Leading and award winning build-to-rent provider Placefirst has submitted a full planning application for its exciting 146 home BTR scheme in Newcastle. Named Benwell Dene, plans for the site, located two miles west of Newcastle city centre, would deliver a variety of two, three and four-bedroom homes available for long
A Northern housing association’s plans to deliver much-needed affordable, highly energy efficient homes in North Yorkshire are well underway as two new housing developments in Hambleton District take shape. Karbon Homes is working with contractor T.Manners & Sons to bring 111 new homes to completion on two sites in Sowerby.
The Ayrshire Hospice officially marked the start of building work on its major £17 million-pound redevelopment project on Wednesday 5th April. Joined by representatives from NHS Ayrshire & Arran and the three local authorities, Ayrshire Hospice Chief Executive Tracy Flynn led the breaking-ground ceremony as work begins to transform the
Stanhope, on behalf of investors Mitsui Fudosan and Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), and some of their clients, is announcing today the completion of 1 Wood Crescent at Television Centre in West London and its availability for letting to prospective tenants. 1 Wood Crescent is a new nine storey building
When Designer Contracts, the UK’s largest flooring contractor, embarked on a project which is helping transform a former Liverpool children’s home into a bustling urban village, supply issues threatened to de-rail the tight deadline for fitting hundreds of square metres of carpet tiles and safety flooring. But thanks to a
Planning permission was granted on Tuesday 28th March for the major regeneration of three key sites in the Church Street neighbourhood. This followed a recent positive resident ballot result which saw the community support the revised proposals. The Church Street Regeneration Programme will deliver up to 1,120 new homes and
Following a stern letter to insulation manufacturer Kingspan, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities, Michael Gove has now written to the products firm Arconic demanding it to pay for fire safety defects at dangerous high-rise buildings. The manufacturing company supplied the aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding panels
The outlook for construction investment remains challenging, with little or no growth coupled with persistently high inflation creating stagflation, the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) cautioned in its latest industry report. It found that the dramatic increases in costs of materials were stabilising, but added that products which were energy
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) have jointly published a free guide to managing Safety-Critical Elements (SCEs) in building construction, for their members and the wider built environment sector. The Guide to Managing Safety-Critical Elements in Building Construction helps to identify high-risk elements in and around buildings. It outlines systems
Pre-teens and young teenagers are being inspired to investigate careers in the construction industry, thanks to the passion of some of the team at insulation specialist Actis. The latest event which gave students insight into professional opportunities within the sector was at a Bedfordshire middle school, which invited South East
Leading and award winning build-to-rent provider Placefirst has submitted a full planning application for its exciting 146 home BTR scheme in Newcastle. Named Benwell Dene, plans for the site, located two miles west of Newcastle city centre, would deliver a variety of two, three and four-bedroom homes available for long term rent. The proposed scheme will redevelop the 2.75ha brownfield site which has been vacant for over a decade. Benwell Dene has been designed in partnership with JM Architects and Southern Green. The design integrates a network of sustainable urban drainage systems and Placefirst’s well renowned communal green spaces, as well as public open space and an area dedicated to habitat creation and biodiversity net gain. The plans also respond to the historic layout of the site, working with the existing levels to create a modern and sustainable interpretation of the traditional terrace street pattern, with unique communal spaces which maximise views across the Tyne Valley. Placefirst has worked collaboratively with Newcastle City Council and earlier this year held a public consultation to present the proposed scheme and engage with local residents for their input. Other key members of the project team include civil and structural engineers, Curtins, project managers and planning consultants, Identity Consult, and MEP consultants, TACE. All homes have been designed to a high specification and with a focus on sustainability and energy efficiency, with a fabric first approach to maximise thermal efficiency and renewable technologies including photovoltaic panels and air source heat pumps. The neighbourhood will also accommodate electric vehicle charging and a resident car club. 37 homes have been designed as Part M4(2) accessible and adaptable homes. Placefirst has an impressive portfolio of single-family rental homes in the North East which continues to grow. Neighbourhoods include ‘The Green’ in Hartlepool, ‘Scholars View’ in Hetton-le-Hole, a thriving community of 116 new build homes, and ‘The Oaks’ at Esh Winning in Durham, where work started in September 2022 to build the largest delivery of bungalows in a generation in the area. Placefirst