Young people signed up to apprenticeships with a leading construction firm have been given the chance to speak about their experiences of working in the industry. The trainees were all present for the visit of Annabelle Ewing, Scotland’s Minister for Youth and Women’s Employment, to the site of a new
Construction and infrastructure firm Morgan Sindall has started work on the £15.4 million special educational needs school project in Essex. Essex County Council has funded the Glenwood School development which will be a specially designed education centre for young people with severe learning difficulties. Situated in Benfleet, the two storey
London Underground’s curved track problem has been solved thanks to a new type of concrete sleeper produced by Cemex Rail Solutions. Until now, the sleepers on rail track curves have been made out of wood, but the first new concrete sleepers have recently been laid at a section of track
A major hospital in Cambridge is being helped to cut carbon, reduce costs and save energy by Anglian Water Business. The water firm worked with Addenbrooke’s Hospital, along with consultancy company SaveMoneyCutCarbon, to replace the hospital’s inefficient and dated fluorescent lamps with 650 LED tubes and panels in the hospital.
Scape Group has confirmed that the Perfect Circle consortium has been appointed to its £350 million consultancy framework. The consortium consists of Pick Everard, Gleeds and Aecom and is the first time the procurement body has chosen a joint venture. Over four years the deal will be worth £350 million,
Regional construction contractor Beard has recruited a new managing director from VolkerFitzpatrick, Mr David Sershall. Sershall will take over the post from Mark Beard who will now become the company’s Executive Chairman. The former VolkerFitzpatrick Building Division Managing Director will now join the family owned Beard business where he will
CITB Wales learners are “developing high levels of practical skills in the workplace” according to Welsh education inspection body Estyn. The body praised CITB Wales’ work with construction employers, education institutions and learners across Wales and published their findings in a detailed report. Estyn, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education and
Thermal break solutions specialist, Armadillo, was appointed by engineering firm, Craddy Pitchers Davidson to provide an innovative thermal bridging solution for Aldi’s £25m distribution centre in Cardiff, which is part of a £109m UK investment programme. The project involved insulating the centre’s 1,000 sqm cold store room, which is used
Young people signed up to apprenticeships with a leading construction firm have been given the chance to speak about their experiences of working in the industry. The trainees were all present for the visit of Annabelle Ewing, Scotland’s Minister for Youth and Women’s Employment, to the site of a new care home being built by Graham Construction. During the event, which was held as part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week, Ms Ewing was able to meet young men and women learning new construction skills on the job. She said she was especially keen to speak to the female apprentices about how to encourage even more women to take on roles in the building sector. Graham Construction is part of an industry group known as the 5 Per Cent Club, which encourages firms to set up their own structured learning programmes such as apprenticeships. The group’s objective is for its members to put 5% of their workforce on such schemes over the next five years. To help young people get the best start possible in construction, Graham has also set up its own skills academy, which currently has more than 100 young students. Some 14% of Graham’s current staff are signed up to structured learning initiatives, with 9% on apprenticeships. Ms Ewing said: “Construction is hugely important to our economy and we are working closely with industry and other partners to look at how we ensure it has the staff it needs to continue to grow. “I am particularly interested in hearing the experience of the young women apprentices and their views on dealing with gender imbalance in the workforce can help deal with skills shortages.” Scottish Apprenticeship Week, which began on February 29 and runs until March 4, aims to promote the benefits of taking part in on-the-job training. Earlier in the week, it was announced that the Scottish government is seeking to create 26,000 Modern Apprenticeships for the year 2016/2017. Source link
Construction and infrastructure firm Morgan Sindall has started work on the £15.4 million special educational needs school project in Essex. Essex County Council has funded the Glenwood School development which will be a specially designed education centre for young people with severe learning difficulties. Situated in Benfleet, the two storey school will include state of the art facilities to support over 200 children and young adults. Featured in the building will be 26 classrooms, a hydrotherapy pool, along with specialist facilities that will help meet the sensory needs of young people, including a trampoline room and swing therapy rooms to help promote body awareness, postural control, sequencing and sense organisation. Morgan Sindall will also be responsible for the development of an independent living area within the school, which will prepare older students for adulthood, along with an immersive room that will use projection imagery to stimulate a series of environments. Also featured in the new building will be design technology facilities and music rooms to encourage creativity, and a number of vocational bases including soft play rooms and two hall spaces for group activities. The project team at Morgan Sindall will also deliver external works, including a car park for 110 vehicles and an outdoor play area. Morgan Sindall Area Director, Gavin Napper, said that they are delighted to have been selected for this crucial project, which will help to alleviate demand for special educational needs school places in Essex. Napper added: “Schools like Glenwood are truly exceptional places providing the very best support and learning opportunities for children and young adults with special educational needs. “The outstanding facilities at the new building will provide a secure, innovative and exciting learning space for pupils at Glenwood School and we look forward to handing over the keys in time for the beginning of the autumn term in 2017.”
London Underground’s curved track problem has been solved thanks to a new type of concrete sleeper produced by Cemex Rail Solutions. Until now, the sleepers on rail track curves have been made out of wood, but the first new concrete sleepers have recently been laid at a section of track between Aldgate East and Whitechapel. London Underground had previously found it challenging to produce the right type of sleeper that would be sufficient to guide the track around curves of less than a 200 metre radius, while ensuring that the Tube trains remain on the track. Previously, sleepers designed for curves were made out of timber, which can affect the gauge of the track as they tend to shrink over time. As a result of this design flaw, London Underground have been searching for a solution to this problem and it now seems that Cemex have come up with the solution after 12 months of development work. Cemex has said that the main challenge was how to attach the cast iron base plate to the sleeper, as this would typically be done by casting plastic dowels into the concrete to allow the base plate to be bolted down. Durham University conducted analysis into the issue, which highlighted complications when using the normal attachment methods, relating to the forces in pre-stressed concrete that may lead to more cracks. Replacement of plastic inserts normally used for attachment of conductor pots by steel inserts and reinforcement around the plastic dowels, adopted from industry practice in Germany, has significantly reduced the risk of any possible cracking. The Derbyshire-based Cemex Rail Solutions factory has now started to produce three varieties of the sleeper, with two further models in the pipeline. A further 2 variants of check rail bearer were designed (short ended at either end) at the same time to allow for drainage catch pits which are sometimes in the way trackside.
A major hospital in Cambridge is being helped to cut carbon, reduce costs and save energy by Anglian Water Business. The water firm worked with Addenbrooke’s Hospital, along with consultancy company SaveMoneyCutCarbon, to replace the hospital’s inefficient and dated fluorescent lamps with 650 LED tubes and panels in the hospital. This is said to result in an overall carbon and energy reduction of 53%, while saving £15,000 a year and a return on investment in under four and a half years for the hospital. Addenbrooke’s entire wastewater treatment needs are already served by Anglian Water Business (AWB), with the LED replacement scheme forming part of its commitment to proactively identifying the best ways of providing customers with more value. Paul Vincent, AWB Account Manager, said that they are delighted to be helping Addenbrooke’s implement the significant efficiency and financial savings. Vincent continued: “At [AWB], we are committed to working collaboratively with our customers to ensure they lower costs and consumption, whether it’s water or energy. “This project was made possible thanks to our partnership with SaveMoneyCutCarbon and interest-free funding from Salix Finance.” Denis Garnham, Addenbrooke’s Hospital Energy Manager, said that the hospital’s sustainable energy development plan is based on carbon, energy and cost saving, while improving the quality of the healthcare environment on the site. Garnham believes that this latest lighting upgrade project is a prime example of how they are working towards this goal by bringing together their Salix funding stream and AWB’s progressive value added services. Holden Cook, Chief Operating Officer at SaveMoneyCutCarbon, said: “The money saved by the Trust in energy and maintenance costs can now be diverted into other essential areas, which is fantastic.” Anglian Water Business is a national water retailer which supplies over 140,000 public sector bodies and businesses throughout the UK.
Scape Group has confirmed that the Perfect Circle consortium has been appointed to its £350 million consultancy framework. The consortium consists of Pick Everard, Gleeds and Aecom and is the first time the procurement body has chosen a joint venture. Over four years the deal will be worth £350 million, with the Built Environment Consultancy Services framework providing consultancy services to the public sector. The new framework will bring together the range of services available under the two existing frameworks of Scape: the National Project Management and Quantity Surveying framework; and the National Asset Management, Surveying & Design Services framework. Scape said that the decision to merge the two frameworks was because of a series of challenges that the industry is currently facing. The company said: “[These] include a shortage of internal industry specialists and an increased demand for consultancy expertise against a backdrop of sustained budgetary challenges.” The consortium will be supported by around 150 SMEs as supply chain partners. Mark Robinson, Chief Executive of Scape said that every day its public sector clients have to balance the two competing forces of rising services demand from a growing population, along with diminishing internal resources. Robinson added: “In the current uncertain economic climate, rapid appointment, access to the right skills and advice to get the best from the public estate will be absolutely critical, which is why we have created this new all-encompassing framework, which has been uniquely designed to deliver exceptional results to our public sector colleagues.” The Perfect Circle consortium fought off competition from a consortium of Grant Thornton, Faithful & Gould, Bilfinger GVA and Arcadis as well as individual bids from Turner & Townsend and Mace. Robinson explained that the battle was close, which saw Scape extend its 10 day stand still period to feed back in depth to the unsuccessful bidders.
