Savills has today, (04 June 2019), announced the acquisition of London-based workplace consultancy and design studio KKS. The acquisition will create a new UK based client service for the international real estate advisor providing a strategic link to enhance its occupier services, landlord leasing, mixed-use development and building & project
Energy Assets Utilities (EAU) is generating growth in the peaking plant market, recently working alongside project managers Stag Energy, and Keekle Power, to bring a 20MW gas peaking plant online near Southampton to help National Grid balance its power requirements. The plant will enable Keekle Power to provide low cost,
The words ‘health & safety training’ do not fill bosses or staff with excitement, and why should they? The thought of sitting in a quiet room watching a never ending Powerpoint is no-one’s cup of tea. This is why SafetySmart has launched a new and unique interactive training platform which
Savills has today, (04 June 2019), announced the acquisition of London-based workplace consultancy and design studio KKS. The acquisition will create a new UK based client service for the international real estate advisor providing a strategic link to enhance its occupier services, landlord leasing, mixed-use development and building & project management offering to deliver an all-encompassing solution focused on creating a better occupier experience. Established in 2004 by CEO Katrina Kostic Samen, alongside partner Caroline Pontifex, KKS now employs 26 members of staff. At Savills, Katrina will assume the role of director, head of workplace – strategy and design, in addition to continuing her position as President of the British Council for Offices (BCO) until July this year, remaining thereafter as BCO Immediate Past President. Caroline will be appointed as director, workplace experience. As a recognised and best in class leader in development & occupier strategy and interior architecture design, KKS provides innovative solutions based on detailed research and experience to major developers and tenants in the financial, legal, insurance, media and corporate sectors across the globe. James Sparrow, CEO of Savills UK and EMEA, comments: “This is an incredibly important and strategic acquisition for our business that will see Savills and KKS come together to create a new workplace centre of excellence, offering a comprehensive end-to-end solution for our clients from inception to completion.” Jeremy Bates, EMEA head of Occupational Markets at Savills, says: “This acquisition is directly driven by future workplace trends, challenges, opportunities and demands. There is an obvious synergy between the two businesses and we are thrilled to welcome Katrina and her team to Savills.” Simon Collett, head of Professional Services at Savills, adds: “By fusing best in class real-estate advice with a best in class design and delivery capability, this new service line will focus on providing superior client value and success, as well as giving Savills a market-leading competitive advantage in the workplace arena.” Katrina Kostic Samen, CEO of KKS, says: “The growth and success of KKS is a reflection of the passion of our team who are constantly driving to deliver a first class client service and push the boundaries to embrace new innovations. The occupier is the heart and soul of any building and, in Savills, we feel we have found like-minded people with the energy and motivation across a global network to take the occupier experience to the next level. We are very much looking forward to collaborating and innovating to redefine the workplace and build better performing communities for occupiers.”
Energy Assets Utilities (EAU) is generating growth in the peaking plant market, recently working alongside project managers Stag Energy, and Keekle Power, to bring a 20MW gas peaking plant online near Southampton to help National Grid balance its power requirements. The plant will enable Keekle Power to provide low cost, dispatchable power to the local distribution system and fulfil its Capacity Market obligation. Peaking plants are being created across Britain and come into operation when there is a peak in demand for power from the electricity grid. EAU is one of the leading utility network construction businesses working in the sector, having completed more than 40 such schemes. The latest project involved the design and construction of a particularly complex gas infrastructure, including a 140m directional drill under the main Southampton railway line to connect the site to the gas network. The 10 gas fired reciprocating engines generating the electricity required a gas load of 54MW at around 250mb inlet pressure. Dennis Habergham, EAU Design & Technical Manager, said that a root protection area meant open-trench digging works were not feasible, so a non-intrusive directional drilling approach was employed instead. “The undercrossing of the railway was another one of the major challenges,” said Dennis. “We originally planned a total drill length of 120m passing 7m below the track level, but we had to contend with an unforeseen World War II concrete structure, which meant going deeper and extending the drill length to 140m. The completed supply pipeline was then connected to an IP to LP gas regulator/ meter skid also installed by EAU.” Joe Grant, Project Manager at Stag Energy, said that peaking power plants were playing an increasingly important role in balancing the nation’s power requirements due to the increased volume of intermittent renewables which require balancing. “This plant will provide power to local homes and businesses at times of high demand or unexpected drops in supply,” he said. “The site was selected for its proximity to the nearby electricity sub-station and was originally going to be a diesel site, but regulatory change meant it was then developed as a gas operation. We spoke to a number of contractors, but Energy Assets had a wealth of experience in technically challenging projects and we are really pleased with the job they have done here.” EAU spotted an opportunity in the peaking plant market around four years ago and has since developed a specialist design and network construction team that has gone on to complete more than 40 schemes on behalf of operators. Nathan Schofield, Sales and Marketing Director at EAU, commented: “In addition to our established gas network construction and metering operations, we have also extended our in-house electrical design capability, so that we can deliver a true ‘end-to-end’ service for peaking plant customers. Today, we are one of the leading utility network design and construction companies in this sector in Britain.” Picture shows the peaking plant near Southampton (aerial image). www.energyassets.co.uk
The words ‘health & safety training’ do not fill bosses or staff with excitement, and why should they? The thought of sitting in a quiet room watching a never ending Powerpoint is no-one’s cup of tea. This is why SafetySmart has launched a new and unique interactive training platform which has injected a dose of fun in to what is normally a bland subject. And what better way to show this than through a humorous spoof, yet informative, video from the very talented Tim Oliver…. According to the Health and Safety Executive, 1.4million people suffered from a work-related illness from 2017/2018 which resulted in a total cost of £15 billion, so health & safety in the work place must be a priority. But if the training being delivered isn’t engaging and the information isn’t retained by staff then it’s not doing the job, e.g. it’s box ticking but not working! SafetySmart is an impactful learning platform that requires participants, split into teams, to play a giant board game, where they will come across different situations and scenarios as they play. Directly involving people and playing the game has numerous benefits, from creating discussion and debates, to having a lasting impact on the individuals. Plus, splitting the group into teams always develops some healthy competition, which again aids information retention as well as team building. With its updating ability, SafetySmart meets legal requirements and companies can choose the option of trainer or learner led, so individuals can teach themselves or learn in groups from four to 30! Preparing for sessions of this nature can often be very time consuming and tough, which is why on this function a lesson can be prepared in minutes, through quick shortcuts that take people through to specific and relevant information. Kevin McGrath, Founder and Company Director of SafetySmart, said: “With over 25 years’ experience in Health and Safety, I have been exposed to many serious incidents that could have easily been prevented through a change of attitude and behaviours. This was why I felt compelled to create this new fresh learning format as it actually engages the learner and increases the attention and retention of information, therefore creating a safer workplace!” SafetySmart already has credible test partners, in the form of Digital INnov8ors, which said it encourages teamwork and its competitive angle brings a positive new vibe to the training environment’ and Merlin Change Management Consultancy Ltd, which added it was ‘very impressed with its application and flexibility of use. The questions and exercises are skilfully crafted to get the best out of the product and maximise the learning potential for those interacting with it.’ The company is also currently working with Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull, Birmingham For those that enjoyed SafetySmart’s video, please feel free to head over to www.besafetysmart.co.uk for more information, or even better, give one of the team a call on 0121 661 6855, they will be more than happy to answer any questions.
