Leading sustainable construction innovators, Dura Products, has announced that its pioneering recycled plastic kerbing solution Durakerb, has been installed in a range of projects by Fife Council in Scotland. The construction work, part of the Council’s sustainable energy and climate action plan, involved the installation of 4km of Durakerb on
Prologis, the UK’s leading owner and developer of logistics property will welcome Harvest London, a leader in the innovative sector of vertical farming, to Prologis Park Beddington. The 139,977 sq. ft. unit in Croydon, South London, will house a technologically-advanced indoor farm, growing herbs and salads for customers in the
Leeds-based ACS Stainless Steel Limited has announced eight promotions across its team – the result of a six-figure investment in its workforce this past year. The company is a leading manufacturer and designer of structural building components, providing patented innovative solutions, including masonry support and brick panel solutions – essential
Birmingham City Council has unanimously granted planning consent for proposals which would see the development of a former department store at Birmingham’s Bullring into a mixed-use space. Hammerson’s plans for ‘Drum’ will see the creation of 200,000 sq ft of offices with the 40,000 sq ft ground floor reserved for
Work has started on-site to build 20 new affordable housing apartments in Midlothian. Situated on the High Street of Bonnyrigg’s popular town centre, Cruden Building is delivering the project on behalf of Midlothian Council. The new homes will support the Council’s wider ambition to reach net zero by 2030. Achieving
A special ground-breaking event was held to mark the start of construction work by R G Carter on the new sixth form building at King Ecgbert School in Dore, south-west of Sheffield. Head Teacher Paul Haigh and staff from the school joined representatives from the school’s governance and the R
Telford Homes and Notting Hill Genesis have reached the latest milestone in the development of 267 new homes, more than half of which will be affordable housing, at the joint venture’s site in Royal Albert Wharf, east London. Phase 2b of the Gallions Quarter scheme, located on Atlantis Avenue in
World leaders in life safety, Hochiki Europe, have today announced the launch of their next generation of emergency lighting, FIREscape Nepto. This intelligent, self-testing and self-monitoring emergency lighting system is set to revolutionise the emergency lighting market. Building upon the success of the FIREscape range launched in 2009, this new
Urban Group (York) Ltd has begun Phase Three of seven figure contract to fit out the new UK headquarters of NSF International. In 2022, Urban Group’s Interior Division took on a 15,000 sq. ft. office complex in the Hanborough Business Park, Long Hanborough, Oxford, before moving on to a second
During last weeks budget announcement, the government announced £5.6million of funding to redevelop Marsden Mills through the Levelling Up Fund (LUF). In August last year, Kirklees Council submitted a bid for the LUF aimed at bringing Marsden Mills, a long-vacant historic mill complex in Marsden town centre, back into use.
Leading sustainable construction innovators, Dura Products, has announced that its pioneering recycled plastic kerbing solution Durakerb, has been installed in a range of projects by Fife Council in Scotland. The construction work, part of the Council’s sustainable energy and climate action plan, involved the installation of 4km of Durakerb on the A909 Fife Highway, Cowdenbeath. Made from 88% recycled polymers, Durakerb offers a lightweight solution providing a safer, greener and faster method of kerbing. The use of Durakerb by Fife Council has saved over 120,000kg of embodied carbon entering the environment. Over recent years, Dura Products has been selected for a range of construction projects on a residential and regional scale by Fife Council. In 2020, 1km of Durakerb was installed in Kirkcaldy and Rosyth, as part of residential pavement upgrades, and in 2022, 4km of Durakerb was supplied to the A909 project, as well as residential upgrades on Dewar Drive, Leven. For two decades, Dura Products has supplied its green innovations to a range of projects to increase sustainability credentials and lower the impact of construction on the environment. Durakerb is designed as a sustainable alternative to traditional kerbing methods, which do not offer the same environmental benefits. Every 6kg unit of Durakerb has the potential to be reclaimed, reused or recycled at the demolition stage. Fife Council is leading the way by choosing SME’s that focus on green construction to reduce carbon emissions. The Council has implemented a Low Carbon Sustainability Checklist to facilitate sustainable construction, to reach the Scottish goal of net zero emissions by 2045. To meet environmental targets embedded within legislation, adopting low carbon solutions with high recycled content makes a significant difference to the environment. Steve Bennett, Managing Director at Dura Products, commented: “Since 2003 we have worked hard to deliver over 500,000 units of our pioneering project, Durakerb. We would like to thank Fife Council for the widespread installation of Durakerb, and for leading the way in sustainable construction on a regional scale. We hope to work with more and more local authorities looking to plan and action similar strategies regarding energy and climate change.