The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has launched an open consultation on the future use of its landmark Art Deco HQ building in central London. The first part of the consultation strategy is an online survey, to be followed by focus group sessions to gather more detail. RIBA Client Advisor, Sarah Williams said: “This survey is the start of a detailed process which will include defining the role that 66 Portland Place plays in the RIBA’s long term vision and values. Our detailed consultation will gather views and ideas from our members, staff and other users of the building including visitors, neighbours, meeting room clients, cultural partners, sponsors and patrons. “I encourage everyone to participate to help us shape the use of this important building for the next 80 years.” 66 Portland Place is open to the public and RIBA members alike and is home to the British Architectural Library, Architecture Gallery, RIBA Bookshop, President’s Office, RIBA Council Chamber, first floor Bistro and ground floor Café/Bar and has a number of dedicated spaces available for private hire events and conferences, including the Jarvis Auditorium and the Florence Hall. In 2015 RIBA’s administrative staff relocated to modern office space at 76 Portland Place. To participate in the survey and learn more about the consultation for 66 Portland Place at: www.architecture.com/Reimagining66PP ENDS Notes to editors: 1. For more press information contact: Howard Crosskey howard.crosskey@riba.org +44 (0)20 7307 3761 2. 66 Portland Place was designed by George Grey Wornum. He was the winner of the competition to design the new headquarters for the RIBA, which attracted submissions from 284 entrants. Building work commenced in mid-1933 and completed in time for RIBA’s 100th anniversary, enabling a move out of the overcrowded conditions at the former headquarters, 9 Conduit Street, London. At a time of heated debate about what architectural style we should be using and during an economic downturn, Wornum’s building opened on time and on a reduced budget. The feedback was positive. He had successfully combined Classical and Modernist elements, and provided the institute and its members a completed building fit for purpose and adaptable to changing needs. Wornum worked with a range of artists and craftsmen to create the decoration in the interiors and on the facade. Many of these details carry symbolic significance, for example the main entrance is flanked by two bronze doors depicting ‘London’s river and its buildings’. There are also references to the British Empire, reflecting the idea that in 1934 the RIBA was a focal point for architecture in the Empire. In 1970 the building was Grade II* listed, one of the first ‘modern’ buildings to be listed to recognise its unique architectural qualities. The six storey, steel framed building faced in Portland stone (the two upper floors were added in 1958) contains a series of spaces which vary in size and function. The building survived World War II unscathed and has only experienced minor modifications since it was extended in 1958. The most recent change has been the creation of the Architecture Gallery on the ground floor, opened in 2014. 3. A Reimagining 66 Portland Place Steering Group will facilitate the process of the project and report back to back to RIBA Council on development and progress. The group is made up of representative from the senior team and council members and includes: Sarah Williams, S Williams Architects – Client Adviser Albena Atanassova, RIBA Associate Councillor and Ambassador for Young Architects Christopher Ash, Chair RIBA Premises Sub-committee Jane Duncan, RIBA President Tim Bailey, RIBA Councillor and Board Member Stephen Hodder MBE, RIBA Immediate Past President Martin Pascoe, RIBA Head of Projects and Building Strategy/House Architect Vinesh Pomal, RIBA Councillor and Ambassador for Young Architects Elena Tsolakis, RIBA Member and Ambassador for Culture Alan Vallance, RIBA Chief Executive (Interim) 4. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members www.architecture.com Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA   Posted on Thursday 4th February 2016 Source link

The family owner behind Italy’s largest construction company, Salini Impregilo, has not ruled out quitting the country should Italian reformist prime minister Matteo Renzi lose a crucial upcoming referendum on constitutional reform. The comments from Pietro Salini, chief executive and owner of 62 per cent of the construction group behind the new Panama Canal, reflects mounting concerns among investors and Italian executives about the December 4 referendum. Analysts say it risks halting Italy’s reform drive by unseating or weakening Mr Renzi. “We are proud to carry the Italian flag around the world,” Mr Salini said in an interview in Salini’s Milan headquarters, where vast black and white photographs of Ethiopia’s Legadadi Dam hang from the frescoed walls. “But if the [political] situation evolves in the wrong way then a large part of industry going elsewhere will be a situation to evaluate in a serious way,” he added. Mr Salini defined “the wrong way” as “a way that puts Italy without a government, without the possibility of having elections, without the possibility of a new government that is sufficiently reliable”. The comments from Mr Salini, a high-profile executive who has been a public supporter of Mr Renzi’s drive to reform Italy’s stagnant economy, reflect growing uncertainty about Italy’s political and economic outlook. Exor, the holding company of the Italy’s Agnelli family often at the vanguard of business manoeuvres, earlier this month held an extraordinary shareholder meeting voting to move its fiscal and legal headquarters to the Netherlands. The majority of its revenues are now based in the US. Like many Italian companies that have survived Italy’s decade-old economic stagnation, the 110-year-old Salini Impregilo makes most of its revenues outside of Italy. In 2015, 9 per cent came from Italy and a quarter from the US following the takeover last year of Lane, its US-based construction rival. Mr Salini does not rule out further acquisitions in Australia. “Australia is an enormous market for us,” he said. If the [political] situation evolves in the wrong way then a large part of industry going elsewhere will be a situation to evaluate in a serious way The company, which operates in 50 countries, plans to increase revenues by a third to €9bn by 2018, and to boost operating margin to 10 per cent. For the first half of 2016, it reported an earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation margin of 9.2 per cent and net debt of €836m. But Italy’s political and economic stability is still crucial to Salini. The company’s share price has been hit by the impact on cash creation from the delay of two Italian fast-speed train lines projects as well as a cut in budget of the Red Line metro in Qatar. Mr Salini said the US market would make up a third of its business in the short term as the company seeks to “de-risk” its business model from a focus on Italy and the Middle East Regardless of who wins the US elections, Mr Salini expects either party will invest heavily in renewing US infrastructure, a significant amount of which “is more than 100 years old”. Sample the FT’s top stories for a week You select the topic, we deliver the news. Source link

