The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) awarded George Holder from Costain and Alex Stephens from Bouygues UK the Sir Ian Dixon Scholarship (SID) to produce and present findings to benefit the construction industry, themselves, and their company. The scholarship was delivered in partnership with the Worshipful Company of Constructors and
UK’s first dedicated Housebuilding Degree has just been launched by the leading housebuilder Redrow in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Coleg Cambria, one of the largest colleges in the UK. Redrow’s team members will be the first students to start this degree programme in 2018. The length
Crosslane Student Developments, part of the Crosslane Group, is announcing that it has begun the construction of a new 614 bed purpose-built student accommodation development on Friars’ Road in Coventry. The development comprises six new residential blocks each at different stepped heights of three, seven and ten storeys, rising to
Phil Pluck, Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) Group Chief Executive raises his concerns after the collapse of Carillion. He mentions that this tragedy raises fundamental issues in terms of protecting the smaller companies caught up in the collapsing supply chain, as well as the jobs that may be lost as
Salix Homes, a social housing provider, sought legal action against Francis O’Donnell, a man who threatened housing workers at a gypsy and traveller site in Salford. He manifested aggressive and violent behaviours towards members of staff. “He began clenching his fists and I could see he was becoming very agitated
A £120 million deal facilitated by HSBC in partnership with ABN AMRO will support the leading heavy plant hire specialist Ardent Hire Solutions in its period of accelerated growth. Each partner will provide a £60 million funding in the shape of an asset-based lending facility which will go into Ardent’s
A dining hall at an infants’ school in Great Missenden, a terrace of carbon-neutral houses in Bordon for a housing association and the University of Oxford’s Weston Library are just some of the seventeen buildings which have won RIBA South Regional Awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects. The
Invisible Studio Architects have created in Bath a self-built, relocatable prototype home using construction waste and locally grown unseasoned timber. Built with a budget of £20,000, the small living space can be legally transported on a public highway and used as temporary or permanent accommodation. It moves using a removable
Ab Rogers Design (ARD), a London studio, has created a 19 square metre concept apartment, in which it managed to squeeze a kitchen, bed, and bathroom by making a pair of plywood living units with space saving details. Property developers U + I have assigned ARD with the task to
AWARD-WINNING Seymour Civil Engineering, one of the North East’s leading civil engineering firms, has launched its own company training portal set to digitally revolutionise the way construction sites are run. The portal focuses on the training and staffing side of projects allowing any site manager or client to have a
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) awarded George Holder from Costain and Alex Stephens from Bouygues UK the Sir Ian Dixon Scholarship (SID) to produce and present findings to benefit the construction industry, themselves, and their company. The scholarship was delivered in partnership with the Worshipful Company of Constructors and it is a £3,000 research fund that focuses on any area of construction management. George Holder’s project approached innovation management which is a relatively new and yet vital concept for the construction industry. His research looked into the current use of innovation management standards and the role they play in improving the delivery of projects. What he found out was that standards are critical when creating an environment to support innovation and organisations can benefit from implementing them. Alex Stephens chose to research how innovation led to the use of new technologies in the construction industry. He looked at the use of additive manufacturing technologies, such as the ones that build 3D objects by adding layer-upon-layer of material. The base of his research was literature reviews and case studies. His findings show that these technologies have the ability to produce complex geometries at a relatively low cost compared to conventional processes. These alternative methods are what the industry needs because of its more and more demanding construction programmes. “These research projects reflect the changing landscape of construction as we learn to imagine, invent and implement new ways of working and building,” said Bob Heathfield, Past President of the CIOB and chair of the SID Scholarship Panel. “We need to continue, as an industry, to be forward thinking. We need to make space for new ideas and innovations to streamline our processes and improve the quality of the built environment.” The Chartered Institute of Building is a worldwide professional body that represents construction and property professionals who work within the built environment. Its vocational and professional qualifications are a mark of the highest level of competence, providing assurance to clients procuring built assets.
UK’s first dedicated Housebuilding Degree has just been launched by the leading housebuilder Redrow in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Coleg Cambria, one of the largest colleges in the UK. Redrow’s team members will be the first students to start this degree programme in 2018. The length of it will be three years and it will offer its students a full overview of house building skills, including house building quality, project management, health and safety, business skills, negotiation, relevant aspects of law, mathematics, and economics. Each year they will complete six modules and in the future it will be open for other house builders as well. There will be six block weeks of classroom teaching each year, which will be taught by LJMU’s Department of the Built Environments, Coleg Cambria, and business experts from Redrow. The rest of the time will be filled with virtual learning, practical site visits, and tutorials, which means that students can continue working with Redrow during their studies. Nominations for the programme will be made among the team members with a level three qualification or a minimum of five years in the industry. “The development of the BSc (Hons) Construction Management in Housebuilding in conjunction with Coleg Cambria and Redrow, is an example of how the Department of Built Environment at LJMU is proactively seeking to address the education and training requirements of employers with bespoke needs. Our home undergraduate portfolio, whilst diverse, cannot fulfil the needs of all parts of the industry, and as such this type of development helps us achieve one of the Department’s long term aims, which is to provide diverse education and training at all levels, to fulfil industry requirements moving forward. The development of innovative programmes with high calibre partners will help us achieve that aim,” said Professor Alison Cotgrave, Associate Dean at the LJMU Faculty of Engineering and Technology.
Crosslane Student Developments, part of the Crosslane Group, is announcing that it has begun the construction of a new 614 bed purpose-built student accommodation development on Friars’ Road in Coventry. The development comprises six new residential blocks each at different stepped heights of three, seven and ten storeys, rising to a 20 storey tower in the south-west corner of the site. The building is laid out in a V-shape to form a large, private landscaped courtyard, within which residents can study, collaborate, socialise and relax. The site is located at the junction of Friars’ Road and St Patrick’s Road, within the Coventry Ring Road. It is in the south of the city centre, conveniently placed near the city’s most popular shopping locales including The Precinct, Smithford Way and Coventry Market, in addition to tourist attractions such as Coventry Cathedral and the famous statue of Lady Godiva. The site is a short walk from the main campus of Coventry University as well as being very close to the city’s mainline train station which offers regular bus services for students attending Warwick University. Students will be able to choose from one of the 135 high specification self-contained ensuite studio apartments, one of the 5 two bed apartments, or from the 459 premium ensuite flats, available in clusters from four to six bedrooms. The set-up encourages students to live in groups, make new friends and provide cultural opportunities as part of their university experience, as well as providing rooms at more affordable rent prices. Cluster flats will share a spacious lounge, kitchen and dining area including a washer/dryer, which has proved particularly popular in other properties Crosslane has developed. A key component of the development is the dedicated shared areas to encourage residents to socialise and create a community. This includes a large high-specification common room with a games zone and study hub, on-site gym, cinema/multi-media room, study room meeting hubs and kitchen/dining facilities for private entertainment. A tenth floor sky lounge and outdoor rooftop terrace will give residents the chance to socialise and celebrate in style with impressive views of the city skyline while superfast 100MB broadband and Wi-Fi throughout the building will provide residents with a first-class experience. The development will take less than two years to complete and is scheduled to be finished before the start of the 2019-2020 academic year. Prime Student Living, the student accommodation lettings and operational management arm of the Crosslane Group, will be responsible for achieving full occupancy prior to practical completion. Coventry University is one of the fastest growing universities in the UK, with this year’s student numbers eight per cent higher than 2016 and 50 per cent higher than in 2011. The increase in the student population has boosted the city’s economy and the City Council has committed to a £300million City Centre South redevelopment project. This development in a prime location will satisfy some of the rapidly increasing demand for student accommodation in Coventry, freeing up homes which could be occupied by the city’s families. Crosslane has appointed DAY Architectural as the architects and RG Group as the Main Contractor for the development. Mike Moran, Development Manager, Crosslane Student Developments, said: “Crosslane is delighted to have begun work on its first student accommodation development in Coventry. The scheme will be a gateway from the station into the heart of the city centre and is a short walk from Coventry University and the city’s main amenities and tourist attractions. In supplying 614 beds, the development will ease the imbalance in supply and demand for purpose-built student accommodation in Coventry.” Dave Dixon, Managing Director, RG Group, said: “As the main contractor for Friars’ Road, we are delighted to be working with Crosslane on this exciting scheme in Coventry, due to open in time for the 2019-2020 academic year. Our team has built up significant expertise in the student accommodation sector and the building will be completed to the highest modern construction standards and a great addition to Coventry’s skyline.”
Phil Pluck, Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) Group Chief Executive raises his concerns after the collapse of Carillion. He mentions that this tragedy raises fundamental issues in terms of protecting the smaller companies caught up in the collapsing supply chain, as well as the jobs that may be lost as a result. Delivering major build projects on the decreasing Government funding creates a race between companies in a sense that the major contracts are awarded to those that offer the lowest price. He calls this a “poor, short term approach which causes companies throughout the supply chain to operate at almost impossible margins”. The fixation with cost savings has built a clear risk for major construction projects. Talking for the GGF members, Phil adds: “A cost cutting approach to the awarding of contracts puts at risk build quality, safety and jobs. In doing so, no legal protection is afforded to those in the supply chain that are now the victims of the Carillion Collapse. This in turn could result in further company failures and consequent losses of jobs and talent.” Government’s rescue packages offered to a few selected companies do not reassure GGF Member companies of anything and they won’t allow them to plan a long term sustainability based only on the packages. “A lasting negative effect on Government tax revenue would be the result,” said Phil. Phil Pluck advises the Government to give up on this tactic because it will cause further damage to the industry and to other companies. “I urge the Government to assess the long term damage that short term cost savings creates and to take heed that Carillion may not be the last company to collapse as a result. There are other major supply chains also operating at near impossible margins.”
