Thinking of adding a commercial property to your portfolio? Here are some of the things you should consider before making an offer. Choosing to buy retail space, whether it is to be let out by you or to be used in your own business, can be risky if you don’t
At a ceremony that bucked usual built environment trends, an all-female team championed the best people, initiatives and companies from across the industry and presented deserving winners of the ACE 2019 Consultancy & Engineering Awards. The winners, chosen by a panel of expert industry judges headed by Roger Bailey of
A new image of the Central Towers, which will form part of the £1billion redevelopment of London’s Olympia Exhibition Centre, in West London, has been released by multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy Pell Frischmann. The project, which is being spearheaded by Deutsche Finance International (DFI) and Yoo Capital (YC) will revamp the
For the first time, RoSPA has rewarded an organisation for its efforts in promoting safety outside of the workplace through its internationally-recognised awards scheme. Hindustan Coca Cola Beverage Pvt Ltd’s (HCCBPL) DASNA Plant in India has been announced as the first winner of the Safe@Work, Safe@Home Award, a new category
Energy Assets Group is lighting up the ‘final mile’ network market, with more than 5,000 live electricity connections taken into ownership, and 25,000 more contracted, since the launch of Energy Assets Networks (EAN) just over a year ago. EAN is an independent distribution network operator (IDNO) and has landed a
KnitMesh Technologies, the UK’s leading supplier of world-class mesh products, has launched a new knitted wire mesh to help prevent the illegal use of drones in delivering contraband into open prison yards. The knitted wire mesh has been specifically designed to provide a strong, lightweight and flexible barrier and comes in
MoMA’s eighth Design Store has now opened in Tokyo’s popular Ginza shopping district with design by London-based retail specialist Lumsden Design. This opening is the latest project in Lumsden’s longstanding relationship with MoMA, which has seen the creation of three stores in New York, and standalone stores in Kyoto and
Thinking of adding a commercial property to your portfolio? Here are some of the things you should consider before making an offer. Choosing to buy retail space, whether it is to be let out by you or to be used in your own business, can be risky if you don’t entirely know what you are doing. Here are some of the things which you need to know about if you are considering buying commercial property in 2019. Find the Right Solicitor If you are thinking about starting a property portfolio, you should search for a firm of commercial property solicitors to help you out. They will be the legal experts you need to find the perfect property. With the help of the right firm, you may even find legal advice for a whole range of different topics. You could find people willing to help with commercial taxation or even acquiring any permits or licenses your commercial space needs. Building a legal team who can help you out with all your legal needs from within the same firm will prove invaluable, as you know that all your concerns can be handled internally by a group of colleagues. Is It in a Good Location? Location is everything for a business. Is it located on a high street or in some other commercial zone? You can guess that this will get it the traffic it needs to support a business. Buying a commercial property which is a little out the way can be risky, unless you plan to open a business which would suit this type of location. Finally, you should always take a look at the building’s access. What are the streets around the property like, and is there good access to major roads? These are all questions you need to ask. Look at the Building’s Amenities When you have a property in mind, you should take a look at what else you can get with it. Does it have a designated parking area your customers can use? If it is part of a wider retail complex, what benefits do you get as an owner? You should also check out whether or not the property has any licenses or permits and whether you need to apply for them. For example, a cafe might need a certification of hygiene from the local council before they are able to open for business. How Much Renovation Does It Need? Obviously, either you or your tenant will renovate the property to best suit the business going in there. However, you should make sure that all the basic amenities are in place before the renovation begins. If it is an older business you have purchased, how safe is the wiring? When was the last time that a complete refit took place? These are the questions you need answers to before you commit to buying a property for commercial purposes. If it does not match the local building regulations then you will need to fix this before you allow a business to occupy the space. Follow these tips and it won’t be long before you have found the perfect business to add to your property portfolio!
