Kier recently hosted an exclusive preview of ‘Open Doors 2024’, a Build UK initiative which takes young people and those looking for a change of career behind the site hoardings to experience construction first-hand. A group of students from Fulham Cross Academy were given an exclusive insight into what a
Ridge, the Built Environment Consultancy, announces the acquisition of Concert, to fast track its position in the data centre sector and strengthen its offering in the London market. Ridge has seen sustained growth over the last three years, with its headcount growing by 500 to 1100 and fee income increasing from £55m
Study Inn, the luxury hotel-style student accommodation owner, developer, and operator, celebrated another milestone in its journey to 10,000 rooms with the Topping Out ceremony of its latest Leeds development. The event marked a crucial point in the construction of its new 15 storey tower building. The ceremony was attended
AtkinsRéalis has won Learning Places Scotland’s prestigious ‘Consultancy of the Year’ award for the fourth time in five years. The global design, engineering and project management company picked up on the ‘Consultancy of the Year’ award and the ‘Project of the Year’ prize at the annual event hosted on Tuesday [14
Integritas Property Group (IPG), one of the fastest-growing property developers in the North West of England, has announced the opening of a new office in Dubai. The move is aimed at bringing foreign investment into the region, which is seeing a regeneration boom. The new office, located in Business Bay,
Wates Group has announced that it has approved near and long-term science-based emissions reduction targets with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The company has had its target for scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 validated by the SBTi. This puts Wates five years ahead of
Today, Dyson is launching the ‘Air Purity Pulse Check’ report, a detailed dive into UK attitudes towards the importance of indoor air quality. This in-depth study delves into the views of the public and business leaders, owners and managers on the problem of indoor air pollution. Poor air quality is
Kier recently hosted an exclusive preview of ‘Open Doors 2024’, a Build UK initiative which takes young people and those looking for a change of career behind the site hoardings to experience construction first-hand. A group of students from Fulham Cross Academy were given an exclusive insight into what a career in construction might look like as they toured Kier’s Refinery development at ARC West London, in Hammersmith and put their questions to the team. Refinery is the landmark high spec lab development which will provide a new home for UK life science organisations. The Considerate Constructors Scheme-registered site located on the Northern Embankment of the River Thames will create flexible laboratories and will create job opportunities within science and research-based specialisms, together with many facilities including cycle facilities for 200 bicycles and a new communal park integrating with the Thames Path. Kier has partnered with Build UK to open up a number of construction sites for next year’s Open Doors event, which will run across the country from Monday 13 – Saturday 18 March 2024. A wide range of organisations will be taking part, offering site visits across the UK, with projects ranging from tunnels to skyscrapers, as well as offices, factories, and other facilities to demonstrate the off-site roles across the sector. At the event on 9 November, the students studying construction and DT at the STEM specialist school in Fulham heard from six apprentices currently on emerging talent programmes within Kier. Programmes include Level 2 – 3 apprenticeships, Degree apprenticeships and Graduate schemes. Lina Othman – graduate design manager, Morgan Ford – CSR graduate, Daniel O’Connor – apprentice quantity surveyor, Teopista Nakitende – construction management degree apprentice, Vinoth Krishnasamy, graduate site manager and Alexis Ezekiel-Hart – apprentice site manager, all talked through their career experiences, showcasing the vast variety of roles and skills needed to contribute to the successful delivery of construction projects. Louisa Finlay, Kier Group’s chief people officer said: “The construction industry is vital to the UK economy and provides so many different roles and opportunities for people from all walks of life. Open Doors is a great initiative and Kier is proud to partner with Build UK to showcase the different careers on offer. It was great to share my own experiences of working in the sector for 35 years and listen to students who attended today’s event about their career aspirations, some of whom are already starting their training on construction-related courses.” Julie White, Build UK chair and managing director of D-Drill (Master Drillers) Ltd added: “Having grown up visiting construction sites with my father, I know what a difference seeing our industry in action makes. Open Doors is a unique opportunity for young people and those looking for a change of career to go behind the scenes of sites and other workplaces up and down the country and see what a career in construction looks like. Sites like Kier’s Refinery are a great example of how a diverse and talented team of people come together to deliver something special, and I would encourage the whole construction supply chain to follow their lead and open their doors next March to inspire the next generation to choose a career in our fantastic industry!” During the week-long programme of events for Open Doors 2024, visitors will get a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes and see the fantastic range of careers available in construction, including thousands of apprenticeship places. In addition to familiar site-based roles, many of the positions available are based externally, with companies able to showcase their back-office support network, front-of-house sales teams, and cutting-edge technical roles. Almost 100 events are already registered for visitors to explore throughout Open Doors Week and booking will open on the Open Doors website on 8 January 2024. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Ridge, the Built Environment Consultancy, announces the acquisition of Concert, to fast track its position in the data centre sector and strengthen its offering in the London market. Ridge has seen sustained growth over the last three years, with its headcount growing by 500 to 1100 and fee income increasing from £55m in 2020 to a forecast of £110m in 2023. The acquisition of Concert aligns with Ridge’s overarching strategic vision of ‘Quality, Innovation and Growth’, reinforcing its commitment to be at the forefront of the industry by nurturing talent and expanding its expertise. Concert, a London based firm of project managers, cost management and CDM consultants brings considerable capability and credibility in the data centre and commercial markets which have been identified as key growth areas in Ridge’s strategy. Established in 1974*, their track record in the data centre sector has been built across a number of high-profile schemes, for clients including Ark Data Centres, CyrusOne, Colt DCS, Green Mountain and Form8tion. In the commercial sector, Concert has enjoyed long standing relationships with clients such as JPMorgan and Nuveen. Adrian O’Hickey, Senior Partner at Ridge, said: “This acquisition is the next stage in our vision of sustainably growing Ridge over the long term. Concert is well established in two of our target growth sectors: Data Centres and Commercial, and their talented team bring a depth and range of additional knowledge, skills, and relationships. This acquisition will also strengthen our offering in the competitive London market. Our values and vision are well aligned, focusing on delivering positive client and employee experiences through innovation, collaboration, proactivity, agility and doing the right thing.” Rennie Dalrymple, Managing Director at Concert, said: “It is a very exciting time in the data centre sector, joining Ridge will enable us to strengthen and broaden our services, supporting clients with their significant investment plans for delivering complex developments in the UK and Europe. We look forward to being part of Ridge and supporting the business expansion in London by combining our highly experienced teams to deliver market leading consultancy advice.” Ridge has purchased 100% of Concert and its subsidiaries. The sale was completed on 3 November. Concert will initially continue to operate under its current brand with a phased integration into the Ridge structure in 2024. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Study Inn, the luxury hotel-style student accommodation owner, developer, and operator, celebrated another milestone in its journey to 10,000 rooms with the Topping Out ceremony of its latest Leeds development. The event marked a crucial point in the construction of its new 15 storey tower building. The ceremony was attended by Study Inn Directors to acknowledge the project’s significance to the Leeds community. Phase 1 of the development, comprised regeneration of an existing landmark building and was opened by the group in September 22, delivering 163 rooms. This new second phase will add a further 222 rooms and is on track for opening as planned in September 2024. Safety and sustainability have been at the forefront of innovative design. Amenities already opened with the first phase of the development are to Study Inn’s brand standard and include a wellness spa, yoga studio, gym, entertainment area, and bowling lanes. The link block joining the two buildings will include a large reception area and study rooms with modern breakout spaces. “We are delighted to mark this significant milestone in our ongoing drive to redefine student living in the UK. It is a testament to our dedication to providing a dynamic, conducive environment for academic growth and personal development and we eagerly anticipate the positive impact this facility will bring to the Leeds community,” said Simon Liversage, MD of Developments at Study Inn Group. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
AtkinsRéalis has won Learning Places Scotland’s prestigious ‘Consultancy of the Year’ award for the fourth time in five years. The global design, engineering and project management company picked up on the ‘Consultancy of the Year’ award and the ‘Project of the Year’ prize at the annual event hosted on Tuesday [14 November] at the Hilton, Glasgow. The Consultancy of the Year award is valuable recognition that AtkinsRéalis has demonstrated outstanding work in the education sector across Scotland during 2022/23, which has also been a fantastic period of growth with 20% uplift in projects delivered in 18 months. More than 60 education projects have been delivered during this period, including new facilities for 917 early years children, and improvement to classroom facilities for more than 21,000 new inspiring student and staff spaces. Kirsty Whitfield, Regional Managing Director for Scotland & Ireland Project & Programme Services, said: “I’m proud our team has been awarded Consultancy of the Year for a fourth time. Winning the award is true testament to our Scottish team’s commitment to ensuring high quality, innovation and collaboration in all our projects. Our fantastic team put everything into the success of our projects, driving to improve the learning experience for thousands of young people across Scotland. My congratulations go out to all those involved, and I thank our entire team and our partners for all their hard work and dedication.” James Butler, Managing Director for Project & Programme Services adds: “It’s a remarkable achievement and I’m so proud of our team. Picking up this award for the fourth time in five years not only reflects on the excellence of our team in Scotland, but also the amazing portfolio of education projects we have to work on, which is a real privilege. Congratulations to the team once again for being recognised for their efforts to deliver success for our clients.” The team continues to provide outstanding multi-disciplinary services delivering 40% of Scotland’s LEIP funded schools across nine local authorities, continuing to work with 10 Scottish Universities delivering >£200M of projects at University of St Andrews, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. AtkinsRéalis supports Scotland’s ambition to be net zero by 2045, increasing the number of Passivhaus schools delivered, whilst collaborating with the SFT, local authorities and Universities. The team has generated £25M in Salix funding for its education clients. As well as the Consultancy of the Year award, AtkinsRealis received further award recognition from Learning Places Scotland: – AtkinsRéalis was appointed by Heriot-Watt University as Project Manager and Employer’s Agent, reflecting our longstanding relationship with the university and our extensive experience of higher education and research buildings. The £22m facility creates world-class robotic solutions for homes, healthcare, manufacturing, construction, energy and agritech and is the UK’s largest and most advanced robotics and AI research and teaching centre. In 2023, AtkinsRéalis underwent significant growth in the national education sector, providing multi-disciplinary services to over 600 education clients. The firm also picked up Consultancy of the Year award at the Education Estates awards in Birmingham last month. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Integritas Property Group (IPG), one of the fastest-growing property developers in the North West of England, has announced the opening of a new office in Dubai. The move is aimed at bringing foreign investment into the region, which is seeing a regeneration boom. The new office, located in Business Bay, one of Dubai’s central business and commercial hubs, will serve as a base for IPG’s existing investors in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East regions. From working with first-time to seasoned investors who want to explore diversifying into the UK real estate market and ultra-high net worth investors for Joint Venture Partnerships, IPG’s new Dubai office will be a base for IPG to expand across Middle East. Leah Higginson and Lori Driscoll, who both have extensive experience in global investment management, have been recently appointed to manage this new venture. With over a decade of experience in the property industry, Leah Higson has cultivated robust relationships with industry leaders with extensive expertise spanning a wide spectrum of areas, including residential and commercial investments, portfolio management, and comprehensive research and analysis of the UK property market. Lori Driscoll brings more than a decade of multifaceted real estate experience, garnered in both the UK and the Middle East. Her expertise encompasses various aspects of the real Commenting on the opening of the new office, CEO & Founder of IPG, Mitchell Walsh, said: “We are excited to be expanding our international presence with the opening of a new office in Dubai. Over the last 18 months, we have seen an increasing demand from our Middle Eastern investors and wanted to ensure that we were able to offer them the best possible service.” Leah Higginson, Global Investment Manager, continued, “IPG’s Dubai office will showcase the immense potential of the UK’s property market, which has consistently attracted a diverse array of property investors, including those from overseas. “The UK’s property market offers stability in the economy, a secure and well-regulated legal framework for property investment, currency hedging against fluctuations in the GCC currencies alongside a consistent track record of performance in terms of rental yield and capital appreciation. Liverpool, the home of IPG, is an emerging hot spot for landlords, with annual apartment rental rates experiencing an impressive surge, surpassing the national average rental increase, 10% signifying a significant upturn in the city’s real estate sector. IPG will initially promote its Sovereign Point development, situated in Liverpool, UK, while actively seeking investment opportunities for Dubai investors within its other units across all its developments. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Wates Group has announced that it has approved near and long-term science-based emissions reduction targets with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The company has had its target for scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 validated by the SBTi. This puts Wates five years ahead of the UK 2050 national Net Zero target. Wates is prioritising direct emissions reduction, however currently, 98% of the company’s greenhouse gas emissions fall under scope 3, with 85% of these from the products and services the company purchases from its supply chain. Reducing these emissions will therefore play a major role in reducing total emissions, and Wates is working closely with its supply chain partners to identify and deliver the necessary carbon reductions. The science-based Net Zero target is in addition to Wates’ existing near-term target which includes: • reducing Wates’ absolute scope 1 and 2 emissions by almost half (46.2%) by the end of 2030 against a 2019 baseline (The target boundary includes land-related emissions and removals from bioenergy feedstocks). • a commitment that 89% of Wates’ suppliers (by emissions) covering purchased goods and services will have science-based targets by the end of 2027. Wates’ ambition is to exceed its near-term target, as part of the Race to Zero campaign, and the company plans to halve its scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2030 against a 2019 baseline. Bekir Andrews, Interim ESG Director at Wates, said: “Having our targets validated by the SBTi is an important step to ensuring their validity and demonstrates our commitment to improve the sustainability of our business. “Our science-based Net Zero target is particularly ambitious given the carbon-intensive industry in which we operate. The UK’s buildings currently account for 25% of the country’s total emissions, making decarbonisation of this sector both more challenging and more critical. “We look forward to engaging with colleagues across our entire value chain to minimise our impact on the environment and establish sustainable business models for years to come. “The validation of a Net Zero target demonstrates Wates’ broader leadership in this space. Earlier this year, Wates announced its Environmental Sustainability Plan which illustrates its’ principal targets and the actions necessary to drive change.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Today, Dyson is launching the ‘Air Purity Pulse Check’ report, a detailed dive into UK attitudes towards the importance of indoor air quality. This in-depth study delves into the views of the public and business leaders, owners and managers on the problem of indoor air pollution. Poor air quality is a worldwide issue and is recognised by the UK government as ‘the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK’. The Air Purity Pulse Check found that over half of people polled are concerned about poor air quality impacting health, yet only 59% of people polled believe their own homes have good air quality. A growing consumer concern The report finds that nearly half (48%) of people polled think indoor air quality is more important than outdoor. Younger, working age respondents are more likely to be more concerned about indoor air quality, with over half (54%) of people between the ages of 25 to 34 years old and 51% of people between the ages 35 to 44 years old saying it concerns them more than outside air quality. When it comes to poor air quality’s effects on health, the UK public is even more worried: 55% of those surveyed say that they are concerned about poor air quality impacting their health and, of that group, 80% of respondents say they have become more concerned about this in the past three years. A study by Imperial College London found that 97% of UK homes exceed at least one of the World Health Organisation’s limits on three key air pollutants. People are taking steps with their indoor air quality at home, with 70% of people polled saying they have taken steps such as investing in air purifiers to improve home air quality. Tim Jones CEng MIET, Lead Research Engineer at Dyson, commented: “Despite indoor air quality being much more prevalent in our lives, people are far more aware of the impacts of poor outdoor air quality. At Dyson, we believe that it’s time to make the invisible visible and the Air Purity Pulse Check report aims to do exactly this. “The past five years have changed our relationship with air quality, as we spend the majority of our time indoors. In particular, the public r has been made much more aware of the air circulating in their indoor spaces, whether in a shared or private space. Despite its importance, indoor air pollution is largely invisible so has flown under the radar. This in-depth study illustrates the current views and opinions of the public and business owners, creating a ‘pulse check’ on the nation when it comes to indoor air quality.” Workplace woes The majority (90%) of UK leaders, managers and owners believe that air quality in the workplace is important. This directly correlates with the public, with 90% saying that air quality in the workplace is important to them as well. However, there is clearly a mismatch between what is considered important by decision-makers and what actions they are taking: only 65% of managers say that air quality in the workplace is a business priority, and half of people polled say that the organisations they work for have invested in indoor air quality. The findings demonstrate that indoor air quality should be a business priority to aid staff wellbeing and retention. Two thirds (66%) of people polled said they would be uncomfortable working somewhere with poor air quality and nearly half (46%) said air quality would be a consideration when deciding to take a job. Hospitality Data The report showcases that air quality is hugely important to nearly two thirds of pub goers and more than half of consumers polled would consider air quality when choosing a venue (54%), which rises to three fifths (61%) in people aged between 25 to 34 years old. Indeed, the same amount (54%) of respondents say that an official rating from a specialist indoor air quality evaluator or air purifiers would improve their confidence in the air quality at pubs, clubs and restaurants. Despite this, hospitality managers do not place the same value on air quality as its patrons: 79% of hospitality managers say air quality is important to them, which is the lowest percentage of any sector measured. Only half (48%) of hospitality managers polled said their businesses have already invested in air quality at their establishments, with more than half of hospitality managers responding that their business plans to invest in air quality in the future. Gyms & Spas Data Air quality is important in all indoor environments and this is especially true in the health and wellness sector. The majority (84%) of health and wellness managers think that air quality is an important consideration for their businesses. In fact, poor air quality could make over half (55%) of respondents swap gyms. Despite this, only 55% of gym and spa managers say their venues have invested in air quality, pointing to a gap between attitudes and action. Air purifiers and official ratings from independent air quality evaluators are most likely to increase visitor confidence in air quality at gyms and spas, chosen by 25% and 31% of respondents respectively. Healthcare Sector It is of no surprise that of the UK managers asked whether air quality is important to them in the workplace, the health sector managers came out on top (97%). Almost all (94%) health sector managers polled responded that air quality is a growing concern for them. The importance placed on air quality is translated to the public as well: 89% of people polled say that air quality is important to them when it comes to hospitals and other health facilities. This correlates positively with age, scoring 76% with 16 to 24 year olds and 95% with those aged over 55 years old. Education Sector It is vital for air quality to be prioritised in educational environments to ensure they are providing the best learning environment for those within them. The majority of consumers of education (87%) and education leaders (98%)
