Social enterprise Mytime Active has appointed B38 Group to provide a range of facilities management services at its 26 sites over the next three years. The Wakefield-based FM company will carry out mechanical and electrical engineering on heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Mytime has 22 golf and leisure sites
Chandlers Building Supplies in Banstead,is celebrating its recent refurbishment and expansion with a week of trade demos and promotions for builders starting on September 9. Despite Brexit uncertainty, Chandlers Building Supplies has invested more than £1m to refurbish and expand its retail outlets as well as increase its range of
Bull Products, a manufacturer of life-saving fire protection equipment, is enhancing high-rise safety on the Wardian London development, thanks to its Cygnus wireless alarm system. Wardian London is a prestigious residential development in Canary Wharf. Combining modern architecture with innovative landscaping, it sets a new standard for the high-rise living
Kier has been awarded a North West Construction Hub’s Medium Value Construction Framework worth an estimated £250m-1bn. The framework is for projects valued between £2-10m and is split into 5 sub regional and 1 regional lots. Kier has been appointed to each of the four lots it bid for. Lots
Regeneration plans have been unveiled for a site in Leeds City Centre. Hammerson launched the proposal which is located adjacent to Victoria Gate. The plans will see the site, which is currently a temporary surface car park, redeveloped to provide a 14-storey hotel catering for business and leisure guests. The
Whether a commercial property has just been constructed or undergone a renovation, it will need a clean up before it is let or employees can return following a refurbishment. A great deal of dust and debris is generated during any construction project or renovation, and as commercial premises are usually
Social enterprise Mytime Active has appointed B38 Group to provide a range of facilities management services at its 26 sites over the next three years. The Wakefield-based FM company will carry out mechanical and electrical engineering on heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Mytime has 22 golf and leisure sites nationwide, plus a head office in Bromley. Established in 2004, Mytime Active aims to “improve wellbeing by making it simple for people to get active, be positive, spend time with friends and eat better”. The organisation runs lifestyle preventative health services across the UK at six leisure centres and 16 pay-and-play golf courses in London, the Midlands, and on the South Coast. B38 Group will take a more strategic role including the provision of maintenance staff, training and support, as well as building life cycle management with forward maintenance planning. The FM group offers a comprehensive range of operations for private sector clients and blue-chip organisations nationwide, working across the retail, manufacturing, logistics, corporate, education and healthcare sectors.
Chandlers Building Supplies in Banstead,is celebrating its recent refurbishment and expansion with a week of trade demos and promotions for builders starting on September 9. Despite Brexit uncertainty, Chandlers Building Supplies has invested more than £1m to refurbish and expand its retail outlets as well as increase its range of stock in Banstead by more than 50 percent. Angela Straker took over as branch manager last year. Angela has forged her career in this traditionally male dominated industry and is currently in the running for two prestigious industry awards for her commitment and knowledge of the sector. Angela, said: “I just love the construction industry. At this stage in my career, I feel I know what Banstead builders require for pretty much any building project they undertake. I am delighted to have been able to expand our offering here in Banstead and hope the local tradespeople will come and see the changes we’ve made.” Sue McKinney, Chandlers Building Supplies said: “Our customers require a wide range of roofing and building supplies on a daily basis, they also often rely on the advice that our branch manager and building specialists can share with them. We have strong indications that expanding our offering locally in Banstead is exactly what local tradespeople want and need.” The new store is running free trade demo days from September 9, including free breakfast and plenty of giveaways and promotions on offer. Chandlers Building Supplies also has outlets in Surrey at Chertsey and Bookham.
Bull Products, a manufacturer of life-saving fire protection equipment, is enhancing high-rise safety on the Wardian London development, thanks to its Cygnus wireless alarm system. Wardian London is a prestigious residential development in Canary Wharf. Combining modern architecture with innovative landscaping, it sets a new standard for the high-rise living experience in the heart of London’s new financial centre. Once complete, it will include two iconic apartment towers with 764 rooms, restaurants, shops and a cinema. In partnership with Wingate Electrical, M&E contractor for Ballymore, Bull has supplied its Cygnus Fire Call Point Alarm System – a range of devices that have been designed to provide temporary fire protection on construction sites. Thanks to the alarm system’s high-strength signal and connectivity, the alarms can communicate despite signal interference and obstacles such as concrete and steel, ensuring workers are notified immediately in an emergency. Bradley Markham, director at Bull Products, says: “Our wireless alarm system is the ideal solution for residential developments such as this as it can be moved around as the site changes or grows, saving time and money. There’s no compromise on site safety as our innovative technology offers maximum protection to workers around the clock. “With high-rise buildings in particular, there is a real need to protect all levels from a fire during construction – the Cygnus system is the ideal solution to provide end-to-end fire safety.” Providing comprehensive fire safety protection through a fully linked network of detectors and call points, wireless fire alarm systems are the most effective and safest solution for construction sites and workers. For more information, please visit www.bullproducts.co.uk or email enquiries@bullproducts.co.uk
Kier has been awarded a North West Construction Hub’s Medium Value Construction Framework worth an estimated £250m-1bn. The framework is for projects valued between £2-10m and is split into 5 sub regional and 1 regional lots. Kier has been appointed to each of the four lots it bid for. Lots 3, 4 and 5 cover projects in Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire that are worth between £2-5m and Lot 6 covers projects in the North West that are between £5,000,0001-10m. The new framework will run for 3 years, with an option to extend for a further 1 year, and replaces the previous North West Construction Hub Medium Value Construction Framework which covered projects across the North West worth between £2-9m and saw Kier appointed on all 12 Lots. Peter Commins, managing director at Kier Regional Building North West, said: “Frameworks are hugely important for the Kier Regional Building business and I am pleased that we have been appointed to 4 Lots of this integral North West framework. We look forward to continuing to deliver projects under this framework and delivering high quality construction projects for the communities we work in. “The framework provides a great route for procurement for clients in the North West and Kier has previously delivered 31 projects under NWCH frameworks, including Heron House Office refurbishment and FA Parklife, which was recently awarded Project of the Year at this year’s North West Regional Construction Awards.” Under the previous iteration of the North West Construction Hub Medium Value Construction Framework, Kier also delivered Huntington Primary School, a new-build, two-storey, 420-place primary school and 26-place nursery in Chester. The project recently won the sub-regional project of the year award at the North West Regional Construction Awards 2019.
Regeneration plans have been unveiled for a site in Leeds City Centre. Hammerson launched the proposal which is located adjacent to Victoria Gate. The plans will see the site, which is currently a temporary surface car park, redeveloped to provide a 14-storey hotel catering for business and leisure guests. The Victoria Gate Hotel is one of the first schemes Hammerson has brought forward as part of its new City Quarters concept: creating vibrant mixed-use neighbourhoods surrounding Hammerson’s existing flagship destinations, in thriving locations in the UK. The concept will see Hammerson transform many of its city venues beyond pure retail into successful neighbourhoods providing homes, workspace, hotel space and accessible public realm. This announcement follows the recent submission of mixed-use masterplan applications for both Martineau Galleries in Birmingham and the Goodsyard in Shoreditch. The building would sit adjacent to Victoria Gate in Leeds City Centre and see the regeneration of the land between the existing Victoria Gate multi-storey car park and St Peter’s Street (A61). Designed by architects Acme, who delivered Victoria Gate, the façade takes inspiration from the surrounding architecture and the city’s rich merchandising and textile history. The hotel will feature 205 spacious rooms, an on-site gym and conferencing facilities. A new contemporary bar and restaurant on the ground floor will welcome both guests and visitors to the City’s Cultural Quarter. Robin Dobson, UK Director of Development and Project Management at Hammerson commented: “We are pleased to be able to share plans for a new hotel within the Victoria Estate as we continue the roll out of our City Quarters concept in thriving locations around the UK and Ireland. Hammerson has a strong track record of delivery in Leeds City Centre and these plans for a new, contemporary hotel represent the next step in our wider regeneration plans, creating a mixed-use destination where people can live, work and relax, centered around our premium flagship destination, Victoria Leeds.”
