The leading trade body for conveyancing industry, Conveyancing Association (CA), has launched together with HM Land Registry a new survey that aims to collect views on landlord/management company restrictions used to enforce covenants in leases. An example of such a restriction is the requirement of consent to assignment of the
Carbon Dynamic has used fermacell to dry-line a hotel’s new garden rooms. When modular timber construction specialists Carbon Dynamic were asked to supply garden units for a four-star spa hotel there was only one wall and ceiling finish they were prepared to use – fermacell. The square-edged gypsum fibreboard panels
Accountants at PwC are advising the construction industry not to get too excited about all these mega construction projects apparently getting green-lighted by the chancellor. Contrary to what the newspaper headlines may lead one to believe, nothing much will happen for years yet. All that has been approved is more
Professor Amaratunga and Professor Richard Haigh of the University’s Global Disaster Resilience Centre chair 7th international conference in Bangkok. A UK-based professor who is a leading expert on disaster resilience has described the need for international partnerships to curtail the devastation caused by episodes such as the 2004 Tsunami. There
A recent survey conducted on 750 builders by the family-owned builders merchants, Chandlers Building Supplies, has revealed that 95% of them have been asked for help or advice on an issue unrelated to their trade during the course of a homeowners building project. Moreover, results show that 25% of builders
Johnsons of Whixley has supplied a range of trees and shrubs totalling £20,000 to a recently-completed residential development on a historic & iconic site in York. The North Yorkshire-based horticultural nursey, which recently celebrated its best ever financial year, has supplied plants as part of the conversion of the Grade
Gilberts Blackpool Ltd, a UK leading manufacturer of air distribution and natural ventilation solutions, has efficiently delivered variations of its core WG75 louvre system for the refurbishment of a seven-storey office block with retail space in Charterhouse Square. The company has perfectly balanced the physical building requirements and commercial considerations
Thomas Piquemal told a French parliamentary committee that he quit the energy giant after management rejected his calls for a final investment decision to be postponed until at least 2018. Mr Piquemal said: “In January 2015, I proposed to negotiate a three-year delay with our client because we reasoned that
The Department for Transport has shortlisted five routes for the proposed multi-billion-pound Trans-Pennine road tunnel linking Manchester and Sheffield. Above: click to enlarge All five routes link the M60 east of Manchester to the M1 north of Sheffield, with four options starting at the M67. The tunnel could almost halve
Yorkshire Water’s proposed £72 million new state-of the-art sludge treatment and anaerobic digestion facility at its Knostrop works in the centre of Leeds has been given the go ahead. The company’s planning proposal for the bio-energy facility was approved by Leeds City Council’s planning committee. The contract
The leading trade body for conveyancing industry, Conveyancing Association (CA), has launched together with HM Land Registry a new survey that aims to collect views on landlord/management company restrictions used to enforce covenants in leases. An example of such a restriction is the requirement of consent to assignment of the lease. Most of these lease enforcement limitations are entered at the registrar’s discretion, who has to be satisfied that they are necessary or desirable. CA is therefore urging its member firms and all the other market stakeholders to give their views on this topic. The survey covers questions such as whether or not the landlord/management company restrictions are necessary/desirable, what are the difficulties in receiving information, the issue of costs, and whether HM Land Registry should cancel all restrictions until required by Statute. It will also look into the advantages and disadvantages of such restrictions and what HM could change in terms of policy. “The CA welcomes this opportunity for its members and other stakeholders to input into HM Land Registry’s consultation on restrictions. Being at the coal face conveyancers are ideally placed to provide the real life view on the impact of restrictions within the conveyancing process. We would urge our members and all conveyancers to respond to the survey and indeed to pass it on to their contacts and colleagues across the industry so that Land Registry has a clear picture,” commented Beth Rudolf, Director of Delivery at The Conveyancing Association. The survey is open until the 6th of February at snapsurveys.com/wh/s.asp?k=151239681269 and all responses are anonymous unless members choose to identify themselves in their comments. The Conveyancing Association is the voice of the specialist UK Conveyancer and the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry. It is a not-for-profit organisation and it works in collaboration with industry stakeholders to campaign, influence, and improve the conveyancing process.
Carbon Dynamic has used fermacell to dry-line a hotel’s new garden rooms. When modular timber construction specialists Carbon Dynamic were asked to supply garden units for a four-star spa hotel there was only one wall and ceiling finish they were prepared to use – fermacell. The square-edged gypsum fibreboard panels have been used to line 13 modular 26m2 garden lodges, including one accessible unit, and each comprising a king-size bed, en-suite and indoor and outdoor seating areas, as well as a plant room module at the luxury Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness. Working with the hotel’s engineers and architects Keppie Design, each of the five-star lodges was manufactured and fully fitted out in Carbon Dynamic’s factory in less than three weeks. They were then delivered to site and installed in less than two days onto pre-prepared, low-impact foundations in the hotel’s rear garden. With manufacture and site works able to take place concurrently the hotel was able to realise the letting potential much quicker than with a traditional on-site build and disruption was minimal. In fact, weddings continued to be celebrated in the garden throughout the project. The project, managed by Pat Munro Construction as main contractor, is constructed entirely from Scots timber and laid out in an exciting, sculptural curve, each room having a unique view and a high level of privacy as affords the £1 million fourth phase of the nine-year redevelopment of the Edwardian hotel. The hotel’s brief to Keppie Design was to create bedroom accommodation that integrated the hotel experience with the landscaped gardens and provide a unique experience within the context of the five-acre site. This was met by designing the accommodation as individual units that each had direct access from the landscaped gardens and their own external garden spaces that provided an integration between the internal and external. The garden-facing elevation of each module is fully glazed while a new natural stone wall was constructed as an extension to an existing garden wall to create a bookend to the 400m2 development, concealing it from general view and allowing the new modular constructions to nestle into the landscape. Untreated larch was chosen for the external cladding to create a softer, more rustic and sympathetic aesthetic to blend the building into its environment. The fermacell boards which clad the interior are fire resistant to Class A2-s1, d0 and perform to thermal conductivity 0.32W/mK. Award-winning Carbon Dynamic, who always use fermacell boarding for their projects, completed the detailed design, off-site construction and installation of the modules from its 4,000m2 off-site factory in Invergordon. Managing director Matt Stevenson said: “We specify fermacell for all our projects except where clients specify a timber finish. We have always resisted a switch to plasterboard. “In this project it was used as a fine, crisp, high-quality modern wall and ceiling finish and as a contributor to the fire resistance and acoustic insulation.” He added: “It give superior performance in terms of fire, insulation, acoustic and environmental credentials. Critically, fermacell does not move or crack when we move our modules and so requires little if any remedial work.”Keppie Design divisional director Mike Lawson said: “The planners were very receptive to the sensitive integration of development into an established garden setting and fully supportive of the utilisation of Modern Methods of Construction.” Quickly becoming the place to stay in Inverness, the garden lodges have extremely high occupancy rates and are often block-booked for weddings and other group events. A video of the project is available via https://vimeo.com/128417828. ENDS Photo: Kingsmills Hotel Source link
Accountants at PwC are advising the construction industry not to get too excited about all these mega construction projects apparently getting green-lighted by the chancellor. Contrary to what the newspaper headlines may lead one to believe, nothing much will happen for years yet. All that has been approved is more money for consultants, not for contractors. Richard Abadie, PwC transport and infrastructure partner, said: “We welcome the funding announced for further analysis of the Trans-Pennine tunnel, HS3 and Crossrail 2. This should help provide clarity around the commercial, technical and environmental feasibility of the projects. “Nonetheless, there is still a long way to go on these projects and it would be misleading and premature for anyone to think they have either been approved or are proceeding. Like with any mega-projects, these three projects have significant hurdles to overcome and this will take time.” He added: “In recent years we’ve seen a growing trend towards complex transport mega-projects which are expensive to procure, difficult to manage and govern and limit the ability to transfer risk away from the taxpayer and user to the suppliers. “This shift also disadvantages small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which struggle to participate in these kind of mega-projects. Properly managing the supply chain and affording proper competition is critical to broad-based wealth creation and economic growth. “The long lead time on mega-projects also means announcements now don’t lead to job creation and economic growth any time soon, nor does the Treasury need to set aside substantial money to pay for the projects in the current parliament. “So, in the round, what we have is a little money to further project assessments, but limited hard and fast commitment to delivering the projects nor any significant near term economic impact.” This article was published on 17 Mar 2016 (last updated on 17 Mar 2016). Source link
Professor Amaratunga and Professor Richard Haigh of the University’s Global Disaster Resilience Centre chair 7th international conference in Bangkok. A UK-based professor who is a leading expert on disaster resilience has described the need for international partnerships to curtail the devastation caused by episodes such as the 2004 Tsunami. There is also a call for new scientific research in the subject to be fully explained and applied in communities likely to be affected. Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga, who is co-director of the Global Disaster Resilience Centre (GDRC) at the University of Huddersfield, gave the opening address at the 7th International Conference on Building Resilience, which was chaired by Professor Amaratunga and her colleague, Professor Richard Haigh. Held in Bangkok, it was attended by more than 300 academics, practitioners, professionals and policymakers from around the world. Sri Lankan-born Professor Amaratunga recalled the impact of the 2004 Tsunami, which devastated many communities across the region, including Thailand. As a response to hazards of this scale, she called for “all countries to act in a new spirit of partnership to build a safer world based on common interests and shared responsibility”. “Regional and international research will significantly enhance countries’ ability to achieve real progress, in mitigating disasters through the transfer of technology and the sharing of information,” added Professor Amaratunga. The conference sought to bridge the gap between the research community in disaster risk reduction, and policy and practice. Experts from all regions shared the latest research being conducted by universities and research institutes, much of it undertaken in response to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, which maps out the course of global action over the next 15 years. Bridging gap between science and policy At the opening of the conference, Dr Peeranan Towashiraporn, Director at the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, challenged the scientific community to bridge the gap between science and policies for disaster risk management and resilient development. He offered examples from Asia and the Pacific and stated a lot of scientific guidance is not being applied at the local level due to lack of understanding. Ways to bridge the gap emerged during the conference, which included the presentation of over 200 scientific papers, five keynote addresses and a series of panel discussions and side events including a Workshop on Enhancing disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation Synergies for Disaster Prevention and Thematic Sessions on: “Building Resilience of Vulnerable Communities in the Face of Natural Disasters”, “Climate Models, Weather Risks, Critical Infrastructure and Cities”. Recommendations included a need for researchers and practitioners to engage the community, including stakeholders, as equal partners. In contrast, many research programmes focus on communicating the results to key players rather than the community as a whole. The importance of skill development was also highlighted. Universities should ensure that the next generation of researchers and practitioners acquire real experience in community‐based programmes. Similarly, existing practitioners should receive training and opportunities for skills development. The need to focus on health also emerged as a strong theme within the conference. Health resilience is strongly promoted throughout the Sendai Framework, including the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries. In her keynote address, Professor Virginia Murray, of Public Health England stressed that “health sciences should be more involved in the disaster risk management community, advancing their understanding of outbreaks and pandemics, health impacts of all hazards, but also advances in data collection”. The conference also featured a Doctoral School aimed at developing early career researchers working in this field. Recognising the high quality of the scientific articles and posters that were presented during the event, three of the Global Disaster Resilience Centre’s postgraduate research students, Pournima Sridarran, Maheshika Sakalasuriya and Oshienemen Albert, collected awards at the conference. These were sponsored by the Emerald-published International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment. The conference also incorporated a meeting and training events of the ASCENT project. Co-funded by an EU Erasmus+ programme grant, it is running for three years and is led by the University of Huddersfield. They were joined by a consortium of 13 European and Asian higher education institutions from the Bangladesh, Estonia, Lithuania, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand and the UK. The 7th International Conference on Building Resilience was held, as in the previous years, in association with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)’s facilitated Making Cities Resilient Campaign. Next year, the Building Resilience conference will move back to Europe, to be held in the historic city of Lisbon, Portugal. Further details can be found at http://2018.buildresilience.org.
A recent survey conducted on 750 builders by the family-owned builders merchants, Chandlers Building Supplies, has revealed that 95% of them have been asked for help or advice on an issue unrelated to their trade during the course of a homeowners building project. Moreover, results show that 25% of builders have helped a homeowner through a personal crisis and one in four workers say they are asked regularly for financial advice. 80% have advised on home furnishing choices, while almost a fifth said they have been asked to help with completing school homework and childcare. “While a refurbishment or renovation project is being completed, builders often find themselves consumed into the customer’s family life, so in many ways it is not surprising how involved some builders can become in their customers day to day lives,” said Sue McKinney from Chandlers Building Suppliers. More than 80% of respondents said that they ‘loved their job’ and close to 90% would still choose a career in building and construction even if they could turn back time. The survey also found that 55% of builders have another job, such as fireman or sports coach/trainer. The stress within the industry comes from ‘chasing payments and getting paid’ (54%), ‘the weather’ (47%), ‘ordering/waiting for materials’ (45%), ‘vat and tax returns’ (44%), and ‘managing apprentices’ (42%), while the most enjoyable part of it is ‘pride from a great job’ (86%) and ‘on site banter’ (81%). “Research suggests that those who are happy and healthy are more productive and enjoy a better quality of life. Reducing stress levels among builders is an important mission for Chandler Building Supplies. Early this year we ran “Yoga with Your Boots On’ to help alleviate stress and increase levels of well-being among builders. We are also very mindful of the need for quick ordering and efficient delivery so builders don’t have to hold up a job by waiting on materials – which we appreciate can be very stressful,” said Sue.