manages every aspect of each neighbourhood with specialist teams, from the first rental enquiry through to maintaining each home with an on site presence once complete. Residents at Benwell Dene would benefit from skilled, friendly in-house teams, and dedicated resident services managers. If approved, work is expected to start later this year. James Litherland, head of planning at Placefirst commented: “Our plans for Benwell Dene seek to provide quality and choice in the single-family BTR sector which is currently underserved in Newcastle. We have designed a stand out neighbourhood which integrates sustainable features such as an innovative urban drainage network, communal open space and areas dedicated to resident well-being and habitat creation.” “We are excited about the opportunity to transform this prominent brownfield site in the heart of the West End into an exceptional neighbourhood of 146 new homes. It has been designed specifically for long term rent and residents would benefit from well-maintained, energy efficient homes, with a strong sense of community.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A Northern housing association’s plans to deliver much-needed affordable, highly energy efficient homes in North Yorkshire are well underway as two new housing developments in Hambleton District take shape. Karbon Homes is working with contractor T.Manners & Sons to bring 111 new homes to completion on two sites in Sowerby. The plan is part of Karbon’s wider new homes programme in the region, which outlines ambitions to develop over 700 new affordable homes across Yorkshire before March 2028. Zoey Hawthorne, Assistant Director of Development Delivery at Karbon Homes, said: “It’s great to see these two developments progressing at Sowerby, providing much-needed affordable homes for local residents in a district where demand is high. “With a mix of property types and sizes, available for both affordable rent and affordable home ownership tenures, the new homes provide options for a range of households and allow families who would otherwise be priced out to remain in the area.” On a site off Saxty Way in the village, Karbon is building 47 affordable homes consisting of a mix of one-bed flats, two-bed bungalows and two and three-bed family homes. Available for affordable rent, rent to buy and shared ownership, the modern, energy efficient homes will boast a range of enhanced energy efficiency measures, including air source heat pumps and solar PV panels, to cut emissions and help lower residents’ heating bills. Work is expected to complete in early 2024. Just a mile away, a second scheme off Back Lane will bring a further 64 new two, three and four-bed homes. T.Manners & Sons is restarting work on the site after taking over from original contractor Tolent, which went into administration in February. The site will provide new homes available for a mix of affordable rent and affordable home ownership tenures, Rent to Buy and Shared Ownership. Wayne Harris, Construction Director at T Manners & Sons, said: “It’s great to be working with Karbon Homes to bring these two developments to fruition, delivering new affordable homes that will be of great benefit to local people. “Work is well underway at Saxty Way and the reception we’ve received from the community has been really positive. Now we’re taking over at Back Lane, it’s great to be delivering both sites just a mile apart and we look forward to getting work started again.” Both developments are being supported with grant funding from Homes England through Karbon’s Strategic Partnership with the government’s housing delivery agency. The strategic partnership has provided the housing association with £131.5m in funding to deliver 2,200 new affordable homes across the North East and Yorkshire over the next few years. All 111 new homes will be managed by 54North Homes, a subsidiary of the Karbon Group. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Ayrshire Hospice officially marked the start of building work on its major £17 million-pound redevelopment project on Wednesday 5th April. Joined by representatives from NHS Ayrshire & Arran and the three local authorities, Ayrshire Hospice Chief Executive Tracy Flynn led the breaking-ground ceremony as work begins to transform the site ahead of reopening in Summer 2024. Tracy said: “This is a historic milestone for the Ayrshire Hospice and, as a team, we are so excited to start building our new hospice which will be a centre of excellence for palliative and end of life care for the people of Ayrshire and Arran, right here in Racecourse Road.” Site clearing and demolition carried out by McLaughlin & Harvey began in December last year and the ground is now ready for work to begin to deliver a facility Ayrshire can be proud of. John McClintock, McLaughlin & Harvey Operations Director – Healthcare, explained: “McLaughlin & Harvey is delighted to have marked the first official milestone of our Ayrshire Hospice project. We bring with us a wealth of previous healthcare experience, and look forward to undertaking the substructure and structural works on this meaningful project in the coming weeks.” The Ayrshire Hospice Board of Trustees and Leadership Team were joined by Provost Iain Campbell and Chief Executive Eileen Howat from South Ayrshire Council, in addition to Craig McArthur, Director of Health and Social Care Partnership for East Ayrshire Council and Russell McCutcheon, Executive Director (Place), from North Ayrshire Council. NHS Ayrshire & Arran Chief Executive Claire Burden