As part of the safe management of Madeira Terrace, temporary structural propping work will take place to four of the 152 bays beneath the terrace from next week. The Grade II* listed terrace is regularly inspected to identify any recommended works, such as propping, which may be required to prevent
Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of multi-sector construction and civil engineering projects, along with its client Edmond de Rothschild has celebrated the topping out of a 406-apartment build-to-rent project on Kent Street in the centre of Birmingham. To mark the occasion,
Specialist repairs and maintenance provider, Sovini Property Services, are delighted to have been appointed onto Torus‘ biggest framework to date. Leading North-West housing Group, Torus, recently launched its new framework which will see trusted contractors Sovini Property Services work in conjunction with HMS to manage and maintain 40,000 homes. Following
AG, leading paving and building manufacturer, has won EIGHT major industry awards in quick succession across the UK and Ireland. Established over 60 years ago, AG is a 3rd generation family-owned business which now employs more than 230 people at eight locations across the UK and Ireland. The first accolade
Addington Capital Sells 1-27 Station Parade, Elm Park, Hornchurch East London to Property Development Solutions Europe Addington Capital, the property investment and asset management specialist and its joint venture partners have sold 1-27 Station Parade Elm Park, Hornchurch, East London to Property Development Solutions Europe for £12 million. Elm Park
The RIBA has published a guide for its members on the legal implications of the Building Safety Act and other draft regulations in England.. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A social landlord and a software company have won a UK leading housing award. Platform Housing Group, one of the UK’s largest housing associations, and software company Voicescape have won the Best Customer Impact category in the NHMF – National Housing Maintenance Forum – awards. The winners were unveiled at
Winvic Construction and its client Edmond de Rothschild has celebrated the topping out of a 406-apartment build-to-rent project on Kent Street in the centre of Birmingham. To mark the occasion, one of the final sections of concrete was poured – an upstand to an automatic opening vent on the seventeenth-storey
Beard Construction has completed two deluxe Signature Senior Lifestyle care homes under projects worth a combined £24.8m. The two projects – Signature at Caversham, in Berkshire, and Signature at Farnham Common, in Buckinghamshire – provide luxury, high-end apartments and residential communities for residents, delivering nursing, respite and dementia care. High-end
Developer Ask Real Estate has handed over One Strawberry Lane in Newcastle city centre to Home Group, one of the UK’s largest providers of social housing. The 70,000 sq ft six storey building, designed by Ryder Architecture and built by BAM Construction, is Home Group’s new headquarters providing a sustainable
As part of the safe management of Madeira Terrace, temporary structural propping work will take place to four of the 152 bays beneath the terrace from next week. The Grade II* listed terrace is regularly inspected to identify any recommended works, such as propping, which may be required to prevent further weakening of the structure. Following recommendations from the latest inspection, structural steelwork will be installed at four locations along the length of the terrace. This is important preparatory work ahead of Phase 1 of the major renovation project, which begins in the autumn. That covers 40 arches between the Royal Crescent Steps and Shelter Hall – the Concorde 2 venue. It is important that this preparatory work is carried out to provide extra support to the historic structure. The Green Wall The propping work specifically excludes any elements relating to the Green Wall. Consultation on this work has been undertaken with Brighton & Hove Building Green (a local community group closely involved with Madeira Terrace and the Green Wall), the council’s Biodiversity Officer, Planning Conservation Officer and the Madeira Terrace Restoration Project Team. The Fig Tree To enable the propping work to take place the fig tree to the eastern end of Madeira Terrace will need to be coppiced, as this is currently preventing access to two of the bays which require structural support. This work has been discussed and agreed with James Farrell of Building Green, and with the council’s Biodiversity Officer. Coppicing is a traditional method of tree and shrub management which involves cutting the plant to ground level. This promotes the fresh growth of many smaller shoots, which quickly grow upwards. High level vegetation Where plants are growing at a high-level in the bays and covering the beams on the underside of the arches, these will be cut back to allow a structural inspection of these beams to be done. Without being able to fully survey the structure concealed deterioration to the beams could weaken the Terrace. Contractors will also remove metal and timber debris beneath the arches to allow safe access for the propping work to be carried out. This will be carefully managed to ensure that the Green Wall to the rear is protected, even where vegetation has started to grow around the debris. No pesticides will be used in this work. Rejuvenating a valued asset Council Leader Phélim Mac Cafferty said: “Over the last 130 years it’s inevitable that the coastal weather has weakened some of the structure of Madeira Terraces. In order that we fully understand the nature of the problem, specialist teams are now inspecting the structure so restoration can get underway. Extra steel supports will be installed to help prop up the Terraces to keep the structure safe as this necessary work happens. “Local experts are working with council teams to secure this next step on the path to a restored Madeira Terrace. Longer term, the new Terrace will signal a rejuvenated eastern seafront with a valued asset for generations to come.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of multi-sector construction and civil engineering projects, along with its client Edmond de Rothschild has celebrated the topping out of a 406-apartment build-to-rent project on Kent Street in the centre of Birmingham. To mark the occasion, one of the final sections of concrete was poured – an upstand to an automatic opening vent on the seventeenth-storey roof of Block A – and finished by the investment house’s leadership team and Winvic’s Director of Multi-room, Mark Jones. The project, which comprises 154 one-bedroom, 228 two-bedroom and 24 three-bedroom apartments is on the former site of the Kent Street Swimming Baths. Winvic began the enabling works in April 2021 and construction works commenced in August 2021. Contained by roads on all sides, the compact site has seen the reinforced concrete slip formed cores and frames rise to seven, eight, 10 and 18 storeys since then. The 10-storey tower is on the corner of Gooch Street and Kent Street and the tallest block – which also has a basement car park for 95 vehicles – is on the corner Bromsgrove Street and Henstead Street. Works to the roofs as well as the Steel Frame System and window installations are over halfway through their programmes across the whole project. The Winvic team is also focusing on the façade to Block D – where brick slip panels are being installed – and internal fit out to Blocks D, A and C including partitions, first fix mechanical and electrical works and the plant room. To watch the continued progress via an on-site camera, visit Winvic Live. The scheme will also feature green roofs, a ground floor commercial space, shared resident amenity areas and a landscaped central courtyard with community hub. Winvic is scheduled to hand over the scheme in 2024. Mark Jones, Winvic’s Director of Multi-room, said: “It’s particularly rewarding to reach the topping out stage of a RC Framed building and we were delighted to be able to celebrate this important milestone with our client and the funders. We’ve been working as one team with Edmond de Rothschild to ensure progress is on track and the people of Birmingham will now start to see the brick slip façade envelop the buildings. I’d like to thank our team for their hard work to get to this stage. Everyone is looking forward to a productive year and final push to completion in 2024.” Tim Holden, Edmond de Rothschild – REIM Head of Residential UK – added: “We are delighted to be developing 400 apartments for Build-to-rent in Birmingham in partnership with Winvic. This scheme is an important project in our 2,600-unit portfolio. Working with Winvic is always a good experience and the topping out is an important milestone. We look forward to reaching practical completion so that our in-house lettings and property management service can begin to let and manage this exciting place-making scheme in the centre of Birmingham. I would like to thank our investors for participating in this project and the project team that’s bringing this landmark project to fruition.” For more information on Winvic, the company’s latest project news and job vacancies please visit www.winvic.co.uk. Join Winvic on social media – visit Twitter @WinvicLtd – and LinkedIn. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Specialist repairs and maintenance provider, Sovini Property Services, are delighted to have been appointed onto Torus‘ biggest framework to date. Leading North-West housing Group, Torus, recently launched its new framework which will see trusted contractors Sovini Property Services work in conjunction with HMS to manage and maintain 40,000 homes. Following the successful completion of a robust and transparent procurement exercise, award-winning maintenance firm Sovini Property Services were appointed as a key contractor. The new framework encompasses several workstreams, including Responsive and Void repairs, Cyclical Maintenance, Estate Services and Facilities Management, and will support the Group in responding quickly and appropriately to the needs of its tenants and providing reassurance that all services delivered are of a high standard. Utilising a framework approach, Sovini Property Services will enable Torus to become more agile in how they deliver repairs and maintenance services. Available to other Registered Providers, the framework will help guarantee quality, value for money and ultimately more investment by Torus in its portfolio of properties and communities. Mike Dale, Head of Services and Growth at Sovini Property Services, commented “We’re delighted to be appointed onto the framework, working in collaboration with Torus who share similar values. We recognise the value our partnership is set to bring, supporting Torus’ vision to enable the development of economically vibrant communities and independent lives.” Discussing the launch of its Repairs and Maintenance Framework, Torus Chief Operating Officer, Cath Murray-Howard said “I’m delighted to be working with Sovini Property Services and HMS to provide a long-term, sustained service to our customers. Each proposal highlighted both organisations commitment to their customers, communities and a job well done, which aligned wholly with how Torus operates, and I am looking forward to seeing both organisations bring our values directly into our customers’ homes.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
AG, leading paving and building manufacturer, has won EIGHT major industry awards in quick succession across the UK and Ireland. Established over 60 years ago, AG is a 3rd generation family-owned business which now employs more than 230 people at eight locations across the UK and Ireland. The first accolade was being Highly Commended in both the Manufacturer of the Year and Best Family Business categories at the Business Eye awards. The awards showcase the success of companies across specialist categories and sectors. The company was recognised at the ceremony for its best-in-class walling, paving and facing brick products. The third award – from The Plant and Civil Engineering Awards for R&D Innovation of the Year– provided positive proof of AG’s ground-breaking work within the sector. AG was also recognised at the prestigious RoSPA awards where they were rewarded for their ongoing commitment to health and safety in the workforce. These best-in-class awards recognise companies that are going above and beyond to ensure their workplace is safe. Their commitment and dedication of all AG employees and contractors to safety within the company was further recognised at the NISG (Northern Ireland Safety Group) Safety Awards for 2022 where AG received a Distinction Award. The next award was for Sustainability and Quality Engineer Catherine Campbell who picked up the Future Leader award at the Innovate UK KTP Awards ceremony. The Future Leader Award is given to associates who have shown “exceptional skills in driving and delivering innovation strategy, demonstrating great teamwork and outstanding leadership potential”. As well as this AG won the Best Branding and Positioning Campaign for AG’s launch of its latest ground-breaking product, Enduur Led by Head of Marketing Ross Telford, the team launched an integrated campaign across digital and traditional media including innovative, sharply focused content aimed to showcase the unique benefits of Enduur. AG’s dedication to introducing sustainable practices into their processes saw them win their eight award of the season in the Business in the Community Benchmarking Survey. This survey scores, recognises, and rewards organisations that are going above and beyond their legal environmental requirements. AG already has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the industry and this award highlights their commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its operations to an absolute minimum. Stephen Acheson, CEO at AG, said winning the eight major awards was fitting recognition of the outstanding work everyone at AG has been doing. “We are extremely proud to receive these eight prestigious awards. The past year has seen continued growth within challenging market conditions, and it is truly amazing to be able to share these awards with everyone at AG as we recognise their hard work and commitment to doing and being better.” “Since we first opened over 60 years ago, we have held family values at the core of our business operations and are committed to making construction, better, faster and safer. Innovation is at the heart of what we do, and we plan to continue our focus in these areas while maintaining our community work and investment in the training and development of our staff.” To find out more about AG, visit their website – www.ag.uk.com. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Addington Capital Sells 1-27 Station Parade, Elm Park, Hornchurch East London to Property Development Solutions Europe Addington Capital, the property investment and asset management specialist and its joint venture partners have sold 1-27 Station Parade Elm Park, Hornchurch, East London to Property Development Solutions Europe for £12 million. Elm Park is a mixed-use scheme comprising 20 retail units, anchored by a 7,000 sq ft Co-op store, and 31 residential units. The property has been actively asset managed by Addington Capital since the property was purchased in 2014*. Through a reconfiguration of the site and rolling refurbishments on the residential units, the rents have increased 73.5% between purchase and disposal. David Dalrymple, Partner at Addington Capital said, “Our business plan for Elm Park has been successful. The scheme is fully let, and we reached the right stage in our cycle to sell. We believe there is good future redevelopment potential for the scheme to the rear and the potential to add an additional storey of residential to the existing structure.” Agents for the vendors were Allsop LLP. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The RIBA has published a guide for its members on the legal implications of the Building Safety Act and other draft regulations in England.. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A social landlord and a software company have won a UK leading housing award. Platform Housing Group, one of the UK’s largest housing associations, and software company Voicescape have won the Best Customer Impact category in the NHMF – National Housing Maintenance Forum – awards. The winners were unveiled at the National Housing Maintenance Forum Conference on Tuesday 24 January in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. The entry focused on the social landlord’s employment of the Voicescape Compliance solution resulting in a significant increase in customer’s first-time gas appointments. Voicescape Compliance helps compliance teams meet their statutory property maintenance requirements; in the case of Platform Property Care, it is being used for annual gas safety checks. In essence, the software automates the process of booking, confirming and rescheduling appointments with customers before they happen. This prevents both non-compliance and the cost of no-access visits. Prior to using this new technology, the social landlord was booking gas appointments through either letters or texts; if a customer needed to rearrange an appointment it required the customer to make contact. Lee Vernalls, Assistant Director at Platform Property Care said: “We are absolutely delighted to win the Best Customer Impact Award; it is really a credit to both Voicescape’s powerful digital solution and our colleagues at Platform who have embraced it. “Voicescape has allowed us to change the way we schedule our gas servicing appointments, moving from a prescriptive approach to a more consultative approach. We are now providing a better service for our customers and ultimately reducing the cost and inefficiency of no access appointments. We can now see, in real time, the customers who have confirmed appointments and those who still require contact. Having this level of information is truly changing how we work.” Bill Williams, Chief Revenue Officer at Voicescape said: “We’re incredibly proud of our work with Platform Property Care. No access appointments are an age old challenge for the social housing sector which requires a new approach. Not only is compliance a reputational risk, it carries a cost burden. By automating a traditionally labour intensive task, organisations can free up valuable people to have more meaningful and impactful interactions – better for teams and for customers. I am confident the sector wide impact of the Voicescape Compliance solution, as evidenced by the results at Platform Property Care, will be significant.” In 10 months, the rate of no-access appointments has reduced by 10 per cent; it is hoped that – thanks to this powerful digital solution – this figure will continue to rise. Lee concluded : “Voicescape has provided us with a faster, more proactive approach to engaging with our customers and having quality conversations to meet their requirements. Our access rates have increased, allowing us to book appointments that suit the customers whilst also managing our compliance.” For further information please contact Lee Vernalls, Assistant Director at Platform Property Care at Lee.Vernalls@Platformhg.com. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Winvic Construction and its client Edmond de Rothschild has celebrated the topping out of a 406-apartment build-to-rent project on Kent Street in the centre of Birmingham. To mark the occasion, one of the final sections of concrete was poured – an upstand to an automatic opening vent on the seventeenth-storey roof of Block A – and finished by the investment house’s leadership team and Winvic’s Director of Multi-room, Mark Jones. The project, which comprises 154 one-bedroom, 228 two-bedroom and 24 three-bedroom apartments is on the former site of the Kent Street Swimming Baths. Winvic began the enabling works in April 2021 and construction works commenced in August 2021. Contained by roads on all sides, the compact site has seen the reinforced concrete slip formed cores and frames rise to seven, eight, 10 and 18 storeys since then. The 10-storey tower is on the corner of Gooch Street and Kent Street and the tallest block – which also has a basement car park for 95 vehicles – is on the corner Bromsgrove Street and Henstead Street. Works to the roofs as well as the Steel Frame System and window installations are over halfway through their programmes across the whole project. The Winvic team is also focusing on the façade to Block D – where brick slip panels are being installed – and internal fit out to Blocks D, A and C including partitions, first fix mechanical and electrical works and the plant room. The scheme will also feature green roofs, a ground floor commercial space, shared resident amenity areas and a landscaped central courtyard with community hub. Winvic is scheduled to hand over the scheme in 2024. Mark Jones, Winvic’s Director of Multi-room, said: “It’s particularly rewarding to reach the topping out stage of a RC Framed building and we were delighted to be able to celebrate this important milestone with our client and the funders. We’ve been working as one team with Edmond de Rothschild to ensure progress is on track and the people of Birmingham will now start to see the brick slip façade envelop the buildings. I’d like to thank our team for their hard work to get to this stage. Everyone is looking forward to a productive year and final push to completion in 2024.” Tim Holden, Edmond de Rothschild – REIM Head of Residential UK – added: “We are delighted to be developing 400 apartments for Build-to-rent in Birmingham in partnership with Winvic. This scheme is an important project in our 2,600-unit portfolio. Working with Winvic is always a good experience and the topping out is an important milestone. We look forward to reaching practical completion so that our in-house lettings and property management service can begin to let and manage this exciting place-making scheme in the centre of Birmingham. I would like to thank our investors for participating in this project and the project team that’s bringing this landmark project to fruition.” Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Beard Construction has completed two deluxe Signature Senior Lifestyle care homes under projects worth a combined £24.8m. The two projects – Signature at Caversham, in Berkshire, and Signature at Farnham Common, in Buckinghamshire – provide luxury, high-end apartments and residential communities for residents, delivering nursing, respite and dementia care. High-end materials and finishes – combined with Beard’s reputation for building excellence and quality – ensure five-star hotel comfort across both care homes. Farnham Common, which opened in January 2023, offers luxury assisted living and nursing in 74 studio-style apartments with private wet rooms, alongside facilities which include a café, restaurant, cinema, lounge areas, activity room, a pub, spa bathrooms, hair salon and therapy room. Officially opening in February 2023, Caversham is a four-floor care home with 86 apartments, split across a sloping site with views across to the Caversham lakes. Communal facilities will include the same range of facilities as Farnham Common on hand to residents. Both homes have been constructed from brick and render. Farnham’s roof is a tiled, mono ridge design while Caversham’s is Sarnafil topped with pebbles and lined with paving. Both projects remained operational during the second wave of the Covid pandemic with enhanced health and safety procedures designed to keep staff safe. Beard director Mike Hedges said: “The care sector is important to us, and our expertise means we can help clients to meet the increasing demand for the very best in assisted living spaces. Signature’s attention to detail in these homes and the high level of fit and finish is testament to the quality of living and care demanded by modern-day residents. “Beard’s core aim is to build with ambition and this project more than lives up to that ethos.” Alex Alexandru, General Manager at Signature at Farnham Common, said: “We are delighted to have worked with Beard to demonstrate what is possible in care home design. “As a community within a community, Signature at Farnham Common offers excellent residential, nursing, dementia, and respite care in luxury surroundings. “Our care home has been designed to be a hub of activity, with a host of communal spaces and social activities for residents, supported by highly trained team members committed to delivering true peace of mind to residents, relatives and their loved ones.” Carmela Magbitang, General Manager at Signature at Caversham said: “Signature at Caversham provides a warm, welcoming and luxury community which will offer industry-leading care, luxurious facilities and surroundings along with top-quality dining and nutrition. “We look forward to working in partnership with the communities we serve, both inside and outside of our home. We are also delighted to have partnered once more with Beard, who have meticulously supported us to realise our aspirations for excellence in this project.” Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Developer Ask Real Estate has handed over One Strawberry Lane in Newcastle city centre to Home Group, one of the UK’s largest providers of social housing. The 70,000 sq ft six storey building, designed by Ryder Architecture and built by BAM Construction, is Home Group’s new headquarters providing a sustainable workspace for 700 of its 3,500 strong workforce. It will be open and accessible to the local community and is the first workspace in the UK to be specifically designed for a post-Covid hybrid way of working. Home Group has taken a 30 year lease on the building which was acquired by Canada Life Asset Management in 2020 for approximately £30 million. Two of the five floors will be let to external organisations. During development, Home Group has worked closely with Connected Voice, an organisation which supports local charities, social enterprises and voluntary community groups, to help tailor One Strawberry Lane’s space, and the expertise within. During construction One Strawberry Lane returned a 44% social value score, (validated by The Social Value Portal), three times the national average for a similar sized project. Home Group and its delivery partners Ask and BAM also set up a community projects fund, with a pot of £150,000, comprising financial contributions, labour and donated materials. Seven projects run by local charities and community groups were selected for support, including: a new lwellbeing centre at The Mercy Hub; a community garden at Pendower and the redecoration of the West End Foodbank. Ask worked closely with Home Group to secure funding and to deliver a next generation office building which would satisfy the Group’s long term workspace requirements whilst also delivering a highly sustainable, energy efficient and flexible building. One Strawberry Lane is the first in the region to achieve both SmartScore and WiredScore certifications. Mark Henderson, Chief Executive of Home Group, said: “This is a building like no other presently in the city. We are proud to be leading the way for things like SmartScore certification and to deliver the first purpose-built workspace for hybrid working. But, for me, what sets One Strawberry Lane apart above all else is the fact it will be integrated into its environment, working to support and interact with the city’s organisations, businesses and communities. Home Group has been rooted in the North-East for close to 90 years. We know this region, we know this city and we know its communities. One Strawberry Lane represents Home Group’s absolute determination to be ever closer linked into our communities. And I hope our office is the beginning of a trend for city centre offices to be more open and welcoming to their fellow citizens and be a part of a vibrant city culture.” Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