Launching this year’s industry conference season, the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) will be having a major presence at the industry-leading UK Construction Week, being held at the NEC in Birmingham from 18 – 20 October.   The ECA will be exhibiting at the ‘Energy 2016’ arena of UK Construction Week, alongside the Fire and Security Association (FSA).  On the opening day of Construction Week, ECA’s Steve Martin will be presenting on new business opportunities for contractors, within the ‘smart buildings hub’. In addition, the ECA is providing speakers at other major conferences this autumn, including LuxLive, and the Cibse Building Performance Conference. ECA CEO Steve Bratt commented: “The ECA is delighted to have an extensive presence during this year’s conference season, particularly at UK Construction Week and LuxLive, two of the biggest trade events on the calendar. “With the ECA providing speakers at an array of major industry events, including the Cibse conference, the Association is providing a leading voice in the building services industry.” The ECA’s conference season plans include: –          UK Construction Week – 18-20 October, NEC, Birmingham –          Cibse Building Performance Conference – 17 – 18 November, QEII Centre, London –          Building Services Summit – 23 November, British Library, London –          LuxLive – 23-24 November, ExCel, London –          NICEIC – Elecsa Live! North – 24 November, Aintree Racecourse, Merseyside The ECA has also been actively involved in regional conferences in Wales and Northern Ireland, such as October’s Skills Cymru in Cardiff and September’s Plumb Power Heat Light in Belfast.   Source link

4 July 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Wellingborough Norse has won a contract to provide cleaning at Thomas Becket Catholic School, located between Northampton and Wellingborough.   The three-year agreement is worth around £335,000 to Wellingborough Norse and will see the TUPE transfer of 16 staff members into the company.    George Jarvis, business development manager at Wellingborough Norse, said the firm was “quickly becoming the ‘go-to’ contractor for cleaning contracts, and are known for offering innovative ways to provide school cleaning whilst helping to ensure schools maintain services within their budgets”.   Educational sector cleaning is worth around £500,000 a year to Wellingborough Norse and provides employment for 60 people across Northamptonshire.   Norse Security, part of Norse Commercial Services, has also retained its static guarding and events security provision at Norwich’s Forum under a new two-year agreement, and renewed a three-year contract with Victory Housing for mobile patrol security services. Source link

So far the Department for Communities and Local Government has released enough land for 8,580 homes, the NAO said. In the first 10 months since the new land disposal programme was launched, DCLG has only met five per cent of its commitment. It released an additional 3 per cent of land, although the Homes and Communities Agency – which is responsible for collecting information from government departments – has yet to find sufficient evidence to prove this additional land will be used for housing. The NAO said DCLG must dispose of more sites in each of the next four months than the best performing year in any of the previous land disposal programmes. The 160,000-home target was laid out in the 2015 Spending Review to help the government deliver one million homes by the end of this parliament. The government’s first land disposal programme was set up in June 2011 and ran until March 2015. It had a target to release enough land for 100,000 homes by 2015. In June 2015, an NAO report found the government disposed of land with enough capacity to build 109,590 new homes over 942 sites. However, the target measured the notional number of expected homes, not actual homes built. According to the latest report, government departments have so far identified additional land with capacity for a further 104,461 houses, or 65 per cent of the programme. However, a little over half of the housing capacity is on high risk sites. High risk sites, by the DCLG’s definition, have at least on issue preventing the exchange of contracts before 2020. The NAO said this included operational sites. The head of the NAO Amyas Morse said: “While progress has been made, DCLG still has a lot to do to meet the government’s commitment to dispose of land for 160,000 homes by 2020. “The current programme has had a relatively slow start.” She added: “At most, 8 per cent of the overall commitment has been achieved in the first full ten months of the programme, meaning departments must now dispose of more land in each of the remaining four years than they achieved in any year of the previous land disposals programme.” Source link