West Midlands Safari Park chose the Kingspan TEK Building System to provide research and educational space that will have minimal impact on the site due to the lightweight system. Delivery partners Glosford SIPS pre-cut to specification 5000 m2 of the Kingspan TEK Building System in a 142 mm thickness. “We
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has offered outline planning consent to Fraser Brown MacKenna (FBM) Architects for their design of the regeneration of the Gascoigne West Estate. The 850 home development project will have a significant transformational impact on Barking Town Centre. Moreover, FBM Architects have worked closely
Total Developments Ltd has acquired a 16-acre site with planning consent in place for 265,000 sq ft of mixed-employment development.The vacant site occupies a key location fronting the A63 in the Aire Valley area of Leeds and its development has the potential to provide up to 500 new jobs for
The new housing minister, Kit Malthouse, is faced with the challenge of addressing the current imbalance between housing supply and demand. The process of buying a home is becoming increasingly competitive due to a dwindling supply of properties currently available, which also made the average price of UK real estate
Couch Perry Wilkes (CPW), the national M&E consultancy, has made a number of senior appointments across its UK offices. Promoted to director were Gareth Moad, who heads up the engineering team in Leeds, and Nilesh Mistry, who has worked in the firm’s Nottingham office for more than a decade. Public
Barbara Res, the project manager behind Trump Tower on New York’s Fifth Avenue, will be speaking with journalist and broadcaster, Steph McGovern, at the UK Construction Week (UKCW) Stage on the 10th of October about her experience as a female engineer, the successes and challenges of working with Donald Trump,
A further 700 new homes are being planned for the 170-acre Skelton Gate site within the Leeds Aire Valley, taking the total number of homes being built to 1,800. Templegate Developments Limited, the joint venture partnership of Evans Property Group and Keyland Developments, has submitted this planning application to Leeds
Architects Page Park have specified Indeglas, the Cumbernauld-based business recognised as a world class supplier of interior glass solutions, for the development of the design, the supply and the installation of internal glass screens and fully glazed doors at St Cecilia’s Hall, the University of Edinburgh’s music museum and teaching
Business and community leaders in Allerdale and Copeland have submitted a bid for the area in order to host one of the four logistics hubs to support the planned expansion of Heathrow. The expansion project is expected to deliver up to £16 billion worth of economic benefits and create 15,300
Free training is available for Tees Valley SMEs, as a further £1 million of funding has been made accessible.The fund, accessible through the Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) project and co-financed by the European Social Fund, will give SMEs the opportunity to offer their employees professional training across a
West Midlands Safari Park chose the Kingspan TEK Building System to provide research and educational space that will have minimal impact on the site due to the lightweight system. Delivery partners Glosford SIPS pre-cut to specification 5000 m2 of the Kingspan TEK Building System in a 142 mm thickness. “We needed to provide large teaching spaces within a quick construction period that would leave no footprint on the land if it was returned to grazing land in the future. The Kingspan TEK Building System was an obvious choice as it is low maintenance and lightweight. It also provided a well-insulated structure to help us meet Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM) compliance,” explained Richard Painter, director of Painter Architects. Manufactured off-site, the building envelope was transported to the park and then craned into position above screw pile foundations. “With the installation having to be completed during the closed season, there had to be a quick turnaround. We have had lots of experience working with Kingspan though and the system is really quick – the entire envelope was up in two weeks! We also really enjoyed working alongside the Safari Park construction team and the wild animals too,” said Mike Fleming, director of Glosford SIPS. For the design, the Kingspan TEK panels were clad with cedar and African art panels on the walls. Dark green corrugated tin sheeting was then added on the mono pitched roof to blend in with the landscape and fit the aesthetic of the park. By erecting a Kingspan TEK Building System envelope, the project could accomplish ‘excellent’ levels of thermal performance by achieving U-values of 0.20 W/m2.K or better for the walls and roof. The insulated spline jointing detail, in combination with its OSB/3 facing bonded to a highly insulated core, was said to have ensured minimal thermal bridging through the insulation layer and resulted in a very airtight building shell which offered air permeability of less than 1 m3/hr.m2 at 50Pa. Once the system was sealed with a breather membrane, the entire structure became watertight.