was also in attendance to mark the significant milestone in the project. Tom Steele, Chair of the Ayrshire Hospice Board of Trustees added: “The breaking ground ceremony is a seminal moment for our new hospice as work begins to lay down foundations. Although this sub-structure is something that people can’t see, it is arguably one of the most crucial points of the project from which our new infrastructure will be built.” Andrew Baillie, Ayrshire Hospice Trustee and Chair of the Capital Project Governance Committee added: “Breaking Ground is the first major milestone in what will be an amazing new facility for the Hospice. Over the coming months work will progress onto foundations, the superstructure and then the roof before moving into the interior fit-out. “It’s exciting to be not only creating a wonderful facility for patients, relatives and staff but helping to contribute to our sustainable future.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Stanhope, on behalf of investors Mitsui Fudosan and Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), and some of their clients, is announcing today the completion of 1 Wood Crescent at Television Centre in West London and its availability for letting to prospective tenants. 1 Wood Crescent is a new nine storey building comprising 112,247 sq ft of prime office space located on the west side of the Television Centre campus which includes multiple terraces, all with views over Hammersmith Park and the surrounding White City area and beyond. The building is designed by architects Morris+Company and constructed by Laing O’Rourke. PVH Corp., parent company to brands including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, has already leased the top five floors of the brand-new building as its new UK headquarters, totaling 50,000 sq ft of office space. Jonathan Trout, Property & Commercial Director, Stanhope said: “We are looking forward to welcoming PVH Corp. to the completed 1 Wood Crescent building, providing the fashion and lifestyle powerhouse a Grade A, BREEAM ‘Excellent’ building as the base of its UK operations. The creative giant is an invaluable addition both to Television Centre and White City Place which continue to attract global brands as occupiers across the media and sciences sectors.” Tomoo Nakamura, Managing Director, Mitsui Fudosan UK said: “We are proud of the timely delivery of 1 Wood Crescent only two years following the start of construction. It is yet another successful milestone in the redevelopment of Television Centre. Mitsui Fudosan are delighted to be offering world-class facilities to creative companies looking to move to a growing innovation and business hub in West London.” Rupert Wingfield, Real Estate Head, Europe, AIMCo said: “We are delighted that PVH Corp. is relocating its UK headquarters to the new 1 Wood Crescent building. The building completion represents a significant addition to the creative ecosystem at Television Centre and offers new occupiers state-of-the-art office space with sustainability at its heart.” PVH Corp. will be the latest in a growing list of existing fashion and creative occupiers at Television Centre and White City Place, including the BBC and ITV, BBC Worldwide, Publicis Media, Soho House, ME+EM and the White Company. 1 Wood Crescent will take its place at Television Centre, a thriving estate at the heart of an £8 billion regeneration of White City. The unique mixed-use site has rapidly become one of the UK’s most forward-thinking hubs for creative industries, café and restaurants, apartments and a hotel attracting some of the UK’s best creative talent and businesses, alongside the neighbouring business, creative and life sciences innovation district at White City Place. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
When Designer Contracts, the UK’s largest flooring contractor, embarked on a project which is helping transform a former Liverpool children’s home into a bustling urban village, supply issues threatened to de-rail the tight deadline for fitting hundreds of square metres of carpet tiles and safety flooring. But thanks to a lot of chasing, some lucky deliveries and a dedicated team of just two floor layers, the entire project – which included screeding of the ground floor tile areas and fitting 96 stair nosings – was completed in two-and-a-half weeks and came in bang on deadline. From initial inspection to final sign off, the project at the former Fazakerley Cottage Homes, built in 1888, took Designer Contracts around five months after being commissioned to undertake the work by building contractor, Next Big Thing. The work was carried out between October 31, 2022, and November 18 2022 Now known as The Clocktower offices, it is part of a wider redevelopment scheme by Urban Splash to bring new life to an old site, transforming the historic building into one fit for commercial use. Luke Ryan, Designer Contract’s project manager for the installation said: “This was a great project to be part of and involved laying some 1300sqm of carpet tiles and 125sqm of safety flooring. During the fitting stage of the project we discussed changing the original plan of fitting carpet tiles throughout the ground floor communal corridor and decided to leave some of the original floorboards exposed. Keeping some of the authentic character of the building really enhanced the finished look. “To meet the brief we installed Select Carpet Tiles (Anthracite) in a linear pattern to three floors and Altro Wood Safety (Walkway – Manor Oak) in wet areas and kitchens. The site