A dining hall at an infants’ school in Great Missenden, a terrace of carbon-neutral houses in Bordon for a housing association and the University of Oxford’s Weston Library are just some of the seventeen buildings which have won RIBA South Regional Awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects. The
Invisible Studio Architects have created in Bath a self-built, relocatable prototype home using construction waste and locally grown unseasoned timber. Built with a budget of £20,000, the small living space can be legally transported on a public highway and used as temporary or permanent accommodation. It moves using a removable
Ab Rogers Design (ARD), a London studio, has created a 19 square metre concept apartment, in which it managed to squeeze a kitchen, bed, and bathroom by making a pair of plywood living units with space saving details. Property developers U + I have assigned ARD with the task to
AWARD-WINNING Seymour Civil Engineering, one of the North East’s leading civil engineering firms, has launched its own company training portal set to digitally revolutionise the way construction sites are run. The portal focuses on the training and staffing side of projects allowing any site manager or client to have a
Ever-increasing Length of Compliance Checks into Large Companies Causing Uncertainty. One of the UK’s leading tax experts today weighed into the debate emerging from news that HMRC investigations into large companies have increased in length over the last financial year. David Redfern, an expert in tax preparation and founder of
The partnership between Total People and Manchester City Council and Manchester Life Development Company offered apprentices in the construction industry the chance to contribute to some of the most high-profile construction projects in the Greater Manchester region. The participants in the scheme will gain a Construction and Building Services Management
Europe’s first eco mosque will be based in Cambridge and is due to be completed by November 2018. It will also be the highest value mosque in Europe, worth approximately £24 million when finished. Ashtons’ Commercial Property Partner Charles Webb acted for the Muslim Academic Trust in the original purchase
A dining hall at an infants’ school in Great Missenden, a terrace of carbon-neutral houses in Bordon for a housing association and the University of Oxford’s Weston Library are just some of the seventeen buildings which have won RIBA South Regional Awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects. The Awards were presented in recognition of their architectural excellence at a prestigious ceremony held at Ascot Racecourse last night (Thursday 28 April), in recognition of their architectural excellence. The ceremony was compered by the journalist and broadcaster Kirsty Lang. The Regional Award-winning buildings are: Berkshire The Cheeran House, Berkshire by John Pardey Architects Buckinghamshire Davenies School, Beaconsfield by DSDHA The Little Hall, Prestwood Infants School, Prestwood by De Rosee Sa House 19, Buckinghamshire by Jestico + Whiles Hampshire Suburban housing, Aldershot by Sergison Bates architects Exhibition Mews, Bordon by Ash Sakula The Observatory, Lymington by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios Mottisfont New Visitor Facilities, Romsey by Burd Haward Architects Boldrewood Campus, University of Southampton, Southampton by Grimshaw Winchester Cathedral Learning Centre, Winchester by Hampshire County Council Architects Bighton Grange, Hampshire by ADAM Architecture Oxfordshire Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford by Herzog & de Meuron Sandpath, Oxfordshire by Adrian James Architects. The Investcorp Building, St Antony’s College, Oxford by Zaha Hadid Architects The Ruskin School of Art, Oxford by Spratley Studios Weston Library, Oxford by WilkinsonEyre Wolfson Academic Wing, Wolfson College, Oxford by Berman Guedes Stretton The seventeen Regional Award winners were drawn from a shortlist of 30 projects, from 64 entries. Speaking today, James Robinson, RIBA Regional Director said: ‘We are very lucky to have such outstanding buildings winning RIBA Awards this year. The standard and variety of the entries in the South is great to see; from small private houses to the larger public and institutional buildings. The shortlist also demonstrates the fantastic amount of design talent in and around the region, with marvellous new buildings in the city by local architects as well as by well-known British and international practices. The region has many wonderful buildings and this year’s RIBA Award winners show that they are still being built’. Special Awards Special Awards were presented to the RIBA Regional Award winners as follows: The Little Hall, Prestwood Infants School, Berkshire by De Rosee Sa – Regional Small Project of the Year Award Sergison Bates architects for Suburban Housing, Aldershot – Regional Project Architect of the Year, sponsored by