Futureal Group has started the construction of the second phase of its Advance Tower office building located at the Váci office corridor in Budapest, Hungary. The expansion of the office complex will offer an additional 8,000 square meters of GLA. Advance Tower’s second phase receiving the international WELL Building Platinum
Naturally Compliant, an environmental consultancy, has launched some bespoke training course aimed at raising environmental awareness in the construction sector. Its courses are recognised as CPD events by the Institute of Civil Engineers and are being rolled out to the consultant’s client portfolio, which includes both developers and civil engineering
A series of on-site training and tool box talks delivered by Trime UK, the market leading supplier of environmentally conscious site lighting equipment, took place at A-Plant, the UK’s leading equipment rental company. Devised and implemented by Trime’s senior technician Wayne Brennan, the programme included topics such as secure operation,
The latest figures released from the Halifax Housing Market Confidence Tracker has seen confidence in the UK house prices fall to its lowest level since December 2012. These figures falling to a five-year low is another warning about the strength of the UK economy. The figures from this Confidence Tracker
Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Wed, Mar 2nd 2016 BRE Scotland has once again supported the Scottish Property Awards, the national awards programme which recognises excellence in commercial and public property. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday BRE Scotland
Bond City is pushing ahead with its £53m St James development, which will include a six-screen cinema, hotel, restaurants and shops. The redevelopment of the St James area will create 156,915 sq ft of prime retail and leisure space. A 16,000 sq ft M&S store will anchor the development, which will
Cleanroom and laboratory design and construction specialist, Boulting Environmental Services (BES) has completed a £13 million project for global pharmaceutical business and world leader in the treatment of opioid addiction, Indivior. The new research and development (R&D) facility will be used to test and develop a non-addictive substitute for methadone,
Buildings to be made but not enough workers to build them: this is apparently the scene recently set by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) in a report which states that the UK construction industry must find at least 157,000 new recruits by 2021 in order to keep up with
The innovative solar carport specialist FlexiSolar has started the construction of a large scale commercial carport at Bentley Motors’ manufacturing headquarters in Crewe, Cheshire. This six-month long project is due to complete in September 2018 and it is set to become the UK’s largest solar carport system to date. “We
Sol Zakay’s Topland Group has acquired Portland House, a multi-let office and retail asset extending to approximately 37,000 sq ft on Renfield Street in the heart of Glasgow’s Central Business District. The asset was identified and acquired in an off-market transaction for £4.50 million exclusive of VAT. “We are pleased
Futureal Group has started the construction of the second phase of its Advance Tower office building located at the Váci office corridor in Budapest, Hungary. The expansion of the office complex will offer an additional 8,000 square meters of GLA. Advance Tower’s second phase receiving the international WELL Building Platinum Precertification™ is expected to be handed over in the second half of 2019. Advance Tower valued at EUR 68 million will expand to 20,100 square meters of GLA due to the second phase of the office building. The first phase of Advance Tower offering 12,100 square meters of office space can be occupied by the tenants from June this year. The glass surfaces of the 8-storey, modern complex designed by Paulinyi-Reith & Partners Architectural Studio ensure the high proportion of natural light in the offices. Both phases of Advance Tower are equipped with smart solutions and sustainable technologies therefore intelligent building management, automated shading technology with sunshine exposure optimization, decentralized hot water supply, roof garden with smart irrigation system facility, and low-emission heating-cooling system can all be found in the office complex. Advance Tower has acquired BREEAM certificate and the office complex has also been designed and will be operated according to WELL Building Standard™. The purpose of the WELL certification is to create office buildings that have a beneficial impact on employees’ health, well-being and comfort, besides environmental protection. Washington-based International Well Building Institute’s (IWBI™) system examines buildings’ impact on human body, health and wellbeing, rating them based on 7 categories – air, water, healthy nourishment, natural light, fitness, comfort and mental freshness. Currently there are over 30 WELL Precertified office buildings worldwide. Among them, Futureal is the first European property developer with three projects receiving WELL Platinum Precertification at the same time. “Futureal Group’s Advance Tower, Corvin Technology Park (Corvin 5) and Budapest One office buildings account for over 100,000 square meters of office space in the Hungarian capital. These complexes are being realized based on the factors that have a beneficial impact on employees’ health and well-being. Innovations driven by WELL Building Standard™ will define the office market over the next decade, and Advance Tower is one of its pioneers in Hungary and in Europe” – said Tibor Tatár, CEO, Futureal. About Futureal Group Futureal is one of the leading real estate developers and investors in Central and Eastern Europe and is among the top 20 largest real estate developers in Europe. Since its foundation Futureal Group’s portfolio has included 91 real estate projects with a total value of EUR 2.7 billion over 1.8 million square meters. One of the Futureal Group’s most outstanding projects is Corvin Promenade, the largest inner-city urban regeneration project in the CEE region. In 2010, the project received the European Commercial Property Award for the Best Mixed Use Development of Europe and in 2014, the company received the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Global Award for Excellence, considered to be the Oscars of city and real estate development.
