Harworth Group plc, a leading regenerator of land and property for sustainable development and investment announces the launch of “Project Spur”, a single family Built to Rent (“BTR”) portfolio of around 1,200 homes across 10 of its development sites. Harworth is today publishing marketing materials for the scheme, which represents
Willmott Dixon Interiors has completed the £47.35 million refurbishment of London South Bank University’s (LSBU) London Road Building. The national fit-out and refurbishment specialist contractor has redeveloped the university’s learning environments as part of one of the biggest transformation programmes in its history. The new learning hub features modern workspaces,
Story Plant is a specialist plant hirer to the UK rail industry which operates a diverse fleet of road rail vehicles fitted with SITECH® Trimble Technology to ensure quality, safety, and delivery in a sector where timescales are tight, and delays are costly. Based in Carlisle, Cumbria, Story Plant have a historic relationship
The London Construction Awards is an evening to celebrate all of the success, development and innovation of the construction industry over the last year. And a chance to celebrate all the different parties that make the industry what it is today from solution providers to architects to local authorities. With
Harworth Group plc, a leading regenerator of land and property for sustainable development and investment announces the launch of “Project Spur”, a single family Built to Rent (“BTR”) portfolio of around 1,200 homes across 10 of its development sites. Harworth is today publishing marketing materials for the scheme, which represents a unique forward funding and long-term investment opportunity for a prospective partner. Harworth announced plans to develop a single family BTR product in September 2021, as part of its strategy to grow its business to £1bn of EPRA NDV1 over five to seven years. This new product will be complementary to Harworth’s existing Build to Sell products developed by housebuilders at its residential sites and will support the Company’s ambition to double its residential plot sales to around 2,000 plots per annum over its strategic plan period. Project Spur will be an opportunity to acquire a single family housing portfolio of significant scale across 10 established sites in Yorkshire, the Midlands and the North West. The sites are in strong locations which are in close proximity to major conurbations and employment centres, as well as local amenities and transport connections. The sites have also benefited from Harworth’s investment, as well as its masterplanning and placemaking expertise, which have delivered extensive green space, recreational facilities and a well-deigned public realm. The introduction of the BTR product is expected to further add to the vibrancy and attractiveness of these communities. The housing type composition for the portfolio has been optimised for the single family BTR market, with a focus on two- and three-bedroom homes, all built to a high-quality design which is centred on sustainability. The project has an anticipated delivery timeline of three years, with phased handovers of the sites during this time. There will be the potential, subject to further agreement, for the partner to work with Harworth to introduce the single family BTR product to additional sites as part of future phases of development. Project Spur is being marketed by Allsop on behalf of Harworth. 1 European Public Real Estate Association (“EPRA”) Net Disposal Value: an adjusted net asset value metric that is one of Harworth’s Key Performance Indicators. “Harworth’s extensive portfolio is particularly well suited to delivering institutional quality single family rental homes at scale. Project Spur is part of our strategy to accelerate the development of our residential sites, providing a range of homes for local people and enabling diverse communities. We look forward to working with partners aligned to our purpose and ambitions, to continue delivering places where people want to live and work.” Lynda Shillaw, Chief Executive, Harworth Group “Project Spur is a rare opportunity to partner with one of the UK’s leading land and property regeneration specialists. Located in suburban communities across Yorkshire, the Midlands and the North West, these units provide a diverse and defensible portfolio of properties that benefit from close proximity and strong transport links to nearby employment and amenity centres.” James Crow, Head of Mixed Tenure, Harworth Group
Willmott Dixon Interiors has completed the £47.35 million refurbishment of London South Bank University’s (LSBU) London Road Building. The national fit-out and refurbishment specialist contractor has redeveloped the university’s learning environments as part of one of the biggest transformation programmes in its history. The new learning hub features modern workspaces, amenities and technology, designed to support individual learning needs and create new and different ways of engaging students. LSBU staff and students will benefit from 191,000 sq ft of dedicated learning spaces, including a new state-of-the-art library and learning resource, as well as improved Academy of Sport facilities, with a fully equipped gymnasium. There are new open access computer rooms with updated equipment, private rooms for group work and study, additional lecture capacity and new and improved places to eat. The transformation has also completely overhauled the arrival experience at the London Road Building, with a new entrance lobby, staircases and lifts greatly improving accessibility. Willmott Dixon Interiors has delivered the BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rated space to maximise natural daylight, removing existing facades and installing skylights in the library and concourse areas. It features a new building management system to support the efficient use of energy and uses LED lighting throughout. Sustainably sourced natural materials are a feature of the design, including a birch plywood feature wall showcasing a large fabric artwork, which injects colour and vibrancy into the building. Externally a new blue roof system and rain attenuation tank have been installed to attenuate and manage stormwater. The project used BIM Level 2 methodology, with works delivered by Willmott Dixon Interiors and its supply chain partners during the pandemic and within a live campus environment. It is a key part of LSBU’s wider redevelopment project at its campus at Elephant and Castle, which aims to consolidate its position as a leading modern university, and provide benefits to students, staff and the wider community. Graham Shaw, managing director of Willmott Dixon Interiors, said: “This is a bold and exciting project that realises LSBU’s vision for revolutionising the student experience. It has made best use of space across the entire campus, delivering dedicated learning zones and the capacity and facilities to serve students, staff and the wider community for many years to come. “We have a substantial presence in the university sector and have built a deeply collaborative relationship with LSBU during the course of the project. It has provided us with the opportunity to showcase our full range of capabilities in structural refurbishment, interior fit out and working in a busy campus environment.” The project was delivered by Willmott Dixon Interiors and a team including Wilkinson Eyre Architects, Eckersley O’Callaghan as structural engineers, BDP as services engineer and Fulkers LLP as project manager and cost consultant.