Tarmac Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford – Regional Client of the Year Award Sandpath, Oxfordshire by Adrian James Architects – Regional Sustainability Award, sponsored by Sika Weston Library, Oxford by WilkinsonEyre – Regional Building of the Year , sponsored by Marley Eternit Wolfson Academic Wing, Wolfson College, Oxford by Berman Guedes Stretton – Regional Conservation Award RIBA South Regional Award winners will also be considered for the highly-coveted RIBA National Awards in recognition of their architectural excellence: these will be announced on 23 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 to editors: 1. For further press information please contact Jenny Peterson tel 0750 146 6648 jenny.peterson@riba.org. For reasons of client confidentiality, we do not provide information about private houses that have won RIBA Awards. 2. RIBA South covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Oxfordshire. 3. RIBA Awards have been running continuously since 1966 and are judged and presented locally. No matter what 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. 4. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members. www.architecture.com Posted on Friday 29th April 2016 Source link
Invisible Studio Architects have created in Bath a self-built, relocatable prototype home using construction waste and locally grown unseasoned timber. Built with a budget of £20,000, the small living space can be legally transported on a public highway and used as temporary or permanent accommodation. It moves using a removable wheeled ‘bogey’ that slides out from under the steel chassis, which was driven to site. The bogey was also used to transport all of the prefabricated timber frames to site for construction, which lasted for over three months. This project has been entered into the AJ Small Projects Awards. The trailer is covered in corrugated fibreglass and steel and lined internally in used but cleaned shuttering ply. The joinery and the two staircases are made from plywood offcuts, while the handrails are made from offcuts of blue rope that were spare from the Studio in the Woods project. The building is protected by a scavenged insulation. The doors were sourced from a skip and the rooflights were traded as ‘seconds’. Both gable ends are glazed with interlocking polycarbonate sheets and can provide natural light. The milling was very economical as only 125 x 50 mm timber was used. This effective method of using timber ties in with the forest management plan for the use of timber in the woodland that Invisible Studio manages. The aim of this project is to provide a super low cost, versatile, usable space that could act as a kit of parts for any self-builder to improvise around or easily adapt. Although it was conceived as a domestic space, it could also function as a workspace or anything else. Invisible Studio is an innovative and award winning architecture practice founded by Piers Taylor. It strives to be a different organisation and create something extraordinary. Their work encompasses a number of seminal buildings from ecologically sensitive self builds through to schools, community and public buildings and large scale urban environments.
Ab Rogers Design (ARD), a London studio, has created a 19 square metre concept apartment, in which it managed to squeeze a kitchen, bed, and bathroom by making a pair of plywood living units with space saving details. Property developers U + I have assigned ARD with the task to condense the functions of a traditional home into an efficient micro living space. This prototype is on display at their Westminster offices. U + I have been analysing London’s property market for a while and they wanted to create a design-led housing option that was smaller in scale and more affordable. “It is time to re-think and invent a new way for people to live in the best parts of the city,” said the studio. “The campaign led by U+I is ongoing, and will continue to challenge the perception that small is less.” The incorporation of two multi-purpose living units maximises the space in the apartment, with one of them featuring a set of stairs with drawers integrated into the risers. The steps lead into a double bed, while underneath sits a series of tall cupboards. The second unit hold the white-tiled bathroom. Both units have been crafted from birch plywood and paired against light-hued timber flooring. The rest of the floor rests a cooking area and a lot of free space that can be used by inhabitants to personalise the apartment with furniture and homeware of their choice. The apartment is fronted by a large window that allows the natural light in and its chunky ledge can be used as a spot to sit, relax, and enjoy the view. Furthermore, the ceiling has been placed at just over three metres in height so that the space does not feel too confined. This creation is part of several other London practices that have found in micro apartments a solution to urban living.