At a ceremony that bucked usual built environment trends, an all-female team championed the best people, initiatives and companies from across the industry and presented deserving winners of the ACE 2019 Consultancy & Engineering Awards. The winners, chosen by a panel of expert industry judges headed by Roger Bailey of Tideway, were announced at ACE’s black-tie dinner on Thursday evening. The event, hosted by CBRE’s Amanda Clack, and AECOM’s Charlotte Jones, herself the winner of last years’ Apprentice of the Year award, featured Heathrow’s Emma Jane Houghton, Huda As’ad of the Infrastructure Projects Authority, the DfT’s Catherine de Marco OBE, Dr Tauni Lanier of Eco-Capital, and Georgia Hughes of Arcadis, and Chair of the ACE Emerging Professionals group. ACE Chief Executive Hannah Vickers challenged attendees to spot the difference between the ACE and every other industry event they had attended, saying “To those of you who say there aren’t enough women in the industry or you just can’t find female speakers, I’m sorry, but you’re just not moving in the right circles. Try harder.” Hannah also challenged attendees to use every business situation and opportunity to develop and celebrate the success of staff at every level. “Instead of focusing on the usual corporate entertainment for tonight’s celebration, we felt it more productive and intuitive to invest that money in further training and development for our co-host this evening, Charlotte Jones of AECOM. As business leaders, we should be supporting our teams from the ground up. “I’d like to congratulate all of our winners and nominees, who have shown that the future of consultancy and engineering is incredibly exciting.” Future of Consultancy – Integrated Project Team of the Year, Public Sector Client Winner – Arup Future of Consultancy – Integrated Project Team of the Year, Private Sector Client Winner – Arup – Welsh Water Alliance Highly Commended – BuroHappold Engineering Best UK Business Performance – micro organisation (<10 employees) Winner – Rail Power Solutions Best UK Business Performance – small/medium sized organisation (10+ employees but less than 250) Winner – Geo-Environmental Services Ltd Best UK Business Performance – large organisation (>250 employees) Winner – Pick Everard Highly Commended – Curtins Future of Consultancy – Strategic Planning & Placemaking Champion Winner – WYG Highly Commended – Arup Future of Consultancy – Data Led Asset Performance Champion Winner – Amey Consulting Environmental Initiative of the Year Winner – IMC Social & Environmental Safeguarding Team – Freetown Landfill Feasibility Study Highly Commended – Mott MacDonald – Embedding PAS2080 across a global business Emerging Professional Employer of the Year Winner – WSP Highly Commended – IMC Worldwide & Stantec Emerging Professional of the Year Winner – Philippa Jefferis – IMC Worldwide Highly Commended – Elizabeth Side – Jubb Consulting Engineers Limited Apprentice of the Year Winner – Elliott Webb – Arup Highly Commended – Willow-Athena Hempell – WSP
A new image of the Central Towers, which will form part of the £1billion redevelopment of London’s Olympia Exhibition Centre, in West London, has been released by multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy Pell Frischmann. The project, which is being spearheaded by Deutsche Finance International (DFI) and Yoo Capital (YC) will revamp the existing exhibition halls, and add 51,000m² of office, studios and co-working space across its site. The new centre will also house a four-screen arthouse cinema, a 1,000-seat performing arts space, a 1,500-seat theatre, 900m² of performance and rehearsal space, a new jazz club-style restaurant and venue, shops, cafés, hotels and new public space, including pedestrianised squares and a sky garden. The historic façades of the exhibition centre, on Olympia Way, will be fully restored and spaces, such as the historic Pillar Hall, will be opened to the public. UK consultancy Pell Frischmann is providing lead structural engineering services across the development. The site, in Kensington, West London, was built in 1886 as the National Agricultural Hall, according to the designs of architect Henry Edward Coe. Today, it is one of city’s premier venues and hosts more than 220 exhibitions and events each year, including the ‘Olympia Horse Show’ and ‘Stylist Live’. Events will continue to be held during development. Key features of new £1bn project, which will welcome its first tenants in 2023, will include: A 1,500-seat theatre A 1,000-seat performing arts venue Two hotels A 4-screen cinema 670,000 sq. ft. of creative office space, including new co-working space Upgrades to the existing event and exhibition spaces A 200,000 sq. ft. logistics centre The revamp of this historic London site is expected to create more than 3,000 new construction jobs over the next five years, as well as approximately 5,400 new jobs across the local area upon completion. Pell Frischmann’s Division Director of Structural and Civil Engineering, Mike Hitchens, said: “We are excited to be working on the redevelopment of the Olympia estate, with its many challenges it is a real opportunity for us to show what we can do. “The site has a rich history and is an important landmark for UK industry and the local community – and the project will create the latest go-to destination in the capital with not just an exhibition centre but a wealth of public realm and creative facilities.”
For the first time, RoSPA has rewarded an organisation for its efforts in promoting safety outside of the workplace through its internationally-recognised awards scheme. Hindustan Coca Cola Beverage Pvt Ltd’s (HCCBPL) DASNA Plant in India has been announced as the first winner of the Safe@Work, Safe@Home Award, a new category in the RoSPA Health and Safety Awards. Sponsored by L’Oréal, the award places emphasis on good health and safety practice being taken beyond the threshold of the shop floor and out into the community. The Safe@Work, Safe@Home Award initiative reflects an increasing focus on “carry-over” programmes, which recognise that employees and their families and friends are affected by injury and ill health outside of the work environment. RoSPA chief executive Errol Taylor said: “A simple look at accident rates will tell you that our workplaces are the safest place you can be, while accidents at home and during leisure pursuits are rising at an alarming pace. “We feel that employers can and should have a large part to play in helping to protect not just their workforce, but the wider community, utilising sound health and safety practice developed over many years to share vital, preventative skills and knowledge. And not just for reasons of corporate social responsibility – an injury or ill health suffered by an employee, or a family member, in the home or during leisure time will lead to lost working hours and reduced productivity. “I congratulate HCCBPL DASNA Plant on being the first recipient of the Safe@Work, Safe@Home Award – it’s no mean feat, and the judges, including L’Oréal’s corporate health and safety director Malcolm Staves, were hugely impressed by their inspirational programme of work in the community. “I also want to thank L’Oréal for sponsoring and helping us to develop this award – their own carry-over health and safety programmes have been a huge inspiration to us here at RoSPA.” HCCBPL DASNA Plant was praised by RoSPA Award judges for its “Me We World” programme, which typifies the ethos of Safe@Work, Safe@Home, and its holistic approach to conversations about home accidents as part of the overall safety management programme, including “My Home, My Safety”. HCCBPL DASNA Plant has also won the Initiative of the Year in the Inspiration Awards category for its My Health Index programme, RoSPA Gold Award, and a Silver RoSPA Fleet Safety Award. The first RoSPA Awards gala dinner presentation ceremony took place in Birmingham last night (June 6). Other RoSPA Award ceremonies are taking place alongside Safety and Health Expo at London’s ExCeL on June 18, and in Glasgow on September 12. For more about the RoSPA Awards, see www.rospa.com/awards As part of its national accident prevention strategy, “Safe and active at all ages”, RoSPA is encouraging employers to develop carry-over programmes. See www.rospa.com/national-strategy for more info.
Energy Assets Group is lighting up the ‘final mile’ network market, with more than 5,000 live electricity connections taken into ownership, and 25,000 more contracted, since the launch of Energy Assets Networks (EAN) just over a year ago. EAN is an independent distribution network operator (IDNO) and has landed a significant number of asset ownership contracts thanks to its partnerships with contractors, housebuilders and developers across Britain – and its flexible approach to asset adoption. The company has quickly built a portfolio comprising thousands of domestic connection points, but a key success factor has been its approach to other asset types, including industrial and commercial schemes, EV charging infrastructure and data centres. “Rather than focusing on any one asset type, we have chosen to support independent connection providers (ICPs) and developers with a degree of flexibility that gives us a competitive advantage in the marketplace,” said Jayson Whitaker, Managing Director of EAN. “This business ethos enables our team to work closely with ICPs to find the most cost-effective network construction solution and to provide a competitive asset value.” EAN has made significant progress under Jayson’s leadership as part of the Group’s wider asset management activities. Its agile approach has seen the adoption of electricity assets linked to housebuilding, retail and office and industrial development, while simultaneously tapping into the rapidly growing electric vehicle charging sector. “The 5,000 connected asset milestone represents an exciting stage in our development and is testament to our partnership ethos with ICPs,” said Jayson. “However, this is just the beginning – with our flexible business approach and other asset-based innovations in the pipeline, we anticipate a strong period of growth ahead.” www.energyassetsnetworks.co.uk
