GroupBC’s common data environment (CDE) will be at the centre of the expansion of Birmingham Airport, enabling optimum document and information management during the extensive construction, handover and operational processes. As part of Birmingham Airport’s Master Plan – a £500m capital investment to transform the airport into a world-class facility
THE homebuilder behind four successful Flintshire developments is keen to acquire additional land to satisfy demand. Flintshire Council’s Local Development Plan sets out a vision of delivering 7,000 new homes by 2030. Elan Homes has a proven track record and is well-placed to help deliver the target. In recent years,
A national developer has voiced its support to help tackle the housing shortage in Warrington. Timescales for Warrington’s Local Plan are yet to be finalised, with Elan Homes expressing keen interest in acquiring land for new homes in the area. The homebuilder, who has delivered three successful developments in Warrington,
Oxford Brookes University’s Sinclair building has been given a new lease of life courtesy of a £6.25 million refurbishment project. National contractor Stepnell delivered works at the health and life sciences building over a 92-week project. These works aimed to improve the building’s spatial and environmental efficiency and included the
Scaffolding is a vital part of building and constructing, and if you are planning on doing home renovations, you will likely be needing scaffolding services. However, before you hire a scaffolding firm, it is essential to consider some factors that will help you choose the right Scaffolding company and also
Productivity is the key to a successful career. Without it, you can find yourself spinning your wheels. That can be a frustrating, unnecessary feeling. Here are a few ways to avoid feeling frustrated and start feeling productive. Use a Bullet Journal to Tackle Your To-Do List It might sound a
GroupBC’s common data environment (CDE) will be at the centre of the expansion of Birmingham Airport, enabling optimum document and information management during the extensive construction, handover and operational processes. As part of Birmingham Airport’s Master Plan – a £500m capital investment to transform the airport into a world-class facility – GroupBC was selected for its industry-wide reputation as a digital information expert and specific industry expertise, having worked recently with Heathrow Airport and Dubai Airport. Presented on a user-friendly interface, GroupBC’s CDE is a turnkey construction solution which drives efficiency across the design, construction and operational phases. During these periods, GroupBC’s CDE will prove vital in coordinating the flow of information; particularly in terms of enabling the review, verification and approval of documents, drawings and models. With the CDE, project teams will be able to quickly identify the status of information all held securely on a single system. Speaking on the latest success, Stuart Bell, Sales & Marketing Director at GroupBC, said: “After winning both Heathrow and Dubai airports, securing the Birmingham Airport project is testimony to our expertise in working with major aviation clients. GroupBC’s CDE is widely used in the owner operator space due to its industry leading modern interface, rapid deployment and fast return on investment.” Marie Trembacki, Operations Manager at SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins, on behalf of Birmingham Airport, added: “Birmingham Airport will be a catalyst for growth across the Midlands, driving economic benefit to the region and the whole of the UK. We’ve been impressed with GroupBC’s CDE interface, which will encourage usability and reduce delays in information exchange to keep the project on track.” Supporting compliance with BIM Level 2, GroupBC’s CDE is the Airports single source of information, enabling project teams to access and disseminate live, up-to-date data without any duplication of effort. A templated implementation approach ensured the system was quick to deploy and when live delivered immediate governance to the project. With GroupBC’s CDE now delivering consistent, auditable information, the airport will be able to access, collate and review verified information any time, any place, in a professional, powerful and refined asset information management system, worthy of, what will be, one of the UK’s largest airports.
THE homebuilder behind four successful Flintshire developments is keen to acquire additional land to satisfy demand. Flintshire Council’s Local Development Plan sets out a vision of delivering 7,000 new homes by 2030. Elan Homes has a proven track record and is well-placed to help deliver the target. In recent years, the company has delivered new homes across developments in Penyfford, Penymynydd and Argoed, with the final phase now on sale at Kinnerton Meadows, Higher Kinnerton. Philip Palmer, land director for Elan Homes in the North, explained: “We’ve provided more than 100 new homes across Flintshire in recent years, helping to deliver high quality housing the region needs. In order to maintain momentum in delivering housing it’s imperative that we continue to work with land owners and local authorities to tackle the housing shortage. “The developments we’ve progressed in Flintshire demonstrate our ability to take a flexible approach, adapting our plans to fit the local housing market. We look forward to speaking with landowners and their representatives to understand where we could unlock development potential and contribute to the council’s targets for delivering new homes.” Elan successfully redeveloped the site of a former service station on Main Road, Argoed, near Mold, to provide 24 new homes. Over at Kinnerton Meadows, 56 properties are being built – 45 private sale and 11 affordable homes. The scheme brings with it a package of investment in the local area for the benefit of the wider community including almost £185,000 for the remodelling of music teaching facilities at Castell Alun High School, plus almost £135,000 for improvements to teaching accommodation at Higher Kinnerton CP School. Elan will also contribute £40,000 towards improvements to neighbourhood play facilities on Park Avenue. “Elan is proud to be playing its part in delivering much-needed new homes across Flintshire,” Philip added. “Housing developments bring added value to communities. Along with providing new homes, they generate investment in facilities and offer employment.” Elan’s Northern business will consider development sites, with or without planning up to 10 hectares in size, with the strategic arm of the business seeking and working on much larger parcels of land, within the region and across the country. To explore land opportunities with the Elan team visit https://www.elan-homes.co.uk/about-elan/land-enquiries.