AWARD-WINNING Seymour Civil Engineering, one of the North East’s leading civil engineering firms, has launched its own company training portal set to digitally revolutionise the way construction sites are run. The portal focuses on the training and staffing side of projects allowing any site manager or client to have a clear snapshot of staff-on-site and their training credentials, whilst automatically prompting the system administration team before employee training requires renewal. Martin Russell, Training Systems Administrator said, “We set out looking for a cloud based, transparent system, that would manage our training needs and be accessible from a multitude of devices across all our sites for all user levels, whether it be a site manager or a client. “Seymour is always thinking about ways in which technology can be used to make employees jobs easier and departments more productive. “We wanted an intelligent system that would automatically present the training team with the information they needed on a daily basis, improving the efficiency of the whole process.” The portal uses a QR code format which allows users to see exactly what certifications each employee has all in one place, at the click of a button, from any location. An important aspect of the portals development was its mobile friendly functionality, so all users working on site have access to the portal via their mobile device. Martin said: “Our clients will soon be able to request access to the platform, which will allow them to see what qualifications each employee on site has, along with their certificates which are all uploaded to the platform. “The intelligent search function within the new portal will allow the site managers, as well as users from other departments across the business, to quickly find out this information for themselves. We can already see that through this system we are streamlining operations.” One of Seymour Civil Engineering’s greatest assets is that they have their own vetted, trained, and highly skilled workforce. The smart, automated system has worked to simplify the management of the training for the company’s 210 team members. Martin continued: “Seymour Civil Engineering carries out the majority of their staff training in house, and as a responsible employer we’re taking the initiative to upskill our workforce, constantly investing in training and retraining to ensure their competency. “The system is so advanced that it shows pending training, what training groups are currently booked in, and automates three-month warnings for upcoming training expiry dates. Seymour made the decision to build a bespoke platform from scratch, due to the lack of suitable alternatives on the market. Martin said, “When we originally went to market, we did find systems that we could buy off the peg, but they were not designed specifically for the civil engineering sector, nor did they have the intelligence we were looking for. As a development team, we came together and asked the question, could Seymour build what was needed from scratch? Could we create a platform that was bespoke to the company’s needs?” “It’s brilliant to see the system in everyday use, making the jobs of employees across the business easier. The development team have delivered something that is a real asset to the company. “The portal is in its infancy and we have already identified improved functions following feedback from users which has provided us with a host of exiting future developments planned for 2018 and beyond. Off the peg packages mean you get what you’re given and alterations and additions are not always possible, whereas with our bespoke built portal, there’s so much room for development and the sky’s the limit. “The system places us ahead in the industry, purely because we have created something that is tailored to our specific needs. “It’s development is likely to also be beneficial to the civil engineering sector, and the idea of white labelling the portal and distributing it to other company’s similar to ourselves has been discussed as an option for the future.” Karl Brennan, Pre-Construction Director said “Seymour recognises the importance of sustainability and the role our industry has to play. By investing in technology and significantly reducing the amount of environmental resource consumed each year by the business, we are able to make year on year contributions toward achieving sustainable development goals. “The training portal is a prime example of how Seymour utilises innovation to create opportunities whilst contributing to society. We are also extremely delighted to have been presented with the CECA award for training company of the year after judges were impressed with our achievement.” “It is great to gain recognition after all the hard work that goes into ensuring our employees have the skillset they require to carry out their duties to a very high standard.” Seymour was recently awarded Training Company of the Year 2017 at the recent CECA NE Awards in recognition to their commitment to training and upskilling as well as their innovative and exemplar solution to ensure all staff have the training they require to undertake their daily tasks and offer continual personal development.
