Up to £10,000 available to support design research projects – 2015 RIBA McAslan Bursary open for entries The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), John McAslan + Partners, and the Environment Agency have today announced the launch of the 2015 RIBA McAslan Bursary. Funded by a contribution of £10,000 from
©Bloomberg Veolia said it wanted reassurance from the UK government about its commitment to green energy France’s Veolia is expecting to create about 600 jobs in the UK over the next five years as part of a £750m investment, in a welcome sign of business confidence in the country following
Wilkinson Eyre and Grimshaw Architects, together with engineers Arup and WSP, will be designing the stations in Birmingham and London for the high speed rail network HS2. Wilkinson Eyre will work with Arup to design the Birmingham Interchange station and with WSP to create a station at Old Oak Common
Neil Foundations, the specialist piling contractor, has chosen Hatz GB, the UK division of the German diesel engine manufacturer, as its supplier for a new project development. The contractor’s workshop manager, Barry Bond has built and designed a prototype mini piling rig, which has been given the model number B
Two Information Days which will outline the benefits to companies in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway of participating in hub South West’s successful “Building for Growth” programme are scheduled to be held in February. A public-private partnership funded by Scotland’s business development agencies and a clutch of Tier One
Partners Richardson Capital LLP and Thorngrove Land & Property Limited have officially announced the start of the work at Nickel 28, a 261,000 square feet distribution warehouse on the South Normanton Industrial Estate in Derbyshire. The appointed contractors, Winvic Construction Limited, have managed to finish clearing the site and are
Kent Reliance launches new BTL range Kent Reliance, the specialist mortgage lender and part of the OneSavings Bank Group, announces the launch of its new low mainstream LTV product range. With low rates, the new LTV range is available to 65% LTV and on 2 year discount and 2 year
6 May 2016 | Jamie Harris Servest and Atalian are to form a joint venture (JV) partnership, which both organisations say will enable them to provide integrated facilities services across Europe. The JV is to be owned equally, and will operate as Atalian Servest Ltd. Atalian is a facilities services provider
Managing contractors on a construction site can be a difficult process, especially where workplace health and safety is concerned. While they are still not technically your employees, you will still have a responsibility for these people, so you will need to brush up on the rules and regulations regarding contractors.
Towards the end of 2017, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Sajid Javid announced plans to make buying and selling homes ‘cheaper, faster and less stressful’. Amongst his proposals was to clamp down on ‘ gazumping ’ which sees a buyer lose out on a property at the
Up to £10,000 available to support design research projects – 2015 RIBA McAslan Bursary open for entries The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), John McAslan + Partners, and the Environment Agency have today announced the launch of the 2015 RIBA McAslan Bursary. Funded by a contribution of £10,000 from the Environment Agency, the 2015 bursary scheme will support an individual or team of architecture and engineering students, graduates and newly qualified architects and engineers to develop and realise a design research project. Projects will be expected to demonstrate progress towards a sustainable solution that improves the physical environment for communities and tackles the challenges posed by climate change or weather extremes. Applicants are welcome to apply for grants of up to £5,000 to support their project. The Government Chief Construction Adviser will support the Bursary scheme as an advisor; the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) will continue as partners. The judging panel comprises Jo Ashbridge (AzuKo), David Balmforth (ICE), Sir Phillip Dilley (Environment Agency), Peter Hansford (BIS), John McAslan (John McAslan + Partners), and John Waldron (RIBA Education Trust Funds Committee). The deadline for applications is Thursday 1 October 2015. Sir Phillip Dilley, Chairman of the Environment Agency, said: “It is really important that we nurture the next generation of young architects and engineers to enable them to design innovative sustainable solutions to the challenges we all face from climate change. This initiative is a great way of helping to achieve this and we are proud to be involved.” Stephen Hodder, RIBA President, adds: “The 2015 RIBA McAslan Bursary provides much needed support for innovation and excellence in architecture and design to the great benefit of communities and the environment. The generous support offered to successful applicants by John McAslan + Partners, and our partners, will enable some fantastic projects to reach their full potential. I am very much looking to forward to reviewing the 2015 entries.” John McAslan, Executive Chairman, John McAslan + Partners, adds: “Now in its 10th year, the bursary has to date supported 16 diverse projects in far-flung corners of the world – from India and Thailand to Senegal and Rwanda, as well as across the UK. The Bursary offers architecture and engineering students and graduates a remarkable opportunity to develop innovative projects. In previous years, the Bursary has cultivated positive and real change for the environment and communities involved. This is essentially a collaborative process – the idea is that our knowledge and experience will help support the realisation of the winning project(s). This year we are delighted to be working with the Environment Agency as partners.” Applicants can find more information about previous award winners, including Asif Khan (in 2007 and 2008), as well as how to apply for this year’s award at: www.architecture.com/mcaslanbursary -Ends- Notes 1. For further press information contact Gagandeep Bedi, RIBA Press Office 020 7307 3814 gagandeep.bedi@riba.org 2. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members www.architecture.com 3. Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA Posted on Friday 29th May 2015 Source link
©Bloomberg Veolia said it wanted reassurance from the UK government about its commitment to green energy France’s Veolia is expecting to create about 600 jobs in the UK over the next five years as part of a £750m investment, in a welcome sign of business confidence in the country following the vote to leave the EU. The French water and waste management group said it wanted reassurance from the government about its post-Brexit commitment to green energy as its investment plans include schemes to convert waste material into low-carbon electricity and heat. More On this topic IN Energy Estelle Brachlianoff, head of Veolia in the UK, said that while the EU referendum result had not altered the fundamental appeal of the British market, she was anxious for clarity on energy policy. “Everything was thrown up in the air [by the Brexit vote] so I’m looking for reassurance that the government is going to keep the same direction of travel on green energy,” she told the Financial Times. Her comments reflect uncertainty in business circles about the implications of the move by Theresa May, the new prime minister, to merge the Department of Energy and Climate Change into an enlarged business ministry under the leadership of Greg Clark. However, Veolia’s decision to press ahead with its UK investment drive despite the political turbulence will be seen as a vote of confidence after mixed signals about the economic impact of the referendum. The closely watched Markit/CIPS purchasing managers’ survey of activity in the manufacturing and services sectors on Friday showed its sharpest drop for seven years. A survey by the Bank of England’s regional agents had earlier found “no clear signs” of a slowdown. Veolia’s plans include a new agreement with Hertfordshire council to build a 33MW waste-fired power station in Rye House, 20 miles north of London, at a cost of about £270m. The scheme will add to an expected rush of French investment in UK energy infrastructure this week, with EDF, another Paris-based utility, due to give the long-awaited go-ahead to its £18bn plan to build two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The new plants proposed by Veolia will make a more modest contribution to UK energy needs but Ms Brachlianoff said that, in the long term, waste-fuelled power had the potential to meet 2 per cent of total demand, compared with 7 per cent from the Hinkley reactors. Incinerating waste to produce heat and electricity is not considered a fully renewable energy source but it emits less carbon dioxide than burning coal — and avoids the methane emissions that result from burying waste in landfills. Environmentalists have raised concern about air pollution from burning waste but Ms Brachlianoff said filters were able to remove dangerous particles and gases before they enter the atmosphere. Veolia already operates a 35MW plant in south-east London with the capacity to produce enough power for 48,000 homes, as well as heat and hot water for 2,500 local properties, from 420,000 tonnes of waste per annum. The French group, which employs 14,000 people in the UK, also works with businesses to recover value from industrial waste. Veolia, spun off from the Vivendi conglomerate 16 years ago, generated just over half its €25bn revenues last year from waste and energy, with the rest from water. The UK is the group’s largest market outside France, with annual sales of about £2bn. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link
Wilkinson Eyre and Grimshaw Architects, together with engineers Arup and WSP, will be designing the stations in Birmingham and London for the high speed rail network HS2. Wilkinson Eyre will work with Arup to design the Birmingham Interchange station and with WSP to create a station at Old Oak Common in London. At the same time, Grimshaw will work with WSP to create the station at Birmingham Curzon Street and together with Arup, they have teamed up for an interchange at London Euston. Sadie Morgan, the co-founder of London architecture practice drMM and chair of the HS2 Design Panel, said these four “iconic” stations will “set new standards in design and ease of use, and provide a legacy of great architecture of which Britain can be truly proud.” The first phase of HS2 will connect central London with West Midlands and the first services are expected to be in operation by 2026. The second phase of the project will connect Birmingham with Manchester, Leeds, and Sheffield. Each one of these stations will include shops, offices, cultural offerings, and a step-free access. “Our new stations in London and Birmingham will be at the heart of the first phase of the project, increasing capacity, improving journeys and helping to unlock opportunities for tens of thousands of new jobs and homes around what will be four new landmark buildings,” said HS2 chief executive, Mark Thurston. The HS2 minister Nusrat Ghani also commented saying that the companies they chose will ensure passengers with a world class railway: “I am confident that these firms will deliver these projects at value for money, with designs that are both innovative and in keeping with their surroundings.” The two companies have been very active during the past few years, with Grimshaw Architects putting the finishing touches to an extension to London Bridge station and Wilkinson Eyre currently working on a pair of skyscrapers near London’s Blackfriars Bridge.
Neil Foundations, the specialist piling contractor, has chosen Hatz GB, the UK division of the German diesel engine manufacturer, as its supplier for a new project development. The contractor’s workshop manager, Barry Bond has built and designed a prototype mini piling rig, which has been given the model number B 15000. “We identified a requirement for a mini piling rig to put piles into commercial warehouses and domestic dwellings, so I set about developing a bespoke product entirely for our own use. The machine is currently undergoing extensive field testing prior to being made ready for production,” explained Barry Bond. The reason why the company chose the Hatz 4H50TIC engine is because it meets all the latest emissions regulations. With a variety of other Hatz engines in its fleet, Neil Foundations knew they were trustworthy and reliable. The Hatz 4H50TIC is a 4-cylinder diesel engine fully compliant with the stringent emissions regulations both in the UK and in the USA and it comes with a unique feature that allows compliance to be achieved without the use of a diesel particulate filter. With over 35 years of experience, Neil Foundations are experts in piling services and foundation engineering. They provide a complete service, including site investigation, design, implementation, and testing. It operates throughout Berkshire, Farnborough, Hampshire, and Surrey. The Hatz diesel engines have existed for more than a hundred years and from their manufacturing base in Ruhstorf, Germany, they produce a range of modern diesel engines from 3 to 55 kW. Hatz GB Limited is a subsidiary with its facilities located in Hinckley, Leicestershire.
Two Information Days which will outline the benefits to companies in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway of participating in hub South West’s successful “Building for Growth” programme are scheduled to be held in February. A public-private partnership funded by Scotland’s business development agencies and a clutch of Tier One contractors including Morison Construction, Graham, Morgan Sindall and Keir, hub South West’s development programme is aimed at ambitious companies in construction and related sectors based in south west Scotland. The two events will give companies a taste of what the programme can do to aid their future success. The first information day will be held in Dumfries from 11.00am until 1.00pm on 13th February at Dumfries and Galloway College, Heathhall Industrial Estate, Links Road, Dumfries DG1 3JW where the speaker will be Martin Sweeney, a director of Rhino Contracts of Wishaw, a “graduate” of the seventh Building for Growth programme which concluded in November last year. The second will be on 15th February at Damada Group, 5 Wilson Place, East Kilbride G74 4QD from 11.00am until 1.00pm where attendees will hear from Gary Thorn, MD of Cube Glass, Cumbernauld and the Main Award winner of the Building for Growth Autumn 2017 programme. Gordon Hunter, Supply Chain Development Manager for hub South West, said: “The Building for Growth programme is open to any business looking to grow in a sustainable manner by building the skills and internal capacity to take on increasing volumes of business. “A golden rule is ‘no competitors’, leaving participants free to discuss any business issues, challenges and opportunities in a safe and supportive environment with a like-minded group of business people, with many of the sessions hosted and supported by our Tier 1 Contractors. “For more information, please contact my colleague, Margaret Milton on 01698 464566, or emailmargaret.milton@hubsouthwest.co.uk”
Partners Richardson Capital LLP and Thorngrove Land & Property Limited have officially announced the start of the work at Nickel 28, a 261,000 square feet distribution warehouse on the South Normanton Industrial Estate in Derbyshire. The appointed contractors, Winvic Construction Limited, have managed to finish clearing the site and are currently ahead of the 40 week construction programme. “We are very excited to have reached this important milestone and aim to have the unit ready for occupation by August of this year. Our decision to develop this scheme speculatively is testament to our confidence in this superb warehouse, which will address an obvious gap in the logistical market for fully available, high quality and well located accommodation,” said Lee Charnley, Managing Director at Thorngrove Land & Property. The new high bay warehouse will feature associated office accommodation, generous lorry parking facilities, a large 50m yard, a secure gatehouse, 24 dock loading doors, and double stacking entrance road. It is located on High View Road, which is less than one mile from junction 28 of the M1. “Having completed the demolition of the existing facility, we are delighted to commence construction of the new 261,000 square feet building and we are on track for completion at the end of the summer,” concluded Danny Nelson, Director at Winvic. The joint letting agents of the new warehouse are Commercial Property Partners and Cushman & Wakefield. Winvic is the UK’s leading ‘shed’ specialist, delivering millions of square feet every year for the industrial and distribution sector. However, they offer services in projects across a multitude of markets, including fit-out, infrastructure, civil engineering, residential accommodation, education, and many more. Established in 2001, Winvic is a privately owned company that excels in the delivery of construction projects on a national scale.
Kent Reliance launches new BTL range Kent Reliance, the specialist mortgage lender and part of the OneSavings Bank Group, announces the launch of its new low mainstream LTV product range. With low rates, the new LTV range is available to 65% LTV and on 2 year discount and 2 year fixed products across its entire BTL mortgage range available up to loan sizes of £3million. Created in response to demand from its broking partners, the new range is also available for borrowers seeking to purchase or raise funds for HMOs, student lets or those seeking finance arrangements via a limited company or limited liability partnership. Highlights of the new range include a 2-year discount product at 3.59%, and a 2-year fixed rate at 3.79% – both at 65% LTV, with fees of 1.50% and a maximum loan of £3m. Adrian Moloney, Sales Director for OneSavings Bank, comments: “We’ve continued throughout this year to develop and release products that meet the needs of the professional property investors. Our brokers told us that our new, low LTV range must be available for their clients who manage their portfolios through limited companies and for those investing in HMO properties and I’m pleased to say we’ve delivered on that.” Source link
6 May 2016 | Jamie Harris Servest and Atalian are to form a joint venture (JV) partnership, which both organisations say will enable them to provide integrated facilities services across Europe. The JV is to be owned equally, and will operate as Atalian Servest Ltd. Atalian is a facilities services provider based in France. In January this year it expanded into the North American market with its acquisition of Temco Facility Services. Servest is an FM provider operating across 7,000 sites in the UK. While the businesses will continue to operate independently, the JV is to be utilised for contract opportunities where both have an operational presence, including in the UK. A statement explained that the venture has been set up to “capitalise on both organisations strong operational reputations in their respective markets and expand their current offer to existing and new customers across country boundaries”. Rob Legge, Servest Group CEO UK and Europe, said: “The world is becoming a smaller place and we have seen that businesses are now looking for unified solutions that bring their communities together. We wanted to offer our customers a pan-European solution with a partner that operates with the same cultural and business philosophies as adopted by Servest in the UK.” Matthieu de Baynast, president, Atalian International, said: “Both organisations have very like-minded business approaches based on an entrepreneurial strategy where organic and acquisitive growth are of equal importance.” Source link
Managing contractors on a construction site can be a difficult process, especially where workplace health and safety is concerned. While they are still not technically your employees, you will still have a responsibility for these people, so you will need to brush up on the rules and regulations regarding contractors. It is essential that both you and the contractor are working together to make sure that safety is priority. Here are some helpful tips for you to ensure your work with any contractors goes as successfully and smoothly as possible. Properly Explain the Job When you bring the contractor in, the first thing you will need to do is identify exactly what work it is they will have to carry out, including any health and safety protocols that go with it. If you include all this information within your job specification you can let the contractors know early exactly what is it they are signing up for and what is expected of them, so both parties have a better understanding. Find the Right Person for the Job Making sure you properly vet all candidates for the job will ensure you will secure yourself a capable worker. Obviously, the skill level and risk involved for the job required will tailor exactly how strict your vetting process is. It is a good idea to get a sense of their previous experience and also getting written evidence of their health and safety policy, including past risk assessments they may have completed. Complete a Risk Assessment A risk assessment is vital to ensure everybody is aware of the dangers of the job and how to prevent unnecessary danger to anyone within the workforce. Ask yourself three key questions when you carry out the risk assessment: 1) What could possibly endanger people? 2) Who could this endanger and how would they get injured? 3) What can be done to ensure risk is kept to a minimum? Both you and the contractor should complete an assessment independently and then compare the two, so you are both on the same wavelength. Provide Them with Key Information Once the risk assessment has been completed and you are both happy with the agreed upon procedures, provide it to them as information within a form that is easy to read and understand. This will include health and safety information, procedures in place to deal with risks as per your risk assessment and finally the emergency protocol – make sure you let them know where you keep the medical supplies so they are prepared for a first aid emergency. Keep Your Workforce in the Loop It’s not just you who will have to work with the contractors, your entire workforce will as well. Make sure that they have been properly briefed on exactly how bringing the contractors in will affect them and that they are more than welcome to highlight any issues they have about the contractors and the work they are doing. They may raise an important issue that you had not considered. Have Regular Meetings Communication is key to a job successfully completed. Regularly checking back with the contractor is the best way to ensure all is running smoothly as well as the job being completed within the agreed time. It is crucial to pay close attention for any ‘near misses’ that may have occurred, because it’s a clear sign you will need to put additional safety measures in to prevent this happening again.
Towards the end of 2017, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Sajid Javid announced plans to make buying and selling homes ‘cheaper, faster and less stressful’. Amongst his proposals was to clamp down on ‘ gazumping ’ which sees a buyer lose out on a property at the last minute after a higher offer is received. Here, Jonathan Williams, partner specialising in property law at Roythornes Solicitors, explains why putting a stop to gazumping will not prevent bad buyer and seller behaviour. GOVERNMENT proposals aimed at outlawing gazumping – the practice whereby potential purchasers outbid other people who have already made an offer – will not prevent bad behaviour by house sellers and buyers. The real issue when purchasing and selling a home is not the cost of legal fees when sales fall through, but the current shortage of housing and people’s general lack of understanding of how the conveyancing system works. According to latest statistics 200,000 transactions collapse each year, leaving would-be buyers with bills for surveys and legal fees to pay on the dream homes they have lost. Yes, it’s true that people do sometimes lose money during the selling and buying process, but it’s only a small problem when we consider the much bigger picture – in over thirty years as a conveyancing solicitor I have not seen a huge amount of abortive transactions. We need to remember that people move house for all sorts of reasons – some planned, some not. A seller’s first port of call is an estate agent, not a solicitor, so invariably the house will not be ‘oven ready’ when it goes on the market. Anyone can set themselves up as an estate agent. Unless the seller has appointed qualified surveyors or land agents, there is always a chance that the estate agent will not have noticed defects in the title deeds or the absence of essential paperwork needed to make a successful sale. Conveyancing transactions are not just plagued by a lack of preparation, but also by offers taken from people who do not have the means to buy. Until a mortgage offer is issued there is bound to be uncertainty. A chain only moves at the pace of its slowest link. It’s like joining a train heading for one destination; people board at different stations, all to arrive at the same time. But with conveyancing some people might lose patience with the process, get tripped up or be unable to raise a mortgage, so they will get off the train early. It is said that Scotland’s system of sealed bids promotes early commitment but I suspect this also means that any issues are discovered later, with parties then left to look for reasons to back out. At least our system, although not perfect, allows us to address any problems first and then commit. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook runs to many pages, and includes the basic requirements for every mortgage, plus the individual points lawyers must satisfy before a home loan can be completed. Conveyancing has become more onerous and time consuming, with the risk management required for lawyers, buyers, sellers and mortgagees adding further expense. In my view it’s not worth the Government banning gazumping to try and fix a system which although not ideal is not broken either. The fact is that moving home and getting the best price for our properties are highly emotive issues, and will remain so regardless of the rules around one annoying practice. Why not instead educate potential buyers and sellers on better preparation and seeking good and informed counsel.