A national developer has voiced its support to help tackle the housing shortage in Warrington. Timescales for Warrington’s Local Plan are yet to be finalised, with Elan Homes expressing keen interest in acquiring land for new homes in the area. The homebuilder, who has delivered three successful developments in Warrington, has a proven track record and is well-placed to help deliver the target of 18,900 new homes (945 per year) by 2037. Philip Palmer, land director for Elan Homes in the North, explained: “Timescales for the updated Warrington Local Plan are yet to be confirmed, but in order to maintain momentum in delivering housing it’s imperative that we continue to work with land owners and local authorities to tackle the housing shortage. “The developments we’ve progressed in the Warrington area demonstrate our ability to take a flexible approach, adapting our plans to fit the local housing market. We look forward to speaking with landowners and their representatives to understand where we could unlock development potential and contribute to the council’s targets for delivering new homes.” The developer has already contributed around £700,000 in affordable housing with its three Warrington projects. Culcheth Green, which saw a truck dealership transformed into an enclave of 15 executive family homes, is close to selling out. In Walton, an intimate gated development of 14 homes has been created on a former garden centre and restaurant site, while the successful transformation of the former RAF Croft site, which had been redundant for more than 50 years, demonstrates perfectly the sensitivity and flexibility of Elan’s land team. “Elan is proud to be playing its part in delivering much-needed new homes across Warrington and the surrounding area,” Philip added. “Housing developments bring added value to communities. Along with providing new homes, they generate investment in facilities and offer employment.” Elan’s Northern business will consider development sites, with or without planning up to 10 hectares in size, with the strategic arm of the business seeking and working on much larger parcels of land, within the region and across the country.
Oxford Brookes University’s Sinclair building has been given a new lease of life courtesy of a £6.25 million refurbishment project. National contractor Stepnell delivered works at the health and life sciences building over a 92-week project. These works aimed to improve the building’s spatial and environmental efficiency and included the remodelling of internal space across three of the building’s five storeys. The build was given a sleek, modern look to complement the other facilities that currently populate the Headington campus, transforming it into a modern teaching, research and study space for the university’s faculty of health and life science. The scheme was designed by BGS Architects and created ten main laboratories with preparation and test spaces, two computer laboratories and 34 open plan offices with associated meeting and interview rooms. The renovation not only made the build more sustainable, but it also increased natural ventilation and daylight which is unusual for laboratory design. Rob Speirs, regional director at Stepnell, said: “We were delighted to have been given the opportunity to modernise one of Oxford Brookes’ key learning spaces. It is important that students have access to flexible working areas to enhance their learning experience and give them the flexibility that they need for different types of study. We hope that the refurbishment will increase efficiency both environmentally and educationally.” He added: “The team worked closely with Oxford Brookes to ensure there was minimal disruption caused to the daily activity of both students and staff. We’re very proud of the project and hope it will help to facilitate some amazing projects of the future.” This represents Stepnell’s third project for the university. Mary Pierre-Harvey, director of estates and campus services at Oxford Brookes University, added: “The Sinclair refurbishment has transformed the environment for the University’s faculty of health and life sciences. The building provides industry standard laboratories that offer a real-world experience for students, while high specification areas support our research and innovation. “Along with the new home for the Bioimaging Unit specialising in microscopy research, the Sinclair building provides world-leading campus spaces to match the University’s high-quality teaching and research.”
Scaffolding is a vital part of building and constructing, and if you are planning on doing home renovations, you will likely be needing scaffolding services. However, before you hire a scaffolding firm, it is essential to consider some factors that will help you choose the right Scaffolding company and also evaluate if there is a need for Scaffolding. To make your job easier, you can read through some of these factors below. But first, what is a Scaffolding? Significance of the Scaffolding Scaffolding refers to the temporary structure used to support workers, equipment, and materials during construction. Scaffolding may also be necessary during house renovations and repairs. Its primary function is to get workers and materials to where would ordinarily be too high or difficult to go and to support workers while working above ground level. Factors To Consider Before Hiring Scaffolding Services For Home Renovations 1.Do You Need a Scaffolding: The first thing to consider is whether you really need Scaffolding or not. You may need a professional opinion to make this decision. For example, repainting a ground-level house might not need Scaffolding, but you will definitely need the services of a scaffolding company if you are repainting a story building. Nonetheless, your decision to use a scaffold should be determined by the difficulty and risks involved in the renovation project. 2.Hiring the Right Scaffolding Firm: The kind of Scaffolding services you hire can either result in an excellent job or ruin your renovation plans. Hence, making sure you hire the right firm is one of the things you will have to consider. Location matters a lot when hiring the ideal scaffolding company. You will need to know that they are capable of reaching your site quickly and vice versa. This might mean going for a local scaffolding service or hiring one that can adequately cover vast areas such as Cambridgeshire Scaffolding Firm that caters to Cambridge and its environs and a more significant part of the United Kingdom(UK). The right scaffolding firm should also be able to provide the necessary certifications to assure you of quality service and equipment that suits your needs and budget. 