manager made this extremely easy to plan with constant communication of where the renovation was and was going to be at certain points. “We were also in constant touch with the guy running the site about the subfloors to ensure a perfect finish. “Hitting deadline dates at a time of stock issues was the main challenge but with a little luck and a lot of persistence we got there – and the client is extremely pleased with the finished result.” Said John Grugel of Next Big Thing Developments: “The fitting team did a great job on the Grade 2 listed building at The Clocktower. The two-man team fitting the carpets and vinyl throughout the office, toilet and kitchen areas were very efficient and the quality of work was to a good standard.” AddedMiles Pearson,co-owner of Jordan Street Studios at the Clocktower Park Offices: “The Clock Tower building is the centre piece of this 1890 listed estate and required both good design solutions and the highest quality of work along with a high level of durability. We have worked with Designer Contracts on this and other commercial schemes and have always found their product specification and installation to be of the highest quality. Both ourselves as developers and our tenants are extremely happy with the results and we look forward to working with them again on our future developments. I would have no hesitation recommending them and the completion photos demonstrate the high-end finish we were looking for.” From a development that once consisted of 24 cottages that were used as homes for children, The Clocktower now houses the NHS, Liverpool City Council, Fazakerley Special Needs and a private nursery the Clocktower. Redevelopment at the site is ongoing. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Planning permission was granted on Tuesday 28th March for the major regeneration of three key sites in the Church Street neighbourhood. This followed a recent positive resident ballot result which saw the community support the revised proposals. The Church Street Regeneration Programme will deliver up to 1,120 new homes and will ensure the re-provision of all existing council homes with new higher quality council homes for social rent with affordable homes making up over 50% of the homes delivered in the scheme. The approved plans will enable the council to: The plans will transform the three key sites in the Church Street neighbourhood re-providing 228 council homes at a better quality, allowing council tenants the right to return, and delivering at least 156 additional council homes for social rent. A further 169 intermediate rent homes bring the total provision of affordable homes across all three sites to over 50%. Local residents have voted in favour of the Council’s two major regeneration schemes at Church Street and Ebury Bridge. This has unlocked £60m in additional funding from the GLA which has enabled delivery of higher levels of truly affordable housing. Along with the delivery of new homes, the regeneration will also deliver enhanced infrastructure and improvements to Church Street Market (such as increased storage and van parking for market traders) allowing it to continue to flourish and to provide opportunities for increased vibrancy and footfall. Cllr Matt Noble, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Renters and Climate Action at Westminster City Council said: Now planning permission has been granted for Church Street, enabling work at Site A will begin later this year. The planning application submitted was a ‘hybrid’ application that consists of two parts: This means there will be further consultation and design development with the local community for Sites B, C and Church Street market, which will be done in due course. The council launched its new Fairer Westminster strategy in October 2022, which sets out how the council will work with the local community to support them and tackle inequality. The introduction of resident ballots aims to give residents a say on the future of their area and to deliver more council homes for social rent, building a fairer city for people to live in. As part of the new Fairer Westminster strategy, the target is for approximately 70% of affordable homes on council-owned developments to be Council homes for social rent. The council announced its commitment to increase the number of truly affordable homes in Westminster in October last year. The projected GLA funding for both Ebury and Church Street, takes the affordable homes total across all the Westminster schemes to at least 1,400 council homes for social rent. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Following a stern letter to insulation manufacturer Kingspan, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities, Michael Gove has now written to the products firm Arconic demanding it to pay for fire safety defects at dangerous high-rise buildings. The manufacturing company supplied the aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding panels that were part of the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower prior to the tragic fire that broke out in 2017. It is believed that the same combustible cladding material has also been used on many other buildings across the UK. During the Inquiry, Arconic faced much criticism, with the Counsel hearing that the firm had allegedly misled the market about the fire performance of its products. The firm’s lawyers countered these accusations by saying that the sale of ACM in the UK had been “entirely lawful” at the time of use and that the firm had been turned