Regional construction contractor Beard has recruited a new managing director from VolkerFitzpatrick, Mr David Sershall. Sershall will take over the post from Mark Beard who will now become the company’s Executive Chairman. The former VolkerFitzpatrick Building Division Managing Director will now join the family owned Beard business where he will have overall responsibility for quality across the business. He will also lead Beard’s Oxford construction business at the end of next month after Regional Director John Youle has stepped down from his post. The incoming Managing Director said that Beard is a successful, well regarded and innovative construction firm which has built its success on a talented pool of people who are committed to faultless and prompt delivery of projects. Sershall continued: “I believe there’s a great opportunity to capitalise on the company’s strong reputation in both the private and public sectors and I am excited to be in a position to help deliver the next part of its growth plans across the south of England.” Meanwhile, Mark Beard expressed his delight at the appointment of Sershall who he believes will be a great fit for the business and is someone they are pleased to have as part of the company. Beard added: “He brings a wealth of operational management expertise to Beard, an in-depth knowledge of design management and significant experience delivering complex multi-million-pound construction projects.” He believes that Sershall shares the company’s passion for quality and is confident that he will make a positive contribution to the company’s continues development and success. Sershall is a member of the Institute of Directors and the Chartered Institute of Building, while he also has degrees in architecture and building management, along with an MSc in Construction Project Management. Earlier in the week, Beard said goodbye to project manager Bob Fay who had spent 40 years with the firm.
CITB Wales learners are “developing high levels of practical skills in the workplace” according to Welsh education inspection body Estyn. The body praised CITB Wales’ work with construction employers, education institutions and learners across Wales and published their findings in a detailed report. Estyn, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales, stated that CITB learners gain and sustain employment in construction. The current performance of CITB Wales was described as “good” with many areas of strength and no immediate or important areas that require significant improvement. Also outlined in the inspection were the prospects for improvement, while CITB Apprenticeships leadership and management were “excellent” with a number of strengths including numerous examples of sector-leading practice. CITB Head of Apprenticeships, Steve Hearty, welcomed the report and said that the body is pleased with the results of the thorough examination of their work throughout the country. Hearty continued: “Estyn’s report reflects the dedication of CITB staff, our highly motivated learners and the strength of our partnerships across Wales. “CITB have introduced new working practices which facilitate the sharing of resources and best practice across GB teams and our FE partners which is supported by our Quality First strategy and we are delighted this is recognised within the report with our ‘prospects for improvement’ grade stated to be excellent.” The report was published at an important time for the construction sector in Wales, with its potential now clear and CITB Wales playing a role in ensuring that learners develop world class construction skills that come up to the standards of employers on major projects in future. The group also stated that it will continue to strive for the highest possible standard and prioritise the recommendations of the report. Earlier in the week, CITB created a new industry relations director role to boost engagement with the industry at a time of significant change for employers.
Thermal break solutions specialist, Armadillo, was appointed by engineering firm, Craddy Pitchers Davidson to provide an innovative thermal bridging solution for Aldi’s £25m distribution centre in Cardiff, which is part of a £109m UK investment programme. The project involved insulating the centre’s 1,000 sqm cold store room, which is used to stock thousands of frozen and chilled products before they are distributed to Aldi stores across the UK. Due to the nature of the project and the building’s energy efficient design, it was essential that the most innovative thermal bridging solution was implemented, to ensure that the temperature of the cold store room was not compromised. With this in mind, Aldi needed a solution that ensured the building columns did not bridge the slab insulation but still supported the desired load. Designing with building longevity in mind, Aldi had dismissed the use of hardwoods such as Iroko timber, which were historically used for thermal bridging in column isolation projects. Although hardwoods are capable of high-load requirements and offer good insulation when dry, they absorb moisture over time. At this point, when the timber becomes damp, the thermal insulation is dramatically reduced and there is a risk of the timber rotting. Armadillo’s solution, Armatherm™ 500, ticked all of the boxes and helped to avoid the issues associated with using timber for column thermal isolation. The specialists’ material is an ultra-high density PU foam, which offers thermal conductivity as low as 0.05W/M°K. The closed-cell structure of the product also means that the application will not wick moisture, which allows insulation performance to be maintained for the life of the building. The product’s conductive properties, partnered with high-compressive strength up to 27N/mm2, makes it an excellent application for high-load construction projects and the perfect solution for Aldi. With regards to the installation, Armatherm™ 500 bearings were positioned beneath each steel column base plate. The remaining floor area was covered with a low density polystyrene insulation, in a thickness of 200mm. A 150mm deep concrete screed was then installed to form the freezer room floor. Armadillo’s product worked to prevent a thermal bridge across a high-load bearing connection, where traditionally a performance compromise has to be struck. Since the installation, Aldi has appointed Armadillo to provide thermal breaks for three more distribution centres across the UK as a result. Commenting on the project, Armadillo’s managing director, Jonathan Shaw, said: “As this job called for a material with high-compressive strength and fantastic insulation properties, Armatherm™ 500 was the perfect solution for Aldi. “Due to its closed-cell nature, our product will not absorb moisture, yet it provides the thermal performance similar to low-density products and offers fantastic load carrying capability which is exactly what the client needed. A material with all of these qualities is highly sought-after in today’s energy conscious market and many competitor products are over specified for these kind of applications so cannot fulfil this demand economically.”