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Prologis, the UK’s leading owner and developer of logistics property will welcome Harvest London, a leader in the innovative sector of vertical farming, to Prologis Park Beddington. The 139,977 sq. ft. unit in Croydon, South London, will house a technologically-advanced indoor farm, growing herbs and salads for customers in the food service and retail sectors. Echoing Prologis’ commitment to sustainability, Harvest London’s controlled environment agriculture method reduces water consumption compared to traditional farming, uses no chemical pesticides, avoids agricultural pollution of rivers, and dramatically shortens supply chains, helping to make the UK’s food supplies more secure and sustainable. Sustainability is at the core of every Prologis development, with DC3 at Prologis Park Beddington being no exception. Having achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and EPC A rating, the unit will be net zero in operation. This means that all crops grown within the unit will be as sustainable as possible, whilst using less resources than those grown in traditional crop fields. Chris Davies, CEO and Founder of Harvest London, commented: “Prologis Park Beddington was the ideal place for our expansion, enabling us to serve customers in London and beyond, helping to maximise the benefits of vertical farming. We want to bring production much closer to the end consumer, meaning fresher and more nutritious food, and connecting people in cities much more closely with farming. With a shared goal of driving sustainability across our operations, Prologis is the perfect partner.” Gillian Scarth, Director of Capital Deployment for Prologis UK, said: “We’re proud to welcome an innovative business such as Harvest London into our customer base. Prologis has always been at the forefront of innovation, and we’re excited to support the ongoing sustainable farming methods introduced by Harvest London as they continue to grow.” Neighbouring the likes of Oddbox and Easyshipping, DC3 is strategically located near crucial road connections including the A23 and A205. The Park’s strategic location means it is perfectly situated to serve the urban market, particularly given Croydon’s current phase of regeneration.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Leeds-based ACS Stainless Steel Limited has announced eight promotions across its team – the result of a six-figure investment in its workforce this past year. The company is a leading manufacturer and designer of structural building components, providing patented innovative solutions, including masonry support and brick panel solutions – essential construction components used in construction of the largest modern-day projects in the UK. Eight of the firm’s 118 colleagues will now take on new roles to help future growth, including newly-appointed Strategic Specification Director Paul Ruding, who moves on from his incumbent position as Head of Strategic Specification; Paul is also studying for a BA in Fire Safety Engineering – something that is being funded by ACS. Colleague Andrew Spencer is also promoted from Technical Engineer to Head of Research and Development, while Jason Hedge is promoted to Specification and Design Director. ACS Commercial Director Gareth Twohey explained: “Investing in the future of this industry is a priority for ACS right now; we hope we are seen as the vanguard of new ideas, with products that will help developers, architects and contractors create safer and more sustainable structures. “We achieve this by reinvesting huge percentages of our profits back into the business – that includes investing in colleagues like Paul, Jason and Andrew – each of whom is spearheading new ideas that support and educate clients.” Other promotions include Sales Operation Manager Tony Richman who becomes Operational Sales Director, with Richard Mathers, Sarah Cox and Robert Parkinson all promoted to Regional Director. Kate Robertson Hart who joined the team as Marketing Manager in 2022, is also promoted to Head of Marketing in an expanded brief that sees her collaborating with technical colleagues to amplify the work of ACS and the resources and training it is offering to the industry. Added Gareth: “These brilliant colleagues enable our ambitious plans for the future; their collective experience and passion for the sector is helping us reach more corners of the industry and I am supremely proud to call them colleagues.” Find out more about ACS here: https://acsstainless.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Birmingham City Council has unanimously granted planning consent for proposals which would see the development of a former department store at Birmingham’s Bullring into a mixed-use space. Hammerson’s plans for ‘Drum’ will see the creation of 200,000 sq ft of offices with the 40,000 sq ft ground floor reserved for a mixed-use hospitality space. The ground floor will feature space for restaurants, a bar and food market, alongside a grocery store, gym and wellbeing amenities, and a flexible events space. Hammerson hopes that the redevelopment of an existing scheme will save approximately 14,000 tonnes of CO2, and are targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating, an EPC A rating, a Gold WELL Building standard and WiredScore Platinum rating, to create a development which is 2030 LETI Band A-compliant. John Lewis pulled out of the scheme last year in what was a huge blow to Birmingham and Grand Central. Harry Badham, chief development and asset repositioning officer at Hammerson, said: “We welcome Birmingham City Council’s approval of our plans, with the decision a significant boost to Birmingham’s reputation as a city for business, one that is progressive, dynamic and setting the benchmark for others to follow across the UK. Drum is a great demonstration of how Hammerson’s creativity and a deep understanding of occupier needs can create assets that thrive by diversifying their purpose to accommodate an even greater range of uses and users.