One the most significant and sustainable urban expansions of Edinburgh in a generation is a step closer to reality following the submission of a major planning application to the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC). West Town Edinburgh Limited, the development consortium headed by Drum Property Group which owns more than
A host of new features, interactive demos, international pavilions from across the globe, and a charity Gumball Rally across the country have all been announced by the organisers of the UK’s largest event for the built environment, UK Construction Week (UKCW), which makes a welcome return to London’s ExCeL from
Engineers this week began a delicate job that will see almost half a kilometre of bridge deck slid into position over the next year, high above the Misbourne Valley in Buckinghamshire, as HS2’s innovative Wendover Dean Viaduct enters a critical new stage of construction. The 450m-long viaduct will be the
To advance the UK’s journey toward achieving net zero, Energy & Utility Skills is proud to announce the establishment of the Power Generation Group within the National Skills Academy for Power (NSAP). This initiative strategically aligns with the needs of the renewable sector within the power generation industry. Power generation
Construction work has started on the Livv Homes first affordable housing scheme in Warrington, Cheshire. The £5.2 million Parkside Place development on Wilderspool Causeway is set to support local people onto the property ladder with 29 apartments for Rent to Buy. Located within a predominately residential area along Wilderspool Causeway,
One the most significant and sustainable urban expansions of Edinburgh in a generation is a step closer to reality following the submission of a major planning application to the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC). West Town Edinburgh Limited, the development consortium headed by Drum Property Group which owns more than 200-acres of prime development land to the west of Edinburgh, has unveiled ambitious proposals for West Town, a new homes-led ‘twenty-minute’ neighbourhood set to transform Scotland’s capital. The 205-acre West Town site – located between Ingliston Park and Ride and the Gogar Roundabout at the western gateway of Edinburgh – is regarded as one of the most strategically important large development areas in the UK. The £2-billion project is set to become the biggest, single homes-led development in Edinburgh in modern times, significantly addressing the city’s well publicised ‘housing emergency’ whilst providing an outstanding quality of life in a brand-new, sustainable mixed-use community. Development proposals follow guidelines set out by CEC’s City Plan 2030 which identifies the area as having the potential to become a vibrant, high-density city extension with a capacity for 7,000 homes – along with the necessary employment, commercial, leisure and community facilities required for a 20-minute neighbourhood. Proposed facilities include schools, medical provision, civic and community space as well as bars, restaurants, cafes, retail and other commercial spaces. There are plans for 27 acres of accessible green space – including a large 5.5-acre central park, several ‘pocket’ parks and a ‘wildlife’ corridor, criss-crossed by a network of cycle, running and walking tracks. The Edinburgh Tram route runs directly through the site and a new tram stop will be created to ensure the whole development has access to quick and efficient public transport. The proposals for West Town are consistent with the West Edinburgh Placemaking Framework, approved by CEC in December 2023 and align with the ambitions of the Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework 4, which was approved in February 2023. West Town Edinburgh was formed in April 2021 by Drum Property Group to progress development of the site. Drum is currently delivering a variety of transformative mixed-use projects across Scotland, including the award-winning Buchanan Wharf and Candleriggs Square developments in Glasgow. Welcoming the planning application submission, Graeme Bone, Drum’s Group Managing Director said: “We now have the opportunity to make West Town an exemplar, sustainable 20-minute neighbourhood on a par with the best new developments taking place across the UK and Europe. “This planning application is a significant milestone in realising the ambition we share with the council both for the local area and for the city, further strengthening the long-term collaborative process that is set to deliver a major transformation of the west of Edinburgh. The amount of space on the site combined with its superb location allows for a natural extension for the city providing 7000 mixed-tenure homes and new jobs in a new 20-minute neighbourhood. West Town has direct access to some of the best public transport in Scotland – the tram line travels through the site and there are integrated rail, cycle and road connections, creating a strategic gateway to Edinburgh. He added: “Drum has a proven track record of delivering high quality large-scale communities across Scotland and our ambition for the area matches that of the proposed Edinburgh City Plan 2030. We look forward to continuing to work with the Council to advance our shared vision to create a new, sustainable urban quarter for the city.” Subject to the ongoing development of the delivery strategy – as set out by the joint Memorandum of Understanding between West Town Edinburgh Ltd and CEC, the approval of City Plan 2030, and in accordance with all relevant council policies and appropriate planning consents – it is hoped that work will start on site before the end of 2024, with the first phase of homes and community amenity being ready for occupation from early 2026. The West Town planning application has been submitted following a successful 12-month local consultation programme which included two online and one public consultation events, resulting in more than 2000 visits to the West Town website. For more information on West Town, visit www.west-town-edinburgh.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A host of new features, interactive demos, international pavilions from across the globe, and a charity Gumball Rally across the country have all been announced by the organisers of the UK’s largest event for the built environment, UK Construction Week (UKCW), which makes a welcome return to London’s ExCeL from 7-9 May 2024. The multi award-winning show will see the debut of a new Live Demo Theatre; Skills and Training Hub; a construction-specific Recruitment Zone; new C-Suite Summits; a ‘Gumball Rally’ which finishes at UKCW London; a host of international exhibitors housed in pavilions from India, China, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Germany and France. UKCW London is once again co-located with Concrete Expo and The Offsite Show, as well as the UK’s premier event for the self-build sector, Grand Designs Live. New features at UKCW London include: Sam Patel, UKCW event director, commented: “Construction is a fast-paced and evolving industry, and so our show needs to reflect that – hence the new areas which focus on skills, training and recruitment to address the skills gap which we all know has been affecting the sector for a number of years.” Registration for UKCW London is now live (and free) through the new-look website. The London show is complemented by its sister event, UKCW Birmingham, which takes place at the NEC from October 1-3. The NEC was the birthplace of UK Construction Week in 2015 and the trade show has grown to become the UK’s largest built environment event. Details on the Birmingham programme of events and speakers will be announced in due course, but exhibition space is already filling up – to enquire for your business, contact Info@ukconstructionweek.com To find out more about both shows and to register for UKCW London for free, visit https://ukcw-london-2024.reg.buzz/cab-pr Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Engineers this week began a delicate job that will see almost half a kilometre of bridge deck slid into position over the next year, high above the Misbourne Valley in Buckinghamshire, as HS2’s innovative Wendover Dean Viaduct enters a critical new stage of construction. The 450m-long viaduct will be the first major railway bridge in the UK to be built with a ‘double composite’ approach, which uses significantly less carbon-intensive concrete and steel than a more traditional design – and has allowed HS2 to halve the amount of embedded carbon in the structure. It is one of 50 major viaducts on the HS2 project – which is designed to improve connections between London, Birmingham and the North while freeing up space on the most congested southern end of the existing West Coast Main Line. Instead of using solid pre-stressed concrete beams to form the spans between the viaduct piers, the ‘double composite’ structure uses two steel beams sandwiched between two layers of reinforced concrete to create a lightweight and super strong hollow span. Due to the length of the viaduct, the deck is being assembled in three stages, ranging from 90m to 180m sections, with each one pushed out from the north abutment before the next section is attached behind it. This painstaking process means that the weight of the deck will increase with each push, up from an initial 590 tonnes this week to 3700 tonnes by the end of the year. Tomas Garcia, HS2 Ltd’s Head of Civil Structures said: “Double composite structures maximise the combined strength of steel in tension and concrete in compression. This approach has been tried and tested around the world and it’s great to see it applied on this scale for the first time in the UK at Wendover Dean. “Once complete, HS2 will help enhance the existing rail network by freeing up capacity on the busy West Coast Main Line and almost halving journey times between London and Birmingham. This viaduct will play a crucial role enabling those faster and more reliable services – and I hope it will also inspire other projects around the UK to consider this innovative approach to construction.” The viaduct is being built by HS2 Ltd’s main works contractor, EKFB – a team made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall – with the manufacture and installation of the beams being led by specialists at Eiffage Metal. A winch is used to push the deck forward at a speed of around 9 metres per hour, sliding across Teflon pads to reduce friction – a material usually found to the surface of a non-stick frying pan. It is the longest deck slide on the HS2 project to date. At this point in the Chilterns the railway will be on a slight gradient, so to help maintain control, the deck – which will eventually weigh the same as 264 double-decker buses – is being pushed slightly uphill, with the finish point approximately 1.8m higher than start point. James Collings, EKFB’s senior engineer, said: “The project team has reached a fundamental milestone in the build of this industry-leading viaduct. We’re progressing well with the first-of-three steel launches being conducted this year and already looking forward to seeing this viaduct come to life. Along with our supply chain partners, Eiffage Metal, we’re proud to be delivering this viaduct safely and to programme.” EKFB worked with their design partner, ASC (a joint venture between Arcadis, Setec and COWI) and architects Moxon on the ‘double composite’ approach which was inspired by structures on the French high speed TGV network. The approach is set to cut the carbon footprint of the structure by 56% – saving almost 13,000 tonnes of embodied carbon – and helping HS2 achieve its goal of halving the amount of embedded carbon in construction. The beams are made of ‘weathering steel’ which naturally fades to a dark brown colour over time and will help match the natural tone of the surrounding countryside. A similar approach – using weathering steel and a double composite structure – is also being taken at the nearby Small Dean Viaduct which is currently at a much earlier stage of construction. Weathering