Browser does not support script. Contact us The Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW) announced today that six buildings have been shortlisted for the RSAW Welsh Architecture Awards – the first stage of the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Awards 2016.  From the 10 entries submitted, the six shortlisted buildings in Wales this year are: Cardiff and Vale College, by BDP Welsh National Sailing Academy, Pwllheli, by Ellis Williams Architects Llandegfedd Visitor Centre and Watersports Centre, Hall + Bednarczyk Architects Cardigan Castle by Purcell Pump House, Barry, by Ellis Williams Architects Burry Port Community Primary School, by Architype (with Property Design, Carmarthenshire County Council) All shortlisted buildings will be visited by the regional jury, comprising two architects and a non-architect ‘lay assessor’, in the coming weeks, with the winning buildings announced on 28 April. Winners of Welsh Architecture Awards will be considered for a RIBA National Award, which will be announced in June. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning buildings later in the year. ENDS Notes 1. For further information and access to high resolution images please contact David Rossington or Mary Wrenn at RSAW tel 029 20 228987 or email rsaw@riba.org 2. RIBA Awards have run continuously since 1966 and are judged and presented locally. No matter the shape, size, budget or location, RIBA Award-winning schemes set the standard for great architecture all across the country. RIBA Awards are for buildings in the UK by RIBA Chartered Architects and RIBA International Fellows. 3. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members. The Royal Society of Architects in Wales is the Wales Region of the RIBA and represents around 700 Chartered Architects in Wales. See www.architecture.com/wales for further information.   Posted on Monday 21st March 2016 Source link

Brunswick Developments, represented by international real estate advisor Savills, has let restaurant space at Marina Boardwalk in Brighton to Five Guys and MOD Pizza.  The scheme forms part of the new mixed-use West Quay development at Brighton Marina, which is due for completion this month. Five Guys and MOD Pizza have both agreed new 15-year leases, with the former taking a 3,288 sq ft (305 sq m) unit at a rent of £115,080 per annum and the latter a 2,943 sq ft (273 sq m) unit at a rent of £103,000 per annum.  The deals follow recent lettings at West Quay to TGI Friday’s, Casa Brasil, Bella Italia and Las Iguanas.  At 127 acres (51 hectares), Brighton Marina is the largest marina complex in Europe and one of the biggest leisure schemes in the South East of England.  It is home to an eight screen Cineworld, Rendezvous Casino and numerous multiple restaurant brands including Café Rouge, Coast to Coast, Zizzi, Nando’s, Prezzo, Frankie & Benny’s, Wetherspoons and Pizza Express.  The West Quay development has created an additional seven restaurant units and more than 850 high-end apartments. Carlene Hughes, associate director in the leisure team at Savills, comments: “Five Guys and MOD Pizza will further strengthen the restaurant offer at Marina Boardwalk and enhance Brighton Marina’s reputation as one the UK’s premier leisure schemes.  Talks are underway about letting the last remaining unit and we look forward to announcing more details in due course.” Montagu Evans acted for Five Guys and MOD Pizza. Source link

Browser does not support script. Contact us RIBA President Jane Duncan said: “The Chancellor’s focus on house building is welcome. But urgent action is needed to ensure all homes are well-designed, sustainable places people want to live, making ‘rabbit hutch’ houses a thing of the past. The announcements on new infrastructure and devolution must put quality design at their heart if we are to truly build a better Britain.”  On Housing: “We need well designed homes in the right location, of the right quality and at prices people can afford to buy or rent. While we are pleased that the Government has made more money available to help increase the number of ‘affordable’ homes for first time buyers, older people and those with disabilities, the quality of new homes cannot be allowed to slip off the agenda. The Housing and Planning Bill offers the perfect opportunity to ensure new houses are of excellent quality and will make homes for people now and long into the future.” On Planning: “Local Authority budgets have been slashed to unsustainable levels and we are concerned about the impacts this will have on local communities. Budget cuts have already undermined the ability of Planning Departments’ to make strategic long term judgements about the needs of the communities they serve. This latest round of cuts will make it increasing hard to adequately appraise the quality and impact of proposed development and enable public participation in the design process.” On the need for Energy efficiency: “Urgent action is needed to resolve the current policy impasse on the future of energy efficiency in the UK. Without more money it is unclear how the government plan to meet their ambition to upgrade all low-income households by 2030. Ahead of the Paris talks, we need to see more leadership on climate issues from the government.” On School Buildings: “The protection of the schools capital budget is welcome but there is still an enormous challenge that needs to be met. With much of the school stock beyond its shelf life and a need to provide additional places to accommodate two imminent population peaks it is vital that the Government works with the designers and builders of new schools to ensure that high quality and value for money are consistently delivered.” ENDS     For further press information contact Howard Crosskey howard.crosskey@riba.org 020 7580 5533 The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members www.architecture.com. Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA     Posted on Wednesday 25th November 2015 Source link

The Renewable Energy Association (REA) has welcomed the latest changes to the capacity market, announced by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc), saying they will make it easier for storage to get funding. The trade association said that it still believes the capacity market is a “flawed mechanism” because it “does not sufficiently take into account carbon emissions and value for money”. However, it said, the reforms will make it easier for energy storage projects take part in the transitional auctions, which offer targeted support to demand-side response (DSR) projects. As part of its reforms, Decc agreed to a lower minimum size of load reduction DSR units to 500kW, which “should enable more storage to participate in the mechanism,” the REA said. In a statement commenting on the changes, REA senior policy analyst Frank Gordon said the reforms are “welcome in terms of making it slightly easier for storage projects to take part in the transitional auctions”. “We also welcome stronger penalties for not delivering capacity, which was previously missing from the scheme,” he added. “However, the scheme continues to support higher-carbon electricity generation, at a time when the Paris climate talks highlight how the UK must transition away from these sources. “Renewables can offer the capacity we need and in the timescales required without the need for an expensive mechanism that adds little to new-build capacity.” The reform package, released last week, also includes measures to buy more capacity through the capacity market; to buy it earlier; to increase the penalties faced by auction winners which back out of their contracts; and to end the advantage enjoyed by diesel generation in the auction. The REA said it remains “highly concerned” by a proposed review of ‘embedded benefits’ grid charging. “By attempting to address diesel in the capacity market, the government risks throwing the baby out with the bathwater by possibly changing grid charging in an attempt to restrict diesel generation awarded contracts,” Gordon said. “Diesel should not be supported, and an emissions limit would address this, without damaging knock on impacts for renewables.” Last week, Labour slammed Decc for its reform to bring the capacity market auction forward, saying it will cause consumer bills to “shoot up”. In a statement issued to coincide with Decc’s confirmation of the new timetable, shadow energy secretary Lisa Nandy slammed the government’s decision, accusing it of “trying to bury the bad news” that the costs would be passed on to consumers. Source link

If you were to browse through the cybersecurity section on any news site, you’ll no doubt be inundated with stories on data breaches and cyberattacks. The Internet is our friend, sure, but it can also be our enemy if we’re not careful. For some idea of how prevalent online threats really are, it was discovered that one in every five small businesses are targets of cybercriminals, and that there were 638 million ransomware attacks in 2016. Therefore, don’t think it’s only the bigger companies who get targeted – it’s the little guys too. Every business should be prepared for digital attacks, and while we understand that these preventions can appear costly and time-consuming, the alternative is much, much worse. Here is how you can protect your business from cyber threats. Educate your employees Not passing on helpful cybercrime information to your employees can be hugely detrimental. You’ll find that people can be exploited via social engineering: if left unaware of these tactics, your employees could be tricked into letting strangers into the building, giving details to scammers over the phone, or even clicking on email attachments containing malware and viruses. The more your employees know, the better they will be able to prevent falling into the trap of social engineering scams, helping to transform your business for the better. Hire an expert Strange as it seems, there are companies who will actually simulate as many cyberattacks as they can, and might even use social engineering themselves to see how your employees react. This service is designed to test your existing security measures, show you any weak links in the chain, and to inform you of better prevention tactics. SafeBreach is worth a look, as they can provide incredibly useful info on the state of your firewall, antivirus software, and how your employees handle phishing scams. Update your software Ransomware attacks like Petya and Wannacry made it clear that many businesses were unknowledgeable when it comes to such cyberattacks, but it also showed that IT departments were slightly behind the times regarding the latest software updates. Hackers will take any opportunity they can to breach your system, but when you metaphorically leave the front door open, then it’s on you. Some helpful tips regarding your software include: Don’t ignore those pop-ups that appear on your system and tell you to update your software. When it becomes available, go ahead and update it. Ensure all third party software is up to date. Have a clear line of dialogue between IT and other departments. You’re on the same side! Companies like Norton have some great anti-virus software and firewalls, but there are also businesses like Cybereason, that create some of the most sophisticated anti-hacking software available today. Additionally, adopting standards like IASME Cyber Essentials can help your business strengthen its cyber defenses. Cyber Essentials certification ensures that your organization is following best practices in cybersecurity. Consider insurance It might not be a step you want to take, but even if you’ve completed all the above steps, you might still want that extra bit of security. Think about getting insurance specifically for data theft and cybercrimes, in case you do fall victim to hacking. Don’t live in fear, but simply stay aware of threats, keep your employees up to date, and make sure your software is the latest version.