Ever-increasing Length of Compliance Checks into Large Companies Causing Uncertainty. One of the UK’s leading tax experts today weighed into the debate emerging from news that HMRC investigations into large companies have increased in length over the last financial year. David Redfern, an expert in tax preparation and founder of DSR Tax Claims, highlighted the negative impact and financial uncertainty that prolonged HMRC investigations can have on businesses and called for HMRC to commit more resources to ensure that tax enquiries are completed at a swifter pace. Noting that the average enquiry into a large business had risen to nearly 3 years in the previous tax year (34 months up to March 2017), Redfern stated that “even though these investigations can be expected to take some time, due to the size and complexity of the businesses being inspected, the uncertainty that these businesses will face in terms of their business planning and financial reporting will impact upon their ability to do strong business”. He added that although larger companies could often cope with such prolonged compliance checks, he was disappointed to note that investigations into smaller businesses could still take up to 16 months, sometimes longer if appeals were made. He stated that “it can be devastating to small businesses to be plunged into financial limbo for such a length of time, often spanning well over a tax year, and very often without the resources that large companies have to manage such uncertainty”. Redfern acknowledged that he accepted that there were resourcing issues at HMRC, not just within the Large Business Directorate which is tasked with investigating the tax affairs of the UK’s 2,100 largest and most complex businesses, but also with the departments responsible for dealing with smaller businesses and individuals. However, he stated that he believed that it was unreasonable that businesses should bear the brunt of the lack of HMRC resources. He added that “it is absolutely appropriate to expect that all businesses, large and small, should be paying exactly what they owe in terms of taxes and HMRC have the right to investigate those they believe aren’t playing by the rules, but in such times of job insecurity and business hardship, they shouldn’t be actively making things difficult for businesses and should commit the resources to make the taxation system work properly and equitably for all”. He finished by asserting the importance for companies and individuals of getting their taxes correct in the first instance.
The partnership between Total People and Manchester City Council and Manchester Life Development Company offered apprentices in the construction industry the chance to contribute to some of the most high-profile construction projects in the Greater Manchester region. The participants in the scheme will gain a Construction and Building Services Management Level 4 NVQ and a HNC qualification, while gaining valuable industry experience. The M Futures programme will hold positions such as Developer, Designer, Project Manager, Quantity Surveyor, Contractor’s Team, Speciality Local Authority, and Consultancy for the apprentices. They will learn about briefing, design preparation, project management, planning and application, surveying, procurement of contractors, and the finishing stage of construction. “There are no fees, loans or debts on an Apprenticeship programme, and apprentices will earn a salary of £15,000, rising in-line with age related and performance pay structures. On completion, they can make over £20,000 and potentially obtain company sponsorship to complete a degree in their chosen pathway,” said Linda Dean, Managing Director at Total People. The programme includes the ‘Our Town Hall’ project which aims to redevelop the Manchester Town Hall. It will safeguard, repair, and partially restore the 140 years old building, which has started to show its age with many elements reaching the end of their natural lifespans. “Those who join M Futures will benefit from a fast-track route into paid work, resulting in academic qualifications which will open doors to a wide range of jobs in the future – while also gaining the opportunity to contribute to major schemes like the once-in- a-lifetime Our Town Hall project,” said Councillor Angeliki Stogia, Executive Member for the Environment and Skills.The project is open to those aged 18+ that hold a GCSE in English and Maths grade C or above, and a Level 3 qualification or A-level in a relevant subject area. The closing date for applications is the 22nd of April 2018.
Europe’s first eco mosque will be based in Cambridge and is due to be completed by November 2018. It will also be the highest value mosque in Europe, worth approximately £24 million when finished. Ashtons’ Commercial Property Partner Charles Webb acted for the Muslim Academic Trust in the original purchase of the land and then then moved to Cambridge Mosque Trust, who are the current owners. The Construction Associate was Sarah Duncan who assisted CMT Design and Build Limited in drafting the development agreement, warranties, appointments, and building contract, so that they see the first phase of the project completed. “We were delighted to work on such a prestigious and unique development which involved a wide cross section of professionals and disciplines. We are now looking forward to seeing the result of the project team’s hard work when the Mosque opens in November,” said Sarah Duncan. Corporate and Commercial Associate Mark Watson also helped Charles and Sarah deal with the board minutes and notifications which were necessary for both Cambridge Mosque Trust and CMT Design and Build Limited. Tim Winter, Chair of the Cambridge Mosque Trust also added: “This has been a complex multinational project involving many contractors and stakeholders, and we have been delighted by the dedication and astuteness with which Ashtons have supported our various legal needs”. Ashtons Legal employs 350 people across East Anglia in its offices in Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, and Thetford. It offers a full range of legal services to businesses and individuals, specialising in French property law, franchising, regulatory and road transport law, and injury services. Its commercial law solicitors are known as efficient, pragmatic, and approachable business lawyers with a flair for giving solutions how, when and where the customer wants them.
