LSE launches its third RIBA international Design Competition The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has invited expressions of interest for its next major building project: the redevelopment of 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which will be known as the Paul Marshall Building. LSE is committed to creating a
Yorkshire-based groundworks specialist Mabey Hire is setting up a London-based site crew to support the work of its contracts team in the south of England. The new team will be delivering full temporary works planning, installation and removal for customers. Projects director Peter Aramayo explained: “Currently, jobs in the south
Graf UK has further strengthened its presence in Scotland, with the opening of a dedicated branch in Glasgow. Source link
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has ordered an investigation into the finances of the Olympic Stadium as the cost of converting the venue after the 2012 Games has increased by a further £51 million. The bill for the conversion has now reached £323 million, with one of the primary factors behind
Housebuilding firm Persimmon says that the construction of a new “Brickworks” factory was a further investment in its manufacturing capability. The firm said that cost control and procurement discipline provided crucial support to its successful trading performance as it now looks to build a new brick factory in South Yorkshire.
The developer of a major North Yorkshire mining project has revealed a £1 billion financing plan to allow construction to get under way, having agreed a £245 million deal with a firm chaired by an Australian billionaire. Last month, Sirius Minerals entered into the £245 million finance deal with Hancock
Carillion’s joint venture with US engineering giant KBR has secured a £1.1 billion construction and facilities management contract to re-base troops coming back from Germany by 2019. The Aspire Defence Capital Works joint venture will design and build 130 buildings, along with extensions and alterations to the current buildings and
The third phase of the regeneration of the Park Valley Mills commercial development in Huddersfield is now complete and fully let. The site, owned by Holmfirth Dyers, is being transformed into a business park that features 18 brand new industrial units with office and storage space. The mills were formerly derelict
Kier Integrated Services and Morrison Utility Services have secured places on a £400 million framework with Affinity Water. The companies have been appointed to the four year framework by the Home Counties and North West London water supplier. Broken down into three programmes, the framework has a combined value of
LSE launches its third RIBA international Design Competition The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has invited expressions of interest for its next major building project: the redevelopment of 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which will be known as the Paul Marshall Building. LSE is committed to creating a world-class estate with buildings and facilities that are equal to its international academic standing. LSE is one of the world’s leading universities with a truly global reach, competing for students and staff with Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Stamford. LSE has established a reputation in the last decade of commissioning high quality, innovative and sustainable architecture. The construction of a major new university building on the site of 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields will cement this reputation. This international competition, run in conjunction with the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), follows the School’s previous two successful RIBA competitions. In 2009 RIBA Gold Medal winning architects O’Donnell + Tuomey were selected by LSE to design the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre which was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2014. In 2013 Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners were selected for the LSE Centre Buildings redevelopment which is currently on site. The School has now instigated its third RIBA international design competition to procure a design response which will achieve the following: The new building will play a key role in promoting the values, ethos and brand of LSE Its contemporary high quality design will inspire future generations of students and academics and will be regarded as a seminal piece of university architecture in its historic setting overlooking Lincoln’s Inn Fields in central London The building will be integral to the transformation of the campus and enhancement of the public realm as well as contributing to the quality of its unique neighbourhood Environmental sustainability and carbon minimisation will be fundamental aspects of the building’s identity The Design Competition is a two-stage process. Expressions of Interest will be sought in September, following which a shortlist of up to six design teams will be selected before the end of the year. The competition brief will be issued in January 2016 and from the submissions the winning team will be selected. All shortlisted teams will be paid an honorarium. Julian Robinson, LSE’s Director of Estates said: “With a project value in excess of £100m, the Paul Marshall Building presents a unique challenge for architects to secure a high-profile global scheme with the opportunity to design a new landmark university building in one of central London’s most important and historic areas.” Paul Marshall is a major benefactor of LSE, recently contributing £30m for the creation of the Marshall Institute for Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship. 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which was purchased by LSE in 2013 from Cancer Research UK, will host the new Marshall Institute alongside a number of academic departments and research centres, following completion of its redevelopment Further information, the Invitation for Expressions of Interest and the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire are both available via www.ribacompetitions.com/LSE ENDS Note to Editors: For more information please contact the LSE Press Office pressoffice@lse.ac.uk or call 020 7955 7060. Please ensure RIBA Competitions are credited when mentioning the above competition. RIBA Competitions delivers variety, inspiration and value through expertly run design and architectural competitions. For further details visit www.architecture.com/competitions Posted on Wednesday 23rd September 2015 Source link
Yorkshire-based groundworks specialist Mabey Hire is setting up a London-based site crew to support the work of its contracts team in the south of England. The new team will be delivering full temporary works planning, installation and removal for customers. Projects director Peter Aramayo explained: “Currently, jobs in the south are carried out by northern site crews, taking them away from home for extended periods. The only other alternative is to use subcontractors, but increasingly our customers are requesting that their suppliers must use their own employees. “By setting up a permanent site crew in London, we’ll be able to provide a completely seamless service from North to South, and we will be able to further reduce our response times to emergency works.” The new team of three steel erectors and a supervisor will support rather than replace the existing crews, the company said. They will be based out of Mabey’s Iver facility and report to Sean Poulter, installation manager – south. The aim is to have the team up and running this summer. “We will bring the team up to our facility at Garswood, St Helens, for their induction,” said Mr Aramayo. “We pre-assemble a lot of our kit in the yard at Garswood so they will be involved in that part of the process, and we will put them with existing crews to get them up to speed with our way of working.” This article was published on 20 May 2016 (last updated on 20 May 2016). Source link
Graf UK has further strengthened its presence in Scotland, with the opening of a dedicated branch in Glasgow. Source link
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has ordered an investigation into the finances of the Olympic Stadium as the cost of converting the venue after the 2012 Games has increased by a further £51 million. The bill for the conversion has now reached £323 million, with one of the primary factors behind the rise being the installation of retractable seats. The seats allow the former Olympic stadium to host both football matches and athletics events, with the estimated cost of them rising from £300,000 to £8 million. Khan’s deputy mayor Jules Pipe explained that City Hall has inherited “a mess” from predecessor Boris Johnson. Pipe commented: “Last year the previous administration told the public that the costs had risen in total to around £270m. The new Mayor has now been told that cost will be more than £320m. “Understandably, Sadiq has ordered an investigation as to why those two figures are so wildly different. “As the new administration at City Hall is clearing up the mess of the previous administration, we need to make sure that the stadium runs on a sustainable basis and is affordable to London.” It is now being suggested that the seating issue could threaten the viability of athletics events and concerts scheduled for next summer, and may even delay some of West Ham United’s home fixtures at the beginning of the next football season. Engineers have estimated that it may take up to 30 days to reconfigure the stadium, which is three times as long as first estimated. The issue has been complicated further as the original seating contractor, Alto Seating Solutions, has since gone into liquidation. The most recent cost rise in the Olympic stadium conversion has taken the total bill for the venue up to £752 million, which has been met almost entirely by the taxpayer aside from a £15 million contribution by West Ham.
Housebuilding firm Persimmon says that the construction of a new “Brickworks” factory was a further investment in its manufacturing capability. The firm said that cost control and procurement discipline provided crucial support to its successful trading performance as it now looks to build a new brick factory in South Yorkshire. The new site, located close to Doncaster, is commissioned for the first quarter of next year and will be manufacturing a significant amount of Persimmon’s brick requirements. The announcement came in a third quarter trading statement that covered the period from July 1, 2016 to November 1, 2016. Persimmon took encouragement from trading over the summer weeks straight after the EU referendum, with the volume of customers visiting Persimmon sites staying way ahead of the previous year. From then on, at the beginning of the autumn selling season, Persimmon said that customer activity strengthened in line with the traditional seasonal variations of the market. Since the group posted its half year results on August 23, 2016, private sales rate has been 19% ahead of last year, which represents a continuation of the stronger sales rate experienced during the summer weeks. The company is now fully sold up for this year and has around £757 million of forward sales reserved past 2016, which is a rise of 4% on the same point last year. Persimmon said that the market has benefitted from strong lender support and resilient consumer confidence. However, the business has recognised that the uncertainty regarding the potential impact of the EU referendum result on the UK economy may go on for some time. Persimmon says that it is still cautious with regard to new land investment but has continued to progress attractive propositions on a selective basis. In a bid to support growth moving forward, the housebuilder is planning to open a new regional operating division near Nottingham on January 2, 2017.
The developer of a major North Yorkshire mining project has revealed a £1 billion financing plan to allow construction to get under way, having agreed a £245 million deal with a firm chaired by an Australian billionaire. Last month, Sirius Minerals entered into the £245 million finance deal with Hancock Prospecting, which is a privately owned firm operating in the agricultural and mining sectors which is chaired by the richest woman in Australia, Gina Rinehart. Along with the royalty financing deal with Hancock, Sirius said it would launch an underwritten placing and open offer to raise around £330 million to £400 million and an underwritten convertible bond offering to raise around £326 million to £367 million. Chris Fraser, Sirius Managing Director, said that the scheme will create jobs throughout Teesside and North Yorkshire, and represents a major business investment in the UK. ‘Compelling value proposition’ Fraser continued: “It’s been a long journey to this point, and we still have some way to go, but I want to thank everyone who has supported the company in its efforts to reach this major milestone. “Once we have received shareholder approval, we want to get on with the job of delivering this compelling value proposition, not only for our shareholders but also for the North Yorkshire community.” Sirius is anticipating that the project will progress in two phases: the initial construction phase and the expansion phase. The initial construction phase is intended to achieve first production from the mine within the next five years. The expansion phase will be funded from operational cash flows and is intended to eventually increase production capacity subject to receipt of further planning permissions and the completion of additional infrastructure. This first tranche of cash will finance the cost of all site preparation, mine shaft excavations, tunnel caverns and the money is expected to be spent in three years. The second round of fundraising will bring in a further US$1.8 billion.