Johnsons of Whixley has supplied a range of trees and shrubs totalling £20,000 to a recently-completed residential development on a historic & iconic site in York. The North Yorkshire-based horticultural nursey, which recently celebrated its best ever financial year, has supplied plants as part of the conversion of the Grade 11 listed Terry’s Factory. Johnsons has supplied 40 mature trees and 2,000 shrubs as part of the wider development, equating to the majority of the plants on site. The art deco building, which will be known as The Residence, first opened in 1926 and was the home of famous brands including Terry’s Chocolate Orange and All Gold Chocolates. The factory closed in 2005 and it fell into serious disrepair in the years that followed, which resulted in the building being officially declared ‘at-risk’ by English Heritage The building has since been purchased by Henry Boot Developments, who have converted it into 170 apartments across five floors. Johnsons of Whixley amenity sales manager, Andrew Barker, said: “The new development at The Terry’s Factory looks fantastic, and it’s been a pleasure to work alongside developers Henry Boot and David Wilson, alongside Bob Gascoyne Landscape Seeding, on the project. “We have an excellent track record in the house building and residential development sector, and take particular pride in the quality of our products, the level of service and our ability to meet tight deadlines.” The luxury apartments and penthouses at The Terry’s Factory range in price from £194,950 to £649,950, and the building features landscaped boulevard, boutique-style lobby and concierge desk. The total cost of the development is £38m. Johnsons of Whixley is one of the largest commercial nursery businesses in Europe, and a trusted supplier of plants and trees to the amenity sector in the UK.
Gilberts Blackpool Ltd, a UK leading manufacturer of air distribution and natural ventilation solutions, has efficiently delivered variations of its core WG75 louvre system for the refurbishment of a seven-storey office block with retail space in Charterhouse Square. The company has perfectly balanced the physical building requirements and commercial considerations through a value engineered approach. The project at the historic location, designed by architects Buckley Gray Yeoman, was executed by 21Construction. It involved upgrading the existing building and remodelling the floor area to increase it from 34,000 sq. ft. to 43,500 sq. ft. “We had a number of aesthetic considerations to address too. There was a desire for the louvres to mimic the adjacent windows, all components needed to reflect the Grade A quality of the building, yet any solution had to be sympathetic with the history of the surroundings, and comply with budgetary constraints,” said John Hangar from the Gilberts. Gilberts Ltd worked closely with a design team to develop a solution that will reflect the aesthetics whilst providing a secure fixing and weathering detail. Onto the façade WG75 aluminium standard louvres with a PPC black finish were fixed and a further five louvres were required to mimic the adjacent windows. Because of the sensitive adjacent buildings, the plant screen on the roof was specified with acoustic mass/performance attenuation, equivalent to a blockwork wall. The company managed to balance the ventilation and sound demands with a built-on-site WGK75 louvre roof screen that yields a 50% free ventilation area. Gilbert’s state of the art test centre, designed and built in-house, is one of the most technically advanced in the country. “Gilberts was put forward as a solution to meet budgetary constraints. We’re very pleased with the end result, which balanced our core design objectives with the physical requirements and commercial limitations,” said Nick Jones, Project Architect at Buckley Gray Yeoman.
Thomas Piquemal told a French parliamentary committee that he quit the energy giant after management rejected his calls for a final investment decision to be postponed until at least 2018. Mr Piquemal said: “In January 2015, I proposed to negotiate a three-year delay with our client because we reasoned that it would weigh too heavily on EDF’s balance sheet.” He added that plans to build the Somerset plant posed a “major construction risk” and that EDF was gambling up to 70 per cent of its equity on unproven technology. His comments come just a week after the French government confirmed that a final investment decision on the £18bn project would not be made before September. It also revealed plans to raise £3.1bn through a rights issue to cover the cost of its future operations. Mr Piquemal said that he could not sign off on a decision that would see EDF follow the same route as nuclear firm Areva, where the company would have to ”recapitalise a few months before defaulting on payments”. Last year, the French government was forced to recapitalise Areva ahead of selling its reactor business to EDF. When it goes ahead, Hinkley is set to use Areva’s EPR reactor. The reactor has so far been used in three EDF plants: in Finland; in China; and in its native France. One of those plants – Flamanville in northern France – is running six years behind schedule and €7bn (£5.2bn) over budget. The Finnish Olikuluoto 3 plant is now 10 years behind schedule and €5bn (£3.7bn) over budget. The Chinese Taishan 1 plant has been under construction since 2009 and is expected to start up in the first half of 2017, while Taishan 2 is scheduled to begin operating by the end of that year. EDF declined to comment on Mr Piquemal’s comments. Source link
The Department for Transport has shortlisted five routes for the proposed multi-billion-pound Trans-Pennine road tunnel linking Manchester and Sheffield. Above: click to enlarge All five routes link the M60 east of Manchester to the M1 north of Sheffield, with four options starting at the M67. The tunnel could almost halve journey times between the two cities, saving around 30 minutes. Trafficmaster data shows that the current journey between the urban centres of Manchester and Sheffield via Pennine routes other than the M62 is approximately 40 miles and takes an average of 75 minutes. The distance between Manchester and Sheffield via the M62 is around 75 miles and the average travel time is 95 minutes. Transport minister John Hayes said that it would be the most ambitious project since the construction of the first motorways 50 years ago. Civil engineering contractors responded by calling on the Department for Transport to engage with its supply chain from the get-go to ensure efficient delivery of the next wave of big road schemes. The announcement about the tunnel was accompanied by reports making the case for improved connections between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge and upgrades to key parts of the A1 in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire (links open in new tabs). CECA head of external affairs Marie-Claude Hemming said: “CECA has long argued for investment in world-class infrastructure to ensure the UK remains an attractive place to live and work. As such we welcome the publication of these long awaited reports which will deliver this growth through quicker, more reliable journeys. But in a time of economic constraint, it is imperative that these projects are completed with speed and efficiency. CECA believes that in order to build these new routes on time and on budget, the DfT and its delivery partners must engage with their potential supply chains early in the development process and we are keen to offer any assistance needed.” The final stage of the Trans-Pennine study, due to be completed by the end of this year, will include assessments of the the strategic and economic cases for each option, together with cost estimates. The Trans-Pennine tunnel study was one of a number of road launched by the government in autumn 2015, one of a number of studies aimed at addressing some of the biggest challenges facing the road network in the UK. Today’s study shows the continued strong case for the tunnel which could provide safer, faster and more reliable journeys for motorists. The link would reduce traffic through the Peak District National Park, as well as support the government’s plan to build a ‘Northern Powerhouse’. Two further reports – the A1 east of England and the Cambridge to Oxford expressway – were also published yesterday. Studies into the M25 south west quadrant, the Manchester north-west quadrant and the Northern Trans-Pennine are also underway. Final reports of all six will be completed in the next six months and will inform the development of the government’s second Road Investment Strategy which will get under way from 2020. This article was published on 19 Aug 2016 (last updated on 19 Aug 2016). Source link
Yorkshire Water’s proposed £72 million new state-of the-art sludge treatment and anaerobic digestion facility at its Knostrop works in the centre of Leeds has been given the go ahead. The company’s planning proposal for the bio-energy facility was approved by Leeds City Council’s planning committee. The contract has been awarded to Black & Veatch, with the civil engineering element being delivered by Clugston Construction. Knostrop wastewater treatment works on has been treating sewage from domestic properties and industry for about 100 years. The new facility will replace the existing sludge and bio-solid incinerator, constructed in 1993, and enable the more efficient and effective treatment of sewage combined with the additional benefit of renewable power production from the wastewater effluent. Yorkshire Water director of asset management Nevil Muncaster said: “This is the single biggest investment of our current investment period (2015-2020) and will not only provide increased treatment capacity for our sludges but will also deliver significant operational cost savings enabling us to keep customer bills as low as possible. “Knostrop is designated as a strategic waste site so by increasing the future sludge and bio-solid treatment capacity of the works the project will support also growth in the Leeds sub-regions.” Planned for completion in 2019 the facility will be capable of processing 131 tonnes of dry sludge daily, and will generate enough renewable energy, using heat and power engines, to provide 55 per cent of Knostrop’s energy needs. Benefits of the new facility include: 15 per cent reduction in carbon emissions across the company Provide 55 per cent of the site’s energy needs Contribute to achieving 94 per cent recycling of the region’s sludge by 2020 The project is the latest step in Yorkshire Water’s commitment to invest in renewable energy to benefit the environment and keep customers’ bills low, and supports Leeds council’s ambition for the Lower Aire Valley to become a hub for green energy and industry. The company intends to generate approximately 18 per cent of its energy needs by 2020. In October 2014, a 123m high wind turbine was constructed at Knostrop. This structure, which cost around £3.5 million is already a major source of power for the Knostrop site, and will on average provide 10 per cent of Knostrop’s energy needs. This article first appeared on wwtonline Source link