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has offered outline planning consent to Fraser Brown MacKenna (FBM) Architects for their design of the regeneration of the Gascoigne West Estate. The 850 home development project will have a significant transformational impact on Barking Town Centre. Moreover, FBM Architects have worked closely with Be First, the council’s regeneration company, to ensure their designs complement the neighbouring areas of Abbey Road and Gascoigne East, providing the optimum mix of housing and community services. “We aim to surpass the quality and design standards that we have set at Gascoigne East, offering hundreds of badly needed, new homes for local people at a range of rent levels and prices. This is a huge milestone for this exciting project, which will make much better use of the space, with more traditional street patterns and green spaces,” said Pat Hayes, Managing Director of Be First, the leaders of the project. The planners, who endorsed the £250 million project, agreed that the development would result in a much-needed regeneration of the 2.4ha low density area, providing significantly more and better quality housing in a mix of sizes, in a safer and healthier designed environment. “We have taken a very sensitive approach to the site’s historical context connecting and improving the existing townscape to create an attractive people-friendly scheme for the long-term benefit of local communities,” said Simon Fraser, Director at Fraser Brown MacKenna Architects. Councillor Cameron Geddes, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Social Housing, also commented on the news, saying: “It is fantastic to see good quality proposals being drawn up that capture a mixture of realistic renting and affordable buying opportunities for local residents.” A further planning application is expected in late 2018, with the work on site estimated to begin in 2019.
Total Developments Ltd has acquired a 16-acre site with planning consent in place for 265,000 sq ft of mixed-employment development.The vacant site occupies a key location fronting the A63 in the Aire Valley area of Leeds and its development has the potential to provide up to 500 new jobs for the area. The sale of the site was completed by Keyland Developments Ltd, the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister-company to Yorkshire Water, following a market campaign by industrial property specialists Gent Visick. “We are delighted to announce the sale of this site, which is one of the most strategically linked development opportunities in the region,” said Ryan Unsworth, development manager at Keyland Developments Ltd. “The shortage of industrial accommodation across the wider Yorkshire area is well-known and bringing forward this development will significantly help to manage the lack of available, new industrial space.” The approved scheme will provide 265,000 sq ft of B1, B2, and B8 industrial and commercial space, creating a prosperous new employment hub that can be accessed directly off the A63 East Leeds Link Road Thornes Farm Roundabout. “The level of interest received through our marketing is indicative of the quality of this asset,” said Rupert Visick from Gent Visick.“Total Developments purchased the site on an unconditional basis against stiff competition which is testament to their faith in the location and belief in the strength of the market for mid-sized distribution boxes.” The site is located off Pontefract Lane between the existing Cross Green Industrial Estate and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Zone, giving easy access to the M62 motorway, as well as a direct link into central Leeds.
The new housing minister, Kit Malthouse, is faced with the challenge of addressing the current imbalance between housing supply and demand. The process of buying a home is becoming increasingly competitive due to a dwindling supply of properties currently available, which also made the average price of UK real estate rising across the country. For prospective homeowners is becoming harder and harder to make their first home purchase, while for current homeowners is harder to move up the property ladders. Therefore, it is important for the new housing minister to sustain the Government’s renewed approach to the housing market and build upon the reforms that were originally touted at the beginning of the year. Moreover, the new Housing Minister must demonstrate strength in his leadership and look to creative new measures that help alleviate market demand for property in both the short and long term. The Government’s target is to build 300,000 new build homes each year, but UK developers have questioned whether the UK has the resources and capability to deliver such a figure. According to a survey carried out earlier in the year, only 15% of respondents think the target is deliverable. In order to make it more attainable, part of the Government’s housing strategy must be dedicated to supporting SME developers, a segment that currently suffers from numerous obstacles. For example, the majority (57%) of small developers find it hard to get access to finance and funding, said another survey. Another issue is that more than 11,000 homes across the country have been empty for 10 year or more. To ensure more of these properties are listed on the market, the Government should encourage private investors or developers to renovate and refurbish derelict homes so that they can re-enter the rental and sales market. This approach could help with the housing crisis and end the imbalance between property demand and supply.
Couch Perry Wilkes (CPW), the national M&E consultancy, has made a number of senior appointments across its UK offices. Promoted to director were Gareth Moad, who heads up the engineering team in Leeds, and Nilesh Mistry, who has worked in the firm’s Nottingham office for more than a decade. Public health specialist, Jim Buckley, and Oliver Cozens, who leads the firm’s power team, have also made the step up to associate. “Recognising and rewarding our talented and hard-working team is something that is really important to us as a business, especially those who have been with us for a number of years, so we are delighted to be able to announce this string of promotions across the firm,” said Mark Morris, director at CPW. “All four of them have made significant contributions to the business and their promotions are testament to the ongoing hard work and their dedication to the firm. We are very pleased to welcome them to the senior team and look forward to their involvement in driving the business forwards as we progress our plans for growth across the UK,” he continued. With more than 200 staff based across its ten regional offices across the country, CPW works on high profile schemes, including the newly-opened Lincoln Transport Hub and Project Greengrass – British Sugar’s state of the art office space in Peterborough, which is due for completion later this year. “It goes without saying that I’m very pleased to be stepping into this new role. I have a huge amount of respect for the senior team at CPW and I look forward to being involved in the company’s further progression and growth,” said Nilesh about his promotion. “I am delighted to be taking on the role of director and am excited to be a part of helping to drive the business forwards as part of the senior team,” added Gareth. Celebrating 40 years in business in 2018, CPW specialises in designing and integrating the full range of energy solutions into existing and new building by using innovative and contemporary engineering techniques.
Barbara Res, the project manager behind Trump Tower on New York’s Fifth Avenue, will be speaking with journalist and broadcaster, Steph McGovern, at the UK Construction Week (UKCW) Stage on the 10th of October about her experience as a female engineer, the successes and challenges of working with Donald Trump, and sexual harassment in construction. Despite encountering decades of sexual discrimination, harassment and intimidation, she became the first woman to take charge of a major skyscraper in New York, and was hired to be the vice-president of the Trump Organisation, working for Trump for nearly 18 years, from 1978 to 1996. Initially supportive of Trump, she now speaks freely about how his attitude towards women has changed, She continues to voice strong views about women in construction and her philosophy on feminism, as well as speaking extensively to women’s groups and industry groups about construction and women’s role in it. Barbara published her memoir, ‘All Alone on the 68th Floor: How One Woman Changed the Face of Construction’, in 2013 and she is now coming to the UK to deliver a keynote presentation at the construction industry’s largest event, UK Construction Week, which returns to the NEC between the 9th and the 11th of October 2018. Reserve a free place at this major interview of a true pioneer in construction by registering online at: www.ukconstructionweek.com. Barbara Res’s views on why female engineers and tradeswomen are leaving construction in their thousands in North America can also be read at: www.ukconstructionweek.com/news/blog/barbara-res.
A further 700 new homes are being planned for the 170-acre Skelton Gate site within the Leeds Aire Valley, taking the total number of homes being built to 1,800. Templegate Developments Limited, the joint venture partnership of Evans Property Group and Keyland Developments, has submitted this planning application to Leeds City Council. The project first received permission in November 2017 for the creation of a new mixed-use sustainable community that included up to 1,100 new homes, a primary and secondary school, public open space, a local centre and a convenience store, as well as associated infrastructure. Following Leeds City Council’s Full Council approving the adoption of the Aire Valley Leeds Area Action Plan (AVLAAP), land at Skelton Gate was allocated for a further 700 dwellings. “The provision of 1,801 dwellings, rather than 1,100 dwellings, on the site would make a real difference to securing the long-term provision of the necessary physical and social infrastructure to support the development of the site,” said the AVLAAP Final Inspector’s Report. For example, the more homes in the area, the more people would live there; therefore the provision of a viable bus link to the city centre becomes far more likely to be sustainable in the long run. Additional people living on the site also means the support of education facilities, including a through-school, and a local centre incorporating a retail element, as well as other types of social and green infrastructure. Moreover, Templegate Developments Limited will be transferring its interests in those parts of Skelton Lake within the site to Leeds City Council, in order for the Council to create a new nature reserve. “The recent allocations under the AAP and this subsequent application for additional homes at Skelton Gate is the culmination of this collaborative working and will further the major investment proposals by Templegate Developments in this significant regeneration scheme,” concluded James Pitt, development director at Evans Property Group.
Architects Page Park have specified Indeglas, the Cumbernauld-based business recognised as a world class supplier of interior glass solutions, for the development of the design, the supply and the installation of internal glass screens and fully glazed doors at St Cecilia’s Hall, the University of Edinburgh’s music museum and teaching space in the heart of the city’s Old Town. Light flooded through the building thanks to the internal glass screens that were individually scribed to existing stonework arches with feature glazed fire screens, while bespoke detailing ensured that this architectural gem came to life with old and new presenting in complete harmony. “The St Cecilia’s Hall project required a high level of craftsmanship as a number of screens needed to be templated, scribed to stonework arches then glass-fitted to shapes which were extremely irregular. Our site installation teams produced a very high level of finish. To look at the screens now you would think they had always been there,” said Jeanette MacIntyre, founder and managing director of Indeglas. “We are, of course, very pleased to have been selected to undertake this contract and see it as a clear indication that Indeglas is rapidly becoming the preferred supplier of a growing number of the country’s top performing design teams and construction companies,” she added. Indeglas won a RIAS award for the restoration of St Cecilia’s Hall and previously for the Boroughmuir High School project. Indeglas is the former Deko Scotland, a specialist contractor and the sole distributor in the UK and Ireland for the products of award-winning glass manufacturer DEKO of Denmark. “As a Scottish business, the opportunity to work on such prestigious projects for the University of Edinburgh is a huge honour. We offer the University, its Estates team, appointed architects and contractors, the benefits of our nearly 70 years of collective industry experience, as well as our commitment to full client engagement at every level of our business,” concluded Jeanette.
Business and community leaders in Allerdale and Copeland have submitted a bid for the area in order to host one of the four logistics hubs to support the planned expansion of Heathrow. The expansion project is expected to deliver up to £16 billion worth of economic benefits and create 15,300 jobs across the North West. “Heathrow expansion is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the UK construction industry, build for the future and deliver a lasting skills legacy for future generations. All of this comes at a pivotal time for our country, as it prepares itself to leave the EU and where we need to build for our future in both travel and trade,” said lord Deighton, Chairman at Heathrow Airport. The local bid has been led by Sellafield Ltd and supported by Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, Allerdale and Copeland councils, Britain’s Energy Coast Business Cluster, Workington MP Sue Hayman and Copeland MP Trudy Harrison. Eight expressions of interest in the region have made it to Heathrow’s long list, with 65 sites being considered nationally. A delegation from Heathrow will visit all longlisted locations by the end of the month to assess their suitability before narrowing down the list of areas it puts through to the next round. The delegation, joined by representatives of Sellafield, the councils and BEC Business Cluster, has already visited the former Alcan site on the A595 as an example of the kind of development site available in the area “It is very early days, but the Heathrow delegation were impressed by the levels of skills in manufacturing and engineering that we already have in West Cumbria, much of which is engaged in our supply chain at Sellafield. They were also interested to learn more about the capability that we are able to grow through the world-class educational facilities at Lillyhall, with the Construction Skills Academy, National College for Nuclear,” explained Jamie Reed, Sellafield Ltd’s head of corporate affairs, who also hosted the visit.
Free training is available for Tees Valley SMEs, as a further £1 million of funding has been made accessible.The fund, accessible through the Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) project and co-financed by the European Social Fund, will give SMEs the opportunity to offer their employees professional training across a range of skills and sectors. “The project has already made a significant impact in the region, having helped over 400 businesses and 1,000 employees gain new skills over the last 18 months,” explained Sue Dawson, regional development manager of the SSW project in Tees Valley. “Securing an additional £1 million funding means we will be able to extend that reach and support even more businesses, helping them to achieve their growth plans by offering them the opportunity to upskill employees through free training and improved productivity,” she added. The SSW project works in partnership with the Tees Valley Combined Authority to close the area’s skills gaps. It offers courses in employability skills, as well as specific courses across the Combined Authority’s priority sectors – advanced manufacturing/engineering, business and professional services, digital and creative, energy, culture and leisure, health and biologics, chemical processing, low carbon, and logistics. “We know employers across our key sectors need problematic skills gaps to be filled so they can overcome the biggest barrier to business growth,” said Councillor Christopher Akers-Belcher, Combined Authority Cabinet Lead for Education, Employment and Skills. “Skills Support for the Workforce is a valuable resource to help inspire and support the region’s workers to learn the new talents that will help our companies succeed. By targeting our priority sectors, this programme is shoring up the fields that need it most and I welcome this extra funding to assist even more in-need businesses,” he continued. Co-financed by the European Union’s European Social Fund and the Education and Skills Funding Agency, the project is available for SMEs seeking non-compulsory work-based training to support their business growth plans. Its course are delivered by a network of local training providers in partnership with Calderdale College.