Carillion’s joint venture with US engineering giant KBR has secured a £1.1 billion construction and facilities management contract to re-base troops coming back from Germany by 2019. The Aspire Defence Capital Works joint venture will design and build 130 buildings, along with extensions and alterations to the current buildings and associated infrastructure. The construction works throughout Aldershot and the Salisbury Plain Training Area are set to begin straight away. They are worth £680 million, which will be shared equally between the partners. The facilities management and maintenance of the new camps and garrisons will be provided by a separate joint venture between both companies, known as Aspire Defence Services. The Project Allenby/Connaught PFI contract was let to Aspire in 2006. Together this will generate £430 million of support services revenue over the remaining 25 year contract. The additional service provision will begin as soon as construction of the first asset is completed, which is expected to be in May 2017, and will run until 2041. ‘We are delighted’ Carillion chief executive Richard Howson said: “We are delighted that Aspire Defence Limited and its sub-contractors Aspire Defence Capital Works and Aspire Defence Services have been selected by the Ministry of Defence to deliver this major element of the Army Basing Programme. “I believe this reflects in the successful delivery of new living and working accommodation along with associated assets for Project Allenby/Connaught, together with the high-quality, value for money services that will continue to be provided for this project.” Last month, Carillion secured a £350 million contract to continue its support of Nationwide Building Society. With the new deal, the buildings and maintenance firm will maintain its management facilities at Nationwide’s Swindon headquarters, its 15 corporate offices, its data centres and its 700 high street outlets throughout the UK. It is a seven-year contract with the potential to be increased to ten, and renews the existing nine-year partnership between the two companies. Shares in Carillion jumped 1.53pc early on Tuesday morning to 255p. Image: MoD/Crown copyright 2016. Photographer Ian Griffiths
The third phase of the regeneration of the Park Valley Mills commercial development in Huddersfield is now complete and fully let. The site, owned by Holmfirth Dyers, is being transformed into a business park that features 18 brand new industrial units with office and storage space. The mills were formerly derelict for a number of years, with many buildings falling into disrepair. The revamped site off Meltham Road, Lockwood, will create new jobs and regenerate the area. In total, over 100 new jobs have been created on site. Phase Three of the commercial development is now fully occupied thanks to two significant new lettings. The new occupiers are Boge Compressors and The Gift Oasis. Boge Compressors will occupy Units 10, 11 and 12, which total 12,750 sq ft, while The Gift Oasis will occupy Units 13 and 14, a total of 5,000 sq ft. The Gift Oasis’ Lisa Benfield said: “By 2012, we were outgrowing our old premises in the Canal Works in Huddersfield and we were shoulder to shoulder with our quirky gifts. So the quest began for a new home. “Mountains of research and establishments later, Park Valley Mills was found. It was the shining light in the distance with its new buildings, which had more room, and an accommodating site manager, who agreed to our request to have an office attached to our warehouse. “Of course the large size, the security and the secluded location were also selling points when researching our new home. Park Valley Mills was perfect. Our staff has now increased for 10 to 20 and there is so much more room for stock, which is just as well with Christmas just around the corner.“ Work on the fourth phase of the 14,000 sq ft development will be finished next month with three units already under offer. Mike Haigh, partner with leading Leeds property consultancy Dove Haigh Phillips, commented: “This is a superb development for Huddersfield, which is already creating jobs and regenerating the area.”
Kier Integrated Services and Morrison Utility Services have secured places on a £400 million framework with Affinity Water. The companies have been appointed to the four year framework by the Home Counties and North West London water supplier. Broken down into three programmes, the framework has a combined value of £100 million per year. Its three programmes are made up of: Distribution Mains; Developer New Mains and Services (Developer Services); and Design and Installation of Trunk Mains. Morrison Utility Services has been appointed to the Distribution Mains and Developer Services programmes. The company will take responsibility for design and build works covering 100 km of mains renewals per year, while also working on more than 600 developer services schemes. Kier has been chosen for the Trunks Mains programme and will design and install trunk mains to transport water around the Affinity Water network. The contracts will start in January. The framework makes up the bulk of Affinity Water’s £500m infrastructure investment between 2015 and 2020. Kier and Morrison Utility Services previously worked together under Anglian Water’s AMP6 programme. The two firms secured contracts with the water supplier in 2014. Kier was selected along with Clancy Docwra to deliver Anglian Water’s AMP6 Integrated Metering and Developer Services contract, valued at up to £12m a year. Kier, Morrison Utility Services and Barhale were chosen for Anglian Water’s Integrated Operational Solutions contract, valued at around £70m over five years. Meanwhile, Kier has announced “significant revenue growth to £1.7 billion, up 34 per cent,” according to the firm’s full-year results. The company said that the results for the year ending June 30 this year were underpinned by “a raft of strong facilities management contract wins, worth a total of around £100 million.” The results also showed that underlying profit from operations of £150 million increased by 44%, including a full year’s contribution from Mouchel.