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Work has started on-site to build 20 new affordable housing apartments in Midlothian. Situated on the High Street of Bonnyrigg’s popular town centre, Cruden Building is delivering the project on behalf of Midlothian Council. The new homes will support the Council’s wider ambition to reach net zero by 2030. Achieving status as the largest Passivhaus development programme in Scotland, Midlothian Council is committed to building 182 green homes across the local community. Designed by award-winning architecture firm, AHR, eight of the new apartments will offer assisted living, with the remaining twelve apartments providing age-exclusive homes for those aged 55 and over. Achieving Passivhaus certification, the homes will offer tenants bright and spacious living spaces paired with more affordable running costs. A series of measures are being incorporated to help reduce energy consumption levels, including the new homes being fitted with Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) units to provide a constant flow of fresh air, whilst also helping to retain energy that has already been used in heating the apartments. The development will feature an attractive brick exterior to compliment its neighbouring buildings and keep with the original character of the surrounding community. With an array of local amenities available in Bonnyrigg town centre, Midlothian Council tenants will be able to embrace independent living with easy access to nearby shops, healthcare centres and transport links. Work is due to complete in July 2024. Richard Crowther, Commercial Director at Cruden Building Scotland, said: “The Cruden Group is committed to delivering more energy-efficient homes across Scotland, so we’re delighted to support Midlothian Council in reaching their wider net zero goals through building these new apartments. “Passivhaus homes can allow up to 90% of energy savings in comparison to other types of builds, which will bring life-changing benefits to local tenants, particularly at a time where living costs are at an all-time high.” Midlothian Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Stuart McKenzie, said: “We’re extremely proud to be delivering the most ambitious Passivhaus building programme in Scotland. The people who will call these flats home will enjoy living in a comfortable, warm, energy-efficient and affordable home. These flats help us towards our goal of achieving net zero status by 2030.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A special ground-breaking event was held to mark the start of construction work by R G Carter on the new sixth form building at King Ecgbert School in Dore, south-west of Sheffield. Head Teacher Paul Haigh and staff from the school joined representatives from the school’s governance and the R G Carter team to celebrate this exciting milestone in the project. A time capsule was also created to commemorate the commencement of the works which will be buried on the site later in project. By utilising the main school building for students aged 11-16, this one-storey, 1294 m2, building will provide a stunning, new, dedicated modern space for sixth form lessons and studying and is expected to be completed during the academic intake year of 2023. The new building will house 15 new state of the art classrooms and features a giant wall-to-floor glass study room where students will have access to university standard facilities and technology to support their learning. Designed around the feeling of university study spaces students will have the pleasure of learning in a relaxed, adult environment with stunning views out over the countryside. King Ecgbert School is a large 11-18 secondary school of around 1,450 students. The sixth form currently accommodates around 380 students; the new building will help increase its total capacity, allowing the school to absorb all current and future catchment needs and allow the school and sixth form to grow. Classed as a ‘System Leading School’, the school is rated as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, was awarded World Class School status in 2018 and was voted World Class School of the Year in 2019. King Ecgbert School has a reputation for helping to prepare a high number of students to progress to further education destinations, include Russell Group universities as well as having an inclusive ethos hosting Sheffield’s largest Integrated Resource for children on the autistic spectrum. The increase in capacity will only strengthen these offers. Headteacher Paul Haigh said: “We are delighted to mark the beginning of the construction of our new sixth form building. It has been a huge privilege for me to break the ground today in what will soon be a first-class learning setting and an exciting, inspirational, and creative centre for future lawyers, medics, nurses, sports stars, artists, and teachers.” Tim Owen, Senior Project Manager for R G Carter Lincoln Ltd, said: “We’re extremely proud to be working in partnership with King Ecgbert School, its Multi Academy Trust Leadership team, and Sheffield City Council on this outstanding new sixth form building. Everything about the new building has been designed with the students in mind and to provide an educational space that will not only benefit current pupils but also future generations for many years to come.” Chris French, CEO for the Mercia Learning Trust, said: “It’s extremely exciting to finally get the ball rolling on the school’s new sixth form building. It will provide pupils with state-of-the-art facilities, modern classrooms and an environment and help provide the space to accommodate all catchment students as they progress through school.” Councillor Mick Rooney and Councillor Dawn Dale, Co-Chairs of the Education, Children and Families Committee, said: “It’s fantastic news to see this work starting at King Ecgbert School which will result in an easing of pressures on school places from September 2023, especially in South-West Sheffield. It’s an excellent example of how King Ecgbert School and Mercia Learning Trust and the council