Story Plant is a specialist plant hirer to the UK rail industry which operates a diverse fleet of road rail vehicles fitted with SITECH® Trimble Technology to ensure quality, safety, and delivery in a sector where timescales are tight, and delays are costly. Based in Carlisle, Cumbria, Story Plant have a historic relationship of using SITECH machine control systems spanning over 15 years, so when an influx of new operators and a transition from the Trimble GCS900 system across to Trimble Earthworks meant they needed training support they approached the team at SITECH. Story Plant carry out works with multiple clients across the UK, and they are now growing their customer base within the Midlands which has led to an increase in their fleet and number of operators. Mark Bruce, head of technical development at Story Plant, said: “We rely heavily on our machines and the Trimble system to get things right and we currently have six dozer machines configured with the tech. “We found that different clients want to use different configurations of the Trimble system, often our operators would only use one system for a period of time and would then require a refresher when they needed to switch to a different configuration. “Solving that skill fade was important because we need our teams to have confidence in the system they’re using. Working within the rail industry you must get the work done right first time, because timescales are tight and as there’s a closure on the rail network there are severe consequences for delays. “As well as meeting tight timescales, we place significant importance on carrying out our work safely. This involves working in areas with restricted space, such as tunnels and viaducts, so having confidence in the systems they are using allows our teams to focus on safe delivery.” “We’re also in the process of transitioning from the old Trimble GCS900 system across to Trimble Earthworks, so we approached SITECH to see if they could create a series of quick reference videos as refreshers for our operators on things like setting up the system and simple fault fixes, which they can watch on their tablet or mobile phone. “The training videos are just one example of our good relationship with the team at SITECH, as they also supported us earlier this year when we bought a Caterpillar D6K2 dozer, the largest dozer on the UK rail infrastructure. Because of the restricted space it operates in, it has a unique folding blade fitted which the SITECH team analysed to ensure the mast is located in exactly the right position when the Trimble system is in use.” To find out more about the construction technology, software and services SITECH UK & Ireland offers, visit the website https://www.sitechukandireland.com.
The London Construction Awards is an evening to celebrate all of the success, development and innovation of the construction industry over the last year. And a chance to celebrate all the different parties that make the industry what it is today from solution providers to architects to local authorities. With a record number of entries this year, we are delighted to announce that after a preliminary round of voting, we have been shortlisted for both Supplier of the Year and Fire Safety Solution of the Year categories. Supplier of the Year While Quelfire is a relatively small company, what makes us stand out is the unwavering passion that everyone, from management to production, has for what we do: Protecting People & Property. We manufacture our core product range in our purpose-built premises in Sandbach, UK, working in strict compliance with factory control procedures. We have an extremely enthusiastic manufacturing team who are dedicated to making sure our products are of the highest standard. Annually, we put in a significant proportion of investment into our research and development. By providing firestopping solutions for real-life scenarios, based on feedback and trends on the market, this ensures there is a tested solution for the most used, and even some less common, service penetrations. We have never felt prouder of how far we have come in terms of testing; however, we would not be affectionately known as ‘Team Orange’ without our value-added services. Our first-class customer service is a prime example of the core values that we have at Quelfire. Our team is friendly, honest, and approachable, and is always willing to help with any challenges faced in the industry. Further to this, we provide extensive technical support from planning through design to installation and aim to answer any queries within one working day – although we almost always reply a lot quicker! We have recently launched the QuelSelector tool which is a simple way that customers can easily stay up to date with the latest details and ultimately, work to build a safer future. We go above and beyond when educating the industry about the importance of fire safety and use every platform available to us; should it be panel discussions at exhibitions, CPD accredited webinars, or one-to-one consultations about early engagement in firestopping. We also offer Toolbox Training which is an opportunity for trades to get specific help on the installation of products. Fire Safety Solution of the Year For this category, we nominated the QuelStop Firestopping System as our solution. This has become more than just a group of products, but a great source of pride and something much bigger than profit! Though it may just seem like any other firestopping system as the ones offered by competitors, what makes the QuelStop System special is the wide range of tested details offered; our value-added services; and the early engagement approach that we use to help clients design and install the system in a compliant way. As mentioned previously, we have a robust testing programme and now over 300 tested details which ultimately provide the industry and a building’s occupants with peace of mind. As well as our unparalleled technical department, we have an extensive library of tested details that is readily available for anyone who wishes to use it. In addition to our tested details, we have other documentation to support design and specification: NBS specifications, BIM models, tested detail drawings and product datasheets, and provide installation guides and educational videos. Furthermore, our early engagement process supports all parties involved from design to installation: main contractors, architects, specialist engineers, firestopping contractors and other trades. At Quelfire, we offer that end-to-end support in order for the firestopping system to be designed and installed as per the test evidence, ultimately contributing to safer buildings. Through decades of unwavering dedication to fire safety, we have built a community based on tested solutions, expert technical support, outstanding customer support and training. We feel extremely honoured to have been shortlisted for both categories, alongside many other deserving nominees. Team Orange looks forward to the reveal of the winner on the 23 September 2022!