Naturally Compliant, an environmental consultancy, has launched some bespoke training course aimed at raising environmental awareness in the construction sector. Its courses are recognised as CPD events by the Institute of Civil Engineers and are being rolled out to the consultant’s client portfolio, which includes both developers and civil engineering firms. “As regulations grow in number and complexity, there is a pressing need for environmental awareness on construction sites, particularly among engineers,” said Simon Knott, managing director of Naturally Compliant. “There are a lot more engineers than environmental representatives on live sites, so if they are aware of issues and catching things before they become problems, it’s good for everyone involved in the project. An added bonus is that the course is recognized as a CPD event by ICE which can be put towards an engineers’ journey towards chartership.” As the world has started to take the environmental impact very seriously, it is very important for companies to protect themselves against incidents that could cause reputational and environmental damage. Naturally Compliant is currently offering two training opportunities: a general environmental awareness course aimed at engineers and a more in-depth syllabus aimed at senior managers, covering a range of topics, such as protected species, the implications and potential impact of the permitting systems and waste management. “The Environmental Awareness course has been a resounding success with excellent feedback. It is a site-based day course and can be attended by up to 15 people, which was also helpful to address site-specific questions. It has proved to be a sustainable model,” said Simon. “Ultimately our aim is to increase awareness of environmental constraints and how to mitigate them to achieve a successful, environmentally compliant project.” Naturally Compliant, which increased its revenues by a factor of seven in the last financial year, has five full-time employees and draws on top-level expertise from professionals in fields such as archaeology and ecology.
A series of on-site training and tool box talks delivered by Trime UK, the market leading supplier of environmentally conscious site lighting equipment, took place at A-Plant, the UK’s leading equipment rental company. Devised and implemented by Trime’s senior technician Wayne Brennan, the programme included topics such as secure operation, essential servicing, safety aspects and the environmental benefits of the Trime range of lightning. “Our aim is to offer full support to all owners, operators and end users of Trime lighting,” explained Wayne. “A-Plant recently placed a large order for our X-ECO LED lights and with a concentration of the sets on the new A14 highway project; we took up the opportunity to explain all aspects of the X- ECO to A-Plant and site personnel. In all, twenty-five people attended the session.” The X-ECO LED 6 is a complete unit that brings together environmental, fleet management and operator benefits. It features 6 no. 150W, 48V multi-directionally adjustable LED lights floodlights, with safe 48V power between the generator and the lights. The vertical hydraulic mast has seven sections, rising to a maximum height of 8.5m with 340° rotation and wind stability up to 110 km/h. Easy lifting is via a central lifting eye with longitudinal and transversal forklift pockets for safe handling and transportation. “The safety of our customers is a paramount priority at A-Plant,” commented Ali Male from A-Plant. “Having the option to train both our customers and our own people on site is a tremendous bonus. Wayne’s in-depth knowledge about Trime products and his clear delivery was welcomed by all of us.” A-Plant invested in an initial 150 Trime X-ECO LED lights, which will provide crisp, clear light over a wide area with maximum fuel efficiency, low emissions and long running times. A-Plant is part of Ashtead Group plc and is the UK’s largest equipment rental company with over 185 Service Centres nationwide, more than 3,600 employees and over 35,000 customers in the construction, industrial, infrastructure and events sectors.