KnitMesh Technologies, the UK’s leading supplier of world-class mesh products, has launched a new knitted wire mesh to help prevent the illegal use of drones in delivering contraband into open prison yards. The knitted wire mesh has been specifically designed to provide a strong, lightweight and flexible barrier and comes in response to demand from HM Prison Service for help in combatting the increasing use of drones around prisons. The new Prison Mesh has been developed using a high quality, 304 stainless steel wire in a variety of strengths and with diameters from 0.28 to 0.5mm. Due to the innovative stitch pattern the mesh is 80% lighter than equivalent weld-mesh solutions. The knitted wire mesh, available in rolls up to 50 metres and from 0.5m to 2m wide, is perfect for prison applications as it is easy to mould, wrap or stretch around structures and has a high corrosion resistance. Installing a protective, fine mesh barrier is affordable, easy to install and doesn’t require technology or constant surveillance to operate effectively. The mesh is a robust and low maintenance solution that does not impede on the inmates by allowing light and other natural elements through. The protective mesh is available in a range of colours or finishes allowing it to seamlessly blend with the surroundings. Lew Bingham, Managing Director at KnitMesh, comments: “This is a proven and versatile mesh that has been developed to provide prisons with a lightweight and flexible protection against drones accessing prison yards or windows. The innovative stitch pattern and material helps ensure that the mesh is strong, weather resistant and can be easily moulded to provide a versatile and highly protective barrier.” KnitMesh Technologies has considerable experience in the design, development and application of knitted mesh for a wide range of applications. The company’s versatile mesh technologies are already being used across a range of industry sectors including for commercial, telecommunications, enclosure and military purposes.
MoMA’s eighth Design Store has now opened in Tokyo’s popular Ginza shopping district with design by London-based retail specialist Lumsden Design. This opening is the latest project in Lumsden’s longstanding relationship with MoMA, which has seen the creation of three stores in New York, and standalone stores in Kyoto and Tokyo. The LOFT concession comes ahead of New York’s MoMA reopening in mid-October this year following an extensive overhaul of the international attraction including new museum retail delivered by Lumsden. The new Ginza concession occupies 596 square feet at the base of the third-floor escalators within the LOFT department store, ideally positioned near the central customer pathway ensuring maximum visibility for the brand. A mirror image The store design follows a tri-zonal layout with two L-shaped modular display fixtures anchoring the space. Against a backdrop display featuring MoMA prints, the effect is a symmetry that is echoed throughout the space, beneath a bold central hanging Design Store sign that can be seen from all perspectives on the floor and from the escalators. Continuing the symmetrical layout, all display furniture has received bespoke treatments by Lumsden Design to create a cohesive material palette in line with MoMA’s recognisable pared-back aesthetic. “We wanted to build on MoMA’s established material palette with a visual texture”, says Gabrielle Milner, Senior Designer, Lumsden Design. “By adding fluted glass to display shelving we were able to expand the material range while retaining a sense of space and transparency for customers.” Bespoke design elements Lumsden worked with MoMA’s merchandising team to plan a bespoke display layout that places the curated range of products at the centre of the retail space. In keeping with MoMA’s style, the overall design is clean-cut and refined. Display furniture features blonde wood supported by a minimal black linear framework allowing the products to stand out. The merchandising plan led to the development of tech tables, adapted from the original furniture designed for the MoMA Daimaru Store. These tables flank the central zone, displaying high value items beneath clear acrylic cases with integrated lighting and concealed cabling to maintain a clean look. With restrictions in place governing hanging space and display units throughout the LOFT department store, Lumsden Design faced the challenge of providing an approach that would represent the internationally-recognised MoMA brand. “We’re proud of our history with MoMA, so getting the space plan in line with the brand was a top priority for us. We negotiated additional height allowances for the rear display units that would enable customers to see more merchandise without losing any visibility through the greater shop floor. To overcome wall-hanging restrictions, we created a floating print display unit that hangs from the ceiling,” said Milner.
