Irish architects Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey have been named today (Wednesday 24 September) as the 2015 recipients of the Royal Gold Medal, the world’s most prestigious architecture award. Given in recognition of a lifetime’s work, the Royal Gold Medal is approved personally by Her Majesty The Queen and is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence ‘either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture’. Awarded since 1848, previous Royal Gold Medallists include Frank Gehry (2000), Sir Norman Foster (1983), Frank Lloyd Wright (1941) and Sir George Gilbert Scott (1859). A tour de force in contemporary Irish and British architecture, Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey co-founded their practice O’Donnell and Tuomey in Dublin during 1988, having previously worked together for internationally renowned architects Stirling Wilford Associates and Colquhoun & Miller in London. Their new practice coupled Sheila’s quiet, studied ‘rationalism’ alongside John’s fluent, rhetorical ‘constructivism’ and through their buildings, publications, exhibitions and teaching they have forged a confident new identity for Irish architecture.  In the early 1990s, O’Donnell and Tuomey were part of the ‘Group 91 Architects’ group whose collective skill in masterplanning spearheaded the regeneration of Dublin’s neglected Temple Bar. It was the pair’s first permanent building, the Irish Film Institute (1991) that brought them profile and acclaim for its dynamic contribution to the revitalised Dublin quarter. Their early work, from a private home in Navan to schools, public housing and community buildings, provided the canvas for them to experiment and evolve their unconventional creative approach and celebrated style. More recent projects include the modest but brilliant Photographers’ Gallery in Soho and the exceptional 2014 RIBA Stirling Prize-shortlisted Saw Swee Hock Student Centre at the London School of Economics.     Speaking today, Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey said: ‘We’re delighted to have been chosen for this unexpected honour. We’re humbled to find ourselves in such a company of heroes, architects whose work we have studied and from whose example we continue to learn. We believe in the social value and the poetic purpose of architecture and the gold medal encourages us to prevail in this most privileged and complicated career.’ RIBA President Stephen Hodder said: ‘O’Donnell + Tuomey’s work is always inventive– striking yet so well considered, particular to its place and brief, beautifully crafted –  and ever developing. It is an absolute joy and inspiration to hear them describe their work, and always a delight to experience one of their buildings. Sheila and John are at the vanguard of contemporary Irish architecture and I am delighted they are to receive this lifetime honour.’ O’Donnell + Tuomey have been shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize a record five times, in 1999 for Ranelagh Multi-Denominational School (Dublin, Ireland), 2005 for the Lewis Glucksman Gallery (Cork, Ireland), 2011 for An Gaeláras Irish Language Arts and Cultural Centre (Derry, Northern Ireland) and 2012 for Lyric Theatre (Belfast, Northern Ireland) and in 2014 for the London School of Economics Saw Swee Hock Students’ Centre (London, UK).   They have exhibited three times at the Venice Architecture Biennale and are both alumni of the School of Architecture at University College Dublin where they continue to teach and inspire the next generation of architects.   Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey will be presented with the 2015 Royal Gold Medal at a special event at the RIBA at 66 Portland Place, London W1 on 3 February 2015.   ENDS Notes to editors For further press information contact Howard Crosskey in the RIBA Press Office: 020 7307 3761 howard.crosskey@riba.org They will be the third husband and wife team to receive the Royal Gold Medal following on from Charles and Ray Eames in 1979 and Michael and Patricia Hopkins in 1994. Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey are the third and fourth Irish citizens to have been awarded the Royal Gold Medal following the engineer Peter Rice in 1992 and architect Michael Scott in 1975.    The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members. Visit www.architecture.com and follow us on Twitter. The 2014 RIBA Honours Committee who selected O’Donnell + Tuomey was chaired by RIBA President Stephen Hodder. Citation for Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey by Joseph Rykwert and Níall McLaughlin: In presenting the Royal Gold Medal to Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey, I am conscious that they are among the youngest recipients of the Medal, and moreover that it is forty years since it had been awarded to an Irish practice. In the meanwhile Irish architecture has flourished – particularly in their generation – with a commitment to the art and the craft of building which is the envy of our more populous island. What marks Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey’s achievement is that very commitment. They are, of course builders first of all: but they are writers and teachers as well as professionals, active through the Architectural Association of Ireland in whose recent revival they were instrumental, so that their presence on the Irish scene is a powerful one, and their influence as teachers and writers has been extremely important. Their connection to London and the London scene began when they worked for Stirling and Wilford and then for Colquhoun and Miller; but their first contribution in their own right was the modest but brilliant Photographers’ Gallery in Soho, and it was later asserted much more visibly by the – now celebrated – Saw Swee Hock Student Centre for the London School of Economics, a work of unique architectural distinction for that august institution, and a commission which they won against very stiff competition. The LSE Student House is visible from Kingsway and Lincoln’s Inn Fields – which makes it a very public building indeed. Its formal brilliance is enhanced by the skilful use of brick which sets up a dialogue between the calm, almost reassuring surface and the exhilarating dynamic

7 October 2016 | Jamie Harris Churchill Group’s catering business has been awarded a five-year contract with Wiltshire College. Churchill has been providing cleaning services at the college for the last three years. Under the terms of this deal, Churchill is to add catering services to its responsibilities, across the college’s four campuses in Salisbury, Trowbridge, Chippenham and Lackham. Jason Woodcock, operations director at Churchill, said: “As the incumbent cleaning contractor, adding Wiltshire College to our catering portfolio is a particular success. We look forward to moving the catering provision to the next level and further enhancing our already successful partnership with the College through this second service line.” The business has recently won a catering contract with Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College, a cleaning deal with South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, and a place on the London Universities Purchasing Consortium framework for cleaning services. Source link

In an exclusive interview with Construction News, executive director Dave McGoff said the company wanted to expand its development of PRS schemes into Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham. The group launched its first PRS development this year through its development arm Villafont Homes: the 368-apartment £75m Downtown scheme in Manchester city centre (pictured). “The plan is to build a Downtown in each of the Northern Powerhouse cities,” Mr McGoff said. He added that the group will “very quickly move on to contracting the other sites that we’re looking at” once the Downtown scheme starts on site in early 2017. McGoff Group will act as landowner, developer and main contractor on the Downtown scheme, and has already appointed Capita to provide structural engineering and Clancy to deliver service engineering on the project. The group will also fully manage the development once it is complete, providing services including a business centre, a gym, facilities management services and concierge. “Rather than building something to sell off, our interest is the business that runs the buildings,” Mr McGoff said. “It’s about having a business stream that feeds off something we’ve created.” The group has also launched a further development business, Applebarn Nurseries. The new development arm will acquire and develop sites for childcare schemes following a similar model of the group’s New Care business, which develops and operates extra care facilities across the country. Applebarn Nurseries has already gained planning consent for its first scheme in Broadheath, south Manchester, and is looking to expand the model to further sites. Meanwhile, Forrest has been selected to deliver a £20m PRS scheme in Greater Manchester for developer X1. Work will include the construction of a 19-storey tower, called X1 The Gateway, in Salford Quays. Get more on PRS The Construction News Summit will host a PRS discussion on 11 October on how to kick-start the market. The panel features: Greystar managing director for investments, Mark Allnutt; Touchstone director for client relations and business development Jon Clark; M&G head of residential investment Alex Greaves; and HUB managing director Steve Sanham. British Council for Offices chief executive Richard Kauntze will chair the discussion. Visit summit.constructionnews.co.uk for full details. The Construction News Summit takes place on 11 & 12 October. Source link

Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Thu, Sep 29th 2016 Kawneer glazing has helped HFD Property Group’s Aberdeen office development, CityPark1, achieve BREEAM “Very good” and an EPC “A” rating. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday Curtain walling by leading UK architectural aluminium systems manufacturer Kawneer has played “a vital role” in the energy performance and design of a highly sustainable office building. Kawneer’s AA®100 zone-drained curtain walling with stepped mullions dominates the four-storey façade of the 215,000ft2 CityPark1 building on an elevated position above Aberdeen, providing stunning views over Scotland’s third largest city and coastline. One of the largest Grade A office developments in Aberdeen, CityPark1 was designed by frequent Kawneer specifiers Michael Laird Architects to BREEAM “Very good” standards and is now home to almost 2,000 employees of the FTSE 250 international energy services company Wood Group. The Kawneer curtain walling with 50mm sightlines was installed by approved specialist sub-contractor Charles Henshaw & Sons for HFD Construction who took 18 months to construct this part of the new 15-acre business park in Altens, two miles south of the city centre. The brief from developers HFD Property Group to Michael Laird Architects was for a large, efficient floor plate capable of sub-division for future flexibility with a BREEAM “Very good” rating and an EPC “A” rating. In addition to the Kawneer curtain walling, the façade of the steel framed building also features vertical panels of rainscreen cladding in grey granite tones. MLA associate director Stephen Brewer said: “All of the facades have Kawneer stick curtain walling with front-sealed glazing and low-iron glass specified for the main entrance. The curtain walling plays a vital role in the energy performance and design of the building. Sustainable sourcing of materials and a knowledge of recycled content of the materials were a key part in obtaining the BREEAM rating. “The Kawneer products achieved the required aesthetic and by the use of aerofoil projecting fins set out in an apparently random manner, the large elevations were able to be given a more human scale.” He added: “Close coordination between MLA and Henshaw ensured that details were all resolved at the design stage. By bringing curtain walling and cladding under one sub-contract order, the coordination with adjoining materials was greatly simplified. Stephen Lewis, HFD Property Group managing director confirmed: “We are delighted with the completed development, as is the occupier.” CityPark1 was one of the largest office pre-let deals in Scotland in the past five years. The wider CityPark development will provide a further 200,000ft2 of business park accommodation once completed. ENDS Photo: HFD Group  Source link

Tridonic UK has announced the appointment of Robert McIntyre to the position of solutions architect. Robert’s role will be key for customers making the transition from the visionary concept of the Internet of Light that Tridonic has spearheaded over last 18 months, to the delivery of systems and solutions that bring real benefit to building operators and users and utilise the pioneering solution, net4more. Simon Blazey, Strategic Solution Sales Manager at Tridonic, said; “Rob brings with him extensive experience of delivering complex solutions along with an ability to help both customers and suppliers unravel the most elaborate of systems and focus on the benefits and key components. As a company Tridonic is focusing on delivering these innovative approaches to the tendering and designing of these systems. This will require collaboration, co-operation and a cohesive approach from all the various stakeholders within a project with Tridonic at its centre. “This role is the ideal opportunity for me to combine my skill set with Tridonic’s creative approach to lighting. The opportunities that exist for net4more and connected lighting are only just starting to be realised and I am excited about the possibilities that undoubtedly exist,” said Rob McIntyre. Rob will spend much of his time helping customers and prospects to really understand and investigate the potential of the system, the opportunity beyond lighting and how it might help them ultimately commercially and financially. Prior to joining Tridonic, Rob worked with Schneider, in a global solutions architect role. He has a Master’s Degree in Systems Architecture from, Cesames Institut (Paris), Centre of Excellence on Systems Architecture, Management, Economy and Strategy.