The latest figures released from the Halifax Housing Market Confidence Tracker has seen confidence in the UK house prices fall to its lowest level since December 2012. These figures falling to a five-year low is another warning about the strength of the UK economy. The figures from this Confidence Tracker show that one in five respondents feel that prices will drop during an increase in inflation and expected hikes in the interest rates. The UK housing market has been widely reported on for some time and has been scrutinised many times over during the past year. The scrutiny has taken place after the EU referendum saw optimism decline significantly. The general public expected a slowdown in the market, and the wider economy as a whole. It is disappointing to see optimism decline after the EU referendum results, even though a number of industry professionals, including the Managing Director for Millwood Designer Homes, John Elliott, who feels that the Prime Minister Theresa May will manage to obtain a good deal during the UK’s exit from the EU. John Elliott has said that Millwood Homes has seen a sales boost following the Brexit announcement and has seen an increase in the amount of footfall seen at the company’s show homes. It is thought that the lack of confidence in the housing market is originating from the younger generation, who are struggling now more than ever to get onto the housing ladder, and putting home owning aspirations to one side. This struggle has then impacted on a negative sentiment about the housing market as a whole. However, the recent commitment from the Government with the £10 billion boost to the Help to Buy could reignite some hope and hopefully lead to a boost in confidence levels. It is thought that every generation should be feeling confident about the housing market going forward.
Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Wed, Mar 2nd 2016 BRE Scotland has once again supported the Scottish Property Awards, the national awards programme which recognises excellence in commercial and public property. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday BRE Scotland has once again supported the Scottish Property Awards, the national awards programme which recognises excellence in commercial and public property. This year, the organisation is sponsoring the “Development of the Year” category, and BRE Director for Scotland Rufus Logan sat on the judging panel, chaired by Karen Anderson, who is Chair of Architecture + Design Scotland. Winners will be announced at a glittering awards dinner to be held in the Glasgow City Hotel tomorrow evening (Thursday 3 March 2016). The awards, which are now in their third year, have been extended to a total of 16 categories covering the best in development, deals, teams and talent within Scotland.Rufus Logan notes;“The quantity and quality of entries this year was exceptional, which is to be expected given that construction activity is continuing to grow in Scotland. From a BRE standpoint, we are focussed on the importance of sustainable development and I am pleased that this has been demonstrated in a large proportion of this year’s entries.” Source link
Bond City is pushing ahead with its £53m St James development, which will include a six-screen cinema, hotel, restaurants and shops. The redevelopment of the St James area will create 156,915 sq ft of prime retail and leisure space. A 16,000 sq ft M&S store will anchor the development, which will also include a six-screen multiplex Cineworld, a 108-bed Travelodge hotel and six restaurants. Show Fullscreen Kier St James development Dover 1 Preconstruction work is under way, with piling works for the foundation of the cinema and restaurant complex to start later this month. The main build is expected to be completed in autumn 2017. Kier Construction Southern operations director Paul Abrahams said: “We’re delighted to be working with Bond City, Legal & General Property and Dover District Council to deliver this major project. It’s an important scheme for Dover and the area’s economy, and we will be building on our relationships with the local supply chain to help create valuable employment opportunities through the delivery of this key regeneration scheme.” Source link
Cleanroom and laboratory design and construction specialist, Boulting Environmental Services (BES) has completed a £13 million project for global pharmaceutical business and world leader in the treatment of opioid addiction, Indivior. The new research and development (R&D) facility will be used to test and develop a non-addictive substitute for methadone, to improve patient experience on a global scale. Boulting Environmental Services was appointed by Indivior to carry out a complete turnkey package as principal designer and principal contractor. With a scope of work encompassing full design service, shell construction, internal fit out and commissioning, the project was ideally suited to BES’ multi-disciplined design and construction teams. “Indivior selected Boulting Environmental Services following a competitive tender process, in which BES came out on top in terms of cost-effectiveness and delivery time,” commented Paul O’Reilly, facilities director at Indivior. “The design and build process was extremely collaborative, with BES listening to our primary objectives and creating a facility that was both technically fit-for-purpose and one that gave Indivior welcoming office space and recreational areas for staff.” Before the site was built, Indivior used rented laboratory space to carry out its R&D activity, which drastically impacted the time that could be dedicated to the process as the space was not always available. The new two-storey facility will provide 5,040 square metres of sophisticated accommodation, including ISO7 and ISO8 product development cleanrooms and specialist cGMP laboratories. Supporting areas include highly specified offices, meeting rooms and a restaurant. The site is also equipped with a 100-space car park, service yards, and over 450 cubic metres of attenuation storage tanks to aid surface water drainage. BES’ early involvement in this crucial development phase ensured that the fundamental accommodation requirements were fully translated into the detailed design and the construction. A key element of this process was consultation with the regulatory authorities, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Home Office. Both were consulted early in this phase, ensuring that a fully compliant scheme formed the basis for the ongoing detailed design. “Due to poor ground conditions, BES’ designers developed a solution that incorporated a ventilated, suspended, pre-cast plank and beam ground floor construction supported by pile foundations,” explained Dale Owen, architectural technologist at BES. “Our design for the sub-structure is based on a braced portal frame solution. The multi-disciplined design team also carried out all necessary Building Energy Model calculations to certify that the building envelope and associated services met the required emission rates to comply with Part L2 of the Building Regulations.” “There were extremely strict insurance guidelines that BES had to adhere to. Only approved products could be used in the construction of the building, which meant a lot of planning in partnership with the client’s insurance company. BES had regular teleconferences with both the client and the insurance provider to help guarantee that the final build met all regulations and specifications. “BES sees each project that it works on as a collaborative one,” continued Owen. “We operated using a brief set by the client, but had regular progress meetings to discuss any changes or suggestions for the final design. We also engaged with the building’s end-users, by holding a series of workshops, to guarantee that the result was suitable for purpose.” Revit modelling software was used in all elements of the design, from the superstructure to the internal fit out, including coordination of all mechanical and electrical services. The visualisations are used in addition to technical drawings, to help ensure that the designer and the client understand all aspects of the final build. The software package also allows all parties to collaboratively and easily make changes at any stage of the design process. Additionally, 3D images and walk-throughs aided the space planning process, providing users with realistic representations of the facility. These were used to determine space requirements in process areas, as well as maintenance access to the plant and services. Using Revit also helped BES’ construction team when working on the substructure. Following on from the successful completion of this, work started on erecting the 180 tonnes of steel portal frame and the column casings. With a total area of 5,040 metres squared over two floors, the ground floor slab design used suspended cast concrete planks with a structural screed top. The first floor comprised of a traditional hollow rib deck with a pumped concrete slab and screed top. While the cladding works were under way, the installation of 4,200 metres squared of curtain walling had begun alongside a profile roof panel, with all new structure conforming to Indivior’s insurance company’s standards. Due to the nature of the facility, a full inspection from the Home Office was required after construction. The auditor not only gave the building approval, but referred to it as state-of-the-art — a testament to the quality of work that Boulting Environmental Services carried out on the site. “BES completed the project three months ahead of schedule, within budget and to the highest quality,” commented Giles Singleton, project manager at Boulting Environmental Services. “This was the result of our lean programming framework and our ability to overlap different phases of the project to eliminate wasted time. At no point were our engineers waiting for one task to be completed before they could move on to the next. The entire process was efficient and streamlined with the customer’s requirements in mind at all times. “Since the new facility opened, Indivior has appointed around 20 new members of staff, including health and safety personnel, new additions to the facilities management team, maintenance and catering. The prestigious facility will act as Indivior’s UK centre for research and development, allowing the company to continue pioneering life-transforming treatments, while maintaining its position as world leader in its field,” finished Singleton.
Buildings to be made but not enough workers to build them: this is apparently the scene recently set by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) in a report which states that the UK construction industry must find at least 157,000 new recruits by 2021 in order to keep up with demand. This comes at a time when the government has committed to fund 3,000,000 new apprenticeships across every sector in England by 2020. However, these aren’t the only issues currently facing the construction sector, as there are also the matters of gender pay gap and use of new robotic technology to discuss. It has transpired that some building firms are paying women a staggering 62% less per hour than men and that more discrepancies with pay are likely to be revealed in the coming months. This is due to new government regulations that businesses with 250 employees or more should have filed details of their gender pay gap before the 4th April 2018, with a fine forthcoming should details not be submitted. Fresh off the heels of the Women In Construction Campaign launched in the UK, managing director of Constructing Equality, Chrissi McCarthy, said that the gender pay gap needs to close if the sector wants to encourage a positive image and to help promote recruitment. “While the pay gap in construction is embarrassing it should not be surprising given the stories women are still telling about their time in the industry”, said McCarthy. “Importantly until companies recognise that the gender pay gap is a symptom of poor people management and a real challenge to the longer term business bottom line, we are unlikely to see the resource and thinking that needs to be employed to really challenge these statistics.” Despite new recruiting software considerably reducing the challenge many businesses face in finding good candidates, it appears a bigger test is on the horizon: the rise of the machines. Whilst not at Terminator levels of awareness just yet, the use of robotics in construction is significantly increasing, spearheaded primarily by tech startups in the U.S. A company named Built Robotics is at the forefront of using robots, drones, and software in a bid to improve safety, speed and productivity. Bricklaying robots are already in use on some worksites across the world, notably one named SAM (Semi-Automated Mason), which costs $400,000 (£282,300) and can lay around 3,000 bricks in eight hours – hundreds and hundreds more than a human. Although there is some fear of a robotic revolution in the construction industry, 88% of industry professionals believe we still won’t see human-free worksites in the next 10 years. It’s thought that robots can be used to assist humans rather than replace them on sites. Job losses are understandably a huge issue to keep in mind with the seemingly unavoidable use of more robotics on construction sites, as it’s clearly a boon that many firms would not be limited to typical working hours or health and safety regulations with the use of machines. However, on-site maintenance and the use of particular materials still require a human presence.
The innovative solar carport specialist FlexiSolar has started the construction of a large scale commercial carport at Bentley Motors’ manufacturing headquarters in Crewe, Cheshire. This six-month long project is due to complete in September 2018 and it is set to become the UK’s largest solar carport system to date. “We are delighted to confirm details behind the large scale solar carport at Bentley’s manufacturing facility in Crewe. This large scale solar carport system is a clear example of an integrated energy solution; and one that utilises an existing parking area without sacrificing valuable land resources,” said Managing Director of FlexiSolar, Robert Carpenter, about the first of its kind large scale construction in the UK. With 10,000 solar panels with a capacity of 2.7MW, the bespoke solar structure will shelter approximately 1,378 car parking spaces at the Bentley manufacturing facility. FlexiSolar’s solar carport structures are uniquely designed to best fit the requirements and scope of each site; therefore in Crewe, FlexiSolar’s V-Frame Double Row Mono Pitch solar carport design will appear across twenty-seven parking rows. The solar carport was designed and manufactured by the FlexiSolar team, with the project funded by Guinness Asset Management under a power purchase agreement. In addition, FlexiSolar is also backed by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency driven to support the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy. “We continue to focus on new initiatives that reinforce our commitment to the environment, whether this is introducing alternative powertrain technologies in future models, or our award-winning work to reduce the environmental impact of our factory,” said Peter Bosch, Bentley’s Member of the Board for Manufacturing. “This solar installation is another example of how we can make our factory more sustainable by using technological innovation. This helps us produce extraordinary cars with responsibly-sourced materials in an efficient manner, while continually striving to reduce the company’s environmental impact,” he concluded.
Sol Zakay’s Topland Group has acquired Portland House, a multi-let office and retail asset extending to approximately 37,000 sq ft on Renfield Street in the heart of Glasgow’s Central Business District. The asset was identified and acquired in an off-market transaction for £4.50 million exclusive of VAT. “We are pleased to have bought Portland House which follows our strategy of acquiring well located CBD assets. We now have several key investments in Glasgow city centre and look forward to implementing our asset management strategy,” said Mark Kingston, Managing Director at Topland. The property is currently let to Tesco and Browne Dental Group on the ground floor and a variety of other tenants on the seven upper floor offices. This acquisition follows the purchase of The Athenaeum located on Nelson Mandela Place in the centre of Glasgow for around £11 million. Topland was advised on the investment by Galbraith, while Ryden represented the vendor Kewbrook Ltd, a subsidiary of Stockbourne Group Ltd. “We are delighted to have identified this off-market opportunity for Topland, the transaction is a great example of our client led approach to investment agency and we look forward to seeing the building perform for Topland,” commented Will Sandwell from Galbraith. Galbraith is an independent property consultancy employing over 270 staff in offices across Scotland, including Edinburgh, Stirling, Perth, Cupar, Inverness, Castle Douglas, Ayr, Elgin, Galashiels, Kelso, Aberdeen and covering Argyll, offering local knowledge, national expertise and enjoying international reach. The firm provides the full range of property consulting services across the commercial, residential, rural and renewable energy sectors throughout Scotland and northern England. Galbraith is Scotland’s largest and leading rural consultancy managing and providing advice on farm, forestry, land and estate interests on over three million acres.