3.Type of Scaffold: Another factor you need to consider is the type of scaffold you need. There are basically three types of Scaffolding, they are Suspended Scaffolding, Supported Platform Scaffolding, and Adjustable Scaffolding. Suspended Scaffolding, as the name suggests, is suspended in the air and built with wood, metal, and ropes. This type of scaffold is ideal for construction and renovation projects that require workers to work at a very high position or an uneven terrain. Supported Platform Scaffolding, on the other hand, has an elevated platform raised from the ground. It is also the most common type of Scaffolding and ideal for almost all types of projects. Last but not least is the adjustable scaffold. It is a type of suspended scaffold that can be adjusted to your suit your needs. The flexible platform gives you control; you can either lower or raise the platform and direct it to wherever it is needed. Now that you know your options, your choice of Scaffolding should be based on your renovation needs. 4.Budget and Financial Costs: one of the most important things you will need to resolve is your budget and the financial costs of hiring a scaffolding company. It might help if you use a local scaffolding firm such as hiring Royston Scaffolding for your home renovation services in Cambridge and its environs. Using a local company will reduce the cost of moving equipment and workforce. You will also need to consider the cost of the type of scaffold you want to use. Suspended Scaffolds are the most expensive, and this is because they are usually custom-built for a specific project. Adjustable Scaffolds are also costly, but one advantage is its flexibility of use. The least expensive is the Supported Platform Scaffold. Whichever you decide to go with, make sure it is proportionate to your needs and budget. 5.Safety Concerns: Scaffolding mostly involves working from an elevated position, and with working at heights comes safety concerns. If your renovation projects include working from far heights or unusual designs, then you need to make sure that the Scaffolding Firm you hire has all the necessary safety measures in place, including licenses and permits. You also need to ensure that the firm carries out a thorough risk assessment before starting any work. A good Scaffold company will have a safety guideline and insurance in case an accident occurs. Some of the safety measures that should be in place include sturdy and secure platforms, handrails and guardrails, etc. 6.Company’s Experience: You must check the scaffolding company’s experience, track record, and reviews; this will help you evaluate their efficiency and integrity. Besides, you will also need experienced workers to deliver quality service and reduce the risks of accidents while working. Conclusion Scaffolding can make your renovations safer and faster when used appropriately, and it is only wise to consider certain factors to ensure you get the right scaffolding companies. Factors such as verifying if Scaffolding is necessary for your home renovations, considering the cost, your budget, and the expertise of the scaffolding firm can determine the type of performance you get at the end of the day. This post was written by Royston Scaffolding Ltd- a fully CISRS qualified and CITB accredited Cambridgeshire Scaffolding Firm, providing industrial, commercial and domestic scaffold services.
Productivity is the key to a successful career. Without it, you can find yourself spinning your wheels. That can be a frustrating, unnecessary feeling. Here are a few ways to avoid feeling frustrated and start feeling productive. Use a Bullet Journal to Tackle Your To-Do List It might sound a little too old school but trust us, a bullet journal can help you tackle your to-do list with precision. A bullet journal is just a way of making lists using a bulleted list template. All you need in order to begin is a basic notebook. You’ll then divide it up into four sections where you can track your daily activities. Turn Off Your Notifications You don’t need to be randomized with every single thing that happens in your online world. A new email message, a social media notification, etc. can cost you an hour of your day. It’s true. A 10-minute distraction can result in the loss of an entire hour. Even worse, keeping electronics on right before bed can affect your sleep and overall health the next day. Don’t let yourself be distracted by the small stuff. Turn off the notifications on your smartphone. Control Your Social Media Time Spending time on social media can rob you of hours from your day. You think you’re just posting a quick update but then suddenly, you find yourself in the endless scroll trap that causes time to fly by far too quickly. That fight about politics or disagreement about the color of a dress just isn’t worth your precious time. Consider using an app blocker that will prevent you from accessing social media apps during certain hours. Tackle the Big Stuff First Don’t let yourself procrastinate from the things that really matter. Put the big stuff at the top of the to-do list. That’s the stuff that will have the biggest impact on your life, so why not conquer it and reap the benefits? Don’t put it off until tomorrow. Quick Tasks Come Second Once you’ve conquered the big stuff on your list, look at the quick stuff. If there are any two-minute tasks on your list, get them done. You will feel more productive when you see your to-do list dwindling. As a result, it will help motivate you to conquer even more. Don’t Sit in Meetings All Day Meetings are one of the biggest wastes of time. Sure, there are important meetings that need to happen in order to keep the channels of communication open between the team. However, most meetings aren’t like that. Most of them are just a time suck and you spend most of the meeting wondering why they even included you on the invite list. Do yourself a favor and try the following: Cut your current meeting times down by 25%. Try stand-up meetings where you have a quick chat at your desk. Evaluate the meetings on your calendar and ask yourself if they’re really necessary. By trying these six productivity hacks, you should be able to carve out enough time to breathe and enjoy life. The important thing is to work smarter, not harder. Becoming productive is the key to making that happen.
