Swansea Council has selected Buckingham Group Contracting as the principal contractor to help deliver the £120 million Swansea Central Phase One transformation under a pre-construction services agreement (PCSA). The contract was awarded after a competitive tender process. The transformation will bring a 3,500-capacity digital indoor arena, a coastal park, digital plaza, landmark
Construction work is due to be carried out by Huyton Asphalt to upgrade an arterial route in Liverpool. Improvement works along Prescot Road (A57) began on Monday, 18 February, and will run from Low Hill, near the Royal Liverpool Hospital, to Newton Road by Newsham Park. The first phase will
Plans for a new £20 million leisure centre in Nottinghamshire have been submitted and, if approved, construction work may start in Summer 2020. The concept to build a leisure centre in Bingham has already been approved by Rushcliffe Borough Council. In October 2018, the investigations into the feasibility of a
As its environmental drive continues to flourish, employee-owned business, Kite Packaging, has developed a new gummed paper tape dispenser to add to its online offering. The new machine is another innovative addition for the Kite team, one that enables its customer base to seal cartons with eco-friendly paper tape, therefore
The University of Brighton is hosting an international exhibition and seminar aimed at stepping up future efforts to eliminate waste in the construction industry. The Waste Zone, an integral part of this year’s FutureBuild at ExCel London from 5 to 7 March, is being curated by University Senior Lecturer, architect
The owners of a custom-built property on a prestigious Tees Valley development have been handed the keys to their exclusive new home. Developments by Joseph Homes is now set to start work on its fourth custom-built and bespoke property at Wynyard Park in just over 12 months, with housing experts
In high value industries like construction, there’s a growing emphasis being placed on energy-efficiency and the use of sustainable materials. Despite this and the fact that renewable energy sources are growing at an incredible rate, it’s estimated that fossil fuels will still account for a 77% market share by the
Swansea Council has selected Buckingham Group Contracting as the principal contractor to help deliver the £120 million Swansea Central Phase One transformation under a pre-construction services agreement (PCSA). The contract was awarded after a competitive tender process. The transformation will bring a 3,500-capacity digital indoor arena, a coastal park, digital plaza, landmark pedestrian bridge, new car parking and new homes and premises for retail, food and drink. Buckingham Group will undertake pre-construction services including detailed design, costings and essential preparatory work on the expansive city centre site over six months period. “Buckingham Group Contracting have an outstanding record in successfully delivering major high-profile schemes. Having a company of this calibre working in collaboration with us is another statement of intent; this will be a world-class transformational scheme that will be a catalyst to making Swansea a great 21st century city,” said Rob Stewart, leader of Swansea Council. “Swansea Central Phase One will bring a bright new modern focus to our city; it will mean new opportunities for local people, businesses and major investors. Other regeneration will follow. We have developed a strategy with Buckingham to offer packages of work to sub contractors and trades, many of whom we hop will be local so the benefits of this significant investment will stay within the local economy,” Rob added. The early work will prepare the project and site for the main build phase due to start in late summer this year, with the transformation due to be completed in 2021.
Construction work is due to be carried out by Huyton Asphalt to upgrade an arterial route in Liverpool. Improvement works along Prescot Road (A57) began on Monday, 18 February, and will run from Low Hill, near the Royal Liverpool Hospital, to Newton Road by Newsham Park. The first phase will start between Shiel Road and Laurel Road. Running until Autumn, the £3.5 million scheme will include the replacement of the existing road surface, which has deteriorated over the years, and the upgrade of the highway drainage, pedestrian facilities, footways and traffic signals. The work forms part of Liverpool City Council’s £500 million highway investment programme – Better Roads – in conjunction with the council’s commitment “to deliver a strong and growing city” and provide a “connected and accessible city with quality infrastructure”, as set out in the Inclusive Growth Plan. Diversion routes will be in place and road users are advise that delays will be likely and to explore alternative journeys for those travelling to and from the Islington, Fairfield and Kensington and Old Swan areas. The A57 programme has received £2.7 million from the Local Growth Fund (LGF). LGF funding is awarded to the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and invested through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority through its Strategic Investment Fund.
Plans for a new £20 million leisure centre in Nottinghamshire have been submitted and, if approved, construction work may start in Summer 2020. The concept to build a leisure centre in Bingham has already been approved by Rushcliffe Borough Council. In October 2018, the investigations into the feasibility of a centre at Chapel Lane, Bingham have started when Gleeds was initially appointed to produce a study into the business case for a mixed leisure and commercial development at the site. The council, after a review of the company’s findings, has opted to go ahead with the reports proposals as part of the delivery of its wider masterplan for the Town. The initial proposal was submitted by CPMG, the architect responsible for the Rushcliffe Arena development in West Bridgford, as part of the study. In addition to the leisure centre, which includes both swimming and fitness space, outline proposals illustrate much-needed community space, 10,000 ft 2 of commercial office and plans to bring an adjacent industrial unit back into use. “Rushcliffe Borough Council is set to deliver a high specification leisure and community facility for residents of Bingham and at Gleeds we are delighted that it has accepted our recommendation to proceed. The planned new facilities perfectly dovetail with the council’s overarching masterplan for the area, which seeks to support healthy lifestyles and complement the continued growth of the town and the local economy,” said Michael Davies, Director of Gleeds in Nottingham.
As its environmental drive continues to flourish, employee-owned business, Kite Packaging, has developed a new gummed paper tape dispenser to add to its online offering. The new machine is another innovative addition for the Kite team, one that enables its customer base to seal cartons with eco-friendly paper tape, therefore reducing the amount of plastic waste produced from other traditional tapes. Its manual design makes it ideal for light to medium volume packing operations and its compact sizing offers the ultimate table top sealing solution for small to medium distribution businesses across the country. This dispenser has been designed with time-saving in mind as its large water tank and fill chamber ensures water is always topped up. It’s also equipped with long and effective brushes which moisten and coat the tape quickly, thus eliminating the need for a water heater. Kite’s new machine can help companies achieve efficiency in the smaller, manual workspace whilst strengthening their environmentally-friendly characteristics to their brand. Packaging tape plays a pivotal part in safeguarding products throughout transit, gummed paper tape is an excellent option as it provides a tamper-evident, temperature tolerant solution that does not harm the environment. For more information about Kite’s gummed paper tape dispenser or about its products and services, please visit www.kitepackaging.co.uk
The University of Brighton is hosting an international exhibition and seminar aimed at stepping up future efforts to eliminate waste in the construction industry. The Waste Zone, an integral part of this year’s FutureBuild at ExCel London from 5 to 7 March, is being curated by University Senior Lecturer, architect and author, Duncan Baker-Brown, the man behind the University’s award-winning Waste House. Duncan said: “Climate change is at the top of the political agenda and we are encouraging as many people as possible – including our students – to attend so they can learn more and spread the word about the urgent need to boost the circular economy.” Duncan’s Waste House was constructed on the City Campus mostly from materials that otherwise would have found their way into landfill sites or incinerated. It was built with thrown-away materials including timber, 20,000 old tooth brushes and carpet tiles, and on the principal that there was no such thing as rubbish “just things in the wrong place”. Duncan said: “In the last ten years the construction industry has nearly halved the amount of construction and demolition waste it creates, and it is also exceeding EU waste reduction targets. “This is great news but there is lots of room for improvement as this sector still creates 120m tonnes of waste a year. In 2017 London Waste and Recycling Board identified that by 2036 a circular economy could provide London with net benefits of up to £7bn per annum, with up to 12,000 new jobs. “I feel that the construction industry is very well placed to take advantage of this, and with over 50 per cent of the world’s population now residing in cities, they are now the main driver for economic growth and have the potential to power a successful circular economy. “So I have invited as many designers, consultants, constructors, thought leaders, and suppliers as I can think of to share their knowledge and hopefully inspire visitors to FutureBuild 2019 to take advantage of the financial and employment benefits a circular economy will provide.” The Waste Zone will include an exhibition showing how waste can be a valuable resource for the construction industry, and invited suppliers will get the opportunity to show their innovative closed loop products. And there will be a central seminar space where over 40 speakers will be invited to discuss the challenges and opportunities the circular economy presents. They will include Cat Fletcher, Reuse Manager for Brighton & Hove City Council and who sourced much of the ‘rubbish’ used to build the Waste House, sustainable material and product designer Nick Gant from School of Architecture & Design, and Professor Michael Braungart who will be launching a new edition of his seminal book ‘Cradle to Cradle: remaking the way we make things’. Futurebuild is the leading built environment event for industry professionals, developed in conjunction with industry partners and where visitors will be urged to take action on the most pressing challenges. The Waste Zone is being led by Duncan Baker-Brown, Senior Lecturer at the University of Brighton’s School of Architecture and Design and co-founder of architects BBM, and the event is supported by the University’s Responsible Futures which aims to contribute to a more just and environmentally-sustainable society through the development of research and enterprise collaborations with local, national and international industry partners. Other speakers include Professor Michael Braungart, world authority on the circular economy and author of ‘Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the way we make things’; Dr Zoe Laughlin, co-founder of the Institute of Making and presenter of TV programmes including ‘The Secret Life of Landfill: A Rubbish History’ for BBC4; and Mark Miodownik, co-founder of the Institute of Making and presenter of TV programmes for Sky and BBC. To register for free, visit: www.futurebuild.co.uk/register.
The owners of a custom-built property on a prestigious Tees Valley development have been handed the keys to their exclusive new home. Developments by Joseph Homes is now set to start work on its fourth custom-built and bespoke property at Wynyard Park in just over 12 months, with housing experts predicting the rise to prominence of custom-built homes this year. Lloyds Banking Group head of housing development, Douglas Cochrane, recently predicted the Government will heavily advocate custom-build housing as a way of increasing the UK housing supply in 2019. Joseph Musgrave, director of Developments by Joseph Homes, believes more and more people are seeing the benefits of choosing to have their homes custom-built and being able to have such an input into the build of their new homes. He said: “We are thrilled we were able to give these clients the home of their dreams at Wynyard Park and hope they enjoy their new home Meadow Cottage. “Custom-build properties – in which we specialise – are increasingly popular with house buyers as it gives them the benefits of a self-build property whilst freeing those with busy lives of everything from planning and surveys, through to design and project management. “We work through every stage of the house build with the owners, giving them the different options to customise their homes and inject creativity, then we look after the whole process. “Meadow Cottage is a testament to the kind of property we can custom-build for house buyers. “The £1.1m home boasts stand-out features such as a tailor-made kitchen hand crafted by a local company, suspended oak beams, double sided open fire with exposed brick chimney breasts, double height glazing, dropped ceilings with recessed lighting and a range of other high end fixtures and fittings.” In some European countries 80% of homes are custom-built, compared to less than 10% in the UK – but that figure is expected to rise with Mr Cochrane pointing to an existing register of 90,000 people in the UK currently interested in such projects at a New Build and Housing Delivery seminar. Joseph added: “As well as the outstanding results custom-building can provide, the Wynyard Park location is also a big draw with stunning landscaping, round the clock security, a bourgeoning community and outstanding local schools including Wynyard Church of England Primary.” Developments by Joseph Homes offers a selection of designs for customers to choose from, or works with purchasers to produce bespoke designs to create the home of their dreams within their budget. The purchaser has the opportunity to make individual changes to match their particular requirements, while it project manages the custom-build on behalf of the customer. For more information about a custom-build project with Developments by Joseph Homes – or to view Poppy Cottage, the Developments by Joseph Homes show home – contact the Developments By Joseph Homes Sales Suite on 01740 618 888 or email info@josephhomes.life.
In high value industries like construction, there’s a growing emphasis being placed on energy-efficiency and the use of sustainable materials. Despite this and the fact that renewable energy sources are growing at an incredible rate, it’s estimated that fossil fuels will still account for a 77% market share by the year 2050. Much of this has to do with the numerous challenges surrounding renewables, particularly in terms of widespread adoption and considerable fluctuations in terms of energy sources. We’ll address these challenges in the article below, while asking how these may be resolved in the years to come. The Implementation of Effective Energy Storage In the case of traditional fossil fuel plants, these outlets operate at a pre-mitigated level and produce a consistently reliable source of energy. The same cannot be said for renewables, however, which represent a much more unreliable source that can be impacted by a diverse array of different factors. The energy output from a solar farm can be suddenly reduced by heavy clouds, for example, while wind farms are also impacted by speed and variable forecasts. To counter this, researchers and developers are investing heavily in energy storage systems for renewables, while also innovating as a way of optimising capacity for renewable sources like hydropower. In terms of the latter, firms like Weir have developed advanced flow controls that optimise capacity while also minimising waste, without compromising on the reliability of the power source. 2. The Combination of Distributed Systems On a similar note, control software is also an obvious solution to better monitor and manage the output of renewable power sources. However, we must recognise that the vast majority of renewable energy generation sites are distributed across a diverse geographical area, making it extremely difficult to regulate and oversee outputs with the existing range of software options. In order to manage large, global offshore wind farms (and indeed similar power sources), companies must leverage intricate data sets from each location and combine these into a single report. Further innovation is planned in this space, in a bid to develop software that can manage this complex process across various items of distributed equipment. We’ll have to watch this space for now, but we’re sure to see some advancement sooner rather than later. 3. Tracking and Reporting on Renewable Energy Sources The next stage in the process is accurately tracking renewable energy output and reporting on this. However, this crucial task is proving extremely difficult at present. After all, while effectively controlling and monitoring renewable energy is crucial to future efficiency, it’s also imperative that companies are able to harness the data generated by their equipment if they’re to optimise the value that they offer. The software used to manage renewable energy sources should be able to visualise and capture huge swathes of real-time data, while being able to present this in a way that analysts can easily comprehend. This requires a focus on smart and intuitive software, with initial options like Zenon Analyser enabling firms to generate several different reports across an array of data sets. Ultimately, the goal must be to build on this innovation and improve the level of data capture over time, without compromising on visibility or ease of use.