into a victim of “an agenda” to blame Arconic for the fire spread at Grenfell. In his letter directed at Arconic’s chief executive, Timothy Myers, Gove condemns the cladding firm’s lack of “meaningful” engagement with the remediation plans for dangerous high-rises. Sharing the letter on Twitter, Gove confirmed: “I have written to Arconic who have not taken any responsibility – moral or financial – for their role in the Grenfell tragedy & building safety crisis. They’ve instead spent around £9m per year on lawyers to defend themselves. I will use all tools at my disposal to make them pay.” Gove has given Myers a strict deadline – 12 April – in which to respond and arrange a meeting with government officials to explain how the company intends to “scope, identify, and pay for remediation work”. He reiterates that those companies that refuse to engage with remediation plans will face “commercial consequences”. In the letter, Gove states: “I have long argued that those who manufactured and sold flammable cladding and insulation products have a moral and financial obligation to acknowledge their role in the legacy of unsafe buildings in the United Kingdom. “The testimony at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry uncovered shameful practices and an abhorrent culture of disregard for the safety of residents in their homes. I was appalled by the evidence heard by the Inquiry about the extent that your employees went to so as to conceal the flammable nature of your products, and to avoid promoting fire-retardant products to customers – because doing so would reduce your profits. “I note with interest your annual reports, which reveal that Arconic spent an average of $11m USD (£8.9m) per year on legal advice and representation on Grenfell-related matters between 2017 and 2022. In stark contrast, you have not contributed any funding – not a single dollar or cent – towards the cost of fixing dangerous buildings, despite the fact that your flammable products continue to put lives at risk in the United Kingdom today.” Offering the company an opportunity to rectify its failings, Gove adds: “I invite you to meet my officials to explain how you intend to scope, identify, and pay for remediation works. This would go some way to restoring confidence in the sector. “Others in the industry, including Kingspan, and to some extent Saint-Gobain, have made tentative steps to acknowledge their responsibility and role in paying for remediation. Whilst this change in position is a positive step, I have made clear what is required: a comprehensive package of financial support from construction product manufacturers. Closing the letter, Gove reiterates: “My department will continue to be driven solely by our commitment to protect people in their homes: people who bought or rented homes in good faith, whose safety continues to be threatened by your products, and who deserve better from the companies who have exploited their basic need for a home. Those companies that do not share our commitment to righting wrongs of the past must expect to face commercial consequences.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The outlook for construction investment remains challenging, with little or no growth coupled with persistently high inflation creating stagflation, the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) cautioned in its latest industry report. It found that the dramatic increases in costs of materials were stabilising, but added that products which were energy intensive were still likely to see some price volatility. BCIS warned it was likely that labour would become the main cost driver in the near term as ingrained worker shortages and high inflation push up nationally agreed wage awards to match site rates for self-employed labour. BCIS head of consultancy Dr David Crosthwaite said: “The outlook for the construction industry at present is fairly bleak and challenging over the next five years. “While the wider economy seems unlikely to fall into a deep recession, a sustained period of stagflation is the best we can hope for, which will make for a difficult environment for construction investment. “New work output is still below the pre-crisis levels recorded in 2017 and forecasts suggest new work output won’t return to pre-crisis levels until 2027, representing ten years with no real growth in the sector and a lost decade. “Output in the largest sub sector, housing, is expected to decline sharply this year, with infrastructure the only sector showing any sustained growth over the next five years, despite recent tinkering with HS2 and the Lower Thames Crossing project. “This is based on our working assumption that the infrastructure and construction pipeline isn’t drastically cut back by the Government when this is reviewed in the autumn.” BCIS said the Office for Budget Responsibility was forecasting just one year of negative growth in 2023 but Crosthwaite feels that the recession may last longer as the fundamentals don’t support this upbeat prediction. In the wider economy, prices tend be sticky and the target of halving the Consumer Prices Index by the end of the year, and returning to long term trend by 2024, looks optimistic based on the data. Crosthwaite added: “Continuing interest rate rises are a blunt instrument and have the capacity to choke the economy. “Inflation is largely being driven by too little supply and not much demand. Any impact on future demand levels with relatively high interest rates impacting the cost of borrowing, could reduce investment levels further