Issue #6
National Memorial Arboretum ÂŁ8.8m scheme on a world class centre for Remembrance in Staffordshire
Training Initiative Placements offered to bring more young people into construction
Ivor Goodsite Stepnell invite Considerate Constructors Mascot to visit Primary School pupils
University of Nottingham Student Hub Work is well under way on the first phase of a major project to create a new hub for student life at The University of Nottingham. Stepnell is undertaking the remodelling and refurbishment of part of the ground floor of the University’s Portland Building, delivering a £687,000 scheme which will transform the Students’ Union current night club and bar area known as ‘The Den’ into a new activity space. Designed by Nottingham based CPMG Architects, the plans have been developed by the Students’ Union and the University based on extensive research and feedback from the student community. The new activity space is designed for socialising, performing and meeting and includes a new performance space with a stage, sound and light system, a retractable seating area and improved and relocated cloakrooms. Stepnell will strip out existing fixtures and fittings, comprehensively remodel the existing layout, replace and upgrade the mechanical and electrical services installations and carry out a full refurbishment and redecoration of the interior. Externally, our construction team will install new windows making the space lighter inside and create a new external terrace.
Images courtesy of Architect Hunters
£6.6m Wiltshire Care Home development The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) has appointed Stepnell for a £6.1m design and build contract to create a high quality 64 bed specialist dementia care home for local people in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. Work is just getting under way on the 3,600m2 two storey development being built on the site of the existing empty 1970s Paddocks care home off Hilperton Road. Stepnell will demolish the existing building before starting construction work on the new development. The new care home in Trowbridge will create a homely and welcoming environment for residents and include a wide range of communal facilities including a café, hair salon, shop and cinema. There will also be landscaped communal gardens to the rear, including sensory
“We are pleased to be continuing our professional relationship, which has resulted in high quality, innovative care facilities where
garden areas, raised planters, water features and
people are happy to
accessible planting beds for residents to use. Most of
live and work.”
the existing trees and hedgerows at the site are being retained, with 30 new trees also to be planted while hedgerows and planted beds around the scheme will
Richard Dooley, Assistant
enhance the setting of the building. The development
Development Director. OSJCT
includes 25 parking spaces.
Winton Primary School Stepnell organised a visit by the Considerate Constructors Scheme mascot, Ivor Goodsite, who, together with Site Manager Tony Smith, talked to pupils about the rules of site safety and the dangers posed when they are not followed correctly. The presentation, which reinforced the safety message that building sites must not be used
Contracts Manager Trevor Middleton, says: “Stepnell is always keen
“Extremely well
to promote site safety and
organised and an excellent example of a contractor who understands the education market, is a team player and is actually really prepared to go that extra mile.”
as playgrounds, was followed by a sequence of supervised walks
construction training to young people at the earliest possible opportunity, particularly when they are in close proximity to a live building site. Ivor Goodsite visits are a fun and stimulating way to communicate the dangers of playing on construction sites and to also get children interested and thinking about a possible future career in the construction industry.”
Anita Ellis, Project Manager Bournemouth Borough Council
Working closely with the school, Stepnell also arranged
through the site. The tours enabled the
a fantastic opportunity for pupils, parents and
children to see the progress being made on
staff from Winton Primary and members of
the new school building and put what they
Bournemouth Borough Council to celebrate
had learned about site safety into practice.
the schools longstanding ties with the town
with a special brick laying event which raised £500 for school improvements. The money was raised through the school’s Buy-a-Brick campaign which invited friends of Winton Primary to sponsor a brick in the school’s new £1.7m building extension. Among the sponsors laying bricks at the event was a former head teacher, a former pupil who attended Winton School during the 1940s and several local families who have had five generations of children educated there. The Poole team are working to deliver the much needed teaching and classroom facilities that will expand the 630-pupil school from a three-form into a four-form entry primary school which will accommodate up to 840 children.
National Memorial Arboretum Stepnell has begun work on a world class
extensive improvements to existing facilities
centre for Remembrance at the National
at the Arboretum which currently welcomes
Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
300,000 visitors a year. With the completion
Designed by award winning Glenn Howells
of the transformed facilities, annual visitor
Architects, the new centre will expand and
numbers are expected to rise to around
significantly enhance the visitor facilities at the
500,000.
National Memorial Arboretum, the UK’s yearround focal point of remembrance. Part of The
Built to the front of the existing visitor centre
Royal British Legion, it is a living and lasting
and linked to it by a timber colonnade, the
memorial which honours the fallen, recognises
brand new Remembrance Centre will house
service and sacrifice and fosters national pride.
a dramatic rotunda space; an interpretation
The Arboretum has over 300 memorials and
exhibition and temporary exhibition spaces;
around 30,000 maturing trees set in 150 acres
retail space; a café, entrance lobby and
of beautiful grounds.
learning centre.
