A new 65-home development is set to be built in Ashby by national contractor Willmott Dixon. The project, for emh care & support, will see a collection of one- and two-bed homes constructed along with communal areas, such as a hairdressers and bistro. “We have been working closely with emh
The development of a modern retirement village in the Havering area of London has taken a major leap forward. Demolition has begun on the former Solar, Serena and Sunrise Courts site to make way for the sheltered accommodation. Local supplier Downwell Demolition is delivering the work. When complete, the site
2019’s Hajj pilgrimage begins on 9th August, and it marks a crucial moment in a Muslim’s religious journey. The process follows the Prophet Muhammad’s pilgrimage to Mecca in 632 AD and is said to cleanse followers of Islam of sin. It is to be undertaken at least once in every
A new 65-home development is set to be built in Ashby by national contractor Willmott Dixon. The project, for emh care & support, will see a collection of one- and two-bed homes constructed along with communal areas, such as a hairdressers and bistro. “We have been working closely with emh care & support to make sure we are creating a scheme that is going to make the local community proud. Every step of the way we have been working collaboratively with all project partners through workshops, ensuring we plan effectively. The customer previously had challenges with overheating on similar schemes, so we have worked with them to ensure the same issues won’t occur when working with us. We are also embracing technology during this project, for example we are using offsite manufacturing to reduce programme time and maintain high levels of quality, while also minimising waste and costs,” said Michelle Cotterill, director at Willmott Dixon. “During all of our projects we aim to engage our customers and project partners. We recently invited emh care & support into our digital design room to review the design and gain a real feel for the building. Further into the build process this technology can be used to show prospective buyers what their potential home will be like too. Alongside our enrichment programme, we will also be working with Stephenson College on a work experience scheme, accommodating apprentices currently working for emh care & support, to give them experience in working on a new build project.” This £12.5 million scheme is designed by architects BRP and is scheduled for completion in early 2021. Plans are also in place to build a new school adjacent to the development. “A development like this requires strong and trusted relationships, and we are delighted to be working with Willmott Dixon, North West Leicestershire DC, and our other partners to deliver our most ambitious project to date. With Springfields we are creating a modern community in the heart of the national forest, a vibrant place supporting and promoting health and wellbeing. That is something we can all be proud of,” added Joanna Grainger, Executive Director at emh care & support.
The development of a modern retirement village in the Havering area of London has taken a major leap forward. Demolition has begun on the former Solar, Serena and Sunrise Courts site to make way for the sheltered accommodation. Local supplier Downwell Demolition is delivering the work. When complete, the site will become home to 172 new high quality apartments designed for local people who are approaching, or who have reached, retirement age. The building will feature communal facilities, which could include a residents’ lounge, treatment studio for health and wellness, and flexible village hall, which could be open to the wider community to use. There will also be flexible storage space for either bicycles or mobility scooters. Proposed designs for the site show that a large proportion of the apartments will be designed as Wheelchair Adaptable, which includes a larger floor area than average. Hallways and bathrooms will be particularly large to enable accessibility. The plans extend to the garden area, which will have distinct zones to encourage a range of activities, such as relaxation, lawn games, and a community growing area for accessible gardening. A social area will also enable residents to socialise in a safe, welcome and attractive space. This modern project also forms part of the first phase of Havering Council’s 12 Estates joint venture project with national developer Wates Residential. The £1bn programme is set to deliver around 5,000 high quality homes over the next 12 to 15 years, doubling the amount of council rented accommodation and more than doubling the number of affordable homes. Phase one of the 12 Estates project began in July with the demolition of Napier and New Plymouth House in Rainham. In addition to the retirement village, phase one will continue with the Waterloo Estate in Romford in the coming months. “It is great that we have been able to celebrate demolition starting on the second site of our joint venture with Havering Council. The Solar, Serena and Sunrise Court site will deliver new high quality apartments, meeting the needs and aspirations of local people around retirement age,” said Kate Ives, Development Director for Wates Residential. “We are looking forward to continuing our work with Havering Council over the coming months as work progresses across the wider programme, which will deliver thousands of new homes as well as new skills and training opportunities for residents in Havering and the wider area.”
2019’s Hajj pilgrimage begins on 9th August, and it marks a crucial moment in a Muslim’s religious journey. The process follows the Prophet Muhammad’s pilgrimage to Mecca in 632 AD and is said to cleanse followers of Islam of sin. It is to be undertaken at least once in every Muslim’s lifetime. In the last 19 years, Mecca has hosted an average 2,362,528 pilgrims annually. To put this in perspective, Mecca’s population as of 2019 is 2,004,888. Essentially, Mecca more than doubles in population over the six-day pilgrimage window every year. With so many people comes a lot of challenges and risks — so, how is a mass gathering like the Hajj made possible and safe? The figures The number of pilgrims heading to Mecca each year steadily rose between 1999 and 2012, resulting in the highest-ever number of pilgrims in 2012 (3,161,573). This led to quotas and restrictions being placed per country by the Saudi government — and 1 million fewer pilgrims in 2013. Despite these restrictions, risks associated with crowds remained. Stampedes had happened during the Hajj before, but the worst occurred in 2015. The resulting questions and concerns surrounding the event led to another fall in numbers in 2016 as many chose to boycott the gathering. Numbers sharply increased after this boycott, however, and have continued to rise. It is predicted that by 2030, numbers could reach 6 million. With this in mind, how do authorities manage such a colossal number of people? The challenges The most obvious risk and challenge of an event like the Hajj is the risk of stampedes or crushes. In such events, those present are unable to control their movements due to being pushed and lifted by pressure-ripples of a tightly packed crowd. This means density numbers need to be managed to a fine detail. One method of managing this risk is through crowd simulation software. Maher Saleh Abolkhour from the King Abdul Aziz University used such software to analyse and predict the movement of crowds at the Hajj. Management Maher focused on the Al-Masjid al-Haram, an open area space of the pilgrimage. Using crowd simulation software, Maher was able to re-run the simulation of a huge crowd in this space, recording predicted behaviour and the rise and fall of crowd density. This in turn allowed Maher to crate different models, moving gates and fences and re-running the simulation to see how these changes would affect crowd behaviour. In terms of physical changes to the route, Jamarat Bridge, which houses the important stoning of the devil rituals, has been redesigned in recent years. In 2016, 308 escalators were installed, alongside six passenger lifts, two ambulance elevators, and two helipad elevators. The Saudi government also has a fleet of ambulances integrated as part of their management efforts for the pilgrimage every year. According to reports by the Independent, each ambulance is considered to be its own intensive-care unit. The Hajj is an important journey in a Muslim’s life. There have been moves to make the pilgrimage as safe as possible, from pilgrim quotas, research and simulation, and engineering. With numbers only expected to rise, it is unlikely that the Hajj will not change again in coming years. Sources:
