Smartroof, UK manufacturer of offsite, panelised ‘room in roof’ systems, has completed a £1.2 million investment in its Derbyshire production facility to drive efficiencies, improve quality and meet the growing demand for its modular roof system. The company is an award-winning manufacturer of ‘room in roof’ systems, providing a cost effective, safer and more efficient method of constructing roof structures. The investment at the company’s Swadlincote facility will see manufacturing capabilities increase by an impressive 150%. It means they will have the ability to produce up to 25 plots per day. As part of the investment at the 48,000ft2 production facility, attention has been paid to layout and flow of materials. Five state-of-the-art fabrication bays have been installed along with 18 new overhead cranes. To further increase the efficiency of production processes, new automated CNC saws enable safe, accurate and fast cross-cutting, while new roof and spandrel benches have been constructed to incorporate retractable airline hoses for improved safety. Whilst improving staff safety and reducing waste, the investment has dramatically increased the company’s production capability. Speaking about the company’s investment in its UK manufacturing operation, Kevin Sherlock, Managing Director at Smartroof said: “Following the continuing growth of our business it became clear we needed to further invest in our production facility to match the expectation and growth in demand from our customers. With housebuilders turning to ‘room in roof’ systems, this investment has allowed us to improve our output and support the delivery of UK housing programmes with an innovative system that meets the requirements for quality, safety and performance.” The Smartroof system is a complete roof solution, designed to offer housebuilders and developers a solution to maximising sellable space by creating rooms in roofs. Comprising a series of factory produced panels incorporating insulated roof panels, spandrel wall panels, dormers, roof windows, GRP chimneys, soffit and fascia, it is delivered to site and craned into place. Once in place, the roofs simply require roof tiling. The system has many benefits – less waste, better control of quality, safer to install – and meets the industry’s demand for solutions that allow us to build better quality homes, more efficiently. The investment programme has reinforced Smartroof’s position as one of the UK’s leading offsite manufacturers of ‘room in roof’ solutions, enabling the company to meet the housing sectors growing demand whilst improving working conditions of its growing workforce.

Leeds-based developer, Priestley Homes, has acquired 2 Great George Street in the heart of Leeds and submitted plans to create the city centre’s first £1 million+ penthouse apartments. Subject to planning approval, Priestley Homes – a multi-award-winning developer which specialises in the regeneration of historic buildings to the highest standards of living – aims to transform the Grade II listed former Victorian school into 76 luxury apartments. The £31 million regeneration and new-build scheme will be a premier development in Leeds and the first to bring £1million-plus penthouses to the market. Each 3,000 sq. ft. penthouse will be finished to the highest standard, offering excellent city views, floor to ceiling glazing throughout, luxury fittings, a private roof garden with hot tub, plus an indoor and outdoor kitchen bar area. The building will feature luxury one-to-three-bedroom apartments throughout, with the two-bedroom apartments on lower floors offering up to 1,500 sq. ft. of living space. All residences will be completed to the highest specification, with large, original windows, designer fixtures and fittings, underfloor heating, and the latest smart home technologies. Nearly half of the apartments will also have a private outdoor area, with the addition of a communal roof-top garden, creating a social hub for all residents. The decision to include private outdoor space for some apartments accommodates the expected long-term shift to working from home, with access to outdoors proven to boost mental health. Alongside the communal roof-top garden, the development will also feature a private, on-site residents’ gym and concierge facilities. In creating these new homes, Priestley will ensure that the history of the building is retained. The developer has a strong track record of heritage building restoration, with its award-winning Hanover House scheme in Leeds as well as Conditioning House in Bradford. These projects set the benchmark for sympathetic restoration, with the former selling out within eight weeks of launch. Located in the city’s Northern Civic Quarter, just off Millennium Square, 2 Great George Street sits within a major regeneration zone and cultural hub known for its grand Victorian architecture. The building dates to the 1900s when it was home to Thoresby High School, an all-girls’ school. In 1972, it merged with Leeds Central High School to form the new City of Leeds School, which later moved location in 1994 to Hyde Park. Following the move, the site was adapted to offices for Leeds City Council, with staff continuing to work there until 2018. A new future for the building was consented to in 2018; however, the original plans to convert the former school into a 173-bed premium lifestyle hotel were not finalised. Since then, the council offices have sat empty. Priestley Homes’ plans will regenerate the derelict property, creating a thriving residential community at the core of one of the busiest districts in Leeds. Priestley Homes partnered with UK-wide specialist lender, Together, which provided a multi-million-pound facility to help purchase the site. “We have previously partnered with Priestley Homes on several of its award-winning schemes, including recent flagship development, Conditioning House in Bradford. The developer is renowned for delivering exceptionally high-quality and innovative projects, and we are proud to be able to provide the finance to create these luxury apartments in a prime area of Leeds city centre,” commented Ritchie Watson, lending director from Together. The planning application was lodged with Leeds City Council in February 2021, with a decision expected in late Spring. Priestley Homes’ main contractor, Priestley Construction, intends to begin work as soon as approval is granted, aiming for a Q4 2022 completion.

Mansfield based housebuilder, Rippon Homes, is supporting Junior Quantity Surveyor, Sarah Morris, build a fulfilling career in what is often perceived as a male dominated industry. 26-year-old Sarah, who lives in Edwinstowe with her partner Arron, joined the company almost two years ago and in that time has completed a Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Construction and the Built Environment and started a bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management at Nottingham Trent University. She entered the housing industry after taking an admin job at Wynbrook to escape the unsociable hours of the hospitality industry and it was there she found an interest in surveying. “I met an amazing woman at Wynbrook who became a kind of mentor to me, she supported my ambitions so I was able to step into her role as a material buyer once she moved on which is where I discovered surveying. Her confidence was inspiring and she taught me the importance of speaking up for myself, which is especially important in rooms where women aren’t as present. She made me a strong believer in girl-power, which is something I’ve seen through my education too. As there have only been a few girls on my courses, we band together and are stronger for it.” The theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is “Choose to Challenge”, and Sarah is clear that it’s not just down to the women to rise to it. “Men play just as much part in supporting women in the industry, and the team at Rippon has been incredible at that. My senior surveyor, Andrew Linley, has been fantastic at offering assistance and advice at every opportunity, and of course I’m so grateful for the company’s support in beginning my bachelor’s degree.  “I’ve been so lucky in the mentorship I’ve received so far in my career, helping me build the pillars to achieve my ambition of becoming a commercial manager one day. I’ve loved the chance to share the wisdom I’ve learned by mentoring younger members of the team, helping them with college assignments so they too can build the career they dream of. “To any women considering a career in the housebuilding industry, I’d say don’t be afraid of it. It can be seen from the outside as an intimidating man’s world, but there are fantastic people everywhere so reach out to them and don’t let anyone push you out.”

WOMEN working on construction sites marking International Women’s Day say they are seeing more female faces alongside them than ever before – but more needs to be done to encourage others. Stonewood Partnerships, based in Tormarton and Castle Combe, now has women in almost half its roles, many of whom are members of Women in Property, which promotes female progression in the industry. Planning Manager Holly Simkiss, who has been visiting sites for 15 years, says the complexion is gradually changing, but not quickly enough. Before joining Stonewood last year she was a planning officer at Stroud District Council. “Before I started at Stroud it was predominantly all male but there has definitely been a shift in the tide and there are far more women in planning in local government now,” she said.  She said being a woman on site 15 years ago was far more challenging than it is today. “I have been on site in the past and I definitely have felt like I have had to have explanations dumbed down for me because they think I won’t get it. Now I think it is a given that I understand, it’s a very level playing field.” She said her early experiences on site were probably shaped more by her lack of experience than any prejudice. “There is a massive anxiety when you are going on to a site and it is all men, particularly as a planning officer when you are a decision maker,” she said. “It was like pack mentality, all blokes together and ‘we’ll show the woman’ but that has changed massively, it just doesn’t happen anymore. “Interestingly, now when I meet consultants for things like highways and transport, ecology or landscaping on site, most of them are other women and that’s not a conscious decision on my part to instruct other women, that’s just the way it is now.” She feels still more must be done to encourage younger girls to consider construction as a career. “I think there’s a place for it because there is a perception that girls will shy away from jobs in construction and you need women like me saying ‘no you could do it, you should do it’. Those who are working in this environment should be telling girls that it is a good place to be, an equal place to be.” When assistant site manager Maisie Lapham first wanted to enter the sector as a painting and decorating apprentice at 19, everyone she knew discouraged her. “My family and friends tried to talk me out of it, they said it was a man’s job and said I wouldn’t like it,” she recalled. “I stuck to my guns and I was proved right. I am so pleased I chose construction because I love the hands-on nature of it, I like problem-solving and I’m out on site and not in an office all day.” She said although the male-dominated environment was daunting at first she soon earned the respect of her older colleagues. “I was 19 when I first went on site and I was really nervous but the blokes I worked with were absolutely fine with me. Everyone stares at you when you are first on a new site but as the years have gone on I don’t get as many looks so I think the men are getting used to it,” she said. “Since I’ve been a site manager I’ve found that often the men prefer to deal with a woman because I can be calmer, so it does work in my favour. I’ve also grown in confidence and I won’t tolerate being spoken back to. I’m strong enough to stand up for what I know is right.” Fear was also an emotion Assistant Quantity Surveyor Lily Elder first experienced on site when she started working at Stonewood two years ago. “I was terrified, I think it was because it was male dominated and at that time I was the only female on the construction side,” she said. “But I’ve grown in confidence now and I really don’t think being a woman makes the job harder. But you still need to have a little bit of strength to stand your ground when you are in dispute with someone. There’s no obvious sexism but sometimes there is a tone when you are telling someone they haven’t won a contract.” Sales and Marketing Manager Jasmine Endersby attends Women in Property events and feels there is a need for bodies like it. “I think it has a role to play in breaking down barriers even more,” she said. “As a mum of three girls I am all for empowering women to believe they can be anything they want to be. The only way you can break down stereotypes is through education and having role models to inspire people at a young age.” Stonewood is planning to run workshops with local schools to highlight the opportunities in construction. “We’ll have people from different departments to do talks so young people can see who is in roles like builders and architects, so having female faces there will be important,” said Jasmine. The high percentage of women in key roles at Stonewood is encouraging, she said. “Generally in construction the male-female diversity is quite low but at Stonewood Partnerships it is 43 per cent female and the roles are spread right across all the disciplines, in construction, technical and commercial, which is great,” she added. “I am proud to work at a company where women are treated with respect – not just as females but as equals who are good at our job. Everyone’s viewpoint is respected no matter who you are.”