The new Remembrance Centre project is
The building will have a limestone façade,
valued at £15.7m and will take a year to deliver.
echoing the Portland Stone of the nearby
Stepnell will work closely with the National
Armed Forces Memorial, and it will also feature
Memorial Arboretum's management team to
a timber portico and slatted timber cloisters.
ensure the Arboretum remains open to visitors
Heroes’ Square - a central courtyard space
throughout.
designed by landscape architects Fira – will be created within the cloisters and will provide a
The redevelopment will deliver a modern new
striking formal square for set-piece ceremonies.
Remembrance and Learning Centre and a new outdoor area, Heroes’ Square, as well as
The scheme will also see the remodelling of
Images courtesy of Glenn Howells Architects
the existing visitor centre, including the creation of an upgraded restaurant with a heightened ceiling, and extensions to the north and south side of the current centre building. Stepnell Joint Managing Director Mark Wakeford says: “We feel honoured to be helping deliver the new Remembrance Centre at the National Memorial Arboretum. This is a very exciting and poignant project for Stepnell which has a long history of supporting our service men and women that dates back to the company’s founding in 1867. The new Centre is a truly inspiring development which will transform the experience of the Arboretum’s increasing numbers of visitors, providing expanded and enhanced modern facilities built to the very highest standards and fitting for this immensely important national site of remembrance and commemoration.” Stepnell was selected through a competitive process which reviewed the experience and approach of contractors and their supply chains. Stepnell was able to demonstrate a
“Stepnell impressed us with their sensitive and considered approach to the redevelopment of our visitor facilities. As a fully operating visitor destination for the entire duration of the build, this construction programme presents some rather unique challenges which Stepnell has addressed. As a result, visitors will share our delight at being able to witness the new Remembrance Centre take shape.”
high quality existing client list, a track record of demanding projects delivered on time and budget and an excellent local supply chain.
Sarah Montgomery, Director. National Memorial Arboretum
e m Complete e h c S m 5 ÂŁ1
University Park is Sanctuary’s largest care development scheme to date. It’s the first time that the company combined care, extra care and close care accommodation together. Sanctuary Group is the country’s largest housing Association, responsible for the provision of social housing, care and management services across England and Scotland and owns or operates over 94,000 units of accommodation. The project involved the construction of a 60 bed Care Home with a 60 bed apartment Extra Care scheme under the same roof, featuring a central hub, which now provides a range of shared facilities for the residents. Nearby are 40 Close Care homes, including 32 apartments and eight bungalows. The project included associated landscaping, access roads and car parking for the development. Under floor heating is present throughout the buildings, with the Care Home segment having controlled secure access and egress with a secured garden area for residents. The Care Home itself is separated into four nursing wings of 15 rooms on each floor, with a reception, communal lounge and diner, and an assisted bathroom per wing.
See more images of the completed project here
Images courtesy of Gray Baynes + Shew
£1.1m Scheme at Marlborough College Marlborough College in Wiltshire appointed Stepnell to carry out a £1.1m programme of re-roofing and internal refurbishment work at the leading co-educational boarding school’s historic North Block. Stepnell has just completed work on the scheme for one of the two buildings which make up the Grade II listed North Block. The project, designed by architects Gray Baynes + Shew, involved the re-roofing of the block to the west which houses the school’s English Department. Stepnell also carried out internal refurbishment work to four ground floor and four first floor classrooms in the building, which dates from 1893. A temporary roof was erected to ensure the construction programme was not delayed by bad weather. The work, awarded to Stepnell through a competitive tendering process, was completed in early September, ready for the start of the new academic year. Stepnell Area Manager Steve Burgess says: “Our team has a strong track record of working on listed buildings as well as significant experience of delivering education sector projects and we were delighted to be bringing that expertise to this important scheme. The work was carefully programmed around the academic day and over the school holidays to minimise disruption to students and staff.”
Image courtesy of Squires and Brown
Return to Stowe Stepnell has started work on a
Once complete, the extended and
development which will create state
refurbished building will provide
of the art new science facilities for
laboratories, lecture theatres, a
Stowe School.
new sixth form science base and a new main entrance
The team will undertake a £4.3m major refurbishment and extension of the existing Science Building – built in 1974 - at the independent co-educational school in Stowe,
“We’re very excited to be working once again with Stowe School to deliver these state of the art educational
and exhibition foyer. It will also be fully wheelchair accessible. Externally, the extended building will feature extensive glazed facades. The spacious new
facilities”
entrance will be fully
Buckinghamshire.
glazed and protected Steve Burgess - Area Manager
The scheme will
with a brise soleil sun shading system.
see the existing single storey section of the current Science Building
This latest project follows Stepnell’s
demolished and replaced with a
construction of Stowe’s award-
brand new, two storey extension.
winning Music School which opened
The team will also fully refurbish the
in 2013.
current two storey accommodation.
Young Leicester College Joiners nail construction experience on site with Stepnell
are done in real life,” says Zak, who lives in Woodgate, Leicester. “It’s also been good working with people who’ve been in the
business for years and learning how they do things.” Theo, who lives in
Two Leicester teenagers have become
Aylestone, Leicester, adds: “I’ve not
the first young people to benefit from
had the chance to work on an actual
a new training initiative organised
site before so this has been a brilliant
by Leicester College and Stepnell
opportunity. I’ve enjoyed being able
enabling them to gain hands-on industry
to see all the different tradespeople
experience.
at work and watch the building taking
Zak Miller and Theo
“This has
shape.” After completing their Diploma Level 3
Conway, who are both 19
been a brilliant
and studying for joinery
opportunity.”
both teenagers hope to
successfully completed
Theo Conway, Student.
Stepnell has teamed
a week long placement
Leicester College
up with the College to
qualifications at Leicester
qualification in joinery, secure apprenticeships.
College, have each
on site with the Stepnell
offer the placements as
team. It was organised as part of a large
part of its commitment to bring more
scale programme launched by Stepnell
young people into construction, as well
and the College which will provide up to
as provide training opportunities in
50 work placements for learners.
communities.
“I’ve really enjoyed it. Being on site has
Stepnell site manager Steve Gordon
given me the chance to see how things
says: “Attracting talented individuals to
come into the business is vital to ensure we don’t end up with a skills shortfall. It’s a big step going from a college environment to being on a working site so our aim is to give learners a flavour of the industry and the chance to put their skills into practice. Zak and Theo have done well during their week with us, they’ve shown that they are interested and want to learn and we’ve enjoyed having them with us on site.” Zak and Theo have been working with the Stepnell team on the company’s major project at De Montfort University in Leicester, where it is creating a new conference and events venue. Working under the supervision of the Stepnell team and the company’s subcontractors, the pair have tackled a range of ‘first fix’ carpentry tasks including putting up timber battening, fitting joists and installing acoustic board insulation on external walls. In addition, their placement has included additional industry-focused health and safety training and the chance for each to make their own saw stool which they can keep. The work placement programme is also based at Leicester College itself, where learners are getting the chance to work alongside the Stepnell team building the College’s new motor vehicle workshop at the Abbey Park Campus
b a
Well underway,
News in Brief
thanks to our
residential housing project and
Rugby team, is a £1.2m steel framed
a £1.4m new build programme
retail unit for cut price German food
to create a new Motor Vehicle
retailer, Aldi in Kettering. A £2.6m
Engineering workshop for Leicester
new build scheme at Bletchley Park
College.
School has recently been completed along with a £2m new build project to create a brand new sports and performing arts facility at Eversfield Preparatory School.
The Grantham team are nearing completion of a £1.5m scheme to create a brand new gallery and courtyard at the University of Leicester's Richard Attenborough
The Nottingham office is on site
Centre, while earlier this year, they
for a £1.2m remodelling scheme
handed over a brand new Year 6
at the Robert Kilpatrick Clinical
teaching block at Stamford Junior
Sciences Building in Leicester.
School.
They have recently handed over a £3.6m refurbishment scheme at De Montfort University, a £1.4m
Early September saw the West Midlands team start on site
for a £2.6m project to create a
School, Banbury.They have recently
new performing arts centre with
completed a £5.3m demolition,
associated drainage and site works
extension and refurbishment project
at Rendcomb College, Cirencester.
at Bayards Hill School in Oxford, as
They have just finished a £2.9m
well as a £4.9m design, development
scheme to transform an old dining
and construction scheme in
hall into a contemporary food hall at
Abingdon.
Bromsgrove School and recently they started on site to construct a brand new £1.8m boarding house at Ruthin School.
a.
ambian C Bletchley Park School
b.
tamford S Endowed School Performing Arts Centre
c.
Leicester College Motor Vehicle Workshop
Due for completion at the end of this
d.
Aldi, Kettering
year is a £8.8m care home project
e.
ambian C Bletchley Park School
f.
Leicester College Motor Vehicle Workshop
g.
tepnell PV S roofing
h.
t Catherines S houses on Bath Street
being constructed by our Poole office, for long-term clients The Orders of
The Wantage office is on site to
St John Care Trust. Very recently
build a £6m care home in South
completed is a £1.6m extension
Cerney and a £2.1m extension to
scheme at Winton Primary School
create brand new classrooms, hall
to create brand new educational
and storage at Hill View Primary
facilities for students and staff.
See more images here
d f
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e h
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Oxfordshire
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