are working in partnership after securing funds from the Department for Education for this project. We have recognised the demand in the school and this new building will mean that pupils can progress through to sixth form and that we can provide high quality integrated resource places for pupils with special educational needs. It’s very reassuring to see such progress.” As part of the pre-construction design process students worked closely with HLM Architects and the interior designers to ensure the building reflected their needs and tastes. The student body chose soft colour pallets for the classrooms and thought about every detail, from the wooden flooring, to the quite spaces needed by some of its students with learning difficulties. This ethos will be continued throughout the construction process with Core Architects and the R G Carter site team. R G Carter Lincoln Ltd secured this project under the YORBuild3 Medium Works Framework. The project is funded by Sheffield City Council. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Telford Homes and Notting Hill Genesis have reached the latest milestone in the development of 267 new homes, more than half of which will be affordable housing, at the joint venture’s site in Royal Albert Wharf, east London. Phase 2b of the Gallions Quarter scheme, located on Atlantis Avenue in Beckton, part of the Royal Docks regeneration area, has now reached its full structural height. Telford Homes and Notting Hill Genesis celebrated the topping out of the two new buildings, which reach 11 storeys at their highest point. 132 of the homes will be for market rent, with a further 135 affordable rent and shared ownership homes. 40% of the total are 3 bedroom family homes. With completion expected in early 2024, residents will have access to communal landscaped podium gardens, secure parking, new public amenities provided across Royal Albert Wharf and benefit from a concierge for their security and convenience. The ‘topping out’ was marked by a ceremony attended by Telford Homes, Notting Hill Genesis, the Greater London Authority (GLA), Hunters, and the sub-contracting team. It closely follows a visit by Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, in an endorsement of the scheme’s role in the multi-billion pound regeneration of the Royal Docks, which will transform the area into a new creative hub with thousands of new homes. With more than half of homes on the joint venture’s site classed as affordable, the scheme is also ahead of the Greater London Authority’s and London Borough of Newham’s 50% target. Gallions 2b is the penultimate phase of the wider Royal Albert Wharf masterplan. The regeneration is the first to be delivered under the New London Plan, addressing London’s need for new homes. Community and placemaking are at the heart of Gallions 2b, with buildings that respond to and reinforce the character of the public space and green infrastructure. 81% of the homes are dual or triple aspect, designed to improve wellbeing. 614m2 of separate play space has been designed for under five years olds, youth and neighbours. Over the lifecycle of the development 450 construction jobs have been supported. Greg Scott, Construction Director at Telford Homes, said: “This latest milestone as we work towards completion early next year, including recognition from the Mayor of London, is a very proud moment for the whole team as we develop new, much-needed homes for the capital’s communities. Working alongside our partners at Notting Hill Genesis, these homes have been designed to be high-quality places residents can live in, stay in and enjoy for years to come.” Jake Brodetsky, Joint Ventures Director at Notting Hill Genesis, said: “Once complete, this latest phase of the Gallions Quarter scheme will deliver 267 new homes across two blocks, of which 51% will be affordable and 40% will be family homes. Developed to the highest standards, including in their environmental sustainability credentials, these new homes will be an example of how we can meet London’s housing needs, now and in the future. We remain immensely pleased to be a part of the Royal Docks regeneration and, in particular, to be working alongside Telford Homes on this exciting scheme.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
World leaders in life safety, Hochiki Europe, have today announced the launch of their next generation of emergency lighting, FIREscape Nepto. This intelligent, self-testing and self-monitoring emergency lighting system is set to revolutionise the emergency lighting market. Building upon the success of the FIREscape range launched in 2009, this new design brings with it a suite of new features and benefits driven by technology improvements and innovations in the R&D process. FIREscape Nepto is BS 5266 compliant and, like its predecessor, is based around an addressable, emergency lighting control panel with addressable, self-contained LED-based luminaires and exit signs running on an extra-low operating voltage. And to ensure project continuity, the new system is backwards compatible with the existing panels and devices within the older FIREscape range. FIREscape Nepto can continually self-test and monitor itself, making installation and maintenance of the new system quick, easy and less costly compared to centralised battery or mains-powered systems. Another exciting new development for this release is a range of aesthetic enhancements and new recessed luminaire designs which negate the need for a recessing adaptor. These new recessed variants are available with both a standard and a high-power output. Customers and end users will now benefit from reduced project install and ongoing maintenance costs as improvements have been made to the photometry, increasing the maximum spacing between luminaires, reducing the amount required in any one space. And battery life has increased