Keltbray acquired some of Dunne’s assets from the administrators FRM Advisory after the latter went into administration in July. This purchase includes Dunne’s former yard and head office at Bathgate in Scotland, as well as plant used for the construction of reinforced concrete structures. In a statement to Construction News, the company
The residential real estate market in Dubai maintained its stability in the year to April 2016, despite prices falling, according to the latest analysis report on the emirate. Despite a 9% year on year drop across the mainstream market, the General REIDIN sale price index remained relatively flat on a
Furness BS announces two new variable rate mortgages Furness Building Society has announced today that it has launched two variable rate products at 90% LTV, aimed at those taking their first step onto the property ladder. The new products carry a pay rate of 1.99% for two years (with a
A number of new Higher Education courses are springing up in the UK with one common feature – they are all appealing to a more diverse range of applicants. And with a need to encourage more women and under-represented groups into engineering these new courses are very welcome. This
Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Wed, Aug 31st 2016 Glazing systems by Kawneer feature on the new Cardiff and Vale College. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday A multi award-winning building dubbed “the future of further education” in Wales features
Plasterboard manufacturer Knauf has expanded its manufacturing facilities in Immingham on the back of rising demand in the UK and Ireland. Above: Knauf’s Immingham plant Knauf, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of lightweight building materials and systems, has upgraded its production line allowing for a substantial increase in productivity.
International product design company, IDC (Industrial Design Consultancy), has developed an innovative automatic mains water shut off valve which could prevent millions of homes from water damage by burst pipes each year. The product, called Activalve, is the first water shut off device designed to work mechanically, without any need for
Designed to blend into the surrounding scenery, a unique roof construction of the new dining hall is the centrepiece of the regional college in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Visitors see a suspended roof, which is perfectly integrated into the landscape. The unusual roof construction was designed by German Liebel/Architekten and it was
The second development at Liverpool Kings Dock is recommended for approval next week. Liverpool City Council’s planning committee will be looking at mixed proposals for offices, new homes and an interpretation centre for the public to view the area’s masterplan. If the proposals get approved, two new buildings will be
Leicester’s Connecting Spaces regeneration scheme, masterplanned by AJ100 architects Stephen George + Partners, will see the refurbishment of the Great Central Station and the site of the former Stibbe factory transformed into an area filled with new hotels, offices and a traffic-free public space. “Leicester city centre is undergoing widespread
Keltbray acquired some of Dunne’s assets from the administrators FRM Advisory after the latter went into administration in July. This purchase includes Dunne’s former yard and head office at Bathgate in Scotland, as well as plant used for the construction of reinforced concrete structures. In a statement to Construction News, the company said: “Keltbray sees this as an opportunity to broaden its capability and services portfolio, widen its geographical reach and to respond to market demands.” Dunne Group fell into administration on 19 July, after workers at Dunne and its five subsidiaries were understood to have been pulled from multiple sites including 100 Bishopsgate, with Brookfield Multiplex. Brookfield Multiplex replaced Dunne with Byrne Group on 100 Bishopsgate and its One Blackfriars job three days after the contractor went into administration. The concrete specialist was also working on Mace’s Newington Butt’s scheme in south London and was replaced by concrete contractor Getjar earlier this month. CN Summit Keltbray chief executive Brendan Kerr will be speaking at the CN Summit on the subcontractor panel. Mr Kerr will appear alongside Francis Keenan, managing director of FK Group and Jim De Waele, managing director of Keller UK. Click here for the latest programme and CN readers can contact Ilja Ryndin on 020 3033 2609 or by email Ilja Ryndin@emap.com to secure a discounted delegate rate. Source link
The residential real estate market in Dubai maintained its stability in the year to April 2016, despite prices falling, according to the latest analysis report on the emirate. Despite a 9% year on year drop across the mainstream market, the General REIDIN sale price index remained relatively flat on a monthly basis, with no noticeable changes in the performance of both apartments and villas, says the report. Dubai’s prime market continued to outperform the market average with the prime price index down 5% in the 12 months to April 2016 compared to the previous 12 month period, the report from international real estate firm Knight Frank. It says that it is encouraging that prices in the prime segment increased 2% on a quarterly basis between the fourth quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016. The performance of prime apartments outweighed that of villas, with the index pointing to a 2% quarterly increase over the same period. In turn, prime villas recorded no significant price change. The Knight Frank report also says that a number of factors have supported this regulation in prices and are set to support the return of confidence to the market including the government commitment to infrastructure spending. It points out that while it is too soon to estimate the impact of the Expo 2020 on the residential sector, continued government spending on infrastructure projects geared towards the event such as Route Metro 2020 and Dubai Parks & Resorts will promote confidence in the market and is expected to draw further inward capital. There is also likely to be some control of supply as there is a general consensus among developers of the need to phase out residential projects in line with demand and strong liquidity with the residential real estate market in Dubai continuing to attract capital from strong liquid markets such as Saudi Arabia and India, two of the traditionally top buyers of real estate in Dubai. In Abu Dhabi, sale prices remained relatively stable on the back of a shortage in quality residential supply with the General REIDIN sale price index recording a 1% increase year on year in the first quarter of 2016. The report says that while demand has declined on the back of corporate restructuring and cutbacks in government spending, this has been balanced by a slowdown in the delivery of projects, thus keeping the market steady. ‘Looking ahead, the residential market in the UAE is expected to soften over the second half of the year. While it’s difficult to predict when the next growth cycle will be, we expect the residential market to level out by the end of 2016 before seeing gradual recovery in 2017. We expect prime residential properties will continue to outperform the market average in the short to medium term,’ the report says. ‘We expect Dubai to continue attracting investments both regionally and globally. However the outlook for the emirate in general and the real estate sector in particular depends on a number of fundamentals,’ it explains. ‘Further volatility in oil prices, the European Union referendum in the UK, the US presidential elections in November and ongoing geopolitical tensions are likely to impact the behaviour of currencies, investor sentiment, and demand for property,’ it concludes. Source link
Furness BS announces two new variable rate mortgages Furness Building Society has announced today that it has launched two variable rate products at 90% LTV, aimed at those taking their first step onto the property ladder. The new products carry a pay rate of 1.99% for two years (with a £1,499 fee) and 2.45% for three years (with a £999 fee) and are available for both purchase and remortgage cases, with a free legal package on remortgages. Both products start with a 2% early repayment charge which then drops to 1% in the final year of the products life. Sue Heron, Furness Building Society’s Marketing and Sales Director, commented on the launch: “We are delighted with the launch of these new products which we feel will especially appeal to those looking to get on that first step of the property ladder. One of the benefits of recommending Furness Building Society is that we do not use credit scoring to assess applications. Every case is looked at individually by an experienced underwriter, by working in this way we are able to apply some flexibility in our decision making.” Source link
A number of new Higher Education courses are springing up in the UK with one common feature – they are all appealing to a more diverse range of applicants. And with a need to encourage more women and under-represented groups into engineering these new courses are very welcome. This free one day workshop organised by the Women’s Engineering Society will take place on 18 October at the Warwick Manufacturing Centre and will look at these various new models of engineering education. Our speakers will explore the different courses and ideas that are currently in the planning with a view to sharing best practice and creating a new type of inclusive engineering education. Registration is required. Please click here. Programme 10.00-10.30: Registration, Coffee & Tea 10.30-10.40: Welcome & Introduction 10.40-12.15: Session 1: New Courses in Engineering Education •Keynote: The Accelerated Integrated Masters Liberal Engineer Degree (AIMLED) – a new approach to Engineering Education •Karen Usher – co-project Leader, NMiTE, Hereford •Electronic Engineering •Dr Stefanie Kuenzel – Royal Holloway •Humanitarian Engineering •Georgia Kremmyda – civil engineering degree leader, Warwick University 12.15-13.00: Lunch 13:00-14.15:Session 2: New Concepts in Engineering Education •Big Ideas for Education •Peter Finegold – Institution of Mechanical Engineering •Integrated and Inclusive Mathematics in an Engineering Curriculum •Carol Morris – Deputy head of school of engineering and innovation, Open University •Women Into Engineering Courses •Douglas Morrison – curriculum head, STEM Industry Academies, City of Glasgow College 14.15-14.45: Coffee & Tea 14.45-16:15:Session 3: Inclusion in Engineering Education •The Emotional Rescue of Engineering Education: A Practical, Engaging Approach to Transformative Change •David E. Goldberg – president, Big Beacon •Tools for Teams to Improve Inclusion •Dr Jan Peters – director, Katalytic •Inclusive Engineering: a New Module for Undergraduates •Dawn Bonfield – CEO, Women’s Engineering Society 16:15-16:30: Closing remarks You may also be interested in watching this video:http://letmedoitmovie.com/ For further details or to be included in the programme please contact Benjamin Palmer, WES Events Manager on events@wes.org.uk. We thank the Warwick Manufacturing Group for the use of its venue. Source link
Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Wed, Aug 31st 2016 Glazing systems by Kawneer feature on the new Cardiff and Vale College. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday A multi award-winning building dubbed “the future of further education” in Wales features glazed elements by leading architectural aluminium systems supplier Kawneer. The new £45 million Cardiff and Vale College uses Kawneer’s zone-drained AA®100 and AA®110 curtain walling, with 50 and 65mm sightlines respectively, with AA®541 top-hung casement windows and mullion-drained AA®100 curtain walling as a bespoke atrium rooflight. The 16,000m2 building in the city centre brings together many of the college’s activities onto a single campus and creates a real-life environment for skills training with open and welcoming faculty clusters set around a public route through the heart of the college. Its distinctive wedge shape connects the interior spaces to south-facing terraces with views towards Cardiff Bay. The oversailing roof is angled to accommodate a 1,850m2 photovoltaic array, one of the largest in the UK, and The Classroom – a fine dining sky restaurant located under the northernmost tip with views across the city towards the Millennium Stadium. The landmark building designed by BDP features 130 teaching rooms including specialist labs, workshops, IT studios and two vast learning and skills centres comprising a conference centre, theatre, gym, Urbasba beauty salon and spa, and shops, all of which are open to the public seven days a week. It is home to 4,000 students studying across 200 different courses with thousands more engaged through the year on short courses, employer training and apprenticeships. It was officially opened in October 2015 by First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones and Minister for Education and Skills Huw Lewis. The First Minister said: “This is what the future of further education looks like in Wales. This new city centre campus is truly an inspirational building which will give learners in Wales access to a wide-ranging, flexible curriculum in a world-class learning environment.” The Education Minister added: ‘This is yet another example of the Welsh government investing in exceptional education facilities for our learners. Modern and vibrant, this new college is providing a learning environment for the 21st Century. It will inspire its students while benefiting the local community long into the future.” Believed to have been the largest construction project in Cardiff at the time, the college was built on former industrial land south of the city’s central station by main contractor Willmott Dixon, with the Kawneer elements installed by approved specialist manufacturer and installer AB Glass. Backed by a £20 million Welsh Government grant, it was formed after the merger of Barry College and Coleg Glan Hafren as part of the government’s bid to transform post-16 education and training in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Cardiff and Vale College has won two awards to date – a RIBA Regional Award 2016 and a RICS Regional Award (Design through Innovation) 2016. To watch the college launch video please go to http://www.cavc.ac.uk/en/contact-us/sites/city-centre-campus/. ENDS Photo: Gareth Gardner Source link
Plasterboard manufacturer Knauf has expanded its manufacturing facilities in Immingham on the back of rising demand in the UK and Ireland. Above: Knauf’s Immingham plant Knauf, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of lightweight building materials and systems, has upgraded its production line allowing for a substantial increase in productivity. It said that its Immingham plant was now ‘the longest and fastest plasterboard plant in the UK’. It is also now one of the largest producers of all types of plasterboards in Europe, alongside Knauf’s Poland plant, the family-owned company said. This is the third upgrade in the plant’s 25 year history, following improvements in 1998 and 2005. Immingham plant manager Paul Snowden said that the upgrade had come just as UK production was approaching capacity. “I think that this investment is a fantastic achievement for the plant in Immingham, the fact that Knauf continue to invest here is a great advertisement for the plant and we are pleased to now be the longest and fastest plant in the UK,” Mr Snowden said. “We have been planning this upgrade for a long time and it has taken us three years to find the perfect solution to suit our needs. With plasterboard, a longer line means you can run faster.” Knauf was founded in 1932 by the German brothers Karl and Alfons Knauf. Today it is run by their sons, Baldwin and Nikolaus Knauf, This article was published on 31 Mar 2016 (last updated on 31 Mar 2016). Source link
International product design company, IDC (Industrial Design Consultancy), has developed an innovative automatic mains water shut off valve which could prevent millions of homes from water damage by burst pipes each year. The product, called Activalve, is the first water shut off device designed to work mechanically, without any need for a power supply. Activalve came to IDC with an idea to develop a new type of mains water shut off valve that was so simple it could be operated by any homeowner, and work automatically in all conditions, without the need for batteries or electricity. With the simplicity of the end product in mind, IDC’s team investigated current valve solutions and assessed ways to make the device easy to use. IDC’s engineering team came up with a simple but effective mechanical design which includes a spring system with a thermal trigger to operate a ball valve to shut off the water supply when the temperature falls too low and pipes are at risk of freezing. Once Activalve is fitted it works automatically to protect the house. IDC’s unique design generated valuable IP. A common problem for householders is actually recoginising the shut off valve in an emergency, so IDC’s industrial designers ensured that the appearance of the new device made it immediately obvious. The design also included clear visual features so the user can see when the valve is open or closed with a clear ‘Water On’ or ‘Water Off’ indicator on the front of the device. If the valve has closed automatically to protect the pipes, the valve can be opened again by simply turning a dial. The engineering of this design also means there is no risk of the valve seizing up as can be the case with older mains water shut off taps. IDC’s in-house rapid prototyping division, IDC Models, produced prototypes of the product throughout the development. These included early models right through to final prototypes for testing; working alongside the engineering team to develop the best solution.
Designed to blend into the surrounding scenery, a unique roof construction of the new dining hall is the centrepiece of the regional college in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Visitors see a suspended roof, which is perfectly integrated into the landscape. The unusual roof construction was designed by German Liebel/Architekten and it was constructed using Metsä Wood’s Kerto® LVL products. The basic idea of the building was to use as many natural resources as possible. “As a result, we decided to construct the roof using wood,” says Steffen Kainzbauer, architect and project manager at Liebel/Architekten. “The wooden roof structure was developed by an interdisciplinary team of seven specialists.” The group designed a grillage frame structure supported on steel columns. Implementation of the roof construction succeeded with the use of Kerto® LVL Q-panels and S-beams. In the project, load-bearing and dimensionally stable Kerto LVL (laminated veneer lumber) was used for the beams, and also for the roof and floor panels. “We achieved a consistent design with identical material on both the beams and the ceiling. Due to the load-bearing strength of the LVL beams, we were able to design slender beams and use LVL roof and floor panels for lateral stability,” states Mark Lukas from the engineering firm Dr.-Ing. H. Hottmann. The Kerto LVL main and secondary beams used in the roof construction are just 10–12 cm wide and show only a very small deflection. Complex roof construction with precise implementation The roof design team created and implemented a unique wooden roof construction with Kerto LVL Q-panel and S-beams. The end result is convincing in terms of sustainability, design and functionality. Remarkable also is the performance of the carpentry company, Holzbau Moßhammer GmbH, which implemented the large new dining hall construction project with excellent precision and fully on schedule. Kerto® LVL proved again to be fast, light and green material for construction. Read more about this unique wooden roof structure.
The second development at Liverpool Kings Dock is recommended for approval next week. Liverpool City Council’s planning committee will be looking at mixed proposals for offices, new homes and an interpretation centre for the public to view the area’s masterplan. If the proposals get approved, two new buildings will be developed at the waterfront site, including the five-storey interpretation centre and office building on the southern side of the entrance to Kings Dock, and the six-storey ‘L’ shaped residential building on the north western corner of Queen’s Dock. According to a document to be considered by the planning committee, Monarch Quay Holdings Limited is the applicant behind the scheme and it aims to incorporate design and materials to reflect the area’s heritage. “The interpretation centre’s internal and external lower and upper ground spaces seek to provide flexible facilities, including a space where the overall masterplan and history of the area can be interpreted by the local community, stake holders and general public. The commercial office spaces above would be utilised by the applicant to provide modern office accommodation. The building’s form has been designed to create a gateway approach into Kings Dock, reflecting the existence of the Grade II-listed Hydraulic Tower located on the opposite side of Queen’s – Wapping Bridge. Externally, the building would feature large areas of Corten steel cladding and glazing, the former alluding to the maritime site’s location,” said the document. The proposed residential building will feature two ground floor commercial units, containing 102 one, two and three bedroom apartments on its upper floors. A four storey office development has already been approved for the Monarchs Quay site and it represents the first phase of the area’s redevelopment scheme. The workspace will provide home for Wirral-based business The Contact Company.
Leicester’s Connecting Spaces regeneration scheme, masterplanned by AJ100 architects Stephen George + Partners, will see the refurbishment of the Great Central Station and the site of the former Stibbe factory transformed into an area filled with new hotels, offices and a traffic-free public space. “Leicester city centre is undergoing widespread transformation, with regeneration projects in the cultural, business and waterside quarters,” said John Morfey, Partner at Stephen George + Partners. “The station and Stibbe sites represent an important part of the jigsaw: having lain neglected for so long, the Masterplan which we have designed with Charles Street Buildings breathes new life into the area with new buildings and a public space which will add to Leicester’s developing sequence of squares.” The former Stibbe site received planning permission in October 2017. Its redevelopment will include a new 43,000 sq ft office block, a 152 bed Novotel hotel, a 100 bed Adagio aparthotel and the refurbishment of the station, including its glass canopy and front façade, designed by Stephen George + Partners. At the heart of the proposal is a new traffic-free public space, which will include part of Great Central Street so that the refurbished station becomes integral to the development. In addition, the plan includes the creation of a new pedestrian super-crossing of Vaughan Way, which will link the development directly to the city centre. “The development of this site, with the pedestrian super-crossing of Vaughan Way and the continuation of this route to the Great Central Station, provides a key link between the city centre and the Waterside Regeneration Area,” added John Morfey. Founded in 1970, Stephen George + Partners is one of the UK’s leading architectural practices, employing over 80 staff across offices in London, Leicester, Leeds, Birmingham and Solihull. Success in the UK has led to opportunities overseas, resulting in the establishment of Stephen George International in 2009 and the International Logistics Design Group in 2014. In 2016 Stephen George + Partners turned over £6 million.