Salix Homes, a social housing provider, sought legal action against Francis O’Donnell, a man who threatened housing workers at a gypsy and traveller site in Salford. He manifested aggressive and violent behaviours towards members of staff. “He began clenching his fists and I could see he was becoming very agitated and potentially violent by his body language. I felt intimidated and felt in danger for the safety of myself and my colleague,” said a housing worker in a witness statement. At the court hearing at Manchester Civil Justice Centre, it got found out that O’Donnell shouted expletives and threatened to ‘bang’ a housing worker and get him sacked during one incident at the Duchy Road Caravan Park in Salford on the 3rd of January this year. The court also heard that during another exchange, Salix Homes advised the man to complete an application form so he can move on to the site, to which he replied he would move there ‘whether you like it or not’ and said in a threatening manner to one of the workers that he would ‘see you again’. O’Donnell was granted a six month Injunction Order, with Power of Arrest, which prohibits him from entering the gypsy and traveller site and from threatening or being violent with any employees or contractors of Salix Homes. This decision will stay in place until the 4th of July. “Salix Homes will not tolerate violence or aggressive behaviour towards our employees, when they are simply doing their job,” said Sue Sutton, Executive Director of Operations at Salix Homes. “We welcome the judge’s decision to grant an Injunction Order in this case and I hope it sends out a very clear message that we take all reports of anti-social behaviour incredibly seriously and we will not hesitate to take swift action where necessary.”
A £120 million deal facilitated by HSBC in partnership with ABN AMRO will support the leading heavy plant hire specialist Ardent Hire Solutions in its period of accelerated growth. Each partner will provide a £60 million funding in the shape of an asset-based lending facility which will go into Ardent’s receivables, plant, and machinery assets. The flexible access to working capital will give the company the chance to purchase further machinery and maintenance for its existing high quality fleet. Ardent provides telehandlers, excavators, dumpers, and rollers, to civil engineering and residential building businesses across the UK. Headquartered in Enfield and Middlesex, it has 14 depots nationwide, including Glasgow, Leeds, and London. “This substantial Asset Based Lending facility is a mark of HSBC’s appetite and ability to lead the implementation of structured finance arrangements tailored to client needs, and has been a magnificent team effort between our Asset Based Lending specialists and Leveraged Corporates team. Working with ABN AMRO, we have collectively delivered a solution that will not only provide the working capital that meets Ardent’s current needs, but which will also provide them with the foundation for future growth,” commented Nigel Smith, Head of Large Corporates, HSBC Global Trade and Receivables Finance UK, on the generous offering. The new facility will provide Ardent Hire with the financial capacity to respond to the customers’ demand and to provide market growth. “We are pleased to have worked in partnership with HSBC and provided Ardent Hire with a flexible funding solution. It will help support the company’s accelerated growth, enabling them to achieve their business ambitions,” said Pierre Vinci, Head of Origination at ABN AMRO Asset Based Finance. Formed in 2017 through the acquisition of One Call Hire Limited and Fork Rent Plc. made by Searchlight Capital Partners, L. P. and Duke Street, Ardent Hire Solutions has now the largest telehandler fleet in the UK and one of the largest excavator fleets, with over 5,000 machines available for hire.
A dining hall at an infants’ school in Great Missenden, a terrace of carbon-neutral houses in Bordon for a housing association and the University of Oxford’s Weston Library are just some of the seventeen buildings which have won RIBA South Regional Awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects. The Awards were presented in recognition of their architectural excellence at a prestigious ceremony held at Ascot Racecourse last night (Thursday 28 April), in recognition of their architectural excellence. The ceremony was compered by the journalist and broadcaster Kirsty Lang. The Regional Award-winning buildings are: Berkshire The Cheeran House, Berkshire by John Pardey Architects Buckinghamshire Davenies School, Beaconsfield by DSDHA The Little Hall, Prestwood Infants School, Prestwood by De Rosee Sa House 19, Buckinghamshire by Jestico + Whiles Hampshire Suburban housing, Aldershot by Sergison Bates architects Exhibition Mews, Bordon by Ash Sakula The Observatory, Lymington by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios Mottisfont New Visitor Facilities, Romsey by Burd Haward Architects Boldrewood Campus, University of Southampton, Southampton by Grimshaw Winchester Cathedral Learning Centre, Winchester by Hampshire County Council Architects Bighton Grange, Hampshire by ADAM Architecture Oxfordshire Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford by Herzog & de Meuron Sandpath, Oxfordshire by Adrian James Architects. The Investcorp Building, St Antony’s College, Oxford by Zaha Hadid Architects The Ruskin School of Art, Oxford by Spratley Studios Weston Library, Oxford by WilkinsonEyre Wolfson Academic Wing, Wolfson College, Oxford by Berman Guedes Stretton The seventeen Regional Award winners were drawn from a shortlist of 30 projects, from 64 entries. Speaking today, James Robinson, RIBA Regional Director said: ‘We are very lucky to have such outstanding buildings winning RIBA Awards this year. The standard and variety of the entries in the South is great to see; from small private houses to the larger public and institutional buildings. The shortlist also demonstrates the fantastic amount of design talent in and around the region, with marvellous new buildings in the city by local architects as well as by well-known British and international practices. The region has many wonderful buildings and this year’s RIBA Award winners show that they are still being built’. Special Awards Special Awards were presented to the RIBA Regional Award winners as follows: The Little Hall, Prestwood Infants School, Berkshire by De Rosee Sa – Regional Small Project of the Year Award Sergison Bates architects for Suburban Housing, Aldershot – Regional Project Architect of the Year, sponsored by Tarmac Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford – Regional Client of the Year Award Sandpath, Oxfordshire by Adrian James Architects – Regional Sustainability Award, sponsored by Sika Weston Library, Oxford by WilkinsonEyre – Regional Building of the Year , sponsored by Marley Eternit Wolfson Academic Wing, Wolfson College, Oxford by Berman Guedes Stretton – Regional Conservation Award RIBA South Regional Award winners will also be considered for the highly-coveted RIBA National Awards in recognition of their architectural excellence: these will be announced on 23 June. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning buildings later in the year. ENDS Notes to editors: 1. For further press information please contact Jenny Peterson tel 0750 146 6648 jenny.peterson@riba.org. For reasons of client confidentiality, we do not provide information about private houses that have won RIBA Awards. 2. RIBA South covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Oxfordshire. 3. RIBA Awards have been running continuously since 1966 and are judged and presented locally. No matter what the shape, size, budget or location, RIBA Award-winning schemes set the standard for great architecture all across the country. RIBA Awards are for buildings in the UK by RIBA Chartered Architects and RIBA International Fellows. 4. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members. www.architecture.com Posted on Friday 29th April 2016 Source link
Invisible Studio Architects have created in Bath a self-built, relocatable prototype home using construction waste and locally grown unseasoned timber. Built with a budget of £20,000, the small living space can be legally transported on a public highway and used as temporary or permanent accommodation. It moves using a removable wheeled ‘bogey’ that slides out from under the steel chassis, which was driven to site. The bogey was also used to transport all of the prefabricated timber frames to site for construction, which lasted for over three months. This project has been entered into the AJ Small Projects Awards. The trailer is covered in corrugated fibreglass and steel and lined internally in used but cleaned shuttering ply. The joinery and the two staircases are made from plywood offcuts, while the handrails are made from offcuts of blue rope that were spare from the Studio in the Woods project. The building is protected by a scavenged insulation. The doors were sourced from a skip and the rooflights were traded as ‘seconds’. Both gable ends are glazed with interlocking polycarbonate sheets and can provide natural light. The milling was very economical as only 125 x 50 mm timber was used. This effective method of using timber ties in with the forest management plan for the use of timber in the woodland that Invisible Studio manages. The aim of this project is to provide a super low cost, versatile, usable space that could act as a kit of parts for any self-builder to improvise around or easily adapt. Although it was conceived as a domestic space, it could also function as a workspace or anything else. Invisible Studio is an innovative and award winning architecture practice founded by Piers Taylor. It strives to be a different organisation and create something extraordinary. Their work encompasses a number of seminal buildings from ecologically sensitive self builds through to schools, community and public buildings and large scale urban environments.
Ab Rogers Design (ARD), a London studio, has created a 19 square metre concept apartment, in which it managed to squeeze a kitchen, bed, and bathroom by making a pair of plywood living units with space saving details. Property developers U + I have assigned ARD with the task to condense the functions of a traditional home into an efficient micro living space. This prototype is on display at their Westminster offices. U + I have been analysing London’s property market for a while and they wanted to create a design-led housing option that was smaller in scale and more affordable. “It is time to re-think and invent a new way for people to live in the best parts of the city,” said the studio. “The campaign led by U+I is ongoing, and will continue to challenge the perception that small is less.” The incorporation of two multi-purpose living units maximises the space in the apartment, with one of them featuring a set of stairs with drawers integrated into the risers. The steps lead into a double bed, while underneath sits a series of tall cupboards. The second unit hold the white-tiled bathroom. Both units have been crafted from birch plywood and paired against light-hued timber flooring. The rest of the floor rests a cooking area and a lot of free space that can be used by inhabitants to personalise the apartment with furniture and homeware of their choice. The apartment is fronted by a large window that allows the natural light in and its chunky ledge can be used as a spot to sit, relax, and enjoy the view. Furthermore, the ceiling has been placed at just over three metres in height so that the space does not feel too confined. This creation is part of several other London practices that have found in micro apartments a solution to urban living.
AWARD-WINNING Seymour Civil Engineering, one of the North East’s leading civil engineering firms, has launched its own company training portal set to digitally revolutionise the way construction sites are run. The portal focuses on the training and staffing side of projects allowing any site manager or client to have a clear snapshot of staff-on-site and their training credentials, whilst automatically prompting the system administration team before employee training requires renewal. Martin Russell, Training Systems Administrator said, “We set out looking for a cloud based, transparent system, that would manage our training needs and be accessible from a multitude of devices across all our sites for all user levels, whether it be a site manager or a client. “Seymour is always thinking about ways in which technology can be used to make employees jobs easier and departments more productive. “We wanted an intelligent system that would automatically present the training team with the information they needed on a daily basis, improving the efficiency of the whole process.” The portal uses a QR code format which allows users to see exactly what certifications each employee has all in one place, at the click of a button, from any location. An important aspect of the portals development was its mobile friendly functionality, so all users working on site have access to the portal via their mobile device. Martin said: “Our clients will soon be able to request access to the platform, which will allow them to see what qualifications each employee on site has, along with their certificates which are all uploaded to the platform. “The intelligent search function within the new portal will allow the site managers, as well as users from other departments across the business, to quickly find out this information for themselves. We can already see that through this system we are streamlining operations.” One of Seymour Civil Engineering’s greatest assets is that they have their own vetted, trained, and highly skilled workforce. The smart, automated system has worked to simplify the management of the training for the company’s 210 team members. Martin continued: “Seymour Civil Engineering carries out the majority of their staff training in house, and as a responsible employer we’re taking the initiative to upskill our workforce, constantly investing in training and retraining to ensure their competency. “The system is so advanced that it shows pending training, what training groups are currently booked in, and automates three-month warnings for upcoming training expiry dates. Seymour made the decision to build a bespoke platform from scratch, due to the lack of suitable alternatives on the market. Martin said, “When we originally went to market, we did find systems that we could buy off the peg, but they were not designed specifically for the civil engineering sector, nor did they have the intelligence we were looking for. As a development team, we came together and asked the question, could Seymour build what was needed from scratch? Could we create a platform that was bespoke to the company’s needs?” “It’s brilliant to see the system in everyday use, making the jobs of employees across the business easier. The development team have delivered something that is a real asset to the company. “The portal is in its infancy and we have already identified improved functions following feedback from users which has provided us with a host of exiting future developments planned for 2018 and beyond. Off the peg packages mean you get what you’re given and alterations and additions are not always possible, whereas with our bespoke built portal, there’s so much room for development and the sky’s the limit. “The system places us ahead in the industry, purely because we have created something that is tailored to our specific needs. “It’s development is likely to also be beneficial to the civil engineering sector, and the idea of white labelling the portal and distributing it to other company’s similar to ourselves has been discussed as an option for the future.” Karl Brennan, Pre-Construction Director said “Seymour recognises the importance of sustainability and the role our industry has to play. By investing in technology and significantly reducing the amount of environmental resource consumed each year by the business, we are able to make year on year contributions toward achieving sustainable development goals. “The training portal is a prime example of how Seymour utilises innovation to create opportunities whilst contributing to society. We are also extremely delighted to have been presented with the CECA award for training company of the year after judges were impressed with our achievement.” “It is great to gain recognition after all the hard work that goes into ensuring our employees have the skillset they require to carry out their duties to a very high standard.” Seymour was recently awarded Training Company of the Year 2017 at the recent CECA NE Awards in recognition to their commitment to training and upskilling as well as their innovative and exemplar solution to ensure all staff have the training they require to undertake their daily tasks and offer continual personal development.