from four to ten years (dependent on system usage), reducing ongoing maintenance costs. Scalability is a key feature of the FIREscape Nepto system. The range has been designed and configured so that control panels can be networked to protect large, multi-site complexes all from a central point of control. And for smaller projects, the new control panels are supplied with one 127 address line as standard, with the potential to achieve 254 addresses when upgraded to two lines, helping to make smaller systems more cost effective. Further to this, up to twelve panels can be directly networked together and operated from a single point, negating the need for a graphics package if it isn’t required. The team behind the new design are also working on a cloud-based subscription service which is set to be released later this year. This service will enable remote access via internet enabled devices, providing system notifications and the ability to monitor and interrogate multiple client sites from anywhere in the world. Speaking about the launch of FIREscape Nepto Robert Head, Commercial Project Manager for Hochiki Europe said “The release of this new product from Hochiki is very exciting and builds on the success of our existing FIREscape range. I am particularly excited for the cloud-based service that is coming later this year. Our customers are going to benefit from a cost effective, fully compliant and cutting-edge emergency lighting technology that is second to none.” The Hochiki Europe team will be hosting a webinar to run through the new features and benefits on Thursday 23rd March as well as attending the Fire Safety Event at the NEC 25th – 27th April where they will be demonstrating the new FIREscape Nepto system. Visit them on stand 3a/D55 to see for yourself this next generation of emergency lighting. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Urban Group (York) Ltd has begun Phase Three of seven figure contract to fit out the new UK headquarters of NSF International. In 2022, Urban Group’s Interior Division took on a 15,000 sq. ft. office complex in the Hanborough Business Park, Long Hanborough, Oxford, before moving on to a second phase of circa 20,000 sq. ft in the autumn, with work completing last month. The final phase is due to commence next month (April). The two office schemes have enjoyed a full internal revamp including new office reconfigurations and partitioning, heating and ventilation systems, flooring and full decoration, with a high-quality finish throughout. Urban Interiors’ Commercial Director, Jimmy Crowe, said: “We have successfully combined three offices across Hanborough Business Park into two, in order to accommodate NSF’s growing UK team and provide a contemporary and more efficient working environment. “It is a challenging project which we are delivering in phases as this is a live site occupied by a busy team. We’re delighted with the progress so far and the interior specification is of a particularly high standard.” Public health specialist, NSF helps protect manufacturers, regulators and consumers through its development of public health standards and certification programmes that cover the world’s food, water, consumer products and environment. Roger Mann, Managing Director (Europe & Africa) at NSF, added: “Urban Interiors has turned this dated space office into a superb UK headquarters for NSF that has all the facilities and technologies we need for our growing team. It has been a pleasure to work with the Urban team on this project and the results speak for themselves. ” Agents and Quantity Surveyors for the refurbishment were Smart Jones, with mechanical and electrical support offered by Martin Design Associates Ltd. The architects were NW Architects. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
During last weeks budget announcement, the government announced £5.6million of funding to redevelop Marsden Mills through the Levelling Up Fund (LUF). In August last year, Kirklees Council submitted a bid for the LUF aimed at bringing Marsden Mills, a long-vacant historic mill complex in Marsden town centre, back into use. Despite news that the bid had been unsuccessful, the project is now able to go ahead thanks to the unexpected funding boost from government. The plans include retaining parts of the mill’s façade, as a beautiful heritage piece, preserving the building’s history and personality. The remainder of the building will be partially demolished to create a new, improved building, which will support the town centre and local businesses. Once completed, the new development will include commercial units and office space, with a potential for residential units on the upper floors – all surrounded by beautiful landscaping and an attractive new courtyard. The historic façade will remain a key feature. Councillor Shabir Pandor, Leader of the Council, said: “I am pleased that the Marsden project has been given the funding it deserves. We knew when we submitted our Levelling Up Fund bids that the projects we put forward were strong ones. The fact that the government has approved another of those bids, alongside the successful bid for Batley town centre, goes to show that our vision for our towns is the right one. I look forward to seeing the work take shape.” Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, added: “This project will boost the local economy in Marsden, allowing it to thrive. I am very pleased that we can move forward on this important scheme and know that the people of Marsden and beyond will benefit from having high quality facilities in the heart of the town.” The plan is for the project to be led by private sector organisations with the support of the council. Alongside the £5.6million of funding announced through the LUF, a further £11.7million will be contributed by private sector partners. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals