Essex school fined after refurbishment disturbs asbestos Published:  25 July, 2016 An Essex school has been fined after poorly planned and managed refurbishment and maintenance activities exposed school staff and others to asbestos. Managers at The Boswells School, Chelmsford, decided to convert an old boiler room at the school into a cleaning store, Chelmsford Crown Court heard on 22 July. During the course of this work, asbestos residue on the walls was disturbed and caretakers swept contaminated debris from floors. Their exposure to risk only came to light after a later asbestos survey was completed in the area. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigated this incident and learned that asbestos containing materials were also present in other areas. School caretaking staff and contractors disturbed the fabric of school buildings over many years without being alerted to its presence. Persons who entered potentially contaminated areas were placed at risk of developing serious ill health conditions arising from exposure to airborne respirable asbestos fibres. The school also failed to ensure that spread of asbestos was prevented or reduced. The Boswells Academy Trust, of Burnham Road, Chelmsford, Essex, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 – Sections 2(1) & 3(1). The trust was fined £26,000 and ordered to pay costs of £20,000. HSE inspector Glyn Davies said: “The Boswells Academy Trust should have controlled this potentially lethal risk by identifying the type, location and condition of any asbestos-containing-materials within the fabric of the school, and by implementing suitable precautions to prevent its disturbance. It should then have ensured that such information was shared with anyone liable to disturb this fabric. It may also have arranged for a licensed asbestos contractor to remove any dangerous asbestos safely before commencement of any work. “This prosecution should act as a reminder, not just to schools but to all persons in control of the repair and maintenance of non-domestic premises, of the need to ensure that a suitable and sufficient assessment of risk from asbestos is carried out, and that correct control measures are put in place to ensure that exposure to asbestos is prevented, so far as is reasonably practicable.” For further information on asbestos visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/. Source link

©Bloomberg In the canon of business drama, the fall and recovery of an overextended contractor is a classic. Take Balfour Beatty. Up to 2010 was hubris — growth at all costs, including 45 acquisitions — begetting a litter of lossmaking contracts and a higgledy-piggledy structure. Then nemesis, with seven profit warnings, and catharsis, as new management arrived to reimpose such old virtues as simple organisation and choosier bidding. Wednesday’s half-year results drew back the curtain on the latest scene, with an unexpected new player — Brexit. Thus far, Balfour reports little actual damage (though it used the referendum aftermath to launch a brazen plea for more UK infrastructure spend). Its legacy contracts are a diminishing drag, and losses of £66m on £862m of UK sales were better than expected — enough for an underlying profit of £7m and the resumption of the dividend. Yet its equity is valued below £1.8bn. Without its £1.25bn portfolio of private finance initiative projects the core business is being assessed as worth just £500m. Caution is justified: for construction a good result is generating 2 or 3 per cent operating profit margins, leaving little room for bad luck such as Brexit. Political risk makes planning harder, particularly in manpower, where supply was already tight. Balfour likes to bring on young staff, but to promise a full career it needs long-term certainty over large projects, recently in short supply. Threatened curbs on immigration do not help either. Against this, £500m is cheap for the core construction business with over £7bn annual sales, half from the US. Its operational reboot is on track. Most of a £100m savings target has already been realised. Lower-for-longer interest rates should boost the £1.25bn value of the project portfolio, leaving the core construction business even cheaper. It is winning orders in areas where it is has made money, such as a Californian rail electrification project. Closer to apotheosis, then, but too soon to call a happy ending. Email the Lex team at lex@ft.com 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

Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Tue, Apr 19th 2016 Kawneer’s curtain walling features on the building with the highest-ever BREEAM rating in the world. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday A building clad in Kawneer’s unitised curtain walling has won top honours in the global BREEAM Awards 2016. “The Edge”, the new headquarters for Deloitte in Amsterdam, which made use of 17,000m2 of a re-engineered, custom-made Kawneer curtain walling solution, won the office new construction category against four other projects in the organisation’s 25th anniversary awards. Designed by PLP Architecture, built by main contractor G&S Bouw for developer OVG Real Estate, and assessed by C2N Bouwmanagement, it achieved the highest BREEAM rating ever (98.35%) in the competition. More than 40 buildings were shortlisted for this year’s BREEAM Awards, each of them showing excellent sustainability credentials, representing some of the best examples of building design, construction and management throughout Europe. The shortlist from the highest scoring buildings in each BREEAM scheme were put before a panel of eminent industry judges who made the final choice of winner, taking into account the BREEAM score achieved alongside a range of other factors such as the value of the building to its occupiers and users, the site and other constraints, and the lessons and strategies that can be applied to other projects. They said of The Edge: “Smart technology is a distinguishing feature of OVG Real Estate’s sustainability strategy, with occupants able to control temperature and light levels via their smart phones. The result is 70% less electricity usage than comparable office buildings. The Edge also incorporates the largest array of PV panels of any European office building on its roof and south-facing facade.” BREEAM director Gavin Dunn, said: “They are all to be congratulated for their commitment, leadership and expertise in sustainable real estate, and for the fantastic developments they have delivered. These awards provide a showcase of the best of UK and international real estate over the past year, highlighting its clear benefits for business, building occupants, broader society and the environment.” BREEAM is the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for buildings and communities, with more than 530,000 certificates issued and a global reach encompassing more than 70 countries. ENDS Photo: Dirk Verwoerd   Source link

Phlattes (Peterborough) Ltd, advised by Savills, has sold the freehold of 40 Cowgate in Peterborough to The Beautiful Truth for a guide price of £350,000. The property comprises ground and first floor retail space totalling 1,849 sq ft (171 sq m), which will be occupied by the beauty salon in its entirety. The Beautiful Truth, who already occupy the first floor as sub-tenants, are now embarking on expansion plans to grow into the rest of building as freeholders. Edward Gee, associate in the business space agency team at Savills Peterborough, comments: “Prominently located on Cowgate, the property benefits from a high footfall generated by the Queensgate Shopping Centre, making this is the ideal place for The Beautiful Truth to continue to build its presence within the local area.” Annalisa Phillips, director of The Beautiful Truth, adds: “I am thrilled to be in a position to make a permanent home at 40 Cowgate after the steady growth of the business over the last 10 years. I’m confident that the growth and expansion plans for the city centre will only be beneficial for the company and we look forward to introducing new treatments to our existing offer to keep up the demands of our loyal clientele as we settle in to our new home.” Source link

Trafalgar Park in Wiltshire, a Grade I listed Georgian country house gifted to Admiral Lord Nelson’s family to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar victory of 1805, has come to the market through estate agent Savills for £12 million. The estate, originally known as Standlynch Park, was acquired by Act of Parliament in 1814 and given to Lord Nelson’s elder brother, the Rev. William Nelson, and heirs. Thereafter the property was named Trafalgar Park pronounced ‘Traf-al-gaar’, in accordance with the word’s Spanish form, as Nelson would have recognised it. The Nelson family sold the estate in 1948, and it has remained in private ownership ever since. Set within protected parkland seven miles from Salisbury, Trafalgar Park has undergone a programme of restoration and renovation in recent years – most notably to the Music Room, beautifully painted by Giovanni Battista Cipriani depicting the Arts, Venus and Shakespeare. It is believed to be the only surviving example of a complete room by Cipriani. In more recent times, Trafalgar Park has been star of TV period dramas and feature films including the 1995 adaption of ‘Sense and Sensibility’ starring Emma Thompson, the TV adaption of ‘Emma’ starring Kate Beckinsale; ‘Amazing Grace’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch and in the zombie blockbuster 28 Days Later, directed by Danny Boyle who spent six weeks filming at the property with cast and crew. Crispin Holborow, Country Director of Savills Private Office, says: “Trafalgar Park is an architectural gem, and represents the cream of the crop of fine country houses to be marketed in 2016.  It has astonishingly fine rooms in a beautiful peaceful location.” Michael Wade, the current owner, says: “Trafalgar Park is a wonderful family home, and its ongoing architectural restoration has been a labour of love. It has a unique place in Greek Revivalism, a rich history – and it is a place of great fun. During my tenure we have enjoyed and recorded opera and instrumentalists in the Baroque Hall, had the Globe Theatre Company perform Shakespeare – not to mention film stars and zombies for the films made at Trafalgar Park. For me, it is time for a new chapter and to find a successor custodian for this magnificent piece of art set, as it is, in a beautiful landscape affording complete privacy yet so convenient for London. Source link

FM World spoke to a number of senior executives in the FM industry about the potential impact Brexit could have in facilities management. Source link

If you have ever wondered what it’s like to spend a night sleeping rough in a car park, then take a look at CEF’s latest video which shows a group of their senior managers doing just that. Part of the Big Sleepout, the group spent a cold and wet November evening sleeping rough to raise money for St Basils, a charity that works with young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness across the Midlands.   The video shows how the group coped with wind and rain throughout the evening, but more importantly it raises the issue of homelessness amongst young people. Charlie Beddows, managing director of CEF, says: “The evening was a reality check for all of us but it was for an extremely worthwhile cause and I hope that this video will help to raise awareness of the great work which St Basil’s does. St Basil’s has helped over 4,000 people to break the cycle of homelessness in the last year alone and they continue to provide much needed support to young people who find themselves in this situation.” Three tonnes of cardboard and 1600m2 of plastic sheeting were put to use in the course of the evening to construct a variety of shelters which included a CEF branch and van. But as the CEF team discovered, these were no match for the elements and as the rain continued to pour the appreciation of what it is like to be homeless really sunk in. Beddows continued: “The community spirit throughout the evening was fantastic and this is really apparent in the video which shows everyone working together to survive the evening. It also highlights the point that it does take a whole community to look after homeless young people and that only by supporting charities like St Basil’s can we hope to make a difference.” The CEF team raised over £24,000 by taking part in the Big Sleepout. To see how they got on and to experience the challenges young people have to face while living on the streets, click on the video link below. http://www.cef.co.uk/blog/1727-2015-st-basils-bigsleepout If you want to make a donation, you still can by visiting the CEF Just Giving page: justgiving.com/cefsleepout/, or you can find more information about the charity at Stbasils.co.uk Source link

Keepmoat, Lakehouse, Lovell, Mitie, Seddon Construction and United Living are among the firms that will compete for work through the frameworks. Fusion21 procurement manager Nick Verburg said: “Achieving a place on these frameworks is significant, as they will not be renewed until 2020. “Part of our evaluation process measured the ability of bidders to deliver social value – and so Fusion21 members accessing these frameworks will benefit from working with contractors and suppliers who are committed to the creation and delivery of social value in local communities. “This is in addition to our members gaining greater efficiency savings of up to 30 per cent on market prices.” Jon Edgar, bid director at Forrest, which won a place on both frameworks, said: “Our relationship with Fusion21 dates back to 2003 so we are really pleased to secure a place on this latest round of frameworks to continue working in the partnership.” Service, Maintenance & Installation of Heating Systems Framework Aaron Services British Gas Services BSW Building Services Burgin C & J Heating and Plumbing Concept Heating Systems Craig Hickin Plumbing & Heating DFP Services Dodd Group Midlands EON Fieldway Supplies FSG Property Services Gas Advisory Services (Phoenix Compliancy) Gas Contract Services Hadfield & Britain Heatforce Wales Helena Partnerships Hewer FM Housing Maintenance Solutions HT Forrest Huyton Plumbing & Heating Icon Training & Assessment K&T Heating Services Keepmoat Regeneration Liberty Gas Mitie Morgan Lambert Orton Mechanical Services P&R Installation Pacifica Group TA 0800 Repair Parker Bromley Pennington Choices PH Jones Phoenix Gas Services Princebuild Robert Heath Heating Rothwell Plumbing Services Sayes Service Seddon Construction Sure Maintenance T Brown Group T Jolly Services The AM Group The Sovini Group TSG Building Services Tudor Northwest Vinshire Plumbing and Heating Warmer Energy Services Wheldons Heating Contracts Services Planned Maintenance Framework A Connolly AW Byrne Contractors  AD Construction Group (Architectural Decorators) Allied Roofing & Construction Amber Construction Services Anthony Dever Construction Axis Europe BAAS Construction Bell Decorating Group Bullock/United Living (North) CLC Contractors Craig Hickin Plumbing & Heating D R Jones Yeovil DLP Services (Northern) Durkan DW Contractors (Oxford) EFT Systems Emanuel Whittaker Esh Construction Foster Property Maintenance Frank Rogers Building Contractor G M Jones Harding Building Services Herbert T Forrest House Line Building Services Housing Maintenance Solutions Jackson and Jackson and Sons Jistcourt Keepmoat Regeneration Lakehouse Contracts Lawtech Group Lovell Partnerships Masher Brothers  Matthews and Tannert Mi-space (UK) Mitie Property Services Mulalley and Company Neo Property Solutions Novus Property Solutions Orton Mechanical Services P Casey & Co Penny Lane Builders PiLON Richmond Joiners and Builders Rothwell Plumbing Services Sovini Property Services Top Notch Contractors UPS Building and Maintenance Wirral Partnership Homes trading as Magenta Living Building Services Wright Build Source link