steel gets its characteristic colour from a surface layer of corrosion which protects the steel and removes the need for regular painting. The Wendover Dean Viaduct will be supported by nine evenly spaced piers, some of which will be up to 14 metres high. These consist of a series of hollow pre-cast concrete shells – manufactured in Northern Ireland – which are placed on top of each other and filled with concrete and steel reinforcing. This approach was chosen to enable a crisp, clean external finish to the concrete, cut the amount of work on site and reduce disruption for local residents. The last few months has also seen significant progress at HS2’s other major viaducts, with the first concrete poured for the approach viaducts for Birmingham Curzon Street station, the first beams installed at Thame Valley near Aylesbury and the Delta Junction in North Warwickshire. In total, HS2 is building more than 500 bridging structures – ranging from small road bridges to massive viaducts like record-breaking Colne Valley Viaduct which will become the longest in the UK. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
To advance the UK’s journey toward achieving net zero, Energy & Utility Skills is proud to announce the establishment of the Power Generation Group within the National Skills Academy for Power (NSAP). This initiative strategically aligns with the needs of the renewable sector within the power generation industry. Power generation is undergoing significant technological advancements such as carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), energy from waste, wind, and other renewable sources. These advancements are creating numerous job opportunities, with further anticipated industry growth indicating a requirement for an additional 70,000 skilled professionals within the offshore wind sector alone by 2030. In October 2023, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank, produced power for the first time, and upon full operation, it will provide power equivalent to the needs of six million homes. In addition to this, more than 15 million tonnes of residual waste is converted annually by the UK’s Energy Recovery Facilities (ERFs), enough to supply half the homes in London for an entire year. Currently, however, many employers express concerns about finding and securing the right talent. The Power Generation Group is taking steps to address these concerns by identifying skill gaps and shortages. They have already recognised the need for a targeted approach in crucial areas within energy from waste, such as carbon capture, utilisation, and storage. Specialised skills such as electrical and mechanical engineering, planning and connecting, and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), among others, are foreseen as essential to meet the evolving demands of the renewables industry. Stephen Barrett, Director of Membership and Strategic Engagement at Energy & Utility Skills said: “A focus on renewables within the Power Generation Group allows us to support industry by establishing and upholding the necessary training standards, contributing to the UK’s training infrastructure, and addressing the growing demand for upskilling.” In a world where the transition to net zero is of critical importance, the focus on green skills by the Power Generation Group within the National Skills Academy for Power is a significant step forward. This move underscores Energy & Utility Skills commitment to facilitating the UK’s transition towards a more sustainable and greener energy future. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Construction work has started on the Livv Homes first affordable housing scheme in Warrington, Cheshire. The £5.2 million Parkside Place development on Wilderspool Causeway is set to support local people onto the property ladder with 29 apartments for Rent to Buy. Located within a predominately residential area along Wilderspool Causeway, the five-storey contemporary apartment block will comprise 21 one-bedroom apartments and eight two-bedroom apartments. There will also be 32 parking spaces, associated landscaping, cycle and refuse storage. Livv has secured grant funding from Homes England to support the delivery of the scheme in Warrington. Northwest construction company, PGS Projects, has been appointed principal contractor. Yvonne Westhead-Fyles, Director of Development, Growth and Sales at Livv Housing Group, said: “We’re excited to be bringing Parkside Place to Warrington – our first development in the area. With house prices in Warrington averaging over £250,000 and the town experiencing significant population growth, many first-time buyers are finding it difficult to get onto the property ladder. “Parkside Place will bring high quality and affordable new homes to meet local housing need, enhancing the sustainability of the neighbourhood and community, whilst providing a pathway to home ownership through Rent to Buy. “We’re aiming to provide 1,000 new homes over the next three years across the Liverpool City Region, Warrington and West Lancashire. We’re building in places where we can make the greatest impact and Parkside Place will contribute to creating a thriving community, whilst establishing our presence in Warrington. We’re delighted to be here.” The scheme is utilising Modern Methods of Construction, such as structural insulated panels (SIPS). Graeme Spencer, Managing Director at PGS, commented: “Building new homes is essential to meet the growing demand for affordable housing in the UK and we are thrilled to be working with Livv on Parkside Place. “At the heart of our new construction project is a commitment to sustainability. We are using the latest technology and materials to ensure that our homes are energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. “We are proud to be part of this exciting project and look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on the community. Working in partnership with Livv, together we are creating a better future for everyone.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