Whether a commercial property has just been constructed or undergone a renovation, it will need a clean up before it is let or employees can return following a refurbishment. A great deal of dust and debris is generated during any construction project or renovation, and as commercial premises are usually quite large, the post-build clean is generally a pretty big operation. Dust and mess can be extremely hazardous, so it is important during office refurbishments that employees are briefed about where they can go as there is a chance they could breathe in harmful dust or chemicals. See tips on how to maintain safety during your office refurbishment here. Let’s take a look at what the post-build clean of a commercial property involves. There are generally two stages to a post-build clean: The initial rough clean An in-depth clean The initial rough clean The first stage involves getting rid of any rubbish, debris and excess concrete dust left by the builders. Some of this will be done before the build or renovation is completed, such as cleaning dust prior to carpet or floor tiling installation, or before fitting kitchen and sanitary facilities. The external windows, frames and cladding may also be cleaned before internal work is finished up. Who does a post-build clean? Most commercial property developers hire a professional cleaning company to do this work, often tendering the contract to a selection of cleaning businesses before choosing the best deal (who incidentally may not necessarily be the cheapest). Some builders will do a rough clean and remove rubbish and debris before contracting out the in-depth post-build cleaning to save money, while others may leave a lot of the construction debris on site for the cleaning company to deal with. What about health and safety? Health and safety for cleaners on a post-build site is paramount. There are many risks associated with an almost constructed or newly constructed buildings. Common risks include trip hazards and improper supervision. Post-build cleaning operatives should have sufficient health and safety training. A risk assessment is also an important step required to protect workers. Supreme Cleaning are one of many commercial cleaning companies who send cleaning operatives on Site Safety courses and provide them with CSCS cards (CSCS is the Construction Skills Certification Scheme). Cleaning operatives are required to understand site-specific method statements and risk assessment requirements before they are assigned to a particular job. Where cherry pickers or scissor lifts are required for cleaning work at height, operatives should be IPAF qualified (this is a bit like a driving license for mobile elevating working platforms). What does the in-depth clean involve? The specification for a post-build clean will obviously vary according to the type and size of the commercial property and the scale of the build or renovation, but can include: The removal of stickers, paint splashes, render and protection from internal and external windows and frames The removal of protection from floors, doors, radiators and other areas Thorough cleaning to remove builders’ dust from all surfaces, including inside cupboards – this can involve some cleaning at height Cleaning of light switches and electrical points, radiators and fire extinguishers Removal of dust and finger marks from ceiling panels Cleaning of all doors, woodwork, ledges, shelving and skirting boards, as well as door handles and hinges Floor scrubbing and buffing and any carpets or matts vacuumed Thorough cleaning and sanitising of all kitchens and bathrooms, including the removal of stickers, paint spots and plaster, and the polishing/wiping of tiles and chrome to leave it free of smears Removal of grout haze from tiles and paint spots from flooring Cleaning of glass entrance doors (inside and out) and the reception desk Cleaning of all staircases and lift cars, including lift doors, balustrades and handrails Ventilation duct cleaning Most cleaning companies operating a large post-build commercial clean will allocate an on-site project manager to liaise with the commercial property manager or the business conducting the renovations. The cleaning project manager is responsible for checking the quality and progress of the clean. How to choose a post-build cleaning company Regular domestic cleaning companies aren’t suitable for the post-build cleaning of commercial properties. Be sure to choose a reputable cleaning company with construction cleaning experience. It’s a good idea to check out testimonials. It could be worth contacting a previous client of your preferred cleaning company for a reference. If the cleaning company is as good as they say they are, they won’t mind you doing that. Above all, before hiring a cleaning contractor, be clear about budgets, what is included in the clean and time-frames.
