy-efficiency and green building certification schemes like LEED and BREEAM. With our solutions, the carbon footprint of buildings can be cut to an even greater extent,” says Heikki Leppänen, EVP of New Equipment at KONE. As the first company in the elevator industry, KONE’s volume products received an Aclass energy rating according to the VDI 4707 guideline - the benchmark for elevator energy efficiency.

Guaranteed ride comfort The renewed KONE EcoDisc hoisting machine is complemented by a wide range of upgrades that are designed to deliver industry-leading ride comfort: a new motor control system, a renewed braking system, a redesigned hoisting system, and an improved car structure. “This means that the noise levels, both inside and outside the elevator cars, are as low as possible, the ride is smooth with no vibration, and that the floor levelling is perfectly accurate. Ride comfort is an important part of user experience, and our vision is to deliver the best user experience”, adds Leppänen.

One significant improvement is also a comprehensive test for ride comfort, now conducted on every KONE elevator before handover – this is a unique service in the elevator industry.

Award-winning design KONE has been granted four world-class red dot design awards for its new design

106

solutions. The red dot design award dates back to 1955 and is now one of the world’s largest and most distinguished design competitions.

The user experience and appearance of KONE elevator interiors have been enhanced with trendy colours, materials and unique patterns, creating a sophisticated ambiance.

The new KONE Design Collection offers regionally over 50 car interiors, by design professionals for both new construction and modernisation projects.

The wide range of ceilings, wall materials, floors, handrails, mirrors and other accessories offers the richest visual variety on the market to create customised designs.

According to KONE’s design philosophy, a good elevator user experience is more than just a ride – it’s an emotional experience that combines aesthetics, accessibility, comfort, safety and reliability. The philosophy springs from KONE’s vision of delivering the best user experience in the industry.

Simon Dow, Business Development Director for KONE, confirmed that the Company was very honoured to have received the awards for its latest innovative designs. The new design solutions offer a wide selection of unique elevator car interiors as well as user friendly components and accessories to create highly customised ambiances and experiences.

What is new with KONE’s elevator solutions?

• Best-in-class eco-efficiency • Fully renewed EcoDisc® hoisting machinery and enhanced standby solutions.

• Up to 35% more energy-efficient.

• VDI 4707 A-class energy efficiency.

Industry-leading ride comfort • Centralised low-friction hoisting, robust car, silent brakes.

• Ride comfort testing as a built-in service.

• Smooth, quiet operation, minimal disturbance to tenants.

Award-winning design • KONE Design Collection car interiors, with innovative materials and accessories.

• New signalisation solutions and designs for different building types.

• Easy selection of interiors, the most flexible and versatile offering in the market.

Enhanced space-efficiency • Compact central hoisting takes up less height and width in the shaft -Especially beneficial when replacing elevators in existing buildings.

• More floor space, roomier car, greater comfort.

Latest news from KONE KONE has won an order to deliver 31 ecoefficient elevators to 5 Broadgate, a new office building under construction in City of London, the main financial district of London, UK. KONE’s solutions will ease the People Flow® of the employees and visitors when it is completed at the end of 2014.

The order includes 24 KONE MiniSpace® elevators, of which 10 will be of a special scenic design. To ensure smooth people and goods flow, the office building will also house five KONE MonoSpace® Special elevators and two additional bottom drive MiniSpace elevators which will be dedicated to carrying freight. The KONE E-link traffic monitoring system will ensure a high service level of the equipment.

All the elevators will be equipped with the energy-efficient KONE EcoDisc® hoisting machine, which is 50–70% more efficient than elevators that use conventional lifting technologies. The compact machine rooms will be in varying locations to suit the building designs and the strict restrictions on central London Planning.

"We are pleased to work with partners who share are our passion for green buildings while making no compromises in creating an excellent people flow experience," says Ari Lehtoranta, EVP and Area Director of KONE Central and North Europe. ”We are proud to be associated with British Land again and look forward to the joint collaboration on this sustainable building project.”

The office building is currently being developed as a joint venture between British Land and Blackstone. Other partners include Make Architects and Mace as the management contractor. 5 Broadgate aims to achieve an 'Excellent' BREEAM green building rating.

British Land is also behind another current KONE London project, The Leadenhall Building.

Training offered by KONE KONE is a proactive member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) CPD Providers Network. The Continual Professional Development (CPD)

programme is an invaluable source of learning for the practicing architect and design technician. The CPD is entitled, Lifts in Construction and Modernisation.

It is an evolving educational programme that keeps pace with the changes in codes and legislation but more than that, it addresses real day-to-day building challenges and helps to prevent costly changes to established design work, or worse, in-situ fabric.

The CPD offered by KONE Plc not only educates the attendee about the codes and standards surrounding accessibility, firefighting or evacuation for example, but also the management and use of lifts in a building.

Eco-Innovation and sustainability is part of the KONE design process and it is critical that the right amount of lifts are in the building to ensure the building can operate as designed. Too many lifts and it is simply a waste of money and rentable floor space for the life of the building. Too few lifts and the building’s People Flow™ aspirations will not be met and the building will not function as designed and the implications are unimaginable.

Pioneering eco-efficiency As urban areas continue to grow, concern for our environment increases, and the cost of energy rises, the challenge is to design buildings that are environmentally efficient and to ensure a smooth flow of people. KONE tackles the challenges of the future by developing eco-efficient solutions and services and by making sure its own operations are as environmentally efficient as possible.

KONE solutions The Company offers industry-leading escalator, elevator, and door solutions that help customers save energy and costs, while at the same time creating buildings in which people can move around smoothly, safely, and comfortably. KONE has cut the energy consumption of its volume elevators by over 70% during 2008–2012. KONE offers A-class energy efficiency certification for its elevators as a standard.

KONE provides services to help its customers achieve their eco-efficiency goals in every phase of their building’s lifecycle – from designing and constructing the building to maintaining and modernising it.

The Company pays careful attention to the

way its services are produced and delivered to ensure that they create as little environmental impact as possible.

KONE operations The Company is committed to systematically developing the eco-efficiency of its own operations, thereby making KONE the supplier of choice for customers with the most demanding environmental requirements. Focus areas include reducing operational carbon footprint, improving material efficiency, as well as minimising waste, water use, and the use of hazardous substances. KONE’s target is to reduce its carbon footprint by 3% annually relative to net sales.

KONE & innovation at The Shard The most recent major KONE project to complete was at The Shard in London. In April 2009 KONE secured a major order to deliver all lifts and escalators for the iconic Shard London Bridge building in London, the tallest building in Western Europe.

The contract covered the supply and installation of: • 32 lifts, including 13 double-deck lifts.

• 10 escalators.

• Innovative Jump Lift technology.

This was the first time that Jump Lift technology had been used in the UK. It significantly improved the overall efficiency and safety of The Shard’s four year construction programme, saving time, energy and costs and delivering maximum benefits to the environment as a result.

Developed by the Sellar Group the project completed in June 2012 and stands at 310 metres high.

Comprising 586,509sq ft (54,488sq m) of world class office space, an exclusive collection of the UK’s highest residential apartments and a 5star Shangri-La Hotel with spa and pool and restaurants, it has viewing galleries that

F & M INDUS TRI AL Transport & logistics to the Lift Industry

133 Roding Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 3BS

078 50 3 36442 fmindustrial@hotmail.co.uk

copyright © Kone

offer unprecedented 360 º views of London.

This iconic tower, which is twice the height of the London Eye and adjacent to London Bridge railway station, is the first phase of the £2Bn London Bridge Quarter regeneration scheme covering almost two million sq ft.

KONE plc, Global House, Station Place, Fox Lane North, Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 9HW. Website: www.kone.co.uk.

Highlow Electrical Services Ltd

Electrical Engineers for “Lifts and Escalators for Kone Plc.” Contact Mr. Robert Lowe: 70 Balmalloch Road, Kilsyth, G65 9NH Tel: 07957 100 524 Contact Mr. Ray Higham: 15 Eaton Gardens, Liverpool, L12 3HL Mobile: 07912 412 082 E-mail: highAMLOWE@YAHOO.CO.UK

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UKC commercial

Macklin Street Altering two properties in line with the vibrancy of the area A London office in a prominent location is undergoing alterations to improve the properties and bring them up to modern day standards.

The properties, number 15 and 17 Macklin Street in Camden will see the existing character retained externally, while internally the two structures will be linked to provide a modern and greatly improved standard of accommodation.

Externally, points of entry and exit to the buildings are being retained but improved via the introduction of double height glazing to provide a more legible relationship with the street.

A new reception to the ground floor of number 15 Macklin Street will then link to a centralised vertical circulation and services core that links all floors of the buildings as well as provides new sanitary services and distribution.

Enlarged window openings will provide a better standard of natural daylight within the existing areas. Fully glazed extensions at third and fourth floor level will link both buildings together to provide modern office spaces with an abundance of natural light, replacing existing cramped, narrow and impractical roof spaces.

The glazed extensions will be set back from the building line creating planted external terraces that will give valuable external space to the building users while ensuring the availability of daylight is not compromised in neighbouring properties.

The arch at ground level of 17 Macklin Street will also be fully glazed, providing a dedicated entrance to the double height space within the building.

To further harmonise the street elevation, an additional glazed arch at this location

108

will be created, matching the proportion disabled toilet on the ground floor at 15 of the adjacent existing arch, which will Macklin Street.

The Main Contractor is Harris Calnan and provide symmetry to the ground floor of number 17 and bring natural daylight the Architect is Ben Adams Architects. deeper into the building.

A louvered plant enclosure will be incorporated at roof level above 15 Macklin Street, which will be set back significantly from the building line.

Due to the narrow sight line of the street and setback, the enclosure will not be Serving London and the South-East, Capital offer the design, visible from street supply, installation and commissioning of the following level, though the option does exist to services to the construction industry: provide planting in order to soften any · Heating · Ventilation · Air Conditioning visual impact from · Plumbing · Sprinklers · LV Power Installations adjacent properties at higher level. · Lighting · Fire Alarms · Security · Data/IT These works to improve the properties, Capital are specialists in the Commercial and High End and the ground levels Residential Refurbishment sector. in particular, will achieve a more positive street presence, Capital M&E Services Limited, integrating the Woodland Place, Hurricane Way, refurbished buildings Wickford Business Park, Wickford, Essex, SS11 8YB. with the vibrancy of the local area.

Office: 01268 562044 Previously not DDA compliant, alterations website: www.capitalmeservices.co.uk will bring the email: enquiries@capitalmeservices.co.uk development in line with this, with access secured by a platform lift, and there will be a

UKC profile

Hall Construction Group Ltd 125 years of success There are many buildings, structures and civil engineering works throughout Hull and Yorkshire that are testimony to the fine work and commitment of Hall Construction Group, as well as its history.

Providing successful buildings for 125 years, everyday the Company works with local authorities, educational establishments, healthcare providers and internationally recognised brands to deliver excellence.

These include the NHS, HM Prison Service, ASDA, May Gurney, Barratt Homes, Balfour Beatty, the University of Hull, and councils such as Hull City Council, North Lincolnshire Council, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and Leeds City Council; an eclectic mix of organisations.

The experience and expertise of the construction team spans across all sectors so that new build, design and build, and refurbishment schemes can all be undertaken with equal confidence, with projects carried out costing between £500,000 and £10M. Crucially, Hall Construction understand the key drivers of value for money, quality of construction and timely delivery, all carried out within a safe working environment, and the systems and management structures are

their energy bills. geared to successfully ensure these happen.

With a commitment to new methods of Within the 125 years, Hall has expanded construction such as renewable energy and with the building services division having lowering carbon emissions, it is clear that been established for more than 15 years, Hall Construction Group will enjoy many carrying out work ranging from minor more successful years. repairs to large refurbishments.

The recent launch of a new division within the Group is focusing on solutions for Hall Construction Group Ltd, Clay Street, energy efficiencies. This renewables division Hull, HU8 8HE. Tel: 01482 329204. has created new jobs for the area and is setting the Group up to become Yorkshire’s all-round “go-to” contractor for energy reduction and energy efficiency solutions.

The new renewables division will be able to install all renewable technologies to a Pleased to be associated with property. This launch Hall Construction comes before the government’s official TESTING & INSPECTION launch of the Green INDUSTRIAL - COMMERCIAL - DOMESTIC Deal, which will allow property owners to 10-16 EMPRINGHAM STREET, HULL, HU9 1RP upgrade their low Telephone and Fax: 01482 215285 efficiency property, Email: info@allanfairfield.karoo.co.uk that can be paid for through the savings to

ALLAN FAIRFIELD ELECTRICAL LTD

109

UKC profile

Faithdean Plc Superior building quality Since its formation in 1977, Faithdean Plc has built an excellent reputation as a wellestablished and trusted contractor in the South East, specialising in challenging projects within the City and the West End of London.

Whether it is the construction of a new building, development of an existing property or bespoke quality fit-out, the extensive portfolio is a testament to the Company’s ability to provide a coordinated and comprehensive service.

Along with its group of companies, Faithdean possess an extensive resource of experienced management skills and together with directly employed tradesman, the Company is able to offer an immediate response to service the requirements of all clients.

Faithdean operates from a sound financial base with a caring professional management structure that understands the clients’ objectives. Whatever the contract, the Company provides a professional and comprehensive service from inception to the completion of any building project.

Since its inception, the Company has established itself an excellent reputation as a quality fit-out contractor, working on many challenging projects within London and the surrounding area.

All projects are delivered on time and within budget, with many carried out in occupied buildings. As a result of this continued success and commitment to the project, Faithdean experiences a large percentage of repeat business, priding itself on strong relationships built with clients and professional teams.

New build work has become increasingly important over recent years for the Company because existing refurbishment clients have asked for Faithdean’s professional approach and expertise to deliver new building projects ranging from £1M to £25M in value.

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One of the blue chip clients was so impressed with a refurbishment of their London headquarters that they subsequently appointed Faithdean to complete a £25M new secure storage facility in Kent.

The proficiency and knowledge allows the Company to accept the challenge of undertaking all building works in every construction sector including commercial, retail, education, healthcare and residential.

Refurbishment projects form a large part of the overall type of work undertaken by Faithdean, and it has led to other successful projects.

The Company has complete understanding that every project has a distinct set of requirements that often require innovative, proactive solutions and is proud of the experience offered to any refurbishment contract.

Refurbishment within an occupied building brings its own set of distinct challenges and with more than 30 years experience, Faithdean always makes sure that there is as little disruption to the client and occupiers as possible, while still meeting contract requirements.

One of the refurbishments that will experience such high quality of work is at Kings House and Conquest House in Wood

Street, Kingston-Upon-Thames.

The property was acquired by Rockspring Property Investment Managers on behalf of its UK Value fund in March 2011, as part of the St Martins South East office portfolio.

The lease was scheduled to expire in March 2012, so Rockspring put in place plans to substantially refurbish and reposition the property vacant, to provide 90,000sq ft of Grade A offices, with ancillary retail space on the ground floor.

As a result, Faithdean Plc is currently working to provide the highest specification of refurbishment possible, and the office will be let out to Saipem, who will take the entire space on a 15-year lease on completion of the refurbishment works, which is expected at the end of 2012. Saipem will occupy the building as its UK headquarters, relocating from the existing premises in Motspur Park.

With this continued success in all projects of new build, refurbishment, facilities management and fit-outs, the future is certainly bright for Faithdean.

Faithdean Plc, Oaks Business Village, Revenge Road, Chatham, ME5 8LF. Tel: 01634 868 268.

UKC education

Hackney UTC opens for business Walters & Cohen and Bam Construction have recently been working together on the Hackney University Technical College (UTC).

A UTC differs from a school in its emphasis on specialist equipment and vocational training, in this case improving the development opportunities for young people in east London by offering courses in health care and digital technologies, with clear links to employment, higher education and apprenticeships. The brief called for an attractive and inspirational environment, creating a beacon of excellence in the local community.

The site of Hackney UTC forms part of a campus based in Hoxton, including Hackney Community College (HCC) and London Metropolitan University (LMU). The scheme, a combination of new build and extensive refurbishment, is the result of a thorough exploration of options, engaging with the College to understand and meet the complex requirements of the brief.

Emphasis was placed on clarity between the specialisms, better outdoor space and creating a strong and distinctive identity within the campus while also retaining a strong relationship with its context.

UTCs involve local business people as

mentors to ensure graduates are what local businesses are looking for. Hackney UTC is in a diverse and vibrant area, with numerous NHS trust buildings, technological start-ups and multiple creative industries; the UTC draws on these links to provide its students with comprehensive education and employment opportunities.

Speaking at the opening in September 2012, Principal of Hackney UTC, Annie Blackmore, said: “This is such an important and exciting day. After all our preparation and planning, welcoming Award winning , multi-disciplined civil the first group of engineering and utilities specialist students to our brand company new school is a significant milestone.

Our priority is to make sure our young people get the best possible education so our focus very quickly turned to school business and helping the students to settle in. We’re all looking forward to a 020 8686 2138 enquiries@blu-3.co.uk www.blu-3.co.uk successful year.”

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UKC leisure

Heritage Skills Centre A new chapter written in the history of Lincoln Castle This exciting project has seen the opening of the Castle to visitors. It includes a complete Castle Wall Walk, access to the Victorian prison, an exhibition of the Magna Carta and Charter of the Forest, as well as a new Heritage Skills Centre.

The Main Contractor, Robert Woodhead Ltd, won a competitive bid in August 2011 to construct the new Heritage Skills Centre.

This new building is the first within Lincoln Castle for over 100 years and it has been built to get the BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating.

Set in the historic grounds of Lincoln Castle, the Heritage Skills Centre is a multifunctional and dynamic building, which will be a focus of heritage crafts and skills development in Lincolnshire.

Designed by Arrol and Snell, the curved architecture flows with the natural curve of the grass banking within the Castle.

The project posed many challenges to the delivery team, in particular the logistical constraints of working within a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a busy tourist attraction in the heart of Lincoln Castle.

These included:• The removal of approximately 2,000 tonnes of material prior to the works commencing under an archaeological watching brief.

• The Castle, a principal tourist attraction in Lincolnshire needed to remain open for the duration of the works, as approximately 150,000 people visit the Castle every year.

• The Castle had an active events schedule, including regular filming for Downton Abbey and The Time Team. Events also included the Christmas Market, the Graduation Ceremonies of 12,000 students and the Olympic Torch Relay within the

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Castle grounds during the works.

• Work was undertaken just metres away from Lincoln Crown Court, which remained open during the build.

• To create the foundations, 250cu m of concrete were transported through the grounds of the Castle, a process that took 28 hours to complete.

• Delivery arrangements were particularly challenging as the main gates to the Castle had weight and height restrictions in place.

For the duration of the project, a concerted effort was made to involve students and young apprentices to gain valuable on-site experience.

Five third year Architecture students from Lincoln University spent a week on a ‘Site Manager for the day’ initiative, shadowing the Site Manager learning the difficulties of transferring a design concept into a completed living building.

Nine technical and trade students from Lincoln College were involved in a scheme of Heritage Skill activities, which included hands on demonstrations, site tours and seminars about the construction of the Centre.

In addition, the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance was nominated as the site charity, and fund raising events were held to raise money during the works.

Specific security, safety and noise management measures were introduced on-site, particularly during high profile cases at the Crown Court.

Regular meetings were held to maintain communication between the client, Architect and Main Contractor to

effectively coordinate and manage design changes without impacting programme or budget, while delivery times were scheduled before the Castle opened, to achieve minimum disruption.

Paul Atkin, Team Leader Stonemason and Conservation Department at Lincoln Cathedral said: “We have a quite good reputation throughout the country for training apprentices and trainees. We wanted to bring it to the public. The Centre will be the ideal place to do it.”

Work on the Centre started in October 2011 and was completed in September 2012.

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UKC health

St Ann’s Hospital Improved mental health facilities in Poole Plans to extend St Ann’s Hospital in Dorset are now on the way to being realised after approval was granted last year by the Borough of Poole Council.

The £35M project for the Dorset Healthcare University NHS Trust involves the refurbishment of a 1980s block and two new buildings designed by the Architect, Nightingale Associates.

Set on a cliff-top overlooking Flaghead Chine beach, the new scheme will share the site of a Grade II* listed building. The site boasts attractive grounds and offers a secluded and therapeutic backdrop for patients with mental illness.

The first building to be built will be an extension to the existing 1980s building.

This will provide a new acute assessment unit, male treatment ward and will be accessed through a shared canopy entrance.

The 1980s building will be refurbished to provide single ensuite bedrooms, and the second new building will have 32 single bedrooms and support facilities for low secure patients.

All work has been designed to protect the

heritage of the area, yet to still provide 21st century mental health facilities. The predominant construction materials are textured stone cladding and high quality brick, which complements the 1900s brickwork and gives a timeless quality to the hospital.

M&E services will be provided by Hoare Lea Engineers, and the development will implement sustainable and BREEAM standards.

The entrance features large expanses of glazing to maximise daylight and the surrounding views.

To avoid overheating, sun screens, blinds, brise soleil and natural ventilation will be used.

The Main Contractor for the project is Integrated Health Projects (IHP), the

joint venture between VINCI Construction UK and Sir Robert McAlpine.

Alan Kondys, IHP Framework Director said: “With our extensive experience in healthcare, IHP will be able to work closely with the staff on site to make sure the work is completed to the highest standard.”

Completion is scheduled for late 2013.

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UKC education

Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College Students at the Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College now have a state-of-theart dance studio with four classrooms.

All of these are now in use – two are health and social care rooms while the other two are for media.

Located on the car park of the existing site at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, Vane Terrace, Darlington, and situated within the Darlington West End conservation area, there were no previous buildings on the car park surface, which only required the removal of soft planting areas and bin stores.

The three-storey development is a structural steel frame with traditional cavity brickwork walls, conservation brick with art stone brick detailing on the external façade and a shallow pitched flat roof with a single membrane.

There is also powder coated aluminium curtain walling on the stairwell core, and casement windows.

On the ground floor there is the dance studio along with toilets for girls and boys and an accessible toilet for the disabled.

There is circulation space with a lift shaft and stairs, while the first and second floors are pretty similar in that they have two 60sq m classrooms on each floor with an adjacent small office, storage and server room areas.

The art stone detailing on the main elevation surrounds the stairwell and lift shaft, which is quite a striking design by the Architect, AA Projects, and sustainability was in the thought process of development throughout, resulting in a lot of natural ventilation, underfloor heating throughout most of the circulation and the ground floor dance studio.

During the build process, there was a need for a new performing arts space in the College, which came from an old garage and archive space that was at the side of the sports hall.

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pavements to suit the existing levels, The garage and archive spaces were adapted car parking to provide accessible remodelled to provide performing arts parking spaces as well as some new practice spaces and rooms, which are external seating areas to make a courtyard all soundproofed.

Work was required because of the closure of for students, and some dense concrete marshals seating. the arts centre next door to the College by Built by Mansell Construction, work on the local authority. It was used for media, the £1.7M facility was completed in July dance and performance classes until its 2012 and was opened at the start of the closure and these classes then had to be academic year. relocated back to the College. The funding for the development came from a capital grant from the funding agency.

Despite its sloping site, ground conditions for building on were straightforward, though there was a red string of carbon monoxide so barriers had to be put in place for the new build in the ground, and piled Full groundworks packages for foundations were the private and commercial sectors used for the development.

Security is guaranteed Our range of specialist services include with intruder alarms, excavation, foundation and slab laying, a CCTV system, underground drainage services, block and secure access on the beam, ducting, asphalt, kerb and paving laying main doors by way of keypad access, and We are pleased to have been associated there are detection and alarm sounders. with the Dance Studio at the The building is DDA Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College compliant, with a platform lift to access The Old Offices, Urlay Nook, Eaglescliffe, all floors, an Stockton-on-Tees, TS16 0LA accessible toilet on Tel: 01642 787815 Fax: 01642 787816 the ground floor, and Email: awcowan@btconnect.com level access to the www.awcowangroundworksltd.com building.

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UKC commercial

Royal Mail Delivering a first class extension in Sheffield New facilities that will be part of the Royal Mail Centre in Sheffield will include an extension to accommodate additional merchandised mail processing equipment and internal re-planning as part of a strategic review that will see the closure of the Doncaster centre, with mail sorting transferred to Sheffield.

Located on Brightside Lane, the extension and internal alterations will incorporate four additional raised loading bays and a new/re-provided flat dock area beneath a full width canopy.

The existing vehicle service workshop is contained within the overall site boundary providing ancillary Royal Mail fleet facilities but is unaffected by works, other than modifications to the yard area to accommodate alterations to the adjacent access road.

The key requirement for the extension was to have the ability to accommodate the additional mail sorting equipment while allowing the existing centre to remain operational.

The optimum arrangement established was an extension to the north east and north west sides of the building.

It is being formed as a continuation of the

existing parapet line with a vehicle canopy alongside. This is in keeping with the scale of the existing mail centre and surrounding buildings and so will not have any adverse impact on adjoining properties, or detract from the appearance of the existing building.

Externally, due to the north east extension, some of the small/medium sized operational vehicle parking is being relocated into an existing concrete area.

Private parking displaced by the extension will be positioned on the existing undeveloped area and the new HGV docks will be accessed via the existing link road alongside the development.

The building will comprise of steel, using an arrangement that extends the existing structural form. This will ensure the extension and existing frame act in a similar manner and deflect in similar ways, limiting any potential issues at junctions and interfaces.

The extension has a piled foundation arrangement, with ground bearing floor slab. This is not only suitable for the ground conditions but is also consistent with the existing structure, which will reduce the likelihood of potential differential settlement between the existing and new buildings.

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Minor alterations will be necessary to remove the small islands within the car park areas to accommodate the extension.

The HGV yard will be constructed in brushed concrete to suit HGV use with heavy duty block paving used for the main flat dock and small van parking area.

Built by Wates Construction and designed

by Watson Batty Architects Ltd, work started in January 2012 and will be complete in April 2013.

Sheffield Mail Centre - Royal Mail Client: Wates Construction Location: Royal Mail Sheffield Value: ÂŁ116,000.00

The retaining wall consisted of 93.0L.M. (155no piles) of between 6 pile sections.

The sheet piles were installed using an ABI Telescopic Leader Rig m vibratory piling hammer all serviced by mobile crane.

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For Innovative Permanent and Temporary Sheet Piling Solutions throughout the UK and Ireland In March 2012 Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd were awarded the subcontract to Design, Supply and Install steel sheet piles to form a Permanent Retaining Wall.

The retaining structure was constructed to facilitate the construction of an extension to the existing Royal Mail Centre.

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UKC leisure

Novotel and Ibis Hotels Changing the landscape of Blackfriars Road Located 100 metres from Southwark Tube Station, a ÂŁ30M twin hotel development has been constructed for the Accor Hotel Group.

The development is conveniently situated close to the South Bank of the River Thames and is near to both the Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre.

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The project at 46-49 Blackfriars Road comprised of the construction of a singlestorey structure housing two hotels – a fourstar Novotel and a two-star Ibis.

Access to Novotel London Blackfriars is located at the north east corner of the site and entry to Ibis London

Blackfriars is located at the south east corner of the development.

Novotel London Blackfriars comprises of 182 guest bedrooms, 12 business suites, six meeting rooms and a bar and restaurant.

The hotel also has a full range of leisure facilities, including a swimming pool. >

For hoteliers around the world, when they think of doorsets for their next project, they inevitably think of Huet.

The many successful projects are testament to the quality work provided, with hotels such as L’Hermitage in Monaco and the Marriott St Pancras Renaissance hotel.

Huet is also Accor Hotel’s preferred doorset supplier for Ibis, Mercure, Novotel and Sofitel brands.

For the UK market, Huet specialise in fire rated and acoustic rated doorsets for hotels, recording studios, auditoria, education and health/medical sectors.

What sets the Company apart from others are the unique construction methods, which allows bespoke finishes for door leafs and frames, including real wood veneers.

Products supplied by Huet include 182 bedroom doorsets for Novotel Next Blackfriars. These were finished to match the Novotel Next brand interior design, comprising of grey lacquered chateau oak laminate door leave with complimenting beige grey lacquered hardwood frame.

The company has also provided 297 bedroom doorsets for Ibis Blackfriars. Finished with American maple laminate door leaf and natural varnished hardwood frame, the doorset used was the Club 39, with 41 Rw dB acoustic rating and FD 30 fire rating.

Finished with solid core white lacquered door leaf and frame, Huet has also provided bathroom doorsets for Novotel and Ibis' 48 accessible rooms, as well as a further 18 interconnecting bedroom doorsets for Novotel Next Blackfriars.

The product, a SAS 52 with 55 Rw dB acoustic rating and FD 30 fire rating, is a double door system that allows access between bedrooms.

This is finished to match the Novotel Next interior design used on the 182 bedroom doorsets provided – grey lacquered chateau oak laminate, as well as a white lacquered beach frame.

Always looking to stay ahead of the competition, Huet is involved in continuous research, making sure all doorsets stay ahead of any new regulations, helping to continue the success story.

Ibis London Blackfriars has 297 guest bedrooms and a bar and restaurant with a 24-hour snack service.

Restrictions were in place during development so that construction work could only take place between 8am and 6pm during the week and between 9am and 1pm on Saturdays.

As a gesture of goodwill, the Main Contractor, McAleer & Rushe, also undertook a small amount of landscaping work to help revitalise the neighbouring areas.

The ground floor includes entrances for both hotels, with a sliding door for Ibis London Blackfriars leading to a reception desk, a restaurant and lifts.

A revolving door for Novotel London Blackfriars leads to a grand feature staircase, check-in desks, children’s play area and restaurant. The ground floor of this hotel also includes conference facilities, a seven-metre island bar, kitchens and additional back of house facilities.

There are dedicated meeting rooms on the first floor of the development, while the second floor and above is reserved for the guest bedrooms. A plant room is located on the roof of the building.

Stephen Surphlis, McAleer & Rushe Property Director, said: “Securing Accor as tenant demonstrates the confidence in this hotel opportunity and the quality of the investment. This substantial development will contribute significantly to the ongoing regeneration along Blackfriars Road and the South Bank area of central London.”

Work began on the site in November 2010.

Prior to construction of the 14-storey complex, demolition took place to remove a former five-storey office block.

Once the site was cleared, construction began on the reinforced concrete superstructure, which was clad with a

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Technocrete concrete panel.

MAS 50 curtain walling was then installed to create wall panels, while partitions were formed using plasterboard, dry lining and blockwork. Two lifts have been installed and a three-ply membrane roof has been attached.

The basement level of the development comprises of the swimming pool with changing facilities, a manager’s office with associated back of house facilities and the main plant room and sprinkler tank.

Jean-Jacques Dessors, Accor Hotel Group Chief Operating Officer, said: “This important development continues Accor’s strategic and ambitious expansion in the UK, particularly in London, with the Novotel and Ibis brands.

“The new hotels represent a strong endorsement of Accor’s prominence as one of the world’s leading hotel groups, and the venture is testament to Accor’s experience as a premier hotel owner for 40 years.”

McAleer & Rushe Contracts Manager, Peter Devlin, said: “The building has been constructed to meet Section 20 requirements and achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’.

We made very good progress because all the teams have worked well together to overcome any challenges.

“Accor Hotel Group is a very high profile hotel chain and it is great for McAleer & Rushe to have been involved with this quite unique project.

“The building is now part of the landscape

and the feedback that we have received so far has been very encouraging. This makes working on a project such as this very rewarding.”

The new generation Novotel is now open, with lots of hi-tech gadgets to keep guests entertained, including restaurant tables fitted with televisions for lone diners and a multimedia table with iPads.

Martin Magee, Construction Director at McAleer & Rushe, said: “This has been a very significant project for us to work on.

Strategically, it makes an important contribution to London’s hotel offering, and locally the finished scheme has made a very significant addition to the regeneration of the Blackfriars area, which is now a very attractive location. We look forward to working with Accor and their development partners on further projects.”

Funded by CommerzReal AG, the Architect for the project was Consarc Design. Work was completed in October 2012, costing £30.5M.

m W x 62mm H

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Having worked together on other prestigious Hotel projects, McAleer & Rush chose VingCard Elsafe as their preferred partner for the supply and installation of the hotel wide electronic locking system.

The Blackfriars project was unusual as two hotels are located on the one site but operate as two entities with unique shared access requirements.

VingCard Elsafe supplied an RFID card based locking system using in excess of 580 Signature locks with one central processor which was interfaced to separate management systems in each hotel.

Additional guest security was provided with Elsafe in room safes.

The success of these projects requires a close working relationship between supplier and main contractor which has been established during this and other projects over several years - we look forward to this relationship continuing in the future.

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UKC profile

Aylesbury Vale District Council Progressing its planning strategy for the next 19 years Aqua Vale Swimming & Fitness Centre

Aylesbury Vale District Council has continued to improve Aylesbury over the last few years despite the tough economic times, and understands further difficult decisions will have to be made in the coming years about how to spend money.

Over the last few years, the Council has generated a number of savings and has been able to freeze council tax for two consecutive years, thanks to a grant from the government.

The central strategy over the next four years is to put customers at the centre of everything that is done within Aylesbury, with aims such as growing the economy of the Vale, delivering efficient and economic services, and protecting and improving the living experience in the Vale.

Of the many projects taking importance in Aylesbury, one is the residual waste treatment contract.

This 30-year contract was awarded to FCC Environment in July 2012 by Buckinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet.

FCC Environment, formerly Waste Recycling Group, was confirmed as preferred bidder for the project in February 2011. The Council’s Development Control Committee voted to grant planning permission to Greatmoor Energy From Waste (EfW) in April this year and the Environment Agency granted the facility a permit to operate in May this year.

Greatmoor EfW will convert household and business waste that cannot otherwise be recycled into valuable, renewable energy and

Hankinson Duckett Associates worked with Aylesbury Vale District Council to deliver the Waterside Theatre project.

We provided: Landscape and visual impact assessment, ecology assessment and design services to support planning applications for the site. Post planning we prepared the detailed design drawings and specifications to oversee the successful diversion and restoration of the brook.

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help reduce the UK’s dependence on fossil fuels for electricity.

It will treat up to 300,000 tonnes of residual waste each year and will generate 22MW of electricity.

This is equal to the amount of energy required by up to 30,000 homes. Some temporary jobs will be created through the three-year construction phase, with 64 permanent jobs at the facility and 31 more in the supply chain.

It is estimated that Greatmoor EfW will provide up to £2.3M to the local Aylesbury Vale economy per year and approximately 3.1M at the county level.

This month saw the recognition of the standard of design of eight projects in the area. The building projects were singled out for praise by the judges of the Aylesbury Vale District Council Design Awards.

The New Inn visitor centre at Stowe Landscape Gardens and Rammamere, a contemporary house near Stockgrove, were named as joint winners.

A £9M project by the National Trust to restore the New Inn was completed earlier this year. Built in 1917 by Lord Cobham, the Inn was the original lodging for visitors to his new 250-acre landscape gardens.

Acquired by the Trust in 2005, the dilapidated Inn has been rebuilt and restored over the last two years to become a visitor centre for the 21st century.

Reconstruction was carried out after extensive research into the original design,

We have added value through the creation of reed beds and gentle river banks which form part of the site’s drainage strategy and wildlife habitats which contribute to the County’s BAP objectives. The meandering brook forms a pleasant natural backdrop to the theatre.

We are now working with a team of consultants to restore a further section of the brook as part of the continued regeneration of the waterside site.

and rooms have been furnished with original Georgian furniture where possible.

Beam Cottage at Cuddington and the Old Brewery House at Ivinghoe were highly commended by the judging panel as well.

Other developments to receive commendations include Buckmaster Farm, Horton, Cartref Barn, Grendon Underwood, The Granary in Chearsley and The Serpentine in Aylesbury.

Aylesbury Vale’s long-term vision for homes, employment, leisure, infrastructure and the environment has been approved by councillors.

The decision to agree the draft version of the Vale of Aylesbury Plan Strategy, which sets out how future development should be delivered over the next two decades, was agreed last month.

The decision signals a hugely important step forward in the Council’s plan making process, and means that Aylesbury Vale District Council will be able to submit the plan for examination by an independent planning inspector working on behalf of the government.

The document details how the Council is planning for a minimum of 6,000 new jobs and 6,000 new homes over the next 19 years, in addition to the employment development and 7,500 new homes already with planning permission.

Once adopted, the strategy will provide a planning blueprint for Aylesbury Vale up to 2031.

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Gemmell McDonald Associates Building Services Consultants We have been working with Aylesbury Vale District Council as their building services consultants for the last 15 years.

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UKC leisure

HMS Belfast New Quayside Pavilion providing a social destination This winter will mark the opening of the much-anticipated Quayside Pavilion at HMS Belfast, on the bank of the River Thames.

The Quayside Pavilion will provide an inviting new experience, which will inform visitors about the immersive and engaging HMS Belfast experience.

Built within the footprint of the existing structure, the Pavilion will offer an exciting new retail space and ground floor coffee bar, and a rooftop café bar, ideal for family visitors. As well as a striking new look entrance, access for groups, schools, corporate clients and service deliveries will be dramatically improved.

It is replacing a previously existing platform with architecture that is more fitting to the surroundings and is intended to attract passers-by along the popular riverside location.

The dramatic rooftop café bar will allow visitors to enjoy stunning views of the historic ship and surrounding London landmarks, including Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and City Hall.

The announcement about the new pavilion came at a fitting time, when HMS Belfast celebrated her 40th anniversary as an iconic London landmark. The ship was first opened to the public on 21st October 1981 – Trafalgar Day – and since then nearly eight

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million people have explored her nine decks.

Phil Reed, Director of HMS Belfast, said: “We’re thrilled to be launching the Quayside Pavilion, which we believe will give HMS Belfast the support she needs to continue to be a high profile, cultural destination.

“As well as enhancing the area’s aesthetic appeal, the new Pavilion will help Imperial War Museum to ensure that HMS Belfast is in the best possible position to generate the funds needed to preserve the historic ship and ensure its long term financial sustainability.”

Phase II of the project will come to fruition in Easter 2013, with the launch of the chic rooftop bar.

Prestige London, part of Sodexo, currently provides catering, hospitality and event management services for HMS Belfast and will operate the new Quayside Pavilion.

James Greetham, Managing Director for Prestige London, said: “We are extremely excited about working in partnership with HMS Belfast to develop this new and exciting commercial proposition at one of London’s most iconic venues and tourist attractions.”

CPMG Architects, based in Nottingham, also designed The Lord Ashcroft Gallery at IWM London and have been leading the redevelopment alongside the Project

Managers, Focus.

The current quayside entrance was first built as a temporary structure more than 20 years ago and was in need of major improvement. The redevelopment is one of a number of long-term improvements being made to the ship, which saw action in both World War II and the Korean War. James Hodges Design Associates designed the interiors for the new Quayside Pavilion and have created and produced a series of punchy and evocative films, which aim to communicate to queuing visitors the truly captivating experience they can expect on board HMS Belfast.

Creative Director, James Hodges, said: “Inspired directly by the maritime architecture and rich detail to be found on board HMS Belfast and also from cruise liners of its era, a combination of explicit and implicit narrative elements combine to set the scene for a visit to the ship.

“The addition of the roof terrace bar in such an attractive and unique location – overlooking the ship and Tower Bridge – the Pavilion is set to become a seriously social destination.”

The launch of the new Quayside Pavilion will draw both new visitors to HMS Belfast and returning visitors to its destination bar and café in the heart of the capital.

CONTRACTING LTD CARPENTRY + JOINERY

3 Court Close, Kidlington Oxford OX5 1NU Telephone: 01865 372023 keith.turnock@adhectic-contracting.co.uk www.adhectic-contracting.co.uk

UKC education

Eagle House School Sports centre and performing arts building Progress on the construction of an energy efficient sports hall and performing arts centre at Eagle House School in Sandhurst is well underway.

One of the oldest preparatory schools in the country, the new buildings will complement the top class facilities offered by the School, which is part of Wellington College.

Built on the site of the old sports hall and cooking classrooms, these were demolished to make way for the new development, which also comprises of changing rooms and a viewing gallery.

Designed by HJ Stribling & Partners, the building is being constructed on level ground, with sandy ground conditions.

Features of note include a curved entrance with floor to ceiling glass wind catchers on the sports hall and performing arts roof, and a corbelled chimney and internal curved walls.

The external faรงade will consist of orange bricks, with wood cladding, a cream render and curtain walling with grey roof and gutters, as well as flashings. Windows will be aluminium, and a slight pitched roof is being incorporated.

Other glazing features include curtain walling to the main entrance, a roof light,

and windows on the viewing gallery to the sports hall.

Minimising disruption is especially important. Careful segregation of the site with safe walkways ensures normal school routines can continue and construction traffic is timed to avoid the busiest periods in the school day. The March 2012 and will be completed in noisiest work and any construction that February 2013, with the opening expected a creates dust is planned out of school month later. hours to minimise any disruption to staff and pupils.

Disabled access will Family run business be guaranteed with entering our 40th year ramps to all entrances, while there will also be a disabled toilet.

Both hard and soft landscaping is incorporated and car parking will COVERING ALL ASPECT OF accommodate 40 DOMESTIC AND COMMERCIAL BRICKWORK vehicles.

Also at our small works division: The Main Contractor GENERAL BUILDING - EXTENSIONS - PATIOS - NEW BUILD for the project is Oak Hill House, Upper Seagry, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 5HD Beard Construction.

Telephone: 01249 723 808 Email: kmcltd.lloyd@gmail.com Work started in

Building & Bricklaying Contractors

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UKC commercial

Park Road New industrial units for Peter Kinch Plant Ltd This significant redevelopment has seen the demolition and redevelopment of four commercial units.

The previously existing units were outdated, with little or no insulation, exposed blockwork walls and corrugated cement sheet roofs. Although in an industrial area, the buildings had a negative impact on the street scene, meaning that redevelopment to provide these well designed and energy efficient buildings has provided a very positive impact on the area.

Located to the south of Faringdon town centre, Park Road is surrounded by a mixture of industrial, residential and commercial properties, providing an interesting mix of uses along Park Road, all of which were unaffected by the development.

The four previously existing units were split into two buildings, sitting either side of the site access and formed the street scene of the existing estate addressing Park Road.

The redevelopment of these units has provided more sustainable and functional units, and also a much improved public face to the existing industrial estate by providing a well designed and detailed development.

The replacement units were rotated by 90 degrees so each unit has a presence to the road, providing a positive effect on the design with pedestrian and goods doors breaking up the elevation.

The scale is increased slightly but the buildings will still be viewed across the car parking, and are not out of scale with the surrounding buildings.

They have been designed to improve the public image of the industrial estate from Park Road by providing the principal elevations with a mix of high composite cladding panels and built up metal cladding.

Visually the new units have large glass entrance screens to further enhance the aesthetics with the colours designed to echo those of the original buildings.

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both the main entrances and at the fire As the site is an existing industrial site, escape doors, while internally there is an there were very few areas for soft accessible disabled toilet. landscaping, with the majority of the site The Architect for the project was BPL being laid out as hard landscaping.

Architecture, and the Main Contractor was As part of the overall improvement works, a Barnwood Construction. The redevelopment small landscape margin was provided to is now complete.

Park Road and has been planted with a mix of small shrub planting. There was also a poor quality tree to the rear of Unit Four, and this has been replaced to suit the planting scheme for the new development.

By moving the units further away from the road, the unit sizes have been increased, while still providing car parking at the required standard, as well as necessary turning areas and landscaping. There is also cycle storage to increase the possibility of staff and customers cycling to the site.

All of this increased the footprint of the units to 7,500sq ft, while also providing the opportunity for an NASSAU Industrial Doors (UK) is one of Europe's leading additional new manufacturers of industrial sectional overhead doors. mezzanine floor that increases the overall Functional design, uncompromising quality and expert area to 9,960sq ft. consultation are some of the key factors behind the best The topography of the doors on the market. site is generally flat, meaning it is accessible from the Nassau Industrial Doors Ltd. Jubilee House, Dewsbury Road, Fenton Industrial Estate, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 2TB street in a wheelchair or as an ambulant Tel: 01782 418700 Fax: 01782 418720 disabled person. The Email: info@nassau.co.uk Web: www.nassau.co.uk new units also have level thresholds at

UKC commercial

Ashgate Road Upgraded office facilities Leading Accountancy and Financial Services business, Shorts, celebrated moving into this upgraded and extended office building earlier this month.

Located on Ashgate Road in Chesterfield, the work has involved a two-storey extension of a two-storey building. The old house is a fourstorey building with a cellar and an attic, but the office only mainly uses the ground and first floor.

The site’s location is absolutely ideal as it is close to town and has excellent parking facilities. There is now a fresh environment feel about the building, with new furniture and state-of-the-art IT equipment.

Everything has been upgraded, providing a fresh new image for the Company, something that in the short term should give everybody a lift and in the long term will result in bringing in some more business.

Previously, Shorts was fragmented into three separate sites, one of which is a Victorian house with 2,000sq ft of space which housed a small part of the business.

The Company approached planners to build an L-shaped extension that wrapped itself around the Victorian house, adding 5,800sq ft so that all of the business could be brought onto this one site.

It has been a goal for a long time for the Company to be based on one site, something that is in the best interests of all concerned. This is because it aids communication and creates the right visual image of the size of the firm, something that wasn’t always apparent when it was located on three separate sites.

The Company was set to move to an alternative site in 2008 but this was abandoned. They then had discussions with the designer of the interior of that building who suggested visiting the planners to see if any work could be done on the site of the Victorian house, and a scheme was put together..

Since then, the original designs were kept, and though changes have been made to the materials, the fundamental design provided

by Structural Interiors has remained.

Disruption to work was minimised by in January removing staff from the Victorian house and 2012 and was completed in October, relocating to temporary accommodation. A costing approximately £850,000 for the year’s lease was taken out on the site, which whole development. is ideally located just five minutes drive from Shorts moved into the building on the the site, providing a simple and easy way to 9th November. get staff off the site and ensuring the Main Contractor, Wildgoose Construction, could work without interruptions.

Despite the time consuming nature of ● Family run business the development, the reward is the high ● Established over 40 years quality office accommodation that ● Experienced in all types of commercial has resulted, with no = and domestic gas central heating stone left unturned to make sure this was the end product. ● Plumbing The project commenced

Electrical Contractors 65 years of Experience

Commercial and Industrial energy efficient electrical installations with full in-house design, for Public and Private Sector clients.

We work with enthusiasm, ability and experience to provide a quality and sustainable service.

Proud to be associated with Wildgoose Construction Ltd Email: enquiries@dhmarrion.co.uk Telephone: 01226 282576 DH Marrion Ltd, 220 Sheffield Road, Barnsley, S70 4PF

J A PAYNE PLUMBING AND HEATING LIMITED

●

New Build, Nursing Homes, Schools, = Health Centres, Churches

●

Private Housing and Grant work

●

Free Quotes and very competitive prices 48 Pryor Mede, Harthill, Sheffield, S26 7YB

Tel: 0114 2879096 or 01909 515610 Mobile: 07974 466723 or 07878 938010 Fax: 0114 2879096 johnpayne380@btinternet.com or lindapayne23@btinternet.com Gas Safe Registration No. 179871

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UKC profile

Watergate Ltd Successful refurbishment contractors Since its formation in 1998, Watergate’s highly detailed and professional approach to costs and budgeting has resulted in a pricing success rate of more than 85%, which greatly indicates the outstanding competitiveness offered within the industry.

This approach of being focused on the needs of all customers is a key factor in the success enjoyed by Managing Director Richard Cryer and his dedicated team.

With a first year turnover of £650,000, the success of the Company is indicated by the fact that it has enjoyed increased turnover each year by a huge 50%.

This multi-million pound business sees quality as being one of the most important aspects in any project. Highest standards are treated as basics in a project, rather than targets to aim at.

These values are insisted upon from all in the Company, from the Managing Director through to the Contracts Manager, and to every single member of the workforce.

All work is closely monitored, with sites kept as clean and tidy as possible to minimise any working problems, guaranteeing efficiency, as well as health and safety.

All works are project managed by Watergate operatives, and their careful and stringent monitoring ensures vital day-to-day feedback, client value for money, completion on time and to budget.

The Company is highly skilled in all refurbishment and fit-out work, with a large portfolio of work completed to the very highest standards.

Work at Spring Gardens in central Manchester comprised of external and internal refurbishment of the beautiful Gothic-style Victorian building.

The work included completely cleaning all brick and stonework, followed by detailed stone repairs to retain the integrity of the architecture, re-roofing, removal and

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rebuilding a dilapidated chimney stack, and lead capping sheets to flat roofs.

In addition, pigeons were removed from the building followed by cleaning and installing deterrent systems.

Restoration and wood repairs were carried out on all windows and external doors as well as internal structural alterations, decorations, new doors and frames.

Watergate has also provided work at the Beluga Lounge in Wakefield. The project required the creation of an environment with a unique modern style and ambience, synonymous with an exclusive member’s nightclub.

The work included a conservatory roof, manufactured joinery on bars, back fittings, drinking shelves, soft furnishings for leather columns and walls, raised dance floors, lighting and sound systems, decorations, fixed and loose seating, mechanical and engineering works, and new toilets.

Luxurious fit-outs have also been provided, with the apartments at River View Maltings in Grantham being a prime example.

Major construction took place on the Grade II listed building, forming 54 apartments. The property was an original Maltings building, constructed more than 100 years ago.

Watergate worked with the client and contract administrator on the project that was complete on time and on budget for approximately £5M. Work on this development is significant because it was awarded second place at the 2007 National RICS Awards. The project covered all aspects of construction from demolition, drainage and civil works through to decorations and flooring to each apartment.

All projects undertaken by Watergate lay great emphasis on health and safety.

Projects are carried out under CDM

regulations whether required or not.

Signing in and out procedures at each site, the health and safety file, required signage where applicable, and an operation and maintenance manual is provided on completion of all projects.

This is all carried out by Watergate’s inhouse health and safety department, and with such care and attention taken on all projects, as well as the first class work provided, Watergate can look forward to a successful future.

Watergate Ltd, 220 Doncaster Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 5DQ. Tel: 01924 378220.

Watergate and wish Tel: 01484 851313

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www.pro-mark.org.uk

Heys Lane, Gt. Harwood, Lancashire BB6 7UA

UKC civil

Sefton Highways Making progress on the A565 Committed to improving highways in the area, work is being provided to make the roads safer and better to use for motorists.

The A565 Route Management Strategy has been developed to tackle the problems of traffic congestion, road safety, accessibility and air quality along the A565 between Seaforth and Thornton.

A public consultation in December 2010 demonstrated clear public support for both the strategy and the draft action plan.

The element of the action plan receiving the strongest public support was the improvement of key junctions.

One of the most congested junctions along the A565 is the South Road/Haigh Road junction. As part of the A565 Route Management Strategy, Sefton has developed proposals for a major improvement to the junction, and is seeking out the views of local residents and users of the A565 about the proposals for the junction.

The proposals involve the widening of the existing junction so that it will provide two lanes in each direction for straight on traffic and a right turn lane for traffic into either

been retained and introduced in other Haigh Road or South Road. Work on this is sections of the A565. likely to start early next year.

The College Road/Kingsway junction has Work already completed includes provided a right turn lane to improve the improvement to Hicks Road. Completed last pedestrian crossing facilities. Recently summer, it involved removing an existing completed, it will provide improvements to pedestrian crossing, installing traffic lights traffic flow at the junction, while also at the junction and providing parking bays making it safer for pedestrians. on one side of the road.

The traffic lights have provided better control at the junction, enabling traffic to turn in and out of Hicks Road while retaining the crossing facility for pedestrians.

New road markings Civil Engineering Specialists to provide two lanes along some sections King House, Newstet Road, Knowsley Ind. Park, of the A565 were Kirkby, Liverpool L33 7TJ introduced in Tel: 0151 548 5260 Fax: 0151 545 1846 summer 2011 as a trial, but because info@kingconstruction.co.uk they proved to be www.kingconstruction.co.uk effective, they have

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UKC leisure

London 2012 Basketball Training Venue The preparations to host the 2012 Olympic Games in London saw many construction projects carried out across the city and its surrounding areas. Some venues were to be permanent structures whilst others were temporary. The basketball training venue at Leyton Marsh was one of the many temporary structures constructed.

The venue housed two basketball training courts on a site which was within easy travelling distance of the Olympic Park and that would be suitable for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The further two courts needed for training were provided from Hackney Community College and Barking Abbey School.

The site at Leyton Marsh, and the adjoining Walthamstow Marsh, both have areas which are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and careful planning was undertaken by architects Nussli International to ensure these sites were not affected in any way. A licence was agreed with Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) to construct the facility on the Leyton Marsh site and allow access from the existing access point at Lee Valley Ice Centre.

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The building was constructed within a fenced barrier to allow for the security of the facility. The overall site covered just 135m by 112m and the building was a single storey. The court areas were 11m in height and had flat roofs; the ancillary facilities were situated at the front of the building and were 6.7m high with a pitched roof. The temporary structure sat on a gravel bed which was removed when the building was dismantled once the Games were over.

The building was designed to be temporary, with as little impact on the surrounding area as possible. An innovative system was taken on for the structural panelling of the venue which used a straw based board structure provided by Envirowall Global Ltd. Glenn Williams, Managing Director of Envirowall comments: “As far as we are aware this project was a global first.

Building walls effectively made from straw for a global games event has never been done before. Approximately 2,000sq m of Envirowall Strawboard was used in the formation of the demountable partitioning system. By utilising off-site manufacture and eliminating wet trades on-site the Olympic project time lines

could be met. The strawboard partitions also helped with the Olympic Legacy strategy by utilising materials that are effectively recycled and will be recycled/re-used at end of life. The strawboards consist of 97% wheat straw and because they are formaldehyde free comply with CARB 1 and CARB 2 requirements. They are also Class C compliant for surface spread of flame.

The majority of the strawboard was left in its raw moisture resistant state which was another first; wet areas were waterproofed using high pressure laminates. It will be interesting to see how high sustainability will rank on the building of the Rio games in four years time - can't wait!”

With use as the training venue for both the London Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games the facility had to be fully accessible for all. The venue had level access, with wide circulation spaces. The changing facilities and toilets are immediately accessed from the courts.

Construction work on the venue began in March this year, completing in time for training to begin in May. The venue was in use from June to September, until the Paralympic Games ended. Dismantling of the venue was carried out at the end of September and reinstatement works followed in October. The land was returned to Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) once the work was complete.

LVRPA were awarded £65,000 from the Olympic Delivery Authority to improve Leyton Marsh once the venue was removed.

This money will be used to increase seating and to improve pathways and gateways.

Woodlands (Worcs) Ltd Generation House, Vale Business Park, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 1GP

01386 442622

Email: info@woodlands-generators.com www.woodlands-generators.com

Originally set up in the 1950s as a general plant hire firm, before moving into generator sales and rental 20 years later, today Woodlands Generators is a market leader in temporary power supply in the UK and Europe.

The Company has an extensive range of rental generators for hire, from 30kVA right through to 2,200kVA, while also synchronising multiple gensets together to supply multi-megawatt temporary power facilities.

The Company has an excellent reputation for technical expertise and efficient service in many industrial sectors, having provided generator sales and rental services to industries and sectors including utilities, manufacturing, quarrying and mining, shipping, construction, entertainment and oil and gas including petrochem.

The rental generators all come packaged in weatherproof canopies or ISO containers, with the latest electronic control systems built in. The rental range also comes with very low sound readings in comparison to most other rental fleets.

At Woodlands, the expertise means the Company can provide the highest quality service in generator sales and rental as well as installation, servicing and general maintenance. It also specialises in providing excellent customer service to clients, with 24/7 emergency call out, as well as 24/7 on site watch keeping, electrical system design and excellent technical support.

During more than 60 years in the plant industry, Woodlands has gathered considerable experience in working with international clients. Amongst many others, Woodlands has worked on projects in Bermuda, Brazil, Gibraltar, Greece, Egypt, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, and the UAE.

The Rental Line is designed to work in tough environmental conditions and stands out for its versatility, standardisation and innovation. It contains equipment with high structural resistance, which works on any surface.

They can be used in sectors such as construction, civil works, and mining industry. This line incorporates latest generation switchboards, offering the customer multiple options for controlling and adapting the machine to each task.

The industrial line, set up to offer the maximum performance and accessibility during maintenance operations, stands out because of its high effectiveness and can be used in residential, tourism, industrial, agricultural and civil protection.

The Provision of 2100kVA of 60Hz power for an Offshore PSV. This contract required a Woodlands engineer to carry out commissioning.

Other products include the heavy line, characterised by a high capacity power supply. It stands out because of its simplistic installation, transportation-ready design and capacity to adapt to specific requirements. It can be used in the public works, industry, construction and communication sectors, as well as airports and hospitals.

The MV_Power Plant is designed to offer medium-voltage power supply as both a primary and emergency source, incorporating high technology control systems. It can be used in many remote locations and even in urban areas. It includes two types of product: indoor stations and outdoor stations.

Woodlands believes in offering the highest standards of service to clients globally, standing firm to the commitment to providing the best value for money without compromising standards.

With every hire or sale, the Company offers system design, system and equipment installation, service and maintenance, transport and logistics, fuel management and free technical support.

With this level of service, Woodlands will continue to flourish, giving customers complete peace of mind.

A 300kVA Generator, part of a large events project to supply temporary power to a well known Horse Racing Festival.

UKC profile

Higgins Construction Plc Celebrating completion of ‘Streamlight’ For over 50 years, Higgins Construction Plc has built a reputation as one of the most forward thinking construction companies in the UK. Part of Higgins Group Plc, it is currently chaired by Richard Higgins, whose father, Derek Higgins OBE, FCIOB, founded the business back in 1961.

Higgins remains a family business but it is the commitment to clients and the communities in which the Company works that has helped it become one of the leading community contractors in London and the South East. The Company continues to work with clients and supply chain partners to shape the future of modern construction.

Higgins believe that a collaborative approach is a platform for success.

Creating, establishing and maintaining industry partner relationships is now part of the business’s DNA. The Company has completed more than 100 partnering and collaborative working arrangements, both strategic and project specific to a value of more than £500M. The first partnering scheme was undertaken in 1999.

Working together with both Higgins Homes and its partners, the Company is able to deliver construction excellence to clients.

While the arrangements may differ, the focus of all partnered workloads are on commitment, communication, collaboration and trust.

Higgins’ reputation as the industry leader in community construction has been enhanced over the last decade. This includes the partnership work with national charity Community Service Volunteers (CSV) to develop training centres across London.

The Silwood Estate Regeneration Programme is an excellent example. It offered not just construction training but catering, nursery nurse/child care training.

Other high profile inner city estate regeneration programmes include Market Estate, Stockwell Park and Church End and Roundwood.

Earlier this year, work was completed on Higgins Construction’s first 24-storey tower

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said: “Seeing the transformation of this site for private sale – ‘Streamlight’, located in has been particularly rewarding, along with the Docklands. delivering this high specification scheme on The original site consisted of 39 flats, 24 car parking spaces, a car repair workshop and a time and within budget.

“I had a first class team working with me, public house. Working together with Swan who not only committed to the development Housing Group, the area has now been of the building but also to working extremely transformed with an iconic luxury tower, closely with the client.” including two exclusive duplex penthouses and two sub-penthouses. There are 133 dwellings in three blocks and the 24-storey Higgins Construction Plc, 1 Langston Road, sleek tower block with smaller apartments Loughton, Essex, IG10 3SD. with balconies.

Tel: 0208 508 5555.

All homes are eco-friendly with an EcoHomes rating of Excellent.

The project management team went through rigorous consultation with the planning department to ensure the smooth delivery of this project.

Planners wanted an exemplar scheme that had a strong visual impact to show the standard of building that would set the benchmark and needed the reassurance and commitment of the team at all stages.

It is a testament to the quality, exceptional Pleased to associated with build and finishing standards that have been delivered on this and wish them every success in the future project that ‘Streamlight’ was launched in April 2011 and sold 40 luxury units between April and December last year.

Work was completed in February 2012.

Gordon Riddock, Project Director of Higgins Construction,

Higgins Group

UKC health

Colchester General Hospital Providing a number of developments for patient care July saw the completion of the £5M project to build a state-of-the-art unit to sterilise surgical instruments at Colchester General Hospital and Essex County Hospital.

The Hospital Sterilisation and Decontamination Unit (HSDU) is located next to the Old Boiler House on the former Turner Village site on the edge of the Colchester General Hospital campus and serves that Hospital and Essex County Hospital.

It has replaced the previously existing facility in the Hospital’s main block and is equipped with brand new equipment.

The HSDU re-processes instruments and equipment required for clinical intervention in the treatment of patients. The majority are theatre instrument sets that are cleaned and decontaminated, inspected, packed, sterilised and returned for reuse.

The single-storey building, approximately 1,040sq m, is similar in style to the health records department at the back of Gainsborough Wing at Colchester General Hospital, which opened in 2007.

The location of the new unit away from the main Hospital meant that it was able to be built without any major impact on the rest of the Hospital.

The Trust had outgrown the previous HSDU and the replacement unit is bigger, giving Colchester one of the most efficient HSDUs in the NHS East of England region.

The new reprocessing equipment will benefit from the latest advances in technology and subsequently reduce water consumption in comparison to the machines previously in use, resulting in an ecofriendly addition to the Trust’s estate.

Funded entirely from the Trust’s own resources, work commenced in August 2011 and was completed in July this year, designed by Dudley Smith Partnership and built by Rose Builders.

Colchester University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides healthcare to approximately 370,000 people from Colchester and the surrounding area of North East Essex.

In addition, it provides radiotherapy and oncology services to a wider population of 670,000 people across North and Mid-Essex.

Its new state-of-the-art radiotherapy centre being built at Colchester General Hospital should start treating its first patients in early 2014, and will replace the current radiotherapy centre at Essex County Hospital.

Work on the centre started in August 2012

and will be built with five bunkers. Initially, three brand new linacs will be installed and the remaining two bunkers will be filled as demand increases for radiotherapy.

As well as linacs, it will also have an orthovoltage unit, which will be used to administer radiotherapy to treat cancers of the skin and superficial tissues, and a brachytherapy unit, which will be used to administer a specialist radiotherapy treatment, implanting short-lived radioisotopes into body cavities.

The centre will also have a CT scanner, which will help Hospital staff to identify with precision where a cancer is located in the body so that it can be treated accurately with radiotherapy.

It will be the single biggest capital investment in the health service in Colchester since Colchester General Hospital was built in the mid-1980s.

The Trust’s other cancer services will also be relocated to Colchester General Hospital, so the inpatient beds currently provided on Rhys Lewis and Jefferson wards at Essex County Hospital will transfer to vacant ward space adjacent to the new radiotherapy centre.

Stroods Specialist Contractors are Specialist Interior Contractors offering complete solutions to the Healthcare, Pub, Restaurant, Hotel, Retail and Leisure industries. We can offer all the attributes of a traditional, quality building company with a modern and efficient approach and, key to this industry, we are fast track specialists. Our highly skilled and experienced team can give a professional and personal service, from the initial enquiry through to the after sales service.

What we offer

14 Rushmere Close, West Mersea, Essex. CO5 8QQ

• Full design service for all types of general building and refurbishment • Specialist in Commercial Refurbishments • Vast experience in Fast Track Contracts • Large team of directly employed operatives covering all trades • Own in-house Joinery Shop • Health & Safety, CDM and quality assurance systems to ensure safety and efficiency

Tel: 01206 385858 Fax: 01206 385880 Email: general@stroods.co.uk

We have worked with Colchester General Hospital for many years and undertake projects from £500 to £1 million.These are fast-paced contracts and are all carried out whilst the hospital is in full operation with minimal disruption.

Established for over 20 years

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UKC civil

A470 Maes Yr Helmau to Cross Foxes Major transport infrastructure improvements across Wales Good progress is being made on the road improvement works located approximately two miles east of the town of Dolgellau in North West Wales, on the main A470 trunk road running between Llandudno and Cardiff.

The existing carriageway is a winding section of single carriageway, in parts climbing through a section of ancient woodland, and it consists of two junctions off the main trunk road, as well as access to three individual properties.

Work was required mainly to improve the traffic safety on this section of trunk road, while also improving access onto it from the existing side roads. Additional improvements will also be undertaken to access from private properties onto the new alignment.

The existing carriageway is very narrow in areas, which causes difficulties when large HGVs want to pass each other, so the

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improvements will help to minimise this issue. The site has also been the scene of a number of accidents in previous years and these works will enhance the local road network, improving the current link between North and South Wales.

Work has been in the pipeline for a long time, with the proposal to undertake the improvements within this section of the A470 trunk road tabled many years ago. The alignment and outline plan was prepared as far back as the early 1990s.

Principal improvements are being made to the vertical and horizontal alignment of the carriageway to improve visibility and enhance safety of the road user both on the main carriageway and for traffic entering on to and coming off the trunk road at side roads and from private accesses.

The scheme has been welcomed by most road users and local residents, but there

has been some resistance to the work because of its potential impact on the Meirioneth Ancient Woodland within which the new alignment would sit.

In response to this, extensive consultation has been undertaken with a number of stakeholder groups and statutory bodies to ensure that the environmental and ecological impact of the improvement would be mitigated and that compensatory measures would be implemented to replace wildlife habitation, which would be disturbed to make way for the new road.

In addition, the Meirionydd Oakwood and Bat Sites SAC are protected areas under both UK and European legislation.

As a result, the improvements consist of mitigation measures for the wildlife habitat in areas either side of the new carriageway, which include the provision of three oversize culverts, the construction and installation of >

With a significant number of sharp bends resulting in poor visibility, the A470 Maes yr Helmau to Cross Foxes Improvement Scheme, located within the beautiful countryside of the Snowdonia National Park has been high on the Welsh Government’s programme for trunk road improvements for some time, with site works finally started in late February this year and the Contract being awarded to Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Limited.

The 2.3km scheme, just south of Dolgellau will improve the existing substandard section of the Cardiff to Glan Conwy trunk road and enhance safety for users, whilst also providing a route for commercial, tourist and local traffic.

With buildability, demonstrating best value and innovation being significant considered factors on this project, Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd were keen to ensure that the road drainage and attenuation elements were progressed and completed on the various phases of the Project within tight timescales in order to minimise exposure

from potential run-off and siltation of the sensitive Afon Clywedog whilst also reducing traffic disruption by optimising productivity.

As a demonstration of this commitment, Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd sought the knowledge and expertise of the CPM Group off-site team to provide a bespoke solution to the site drainage and attenuation requirements, developing the Client design to incorporate individual and custom manufactured catchpits and flow control chambers for use within the permanent works. In conjunction with Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd, and after a short consultation period, CPM submitted proposals for 44 number catchpits each with varying inlet and outlet configurations, 18 number stop end bends on the 900mm diameter attenuation pipework and 16 number flow control chambers incorporating a factory cast base and internal weir wall with flow control device.

Both Contractor and Client approval of these quality assured products was given within a short period, allowing factory

manufacture to be progressed in accordance with the relevant British and European standard, along with an additional 600 meters of 900mm concrete pipes which are being installed in a fraction of the time and cost usually taken in comparison to conventional methods. Alun Griffiths Contractors Ltd was then afforded the option for delivery and call off to site in accordance with the Accepted Programme.

John P Evans, Roadworks Agent for Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd on the A470 Maes Yr Helmau to Cross Foxes Improvement Scheme firmly believes that “the quality, suitability and benefit of using the CPM products on this Project has without doubt provided a real advantage in regard to minimising disruption and reducing construction costs whilst also improving on the stated programme duration for these activities. CPM’s responsiveness and pro-active approach has also without doubt contributed to the success of the Project to date.”

CPM is the leading innovator in the UK for Pre-cast stormwater attenuation!

Range 1.8mt to 4.0mt Weir/Spilt Wall Chambers c/w pre-fitted Hydro-Brake 1.2mt to 4.0mt Flow Control Chambers c/w pre-fitted Hydro-Brake Storm Attenuation Manhole Components: Side / Mid Entry manholes Stop End Bends & Integrated Flow Control Chamber Rectangular Flat Pack Chambers

Benefits Established and proven product range that is Quality Assured Inherent structural strength of concrete with 120 Year design life Tanks are Kite-marked Pre-fitting of flow control devices No or minimal on-site fabrications Can be installed in trafficked areas Speedy installation AutoCAD drawings can be provided

To find out more see our website or call our sales team T: 01179 812791 F: 01179 814511 E: sales@cpm-group.com www.cpm-group.com

Concrete for Life

a bat bridge complete with bat lighting, as well as the establishment of planting areas over the footprint of the redundant areas of the existing carriageway.

Within one of the culverts, a dormouse tube has been designed, installed and suspended from the culvert roof, which will provide a roped link between the tree canopies on either side of the new carriageway.

As well as this, during the initial consultation process, a number of archaeological features were identified as being of interest along the footprint of the new carriageway and Gwynedd Archaeological Trust were afforded access in order to undertake pre-construction investigatory and exploratory works in advance to, and in conjunction with, the soil striping activities, as part of a watching brief.

No artefacts were discovered, but evidence was exposed of old shelters, stone tracks and hides, the details of which were surveyed and recorded.

The removal of significant sections of the rock in cutting has also been facilitated by small controlled explosives in order to reduce the disturbance and prolongation of break out.

The separate blasting activities succeeded in loosening some 1,000cu m of rock which, following on site processing, has subsequently been used within the structural embankment.

As is always the case in this part of the Cambrian Mountains, the site has experienced its fair share of rainfall over the early part of the construction period, with rainfall records reaching levels previously unheard of in many years.

This has caused some disruption to the earthworks activities with a flexible approach being adopted to optimise productivity wherever possible.

Prior to commencing the road construction works, a particularly critical

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fibre optic cable was installed over land as a temporary diversion for the existing trunk network, and it is to be diverted into underground ducting, installed as part of the works, upon completion.

The whole of the site is located within the Snowdonia National Park and is further bounded in significant areas, on both sides of the new alignment, by sites of specific interest and special areas of conservation, which has limited the working room available during construction in order to minimise disruption outside the footprint of the new road.

The site itself is located within a remote and rural area with a handful of small buildings, farms and private residences adjoining the works boundary.

There are also a number of small watercourses crossing the new alignment and particular emphasis has been put on controlling water quality to maintain the ecological balance within the native woodland adjoining the site and within the main Clywedog River, of which these watercourses are tributaries.

No major demolition work has been required as part of the improvements.

However, in order to provide the necessary mitigation areas, certain sections of the existing carriageway, which will be ultimately off line of the new road are being utilised as compensatory areas for the planting of the indigenous trees to reduce the impact of works.

Additionally, a short length of masonry retaining wall and existing culverts will require removal as part of the measures included within the permanent landscaping works. This work is being undertaken when traffic is diverted onto the new alignment.

The construction works involve the movement of approximately 78,000cu m of material in a cut to fill operation within the site. The new embankments being constructed off site incorporate excavated

material to the underside of the capping layer.

This operation required the processing of unacceptable material from cut areas into acceptable Class 1A and Class 2C material for consolidation into the embankment areas under strict testing and quality control procedures in situ.

Utilising site material substantially reduced the environmental impact of the scheme, the final design incorporating a near balance on the cut/fill operation.

Capping and sub-base layer material was sourced from local quarries within the Dolgellau area to minimise traffic disruption and to ensure supplies of material in accordance with the construction programme.

The three principal oversize culverts were segmental corrugated buried steel structures manufactured and designed by Asset International Ltd. Significant attenuation measures for surface water and carriageway drainage were achieved by installing twin lengths of buried 900mm diameter concrete pipes beneath carriageway verges.

These pipes were supplied by CPM Concrete Ltd, who also designed and manufactured bespoke flow concrete chambers to throttle down discharges into adjacent watercourses on site.

To maintain the character of the site, and again to reduce the requirement for materials, all walling stone, comprising approximately 700m of containment walls, is site won from existing boundary walls, ‘clawdd’ type hedgerows and from the earthworks operation itself.

Where embankment construction encroaches into tree protection areas and root protection zones, embankment construction has been steepened and specialised lightweight aggregate, called Leca Maxit, has been used to reduce the > burden on tree roots.

Alun Pryce Transport Quality materials testing, diamond core drilling and sawing, and controlled demolition Formed in 1980, Celtest offers quality materials testing, diamond core drilling and sawing, and controlled demolition services to the construction, quarrying and civil engineering industry. Our experience in quality management, together with our skilled staff, have helped Celtest grow rapidly to become one of the foremost materials testing laboratories in the UK. Celtest’s North Wales laboratories are exceptionally well equipped for construction materials testing and are accredited by UKAS to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 (General Requirements for the Competence of Testing Laboratories) for the majority of tests performed both at our laboratories and on clients’ sites.

Celtest are proud to support Alun Griffiths Contractors Ltd, on the A470 Maes Yr Helmau to Cross Foxes Improvement Scheme.

Trefelin, Llandegai, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 4LH United Kingdom Phone: (+44) (0)1248 355269 Fax: (+44) (0)1248 351563 Email: postmaster@celtest.com www.celtest.com

“We’ll Tip Anywhere” Recycled Stone / Top Soil / Lime

Site Clearances / Tipper Hire & General Haulage Tel: 01686 688 425 Mob: 07802 846487 Fax: 01686 688 736 email: prycetransport@aol.com

0494

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Work on the new road alignment necessitated extensive site clearance works to be undertaken in advance of construction.

Specialist sub-contractor UPM Tilhil Ltd was appointed to undertake the tree clearance works with all arisings generated, inclusive of brash, bulk timbers and tree stumps being taken off site either to the Main Contractor, Alun Griffiths Contractors, as structural timber or for generation purposes at a biomass plant within travelling distance from the site.

With confirmed and potential dormice habitation areas identified, specialist attendance by the Welsh Government’s environmental and ecological teams supervised all defined tree works in accordance with prescribed measures identified in the licence obtained to permit these works to progress.

Ground conditions within the cut areas over the site predominantly consist of brown and grey gravel and clay silt material, which has proven to be very weather susceptible.

There are two areas of rock that have also been encountered, consist of strong to very strong dolerite, which has also

proven difficult to break out. These had been identified in the original site investigation report, although not in the quantity that has been encountered during the construction process.

The original contract stipulated specific restrictions throughout development in terms of traffic management, with permission given during construction to implement one section of single way working and two plant crossings to facilitate plant movements on the new alignment.

Consideration of these restrictions has necessitated the careful planning and sequencing of the works in order to make best use of seasonal weather to deliver planned completion as soon as realistically possible.

By regular meetings with the Welsh Government’s Transport Department and the local highway authority, as well as a sympathetic approach to delivering the project, traffic delays have been kept to an absolute minimum with commendations often being received from many authorities about how successful the minimisation traffic delays have been on the project up to

now. All deliveries are being facilitated off line, as this is another way to reduce any potential delays.

In order to improve safety of road users and the construction site personnel, a temporary traffic order was obtained to limit traffic to 30mph over the extent of the site and this has significantly contributed to the reduction of congestion, while also reducing the potential number of accidents on an existing black spot, at a junction within the working area.

The site team have also been proactive in seeking specialist advice and guidance, with assistance from North Wales Police.

The Main Contractor for this groundbreaking scheme is Alun Griffiths Contractors Ltd, and the Designer, who is also the Project Manager, is Gwynedd Consultancy.

Work on the ÂŁ4.9M project commenced on site at the end of February this year and completion of the whole development is scheduled for January 2014, though it is anticipated that the road will be opened to traffic in phases as the construction work progresses.

Highway Lighting Installation / Maintenance Lit / Unlit Sign Installation / Maintenance HERS Registered NIC EIC Registered Yr Hen Orsaf, Cwm y Glo, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 4EE

Tel: 01766 771000 Fax: 01286 673888 Email: amgylchedd@gwynedd.gov.uk

www.gwynedd.gov.uk 136

@cyngorgwynedd

cyngorgwyneddcouncil

16 East Avenue Porthmadog Gwynedd LL49 9EN Tel: 01766 512614 Fax: 01766 513261 Mobile: 07770 594098

www.monalifting.com o Offer Codi o Peirianneg Mecanyddol o Asio a Ffabriceiddio o Archwilio a Llwyth Brofi o Chwyth Lanhau a Phaentio o Offer Arbed Syrthio o Lifting Equipment o Mechanical Engineering o Welding and Fabrication o Inspection and Testing o Blast Cleaning and Industrial Coating o Fall Arrest Equipment

Suppliers of 8 wheelers tippers, licenced tipping for inert waste, sand & gravel, hardcore, decorative stone

We installed the Bat Bridge and the Dormouse Bridge on the A470 Maes yr Helmau project.

Unit 5, Parc Bryn Cefni, Llangefni, Ynys Mon, LL77 7XA

Tel: 01248 751300 Fax: 01248 751304 Email: info@monalifting.co.uk

UKC education

St Nicholas Primary School Taking advantage of unused external areas The two-phase extension project at the Primary School in Oxford was required to cope with the increased intake of Key Stage One (KS1) and Two (KS2) pupils, and associated additional staff.

Phase I was completed in January 2011 and provided two new classrooms, one for KS1 and one for KS2 pupils, an entrance lobby and link, a group room, cloakroom and toilets, while the final phase included two single-storey extensions and internal alterations to give the School a new KS2 classroom and larger staff room.

The classroom extensions are formed around light steel framed structures supporting glulam beams that offer a connection between the interior and exterior aesthetic of the buildings. The KS1 extension features a curved form with radiating beams, a composition that is echoed in the more traditionally laid out plan of the KS2 extension.

Movement around the School has become intuitive and straightforward. Links to the main existing circulatory routes and the opening up of new connections both within

PUR insulation below a single ply the existing School and the new facilities membrane weathering layer. have been achieved.

New classrooms have been supplemented with All additions are DDA compliant, with fully accessible extensions, and new rooms storage and the key was to provide open, light, have been linked to the existing security well-ventilated and airy spaces to encourage and fire systems. learning and positive interactions.

Designed by Oxford Architects and built by External walls comprise of insulated Knowles & Son, work on the whole project blockwork with finishes of cedar and render completed in July 2012. and the extensions lift the appearance of the existing School, providing a colourful contrast to the existing buildings.

Thee pitched roof to the curved KS1 extension is of low maintenance, natural finish We are pleased to be associated with the aluminium standing seam cladding with St. Nicholas Primary School project and built up mineral wool wish them continued success insulation above acoustically perforated Duval Betgate Ltd. structural decking. The 7200 Oxford Business Park North, Oxford OX4 2JZ flat pitched roofs to the other extensions Tel: 01865 481560 Fax: 01865 481482 consist of a composite Email: info@betgate.co.uk built-up system using

BETGATE

137

UKC profile

East Sussex County Council Developing a broad range of projects throughout the county East Sussex County Council has continued to improve services in the area and this year has seen the completion of a number of projects, as well as the start of other exciting developments.

A new archive store is being developed for East Sussex County Council’s county records, in combination with the University of Brighton.

Designed by Atkins Architects, the project, known as The Keep, is effectively a repository for the county records and also for the University’s historical documents. As well as being a repository and store for that information, it is also going to be a publicly accessible building in terms of actually being able to access the records.

This civic building and library also has associated staff and office space, providing an entrance point to Brighton.

It will also provide a home for the Special Collections of the University of Sussex, including the internationally renowned Mass Observation Archive. The building will also include the library and headquarters of the Sussex Family History Group. This group aims to encourage people to study family history and genealogy and to preserve and publish relevant documents.

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The site used to be playing fields belonging to the neighbouring Falmouth School, but became disused land.

Lizard Landscape design has been involved as environmental consultants, dealing with ecology survey work on-site following through to the landscape design work.

There are various blocks of ancient woodland that surround the site, and although it wasn’t designated as ancient woodland, there was a remnant piece of woodland area on the site.

In consultation with the local authority, Lizard Landscape Design has agreed to replant at either end of the site. There is some substantial woodland block planting to replicate the layout pattern of the woodland historically on that site, which is due to be completed before December 2012.The building itself has been designed to enhance the landscape setting. There is a chalk grassland embankment that runs along the edge of the existing A270 highway carriageway.

This is being retained and protected and within some of the site areas, Lizard Landscape Design is actually drawing that influence into the site by creating a chalk grassland butterfly bank to the northern edge of the building,

which is publicly accessible.

One of the constraints has been the site itself, which was left fallow for quite some time and has a population of protected species of reptile.

There are also slow worms and common lizards within that development site. It is being retained and enhanced within the site for reptiles, with the chalk grassland embankment packed full of reptiles.

In order to construct the key project itself, reptiles effectively had to be excluded from the construction zone. The habitats were enhanced beyond that construction zone in order that Lizard Landscape Design maintain the population of reptiles in a suitable habitat. All of this mitigation has been developed and devised with Brighton and Hove’s ecologists.

The state-of-the-art historical resource centre will house over six miles of archives and historical resources dating back over 900 years. These records document the lives of individuals, places and events from across the community, including written records, maps and plans, photographs and films, prints and drawings, oral histories, digital and electronic records, as well as local, national and international collections.

Lizard Landscape Design Limited Telephone: 01903 216 033 Fax: 01903 214 777 Email: lizard.landscape@btconnect.com

19 Broadwater Street East, Broadwater, Worthing, West Sussex BN14 9AA

UKC education

Frank Wise School Extended facilities Work at the Frank Wise School, located at Hornbeam Close in Banbury, has expanded the existing school hall and pool changing areas, as well as the pool reception.

Hall sideways have been pushed out to give a larger floor area, increasing the original by almost 30%, while the pool changing rooms and reception have been increased by joining two existing buildings together, which has resulted in over 100% increase in floor area.

Originally, the hall catered for dining needs for less than 40 pupils but the School has grown steadily with Banbury’s expansion. It resulted in post-16 students having to eat their lunches in their own classroom blocks, while the remaining 74 pupils aged five to 16 had to fit into the existing school hall.

Due to the needs of the children, the School employs 19 Midday Carers, who work alongside 12 school staff over the lunch period, meaning that 105 people have to be squeezed into the space, while maintaining a clear route for fire exits.

The School is under continued pressure to accept more children and was in need of

increased hall space and improved storage and kitchen facilities linked to this.

The enlarged school hall gives pupils more scope to enjoy lunch without being cramped for space, and tables and chairs can be stored out of the way of the main section of the hall so that in lessons such as PE, the pupils now have full use of the space safely.

There is also an improved kitchen area and a single larger area for PE storage, making it simpler to get pupils involved in learning where equipment belongs and how to get it and put it away independently.

The single-storey development has a front area canopy to aid the loading and off

loading of school mini buses and has an external façade of rendered brick.

Benefiting from the first class design of Lloyd-Thomas Architects and built by Edgar Taylor (Buckingham) Ltd, work commenced in April 2010 and completed in September 2012.

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UKC health

Hazeldene House Care Home With the first phase complete, work is well underway on the construction of a new residential care home for Graham Care Group in Pembury, Tunbridge Wells. The new ÂŁ5.5M Hazeldene House Care Home will replace the existing Priory Care Home at the same site on Romford Road. The contract is expected to be carried out in three phases with the first phase having been handed over and registered with the CQC in October 2012.

The first phase saw the construction of the first half of the new care home. The traditional structure consisted predominantly of blockwork and render with areas of timber clad panels. The main entrance façade is slate cladding and curtain walling and the lower ground and perimeter walls are brick and block. The central core frame was assembled using a steel frame with each of the floors made out of precast concrete planks.

The second phase, which has taken place during November 2012, sees the demolition of the former Priory Care Home which dates back to the 1800’s. The existing property was a 3,000sq m converted manor house which had narrow corridors and was becoming dated. The new development will

140

see the number of care suites for residents increase from 32 to 59, and residents will no longer have to share their room as was sometimes the case in The Priory.

The third phase of the development will be the construction of the second half of Hazeldene House, which will commence in December 2012 once the existing building is demolished. The Main Contractor, Alaway Ltd, will continue to address the needs and safety of residents when constructing the second half of the building and ensure that the works are as non-intrusive as possible.

Following completion of Phase III, scheduled for August 2013, the new care home will feature 59 individual suites which all have their own front door for residents to visit the communal facilities and grounds as they please. The 4,155sq m building will be spread over four floors; basement, lower ground floor, ground floor and first floor and two lifts have already been installed on Phase I for resident use.

Each suite features a personal day space for residents to socialise with family and friends in the privacy of their own home, tea bars with fridges, a data/telecom point, satellite TV and a wireless nurse call system. In addition to the front door, the suites will

also have a letterbox for its resident, allowing for a more domesticated, homely feel. The accommodation is offered as a studio or one bedroom suite and residents have the option to buy or rent. Spouses can be housed together and there are separate suites for those suffering with dementia type illnesses who may need additional support.

Within the central core of the development there is also a communal lounge space and dining areas, admin, management and staff facilities, a hair salon and a community day facility. The community day facility is due to be utilised by the Alzheimer Society, this will be a free service which will provide relief for people caring for relatives with dementia.

The basement, which is under the central core of the building, has been tanked and keeps the staff areas, kitchen, laundry and plant rooms separate from the resident floors.

Due to the location of the site, which was within a conservation area, an archaeology report was required before work commenced and a planning condition was put in place, which stated during demolition and excavation works an archaeologist had to remain on site and oversee the works. A > tree survey was undertaken to identify which

Harkel Building Services

Harkel Building Services are pleased to have been associated with Graham Care since 2005 virtually on a continuous basis.

Not only are we proud of our association but have enjoyed the relationship as Ernie Graham fosters a great team ethos on all his schemes and his enthusiasm and positive attitude rubs off with everybody in his circle of team members.

We have carried out the full range of Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Services on numerous Care Homes for Ernie ranging from 250k up to ÂŁ1.5 million.

We wish Ernie continued success in the future.

Harkel

BUILDING SERVICES

HARKEL BUILDING SERVICES LTD Unit 6, Edmund Road Business Centre, Edmund Road, Sheffield S2 4ED Tel: 0114 279 2090 Fax: 0114 275 4493 Email: enquiries@harkel.co.uk

tress could be kept and which removed, some trees were trimmed to avoid collision with the new buildings. Bat and reptile reports also had to be carried out, with the need to prepare a reptile restoration strategy arising. The bat report stated that the roof of the existing care home was to be demolished by hand to ensure no harm came from any roosting bats and the new home has had bat roosts installed.

The orientation of the site enhances views from within the building over the grounds and existing woodland setting. External works for the development have been taking place during the construction and will continue until completion next year. The construction of an external terrace leading from the lower ground floor sitting room to a timber boardwalk, giving access to landscaped gardens, is already complete.

Further features on site include an increase in car parking spaces, an air source heat pump and CCTV. Graham Care made the decision to change the name of the care home as the previous name sounded too institutionalised. The new name was chosen following a report which was being compiled by the social coordinator at Graham Care who found that the Victorian Priory building had been called

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Hazeldene between 1885 and the 1920s.

The Graham Care Group was founded in 1996 by husband and wife team, Ernie Graham and Dr Karen Graham. The Group owns and operates seven care homes and extra care facilities across Surrey, Kent and Sussex, providing accommodation for over 500 residents. The aim of the Group is to provide ‘homes for life’ for residents with specific personal care needs. The Hazeldene House development is just one of the new build projects the Company has been involved in, with more on the way. The Group also own Cornford House in Pembury, which was reopened in 2008 following a rebuild programme.

Chessmann Contracting Ltd, established in 1998 provide the Project and Cost Management services on the project.

Chessmann’s have gained a reputation as a high quality supplier contributing to the cost effective and timely completion of projects throughout the UK, creating a particularly high demand for service within the healthcare sector.

Alaway Ltd is a Scunthorpe based company that specialise in the healthcare sector.

Established in 1994 by the same Director who worked on the Cornford House development, Alan Boothby, the Company

has worked on traditional new build, refurbishment and extension projects across the UK. Carless and Adams Partnership provides a comprehensive range of professional and reliable services including design, cost management, contract administration and CDM regulations. With a wide range of clients built over the 100 years since its formation the Company has worked on many projects within the public and private sectors.

Graham Care Group value the relationship built up with contractors and architects and has built up a development team that works for them, both Alaway Ltd and Carless and Adams Partnership are a stable part of this team along with project manager Chessmann Consulting Ltd and planning consultant Tanner & Tilley.

Coast 2 Coast Building Control Corporate Approved Inspectors Providing a responsive, customer-focused Building Control service specialising in Residential Healthcare Projects in England and Wales.

Contact Steve Thomas on 07817 769816 E mail steve.c2c@btinternet.com

Hollowcore Flooring Beam and Block Plate Flooring Precast Concrete Stairs Precast Balconies Bespoke Precast Items Installation Services AP & Crane Supervision Contract Management

DevCor PrecastLtd

Commercial, Industrial and Domestic scaffolding services, supply and erect, ÂŁ10 million public and employers liability insurance, specialist in high risk scaffolding projects, confined space specialists, temporary roofs, stages and public event work.

Phone/Fax: 01233 621952 Mobile: 07950 296336 E-mail: brownes117@btinternet.com

OUR SERVICES Specialist interior design service to the healthcare industry since 1987.

Working with Architects, M & E Consultants, Builders and End Users.

DESIGN - MANUFACTURE - INSTALL PVCU & ALUMINIUM WINDOWS, DOORS & CONSERVATORIES

Specification strictly to a pre-arranged budget where overall design process is tailored to en-sure value for money for the client and optimum living environment for the resident.

We provide a full interior design service from concept through to completion and handover.

Bridge Window Systems Ltd Unit 5, Enterprise Way, Winterton, Scunthorpe, North Linolnshire DN15 9SX

Services include Contractor Schedule prepara-tion with 2D and 3D CAD imaging of room lay-outs. FF and E sourcing/budgeting. Legislation compliance for the relevant client groups within this market sector.

Tel: 01724 735623 Fax: 01724 735588

Our policy is to work with all members of the project team, with the aim to provide the ideal cost effective solution on a project by project basis.

www.bridgewindowsystems.co.uk

Gill Jackson Healthcare Consultants Ltd New Build & Refurbishment Projects undertaken nationally Full specification service to DDA Part M Equality Act 2010

50a North Street, Bourne. Lincs PE10 9AB 01778 426960 gill@gilljackson.co.uk

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UKC profile

TA Law Ltd Specialists in all types of stonework TA Law was established in 1975 by Alan Law, a dry stone wall specialist working alone. Over the next 30 years Alan built up the Company, establishing it as a family business and employing around 15 people undertaking all types of stonework - walling, facing, pointing, hard landscaping, repair work, alterations and dressed stonework.

The reputation that the Company has built up over those 30 years has ensured its notability in the stonework trade and TA Law’s workforce prides itself in the workmanship which has been recognised by clients. This workmanship has been further identified from the Natural Stone Awards, where three of TA Law’s projects have been commended or highly commended in recent years.

In 2006, in order to facilitate further growth as well as the continuation of the Company into the future, the name changed to T A Law Ltd. New younger personnel were welcomed to the Company to help run the sites and complement the skills of the existing management. The Company currently has a turnover in excess of £1.2M with a work force averaging around 25 people.

TA Law Ltd work across the UK mainly for main contractors in the construction industry in the private, commercial, residential and industrial sectors. Projects have included hotels, health centres, retail units, public buildings, housing developments and bridges and viaducts. The

144

Company are currently working on a new community health centre, known as The Darzi Clinic in Cleator Moor, which is due to complete in March 2013. Work is also being undertaken on a refurbishment programme at Windermere Tourist Information Centre, the Strands Farm development which will see ten affordable housing and four business units in Hornby and a new Discharge Building and Youth Centre with associated flood defence system in Keswick.

The Company now carries out masonry work in conjunction with stonework and there are currently developments in place for growth in the restoration branch of the business.

TA Law Ltd is based in Ravenstonedale near Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria - the village in which Managing Director Alan Law was born and bred. It is spearheaded by Alan and supported by Directors Hilary Law, Alan’s wife, who has overseen the administration of the Company for over 30 years and son-inlaw Ian Gowing, who has been with the Company for over 10 years. Both of Alan and Hilary’s children have worked for the Company in various roles over its 30 plus years, enhancing the family run element and developing a personal touch with customers.

Recent additions to the Company have included a full time estimator/quantity surveyor as part of the management team.

Marlewood, Grange Over Sands The Merlewood development in Grange Over Sands, which includes a Grade II listed

building dating back to 1853, is one example of TA Law’s recent work. The £3.28M development saw the creation of a holiday complex for Holiday Property Bond. This included a full refurbishment and conversion programme of the original building, previously used as a scientific research facility, to create nine holiday apartments and leisure facilities, incorporating a pool, changing rooms, a game room and gym. A second phase saw completion of 46 new build apartments and cottages within the 18 acres of grounds which overlook Grange over Sands and Morecambe Bay earlier this year. JMP Architects designed both phases and ensured that the new build properties were in keeping with the original structure. TA Law carried out limestone fitting on both phases for Main Contractor Globe Management Services Ltd. Sedbergh Spar and Health Centre Askam Construction has recently undertaken the £2.6M redevelopment of the Old Auction Mart on Station Road in Sedbergh to create a health centre and Spar store for the local community. Construction work on this project started in April 2011 and was completed in February 2012. The development comprises a health centre which will be used by Sedbergh Medical Practice, including a suite of consulting rooms, treatment rooms, a dispensary, a dedicated space for medical services to >

Ian Lowes Stonemasonry

The complete range of stone products

Old Carlisle Farm, Wigton, Cumbria CA7 8LJ M: 07970 915 176 F: 01697 34 3077 E: ianlowesstonemasonry@gmail.com www.ianlowes-stonemasonry.co.uk

With 30 years of industry experience, we at Ian Lowes Stonemasonry are committed to providing you with high quality natural stone for a variety of uses.

Our stone products and services include:

Whether you are working on a small domestic extension or a large-scale commercial project, we can calculate and supply the correct amount of stone to get your job done.

• Quoins (corner stones) • Window surrounds • Stone windowsills • Spiral staircases • Sandstone cutting specialist • Mouldings • Stone carvings • Decorative stone work

Sedbergh School and a highly flexible conference, training and research facilities.

The Health Centre covers two storeys and also features a minor injuries clinic and a dedicated base for the area’s ambulances.

The adjacent Spar store provides a new, larger convenience store for the town, adhering to the typical layout of Spar stores.

The building was designed to reflect the sensitivities of the area and features sandstone and slate walling to reflect the local vernacular.

The Daffodil Hotel Grasmere The transformation of Waterside Hotel in Grasmere, to become The Daffodil Hotel, was completed in time for the summer by Askam Construction. The original hotel was

built in 1857 and featured 600mm thick slate stone walls, traditional timber floors, sash windows and a timber and Westmoorland green slate roof. The works involved full refurbishment of the Hotel and a 4,200sq m extension to the rear of the property. The extension composition was a steel frame with precast floors and block cavity walls with stone cladding. Demolition of kitchens and staff accommodation was undertaken to provide space for the extension and the walling slates and Westmoorland green slate from these buildings were reclaimed for the extension.

The Hotel features new reception, two kitchens, two bars and function rooms on the ground floor with first, second and third floors housing the Hotel’s 78 new bedrooms,

including 14 luxury suites. The refurbishment works also included installation of a health facility, gym, spa with thermal suite and a lake facing restaurant.

The windows and roof were upgraded.

Architectural Design drafted the changes and TA Law carried out alteration and renovation works to the original building and all blockwork and stonework to the new build aspect of the development.

BELL & PRIME SCAFFOLDING LTD. We are pleased to be associated with TA Law and wish them continued success for the future 35 South Road, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, CA17 4SY

Tel: 07971 034 681 email: thomasp06@yahoo.co.uk

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CUMBRIA QUARRYING SERVICES LTD

NATURAL STONE DIRECT (CUMBRIA) LTD

SUPPLIERS OF NATURAL STONE PRODUCTS

Boothby Stone Yard Bothby Lanercost Brampton Cumbria

TRADITIONAL WALLING: RED SANDSTONE WALLING LIMESTONE WALLING BUFF WALLING

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BLOCK STONE SUPPLIES: RED SANDSTONE LIMESTONE The Sidings, Beezon Fields, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 6BL

Tel: 01539 728464 Fax: 01539 729584 Mobile: 07753 983407 Email: office@nustylebuilders.co.uk

BUFF SANDSTONE BUFF GRIT

CONTACT DETAILS: TEL: 07795821431 FAX: 01768 892284 EMAIL: info@cqs-ltd.co.uk

Build a Successful Business with Saint & Co Saint & Co Chartered Accountants has been established for over 125 years and has 8 offices throughout Cumbria and South West Scotland – making them one of the largest and most established accountancy firms in the area. With a team of 15 qualified and approachable partners supported by approximately 100 staff, Saint & Co offer unparalleled local advisory support services to help a business grow.

Many of our clients operate within the construction industry, so Saints have years of experience working in this sector. We understand the specific challenges facing construction companies and can offer the best advice on working capital management (stocks, work in progress and debtors), saving tax, the best business structures, business planning, audits, periodic management accounts to help you keep on top of your finances, payroll services and more.

The Old Police Station, Church Street, Ambleside LA22 0BT

Saint & Co work with businesses of all sizes, many of which come to the firm through personal recommendation from current satisfied clients.

L & W Wilson, in Cumbria, are specialists in: aggregate supplies, civil engineering, demolition, excavation, waste disposal, plant and vehicle hire and, more recently, crushing and recycling.

Civil Engineering ● Demolition ● Excavation ● Waste Disposal Plant & Vehicle Hire ● Crushing & Recycling Aggregate Supplies ● Tipping Facilities

You can use us as a ‘one stop shop’ as we have all our own resources: labour, plant and materials. This helps us control costs on your behalf (unlike many of our competitors). L & W Wilson can also help you with any individual part of your project and will work with any other sub-contractors working on your project to form a cohesive and effective team.

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Take advantage of our knowledge and professionalism. On-site experts will provide you with a comprehensive service, from initial advice through to completed project.

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For a company who can provide virtually any type of construction service for your project, speak to L & W Wilson. We will do our best to help.

Fully Health & Safety compliant

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UKC commercial

NatCen Britain’s leading independent social research agency The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to advancing the role of social research in the UK. Founded in 1969 by Professors Roger Jowell and Gerald Hoinville, NatCen has grown to become Britain’s largest independent social research organisation with a team of 350 permanent staff and a field force of 1,200 freelance interviewers.

In recent years the organisation has enjoyed significant growth, establishing the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen) in 2005 and NatCen Learning, a leading provider of training and learning events for researchers and research users, in 2006.

In order to better accommodate these internal and external training initiatives, NatCen has undertaken a ÂŁ1.3M refurbishment of its Northampton Square head office with a view to improving facilities and increasing accessibility.

The head office consists of two neighbouring properties on Northampton Square and Wyclif Street.

Previously unconnected, a recent development bridged the two buildings by way of a link extension.

Though striking, the original five-storey buildings, which date back to the 1860s,

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have little in the way of disabled access.

This is especially true of the Wyclif Street conference rooms, which are situated on a raised ground floor approximately 1.3m above external ground level, accessible only by stairs.

To remedy this, an external platform lift, capable of lifting a wheelchair and its occupant unassisted, has been proposed alongside a host of internal improvements.

Due to a number of site restrictions, an external lift has proven to be the only viable option. As the Wyclif building is locally listed, however, special consideration has been made to ensure a sensitive design using high specification materials so as to remain as unobtrusive as possible. To this end, a location adjacent to the existing entrance stairs has been chosen to avoid major alterations to the building.

Designed by Artillery Architecture & Interior Design, the refurbishment incorporates some of the design principles established in an earlier planning submission from DLA Architecture. While not part of the current contract, the interior design of the building has been configured so that a second external lift can be installed at a later date.

A number of additional external works have been undertaken including an accessible

second entrance to the Northampton Square building via a part external and internal ramp.

Given the age of both buildings, the refurbishment has also required a degree of maintenance with repairs made to the existing mansard roof and fourth flour sash windows.

Inside, Skansen Interiors, a leading fit out and refurbishment Main Contractor, has delivered a state-of-the-art working environment with outstanding finishes. The refurbishment, which began in April 2012, has not been without logistical challenges however. Careful coordination between client and contractor has been of paramount importance to ensure that the building meets the needs of the end user.

Initially conceived as a 12-month contract, the refurbishment is due to finish ahead of schedule. Its completion will allow all access to first class office and conference facilities irrespective of impairment.

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Established and based in East Sussex since 1977, EMC specialize in the design, manufacture, electrical installation and commissioning of HVAC control panels. We also have a service division who maintain and service various controls installations.

We pride ourselves on our service and our expertise to select the correct controls for the project in the ever changing BMS industry.

Taye Services Limited has been established in the air conditioning industry since 1995. With many years of experience, this family run business is able to offer an all inclusive service for your air conditioning needs. Here at Taye Services, we pride ourselves on our reliability, high standard of workmanship, and commitment to safety. With our honest approach, our aim is to treat each client with care, attention to detail and as a long term relationship.

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Why Choose Taye Services Ltd? * Reliable and friendly * Honest and trustworthy * One to one customer relationship * High standard of workmanship

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Tel: 020 8925 0052 Fax: 020 8925 0056 www.taye.co.uk Email: enquiries@taye.co.uk

C.I.T.B. Trained Operatives In House Nebosh Qualified Safety Advisor Domestic & Commercial New Build Housing Specialist All Areas Covered Local Company Friars Yard, Bonham Drive, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 3RY

Tel: 01795 424898 Fax: 01795 410842 Mobile: 07836 752713 Email: enquiries@standardscaffold.com

This is all shown in the majority of our work being repeat business or recommendations from our many satisfied clients. We are able to offer any manufacturer for the equipment based on budget but will always advise the best solution for you.

We can provide site specific Risk Assessments and Method Statements and a Scaff Tag system or Handover Certificates for all scaffolds, also detailed drawings and calculations for complex scaffolds.

UKC health

Princess Alexandra Hospital Neonatal Unit One of many new developments at the Hospital The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust is located in Harlow, Essex and is a 489bedded district general hospital, providing a comprehensive range of safe and reliable acute and specialist services to a local population of 258,000 people.

It is committed to the core principles of the NHS, which are to provide services that meet the health needs of everyone and are free at the point of delivery.

The Trust, monitored and regulated by the Care Quality Commission, shapes its services around the needs of all patients, including providing access to and information about services to all who choose to use the Trust, and in a manner that promotes the greatest level of understanding and accessibility.

Times are exciting because the Trust is now moving towards becoming a Foundation Trust Hospital. This means it will have a direct say in how the Hospital is run and more control over where money is invested so that it benefits patients.

The Hospital’s expansion is continuing, and

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this year saw the opening of the brand new unit for saving babies’ lives.

The development, costing more than £1M, replaced the Hospital’s existing neonatal unit and includes almost 300sq m of extra space.

By developing the unit, less babies will need to be transferred to neighbouring trusts, therefore enabling parents to be near to their babies and visit without inconvenience.

The unit has 20 cots to cater for different levels of need – two for intensive care, three for high dependency and 15 for special care.

Work was undertaken as part of the Trust’s ongoing commitment to making the Hospital one of the best in the UK. The department has been extended into the courtyard surrounding the building.

The extra space, along with the refurbishment of the existing ward, creates a better work environment that will be more conducive to patient safety, while also providing greater comfort and privacy for parents during their stay on the unit.

Work was necessary because the existing

unit, built in the 1960s, was unable to accommodate the ever-increasing technological support needed to ensure the appropriate delivery of care.

By improving the facilities, the department can continue to work towards achieving a higher level of care provision, as awarded by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine Standards. This will mean less babies need to be transferred to Addenbrookes in Cambridge.

The new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is for sick babies born prematurely and on time.

It replaces the existing unit, which cared for more than 400 babies from across West Essex and East Hertfordshire last year.

As well as the 300sq m of extra space, improvements have provided more room for life saving technology, a better work environment, helping the safety of patients, more capacity to treat babies locally so they don’t have to go to hospitals further away, and a modern and pleasant environment fit > for the 21st century.

The Hospital is paying £1.1M to cover the cost of the project, but local people also had a chance to contribute. Even as early as October last year, fundraising led by staff had already collected more than £50,000 to help kit out the new NICU. Wendy Matthews, Associated Director of the Women’s and Children’s Business Unit, said: “We are delighted to have so much local support. This means that we can have the highest standard of equipment for the new unit.”

Darren Leech, Chief Operating Officer of the Trust said: “The new build is part of our goal to be the best hospital in the East of England, putting patients at the absolute forefront of our care. This investment will bring major benefits to babies and families in this area.”

The first babies into the unit were Emily and Rosie Stacey, twins born on 28th February 2012 at just 32 weeks. Their mum, Emma, said: “Emily was 1.82kg at birth and Rosie just 1.53kg. It was very daunting to begin with but the staff on the unit have been so supportive and they are all truly fantastic.”

Deborah Twist, Head of Children’s Services said: “We are overjoyed to move into the new unit, which will enhance the surroundings and care of babies and their families.

“Thank you to everyone involved in the fundraising for the equipment in the unit, those who worked on the project and all the NICU staff.”

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During work, entrance to the ward changed temporarily because the main door was closed to allow builders to enter the courtyard freely. Parents were asked to make their way through the maternity entrance, or the back of the Hospital, where directions were clearly signposted.

Babies continued to be treated in the unit while the extension was built and then those in care were moved into the new area so the existing ward could be refurbished.

Throughout the work, all disruptions and noise were kept to a minimum.

Infection control remained critically important and during development a sink was installed just inside the temporary entrance for all visitors to carry out effective hand washing. High security also remained a priority during this time and anyone who entered the ward was checked by a member of staff for identification.

The Main Contractor for the development was MK Contracts. Work began in November 2011 and was completed on schedule.

There have been other milestones in the Hospital’s recent history. The radiology unit has become the first in the UK to offer patients a multi-purpose room for both Xrays and screening procedures.

Building works to modernise the unit and make way for new state-of-the-art equipment, including a second CT scanner, have been completed transforming the department to replicate that of the

previously modernised other half.

The work was all part of a project to improve the experience for patients and move to a digital way of working. Now completed, it is possible to access X-ray images quicker than ever before and make them available to other specialists at the touch of a button.

The department can also carry out a wider variety of day case procedures due to a brand new interventional suite, and thanks to equipment, which offers duel usage, the X-ray process is now quicker and more patients can be seen each day.

Darren Hobbs, Clinical Radiology Manager said: “We are delighted with the results and the new equipment we now have in place.

“The facilities are great for our patients and will make a big difference to the experience they have when visiting us. We are amongst just a handful of healthcare providers to host some of the latest technology, meaning that our patients will receive the very best diagnostic care available in Europe.”

In October 2010, the radiology unit was extended to offer patients a more comfortable environment and greater privacy in single sex waiting areas. The recent renovation works have brought the old half of the unit in line with the new.

Earlier this year, Princess Alexandra Hospital upgraded its eye casualty service for walk-in patients, underlining its commitment to emergency eye care.

The new eye casualty will provide a local >

INTAVIEW - REALISING YOUR VISION About The Princess Alexandra NHS Trust Neonatal Unit

‘The seamless and integrated design between the vision panels in the doors and the screens in wall provide a modern and contemporary look that mirror our objectives for the project. The added benefit of being able to provide fire rated screens meant we could provide improved screen visibility into the neonatal unit, since the nurses can view inside the room from more locations’ Steve Woodhead, Intaview

Smith Electrical & Building Services Limited 14 Hunts Mead, Billericay, Essex CM12 9JA

Intaview Limited, Holly House, Holly Street, Kelham Industrial Estate, Doncaster DN1 3QZ Tel: +44 (0)1302 368386 Fax: +44 (0)1302 321495 E-mail: sales@intaview.com www.intaview.com

Contacts: Alan Smith 07775 893272, Paul Smith 07775 945807 e mail: electricians@smithelectrical.co.uk

Heating - Ventilation - Air Conditioning - Plumbing 44 Reverdy Road, Bermondsey, London SE1 5QD Telephone: 020 7237 0318 Facsimile: 020 7231 5420 Email: rjheatingservices@btinternet.com

Formed in 1985 MK Contracts has established itself as a progressive force in the delivery of high quality construction & refurbishment projects throughout all sectors of the industry.

We strive to be at the forefront of our industry with a reputation as reliable, top quality performers who lead by example and put words into action. This desire to be the best and to perform at peak output is part of the company ethos cascaded through all levels of the organisation.

We are firmly focused on the commercial, education, healthcare and retail market sectors where we apply the same formula to all our completions. This methodology ensures consistently high standards in workmanship and in achieving the client’s budget and time constraints Our approach is simple: Central to our project delivery is the substantial direct employee base covering key trades in the industry. This, we believe sets us apart from some of our ’management based’ competitors.

We also consider this construction route ensures that all our site teams are client focussed for the entire duration of the project.

We are also delighted that our quality work in the commercial sector has impressed having now been invited to become partnering contractors to Several blue chip companies

Mk Contracts Ltd, 50 Buntingbridge Road, Newbury Park, Essex IG2 7LR Tel 0208 518 2100 Fax 0208 518 2984 Email: mark@mkcontracts.com

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emergency service for patients with acute eye problems, as opposed to longstanding conditions.

The emergency area will operate from 9am – 4.30pm on weekdays, allowing patients to turn up directly to the eye unit, register and be seen by a specialist. Outside of these hours, patients are asked to attend the usual emergency department.

Consultant Ophthalmologist, Mr Fawcett, commented on the service: “This is an opportunity to remind patients, opticians and GPs that this service is open for direct referral and as a walk-in service for patients who may be concerned about sight threatening or emergency problems.

“Conditions such as objects in the eye, scratches, burns, chemical exposure and blunt injuries to the eye or eyelids can all be treated by our speciality team.

“An optometrist for GP should still be visited for all longstanding eye complaints, advice will then be given on treatment and a referral made to the regular eye outpatient

specialist service locally in Harlow. department, where necessary.”

“From a personal perspective, it has been As well as introducing an eye casualty, the a privilege to work with staff locally to set Trust has also embarked on a successful up a local age-related macular partnership with Moorfields Eye Hospital, to degeneration treatment service.” provide treatment for Age-related Macular Degeneration (Wet AMD) and oculoplastic conditions within the eye unit.

Moorfields’ consultants now regularly attend MEDICAL Princess Alexandra Hospital to provide specialised clinics Established in 1984, K & H Medical has secured a reputation as one of the leading companies in the medical service industry. Using the for West Essex most advanced installation and maintenance technology, we currently patients locally. are one of the UK’s major medical gas pipeline installers, making us Moorfields’ one of the most experienced providers in the field. consultant, Mr Praveen Patel, said: Medical and Industrial Installations and Maintenance of: “Patients have Gas Distribution Systems • Manifolds • Gas Scavenging Systems mentioned the value Electrical Installations • Vacuum Systems • Alarm Systems of providing a high Patient Environment Installations • Medical & Surgical Air Systems quality Moorfields Laboratory Pipelines • Authorised Persons Service (MGPS) QC Testing ( MGPS)

K & H Medical Ltd are pleased to be associated with MK Contracts on the Princess Alexandra Hospital Neonatal Project and assisted them with the design and installation of the piped medical gases to the latest standards of HTM 02-01. We are one of the leading installers of medical and laboratory gases in the UK and are now celebrating 28 years as a market leader in this industry.

We are pleased to be associated with the Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust and wish them continued success Sensor House, 32 Queensway, Enfield, Middx, EN3 4SA

Telephone: 0845 070 5510 Fax: 0845 070 5520 Email: enquiries@debco.co.uk

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K & H Medical Ltd 20-21 Twyford Business Park, London Road Bishop’s Stortford, Herts CM23 3YT Tel: 01279 757835 Fax: 01279 757837 Email: admin@khmedical.co.uk www.khmedical.co.uk

UKC leisure

New addition for David Lloyd Leisure Construction work started on a new £8M club facility for David Lloyd Leisure in February, bringing a new addition to the Group’s 80 clubs already open in the UK. The club, which will open on 1st December, is located next to the Sixways Stadium, the home of the Worcester Warriors rugby team and like many David Lloyd Leisure clubs houses a variety of facilities for use by all the family.

The building is a steel frame two-storey structure, covering a total floor area of 5,600sq m, with a metal deck first floor.

The Main Contractor for the development was Pellikaan Construction, who has been involved in many previous projects for David Lloyd Leisure. The steel structure

has composite wall panels, aluminium frame elevations, an external façade with facing brickwork and asymmetric curved roof. The main building is a 56m by 52m rectangle with a smaller 17m by 8m section on one elevation.

The site was previously owned by Worcester Warriors and formerly acted as an overspill car park for the rugby stadium and preparation works on the car park, including clearing, diversion of a culvert and installation of pad foundations were carried out whilst the fabrication of the steel frame was done off-site. The steel frame was erected in just four weeks.

The club will cater for a wide range of

people and has a range of facilities on offer.

There are three indoor and five outdoor tennis courts, allowing David Lloyd Leisure to offer The Tennis All Stars programme, endorsed by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which will be available to children aged three to 11 and offer adults instruction from a dedicated team of LTA qualified coaches. There will also be a 25m indoor pool with separate children’s pool and a 20m outdoor swimming pool, which will all be heated and used for general swimming, adult only swim, family swim and aquabased fitness classes. The All Stars programme is available for children of all abilities and will be taught by a team of continued page 158 >

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We are proud to be associated with

Word of mouth helps us win new business PFD Flooring may have retained its name and client base after a management buyout in 2006, but the company has since grown in strength, ambition and turnover.

Paul Ford and Michael Shore worked for the umbrella group including PFD Flooring, and realising its potential they decided to purchase their own business. Paul’s expertise is in sales and customer relations and Michael’s forte is finance and administration. Together they run a strong outfit and have increased turnover by 25% in six years.

Today the Derbyshire-based contract flooring company comprises a contracts manager, estimator, five full-time fitters and a pool of sub- contractors to call on in busy times.

Overheads are kept to a minimum with a large warehouse leased in Alfreton alongside office premises in the form of a large portacabin, which the company owns in addition to three vehicles.

‘The office is a little more glamorous than it sounds as it measures 40ft x 10ft and is as functional and comfortable as any I have ever stepped into,’ laughs Michael.

PFD Flooring specialises in the supply and installation of contract floorcoverings, including carpet, vinyl, rubber and hardwood. The

company serves the hospitality and commercial industries – plus various shop fitters in the Midlands – with flexible softflooring product and service packages tailored to individual needs.

But PFD Flooring’s bread and butter is the leisure sector, with regular contracts with David Lloyd Leisure, The Rank Group and National Amusements.

David Lloyd Leisure

Good project management is key to retaining a loyal customer base and positive feedback is the reason behind the impressive in-roads Paul and Michael make with new clients. ‘Over the years we have developed a well-honed project management system to cope with every foreseen eventuality and a solution agreed with the client before work begins,’ explains Paul.

‘A free planning and estimating service offers environmentally- responsible optimised flooring layouts to give the best material usage with the minimum of waste.

‘We use the latest Callidus planning software, which allows site measures, architects’ drawings and AutoCAD files to be integrated swiftly and accurately, tying in other work that can be time sensitive and dependent on the flooring contractor.’

Location location: Based centrally in the UK means Paul, Michael and the rest of the team are happy to travel a distance for new work. In July 2012, for example, they were involved in the refurbishment of The Plaza Cinema in Truro, Cornwall, for independent operator WTW Cinemas.

‘The project involved laying 850sq m of Axminster (supplied by Wilton Carpets) on Durafit 650 Underlay,’ Paul says. ‘The contract was finished on time and budget; it was the third cinema contract that we have completed for David Williams, owner of WTW Cinemas,

being recommended by Northern Building Design Associates.

The venues vary from new to listed buildings, so careful and considerate planning is essential to the successful completion of each job.’

Closer to home, PFD Flooring worked with Newhey Carpets to install 1,500sq m carpet in the guest rooms and corridors of Champneys Health Resort in Ashby.

As well as Newhey Carpets, PFD Flooring works closely with Amtico, Interface, Forbo, Gerflor, Brintons Carpets and Wilton Carpets as well as a range of national and local distributors.

‘Ability to deliver and cost are key when dealing with suppliers – best prices in today’s climate are required by clients – and national companies offer the most attractive options,’ says Paul.

‘As we typically order large volumes we tend to achieve the costs required by our customers.

Christmas, when health clubs and gyms smarten up for clients with New Year resolutions.

‘PFD Flooring also wins new business thanks to word of mouth recommendations from designers, architects and other people we have worked for,’ Michael says. ‘We run advertisements in conjunction with David Lloyd Leisure and major contractors with whom we are affiliated.

‘We value our membership of the CFA. In fact, the CFA website continues to generate leads for us – and our own website ensures a strong presence online.

‘We work closely with a health and safety consultancy firm (Browns) and the government certification service Constructionline (the UK’s largest register for pre-qualified contractors and consultants).

‘We believe that future business will be generated through the pride we have for providing a professional service to all our clients, regardless of size and contract value.’

‘Since the economic downturn, we have continued to generate repeat and new business and meet targets by paying close attention to fixed overheads and maintaining a strong relationship with NatWest Bank.’

The busiest time of the year for Michael and Paul tends to be the four months before

Whites Close, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 7RB Telephone: 01773 540 500 Fax: 01773 540 340

www.pfdflooring.co.uk

qualified coaches.

One of the major features of the new development is the state-of-the-art 900sq m gym, which will house the very latest fitness equipment, including assisted resistance and cardiovascular equipment and free weights. A number of qualified instructors will be available to provide guidance and there will be a team of personal trainers offering a bespoke service for individuals who have specific goals they wish to achieve.

In addition to the gym the club will offer an extensive range of exercise and fitness classes which will be held in one of three studios. One studio will be dedicated to spinning, one of the most popular classes.

There will be a dedicated zone for the club’s activity programme for youngsters, DL Kids.

The activities will synchronise with those on offer for adults so that the whole family can enjoy the club.

A DLicious lounge will feature 1/2 page cafebar 185mm W area x 130 H an outdoor terraced area and present a place to relax and socialise for all members.

There will be a comprehensive menu to support members with health and fitness from the inside, as well as children’s meals.

The club will also boast two physiotherapy rooms, a wet spa area including a spa pool, two saunas, a steam room, heated beds and ice machine, an outdoor play area, crèche, sports shop and a 240 space car park.

Pellikaan has been involved on David Lloyd

Leisure developments for nearly 20 years and worked on the David Lloyd Farnham club, which boasts the group’s largest Amida Spa and opened in December last year..

David Lloyd Worcester will create 70 to 80 full and part time jobs for the area including senior and junior management team members, coaches, DL Kids and swimming co-ordinators, gym instructors, personal trainers, front of house staff and food and beverage and cleaning teams. Wayne Isaac, General Manager at David Lloyd Worcester says: “I’m very excited about becoming part of the Worcester community and building some good, strong relationships. The club will be a haven of sport, health and leisure for all the family and we can’t wait to open the doors to members.”

The club will have an official opening on 5th December by Olympic gold and silver medallist and triple World Champion rower Zac Purchase MBE who won silver at the London Games in the Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls with his rowing partner Mark Hunter. Zac says: “I am absolutely delighted to be opening David Lloyd Worcester, which will provide the Worcester community with a fantastic array of facilities, programmes, coaching and expertise.

“This has been the most amazing year of sport for the UK, with the Olympics and Paralympics inspiring a whole nation to get involved with sport.

“I understand the huge importance of

engaging youngsters at an early age – not only to nurture the talent of future sporting stars but to help children lead healthy and active lifestyles.

“David Lloyd Worcester will play a key role in the Worcester community in encouraging the whole family to take part in sport and exercise.”

ALL TRADE CONTRACTORS LIMITED

From Concept to Reality

Yes it’s true, there really is one company that can cater for all your refurbishment needs!

All Trade Contractors (ATC) based in Kent, offer a 24 hour service that can cater for all your refurbishment needs within your business.

With a large team of reliable and experienced trades people who use the finest materials for the job, ATC can provide a quality service at a time that’s convenient to you and your business.

With considerable experience of both large corporate refurbishments and private residential refurbishments, there really is no job too large or small that our team can’t deal with.

Our service starts with a personal visit from our CEO who will evaluate

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the work to be completed, giving you the opportunity to discuss your ideas with him in person. We can offer you advice on how best to complete the work within your budget and your time frames with minimum disruption to your business.

Take a look at our website to see some of the refurbishments we have already completed www.alltradecontractors.co.uk or call 01732 523474 to discuss your refurbishment with us directly.

UKC leisure

Tydd St Giles Golf & Leisure Estate Perfect extension to the country estate The brand new state-of-the-art leisure centre will be the latest building at this golf club that has been established for 20 years.

The central part of the building is the current clubhouse, and the new leisure suite is the largest addition to the site.

It will be a swimming pool complex with a gym, fitness studio, sauna and steam room, providing a luxurious addition to the holiday homes on-site in the middle of the golf course.

These facilities, which were a top priority to add to the site, provide activities to do anytime of the day.

It is replacing the driving range that was originally placed in the middle of the golf club, on seven acres of land.

These facilities had become outdated and removing them opened up the land to expand the building in all directions, which wasn't possible previously. The extension is the first of many, which is ongoing due to the huge potential of expanding the site further over the next 20-30 years.

The project is benefiting greatly from the expertise of the Main Contractor, Bespoke Oak Supplies Ltd, who has designed the original drafts and sketches of the green oak structure, while Mortan and Hall Constructing Ltd provided the structural calculations.

Bespoke Oak Supplies Ltd designed the layout of the whole building, the shape and the position of everything that is going into the building. As well as being the Main Contractor, the Company is also project managing the whole development.

The existing building was built to look like a barn internally, using polyurethane lookalike beams, which has served its purpose, but the extension is being completely built in oak.

This is a full-blown oak extension, which stands the development out in the area of East Anglia as completely unique.

The windows, doors and all the bespoke joinery is currently being built in Latvia, and the development is being built with hammer beam trusses. The whole scheme is more than nine metres tall, and will come complete with a very spectacular lighting scheme.

Also with a pool that is approximately 13 metres, the whole development will have a cathedral look about it due to there being no crossbeams.

At approximately 10,000sq ft, the building is single-storey in general, but there is a first floor in the gym area with some fantastic views across the course.

The site has certainly come a long way since 1995 when it was a cabbage field on the

back of the Tydd St Giles Manor, which itself dates back to 1530. In those 20 years, the site has become a world-class facility that is continuing to improve.

The entrance to the leisure centre completed in September, finalising the entire oak structure, while roof battens are now almost complete and ready for tiling, and the flooring and brickwork is rapidly moving forward.

Work on the foundations began in April and is now complete along with the ring beam, and the pool tank structure and below ground drainage is also complete.

The Architect is now Morton and Hall, though it was originally Wilson Dicks, and Polypool has worked closely with all contractors, providing a highly insulated heat-saving pool panel system.

Construction on the ÂŁ2M development commenced in March 2012 and will be complete in late November 2012.

Homeowners and holiday guests will be able to enjoy free use of the complex, while a limited number of membership passes will be available for day visitors.

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UKC education

Swansea University A world class university The research-led Swansea University has been making a difference since 1920, offering a community that thrives on exploration and discovery and offers the right balance of excellent teaching and research, matched by an enviable quality of life.

Always seeking to improve its facilities, Swansea University is coming to the end of a project to transform the Faraday Lecture Block on the Singleton Park campus.

The previously existing façade around the entire building is being replaced with a contemporary, coloured glass curtain wall and cladding system, adding much needed vibrancy to the building and the mall area.

Built over 40 years ago, the existing Faraday building possessed a tired and monotonous design detracting from the overall appearance of the campus and surrounding buildings, and was not considered fit for an ambitious, developing university.

Instead, new material, colour and pattern are being introduced to this central section of the campus.

In addition to enhancing the physical appearance of the building, the project is set to extend the useful life of the facility, while dramatically improving environmental performance, potentially reducing carbon emissions by up to 22% while improving visual, thermal and acoustic properties. A remodelled main entrance will improve access while adding additional space to the second floor.

The £2.75M scheme started in January 2012 and will be completed next month.

That isn’t the only work at the heart of the Singleton campus as September saw the

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completion of significant work on the ground floor of Fulton House, developing the space and providing three brand new retail outlets and an improved home for the Students’ Union Advice & Support Centre Service.

As well as investing in new services, the project also improved the aesthetic and mechanical condition of the building, which first opened in 1965.

At the heart of the scheme is a significantly improved ‘mini market’. This 200sq m development offers a large range of convenience and fresh foods, including fruit, vegetables, breads, meats, and an international foods range recreating the success of Niche. This has provided a great resource for all those living on and off campus.

Additionally, there is separate provision for an official University/Students’ Union merchandise store and a brand new ‘grab and go’ café complimenting the existing campus offering.

The new features will help to significantly enhance the student, staff and visitor experience by providing greater choice, better value and improved accessibility.

The Students’ Union Advice & Support Centre, which was located to the east of Fulton House, has now been moved to refurbished offices in the west of the building, formally occupied by the University Health Centre.

The new space has not only significantly improved the visibility and accessibility of the service but has also provided an improved working environment for staff and students, offering the potential to expand the services on offer to the student population.

Charlotte Britton, Students’ Union Welfare Officer welcomed the new development. She said: “We’re very excited that the move will allow us to change and grow to make the service even better for students.”

Work began in June 2012 and was completed last month.

Swansea University has managed to secure not just one but two top awards in the competitive constructing excellence field.

The iconic Institute of Life Science building was awarded the Wales BREEAM Healthcare 2008 award for new buildings in 2012 at the Constructing Excellence in Wales annual awards dinner at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff.

Located between the campus and Singleton Hospital, this sustainable building is suitable for the highly specialised functions of clinical research, clinical trials and the Centre for NanoHealth.

Key features include low waste, low water, low energy, renewable energy and dedicated sustainability advice through to handover.

The University also scooped the Constructing Excellence in Wales (CEW) 2012 award for ‘Integration and Collaborative Working’ at the same event.

This award was won by the University for its Contractor and Consultant Framework, which showcases the wide range of new build, reconfiguration, refurbishment, student experience and maintenance projects, which have taken place over recent years.

The recent extensive high quality projects have been delivered using the added value and collaborative working ethos, which comes from the Framework.

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UKC profile

TG Beighton Ltd Building quality for a generation Established in 1974, TG Beighton Ltd (TGB) has developed an outstanding track record and reputation for high quality projects delivered on time and within budget.

The Company combines long standing experience and dedication to provide its customers across a wide range of sectors with design and construction solutions best suited to the challenges of their specific environment and working around the needs of a client’s business in order to minimise disruption.

Committed to quality building construction, TGB also has a full after care team to support and look after each client for the lifetime of their building, and work can include refurbishment, repairs and maintenance as part of the service programme, thanks to tradesmen trained to the highest standards, who respond quickly and competitively.

TGB offer a one-stop solution and is proud of the ability to make each building experience a stress free journey. From each client brief, TGB uses its creative knowhow and expertise to provide initial advice on

completed project handed over design within budget. within budget, on time, and to the After this, detailed specifications and highest standards. drawings are provided, together with the Work undertaken by TGB includes the new fixed price and a construction programme headquarters for Peak UK Kayaking Co Ltd. for each client, as well as obtaining all necessary planning and building TG Beighton Ltd, McGregors Way, Turnoaks regulation approvals.

Business Park, Chesterfield, S40 2WB. Only when each client is completely Tel: 01246 201930. satisfied does work start on-site, with TGB managing the project and coordinating all elements of the build, as well as Industrial & Commercial Decorating Contractors liaising with & statutory authorities Paint Repair Specialists and building control, Steelwork - Factories - Houses - Office Blocks monitoring quality and progress at all 135 Long Lane, Carlton-in-Lindrick, times and updating Worksop, Nottinghamshire S81 9AP the client with regular meetings Tel: 01909 732195 Shay: 07540 789357 and reports when required. This paintalotuk@yahoo.co.uk results in a

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161

UKC commercial

Neptunus New headquarters celebrating 75 years of business Having had a number of contracts over the summer of 2012, and many more before the end of the year, temporary structures specialist Neptunus is investing in a purpose-built office development to support its expanding UK infrastructure.

Located on the prestigious Swan Valley development off Junction 15A of the M1 in Northampton, the new 11,000sq m site will provide a central location from which to serve the Company’s growing national customer base.

Neptunus is an international specialist in providing high class tents and temporary structures for hospitality and corporate events as well as semi-permanent buildings for a wide range of applications including shops, supermarkets, sports halls, showrooms, exhibitions and conference halls, restaurants and classrooms.

In the semi-permanent sector, Neptunus’ unique Evolution provides all the benefits of a permanent building in a fraction of the time. Structures can be supplied complete with heating, lighting, flooring and glazing along with a wide range of options including security systems, climate control, mezzanine floors, partitioning, furnishings and sanitary facilities.

In the events sector, Neptunus has an impressive range of structures from basic

162

‘no frills’ tents to premium end buildings with striking roof designs that succeed in attracting attention. Structures are available in various lengths and dimensions to suit individual requirements.

With the layout based on the bespoke designs of the Neptunus premises across Europe, the site will accommodate a modern three-storey office building as well as large warehouses with loading bays for the storage and onward distribution of its extensive product range.

Flexolution structures from Neptunus’ own product range will form four 24m wide warehouses. As highly sustainable and energy efficient semi-permanent buildings, the Flexolutions look set to achieve a ‘Very Good’ BREEAM rating. As such, the warehouses will be used to showcase the structure’s impressive features to prospective customers.

April Trasler, Neptunus’ UK Managing Director said: “The investment in a new head office represents an exciting milestone in Neptunus’ UK history.

“We will continue to build on the growth that we have achieved in recent years through repeat business from our regular clients as well as the upcoming delivery of several major projects in and around the capital. In addition to providing extra capacity for future

growth, the new office will enable us to continue evolving our product range and to expand our service team.”

Offering a complete turnkey solution, Neptunus’ specialists can handle the whole process through design, production, logistics, fit out and maintenance.

Established in 1937, Neptunus employs more than 200 people at its offices in the UK, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Poland, Germany and Austria and can easily supply structures throughout Europe.

Neptunus has provided structures for many high profile events including the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, The Open Golf Championship and Royal Ascot. In addition, it regularly provides solutions to blue chip companies including Audi, Red Bull, Mercedes Benz and HSBC. The new head office is being constructed by local Main Contractor Warwick Burt Construction Ltd and is being project managed by Budworth Hardcastle Ltd’s Building Consultancy Team. The land that is being developed on was also acquired for Neptunus by Budworth Hardcastle’s Agency team.

Development of the office this year is fitting as Neptunus is celebrating its 75th anniversary, and completion is due by November 2012.

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