In order to bring the Lorry Lokey building in closer proximity with the Recanati structure on the huge 200-acre large Tel Aviv University area, the building and construction plans for this initiative have been implemented in order for the building work to commence. Under the tutelage of Gottesman-Szmelcman Architecture, it has been decided that the structure itself will be split in order to enable the structures to be in closer proximity with each other, but will mean that the space will need to be created for this vital construction work to take place. Students will be able to benefit from easier access to the building as well as to the various cafes and eateries located there, as well as allow for meeting space between staff and students alike. It is hoped that by splitting the large building into two separate structures, the sight of it at Tel Aviv University will have a much lesser impact on the environment by becoming less of an eyesore to visitors and tourists. Of course, aesthetic needs are entirely subjective and the forwarding of an expensive redevelopment scheme based solely on this aspect would seem foolish to the average reader, however the building structure will equally be of a bigger benefit to the members of the university and users of the Tel Aviv University grounds. The erection of two structures will allow for much-needed space in the heated temperatures Tel Aviv frequently experiences and will ensure that 5,300 square meters of land space will be able to provide some shade space to tired individuals. With a finishing date listed as 2019, this is a huge investment and ambitious project undertaken by the university that will take up much time, energy and resources. However, it is greatly hoped that the lives of those using the Tel Aviv campus will be improved by this extensive new building development.

Lincolnshire firm Specialist Surfacing has been appointed sole contractor in 2017 for Associated British Ports (ABP) Humber.  The multi-million-pound contract includes all road maintenance and associate works for ABP’s four Humber ports in Hull, Goole, Grimsby and Immingham.  ABP is the UK’s leading ports operator with a network of 21 ports across the UK. ABP’s Ports on the Humber contribute £2.2 billion to the UK economy every year and support 33,000 jobs, handling more than 65 million tonnes of cargo.  The facilities offer close links to markets in mainland Europe and Scandinavia and expertise in a broad range of cargoes, including energy, vehicles, roll-on roll-off, containers, bulks, liquid bulks and forest products.  Immingham is currently the UK’s largest port by volume and in 2017 Hull will be home to one of the UK’s largest port developments; the £310 million Green Port Hull project with Siemens. Specialist Surfacing maintains a long-standing working relationship with ABP with a 25-year history in managing its surfacing requirements.  Indeed, ABP was the first client for Managing Director Scott Morse when he joined the business as an apprentice.  He says, “ABP remains one of our largest clients for which we have become a reliable partner in maintaining its busy network of roads and surfaces.  We are delighted to secure this exclusive contract and it is especially pleasing to know that our continued investment in the best possible fleet, and people, continues to drive contracts of this calibre and complexity.” The contract awarded to Specialist Surfacing includes ‘Responsive Maintenance’ for all public and private highways in all four ports. It also includes repairs to all pedestrian zones including footpaths and carparks as well as operational areas such as fertilizer sheds, storage facilities and ‘high stress’ areas where the surface must withstand excessive weight. In addition to all major and minor civils works Specialist Surfacing provides critical communications support to ABP where the team is required to put in place traffic management and reporting plans to ensure continuity during works.  An emergency response service also ensures that damage, such as potholes, are repaired within 24 hours. Specialist Surfacing has extensive experience in the ports industry with other key clients including DFDS Seaways, CRO Ports and VAG Ports. It specialises in delivering surfacing, groundworks, construction and facilities management for local authorities and the private sector.  Its extensive portfolio covers commercial, industrial, chemical, retail, sport/leisure, education and residential. Specialist Surfacing is a member of Hunt Group which includes a number of other    operating companies such Britcon Limited and H.G. Holdings Limited.  It reported a turnover of £17 million in its last financial year and directly employs 65 people at its HQ in Scunthorpe and offices in Wakefield.

The Resource Efficient Scotland conglomerate, dedicated to helping businesses thrive and progress into the future of this economy, have set up their latest initiative to enable building and constructing businesses operating in Scotland to benefit from their services and thus reduce the amount of waste costs that they acquire at the end of every fiscal year. SMEs would thus in this way be encouraged to sign up to events organized by Zero Waste Scotland, and initiative dedicated to reducing the amount of waste product that is causing harm to the environment as well as various businesses themselves all around the rest of the country. It was found that in the year 2014 alone, a grand total of more than 4 million tons wastage was produced in a single year, and with close to 50, 000 building companies in the country, this is a very worrying sign for those SMEs and for the surrounding environment. If Scotland’s future as a vital business hub in the United Kingdom is to survive and its disarmingly beautiful natural habitat is to remain, construction and building businesses around the country will need to work together to encourage a more sustainable way of implementing their various strategies and projects for development. This is clearly important to business investors around the country, who are more and more eager than ever before for entrepreneurs and small-time businesses in the construction sector to reduce the amount of waste that they produce. It is therefore imperative that these building businesses starting out know exactly what to do and how they can do it: Resource Efficient Scotland and Zero Waste Scotland are clearly the ways forward for this. Indeed, as Ms Marissa Lippiatt of Zero Waste Scotland declares, with building being one of the leading industries in Scotland, it is more important than ever to promote and organize events that will help them to reduce their impact on themselves and the rest of the environment.

Midas Construction, part of the Midas Group, has started work on the southern hub of the National College Development for Nuclear. The National College for Nuclear is dedicated to supporting the specialist training needs of the nuclear industry, with the southern hub supporting the training requirements of the nuclear power station at nearby Hinkley Point. The National College for Nuclear (NCfN) Southern Hub is a £6.2m scheme being built at Bridgwater & Taunton College’s Cannington Centre. The northern hub of the NCfN, is being built in Workington, Cumbria.  The NCfN will develop the UK’s nuclear curriculum, designing new qualifications and training courses that are attractive to learners and meet specific industry needs, it is envisaged that it will train more than 7,000 people by 2020. The NCfN, Southern Hub, is due to welcome its first students in 2017. The hubs will be funded by £15m from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), with additional finance for the southern hub coming from the Heart of the South West LEP and Bridgwater & Taunton College. The tower crane is due to arrive on site this week (2 February) ready for the team to start work on the superstructure. When complete, the southern hub will feature a pair of new buildings connected with an enclosed link bridge, with one building housing a two-storey training centre and the second a two-storey welfare and recreation facility. Alan Hope, Chief Executive of The Midas Group said: “The need to develop a skilled workforce and supply chain to support the development of Hinkley has been rightly recognised as of huge importance to the long term success of the project itself and the wider regional economy. “So, we are delighted and very proud to be delivering this flagship scheme which will bring through a new generation of highly skilled people, trained here in Somerset, and working at one of the biggest development projects the UK has embarked on for many years.”