and result in increased recessionary pressures and a stagnating economy. “So, in the wider economy we have the prospects of relatively high inflation and the cost of borrowing increasing, combined with little or no growth.” BCIS also found private commercial property had not recovered since the 2008 peak, having suffered the fallout from the financial crash and the recent changes to demand for both retail and office space, which has fundamentally changed following the pandemic. Dramatic increases in material costs are predicted to slow as product supply continues to improve, which should help to offset the worst volatility in prices, which has been at its highest since the mid-1970s. However, most products which are energy intensive are still likely to see some price volatility. The overall size of the construction workforce has shrunk by more than 150,000 since the pandemic, driven by a significant decline in the number of self-employed workers and there remains a shortfall of 46,000 workers in the construction industry. For more information about BCIS, visit the website at www.bcis.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) have jointly published a free guide to managing Safety-Critical Elements (SCEs) in building construction, for their members and the wider built environment sector. The Guide to Managing Safety-Critical Elements in Building Construction helps to identify high-risk elements in and around buildings. It outlines systems that should be adopted to ensure that SCEs are properly incorporated and will serve as an important tool to ensure good practice and deliver safe, high-quality buildings. The joint guide recognises the cross-industry need for a rigorous and structured approach to the design, construction and inspection of safety-critical building elements. The guide highlights elements that, if omitted or installed incorrectly, can pose significant risk to people in and around buildings, including: CIOB past President Paul Nash, who chaired the Safety-Critical Elements working group, said: “At its heart, this guide is about ensuring that the buildings we create are safe for those who use them. That means ensuring every element that goes into a building is designed and installed correctly and this is independently verified before a building is occupied. The guide is another step towards creating a safer built environment.” Former President of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) and current member of RIBA’s Expert Advisory Group on Fire Safety Professor John Cole CBE said: “This guide is a spur to the industry. We have seen much evidence showing how poorly Safety-Critical Elements have been installed in too many buildings. We all have to stand up, be serious and take appropriate responsibility. We want to push the industry to ensure that, on every project, all SCEs that could potentially impact the safety of future building users are properly designed, installed and inspected, with supporting evidence of compliance.” Download the Guide to Managing Safety-Critical Elements in Building Construction. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Pre-teens and young teenagers are being inspired to investigate careers in the construction industry, thanks to the passion of some of the team at insulation specialist Actis. The latest event which gave students insight into professional opportunities within the sector was at a Bedfordshire middle school, which invited South East area sales director Steven Ellis to share his love of thermal efficiency with a rapt crowd of youngsters. Steven was one of a number of professionals, including representatives from the police, fire brigade and an architectural practice, talking to the youngsters at a ‘Careers Carousel’ at Marston Vale Middle School. Associate assistant head teacher at the school, Emma Ramsay, said the day was inspirational for the ten to 13-year-olds. “Steven set up a very visual stand for our pupils which really helped to attract them. Pupil engagement from years five to eight was high, with both male and female pupils being really engaged. Steven was personable and enthusiastic about Actis and his industry. Many pupils came away discussing what insulation is, why it is important and what sort of jobs are available within the sector. These career rich discussions were brilliant to hear!” She said they particularly enjoyed a competition to see who could make the tallest tower of Actis Hybris samples – with the winner managing 12! Steven added: “I was predominantly talking about careers In construction and manufacturer and what my typical day to day and week would entail, such as visiting builders on site, offering specifications and liaising with our direct customers.” Other members of the Actis team have been involved in recent years with educational activities aimed at encouraging young people to consider working in the industry. Actis northern regional sales director and Women in Construction ambassador Jemma Harris has spoken to students at a Construction Industry Training Board careers event and a school in Yorkshire, with the aim of inspiring young women to reject stereotypes and follow their dreams of a career in a male-dominated profession. South-West area sales manager Tom Hendzel has helped out with lectures to construction trainees at Cornwall’s Truro and Penwith College. Another team member flying the flag for women in construction is specification manager Amaret Chahal who has co-written the latest Actis CPD material. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
