From now until the end of the year Green-tech is attending a record number of events and exhibitions across the UK. The Green-tech team are familiar faces at industry events and between them are covering the country from Exeter to Edinburgh, attending an ambitious number of exhibitions and a further
Sources confirmed to CN that Keltbray was interested in several parts of the business, with discussions ongoing. It is understood that around 60 people have expressed interest the specialist concrete contractor, although one source said this “varied from buying a wheelbarrow to the whole company”. Administrators FRP Advisory have been
29 April 2016 | Jamie Harris Facilities managers have been named among the We Are The City Rising Stars 2016 shortlist. We Are The City is an organisation supporting professional women in the UK. It aims to encourage women to progress in their careers through networking, events, further
National Grid has chosen Costain as programme manager for its £100m project to replace its gas pipeline across the Humber estuary. Above: The Humber Estuary National Grid intends to lay the replacement pipeline in a tunnel under the river to provide a more robust long-term engineering solution. Currently, the pipeline
Construction workers who were systematically blacklisted by major contractors, often just for airing safety concerns, have begun to receive compensation. The Ucatt union, which represents many of the 3,213 people on the industry blacklist found in the office of the Consulting Association seven years ago, says that 71 of its
Developers of London’s proposed ‘garden bridge’ are hoping that construction will start in the summer after signing a contract with France’s Bouygues Travaux Publics and Italy’s Cimolai. Above: The garden bridge will have 270 trees and more than 100,000 plants, according to current plans Bouygues and Cimolai have been working
It has been announced that of all of the different lifting options that are available within a Care Home structure, using a ceiling hoist is the most appropriate across all cases. According to Good Practice Guidelines, ceiling hoists are the most effective lifting methods. According to research, there should be
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), John McAslan + Partners, and the Environment Agency have today (Tuesday 27 October 2015) announced the winners of the 2015 RIBA McAslan Bursary. Umi Baden-Powell has been awarded £5,000 for the project ‘The Zero-Point House: A machine for living in the age of
1) Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway 2) Khorgos-Aktau railway 3) Central Asia-China gas pipeline 4) Central Asia-China gas pipeline, line D 5) China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway 6) Khorgos Gateway China’s “One Belt, One Road” project aims to make central Asia more connected to the world, yet even before the initiative was formally announced China
The company has confirmed it has acquired the freehold of the Accolade Wines bottling facility in Avonmouth, Bristol. According to Keller, the purchase was “pursuant of settlement agreement in connection with a previously announced contract dispute on the property”. In 2013, main contractor VolkerFitzpatrick sued Keller, claiming the company had
From now until the end of the year Green-tech is attending a record number of events and exhibitions across the UK. The Green-tech team are familiar faces at industry events and between them are covering the country from Exeter to Edinburgh, attending an ambitious number of exhibitions and a further 10 CPD presentations. As well as holding their own open day for customers and suppliers on 7th September. This year Green-tech is sponsoring the WorldSkills UK Landscaping competition which is being run by the APL. Other events Green-tech are exhibiting at include: AA National Amenity Conference, Exeter 2017 | 10-13 September The Landscape Show, London | 19 & 20 September Contamination Expo 2017, London | | 27 & 28 September Scothort, Edinburgh | 28 September Soils Con, Henley-on-Thames | 17 October Soils in Crisis, London | 23 October Saltex, Birmingham | 1 & 2 November Futurescape, Esher | 14 November SGD Autumn Conference, London | 18 November On top of this, Green-tech has confirmed that they will be attending the October BALI networking dinner in Harrogate, the LI awards in London and the BALI National Landscaping awards in London, which they are also the Headline Sponsor of. Head of Sales, Richard Gill said “The next quarter is always a busy period for Green-tech, but even by our standards this is impressive. We are have an abundance of good quality events in the landscaping industry and they offer us a great opportunity to meet suppliers, customers and prospects. We have strong relationships in the industry so these events provide a perfect opportunity to catch up and enjoy a drink or two in the evening.”
Sources confirmed to CN that Keltbray was interested in several parts of the business, with discussions ongoing. It is understood that around 60 people have expressed interest the specialist concrete contractor, although one source said this “varied from buying a wheelbarrow to the whole company”. Administrators FRP Advisory have been working behind the scenes with other contracting groups to try and save jobs. The Dunne group fell into administration on 19 July, after workers at Dunne Group and its subsidiaries are understood to have been pulled from multiple sites including 100 Bishopsgate, with Brookfield Multiplex. The contractor was also working on One Blackfriars with Brookfield Multiplex as well as the Newington Butts project with Mace. Construction News reported last week that Brookfield Multiplex had replaced Dunne Group on both its jobs with specialist contractor Byrne Group. In its most recent accounts filed at Companies House, the group revealed turnover of £54.8m for 2014 with a pre-tax profit of £756,000. It had boosted turnover from £37.1m the year before, when it had a pre-tax loss of £476,000. It had a liquidity ratio (assets divided by liabilities) of 1.1. They added that the group had an order book of £181m for 2014 and 2015 at the time, with a further £65m of contracts at preferred bidder stage. The Dunne Group received a £50,203 county court judgement on 12 July, according to credit reference and debt recovery agency Top Service, although there was no reason given as to why it was issued. It has had no other issues with late payment. Source link
29 April 2016 | Jamie Harris Facilities managers have been named among the We Are The City Rising Stars 2016 shortlist. We Are The City is an organisation supporting professional women in the UK. It aims to encourage women to progress in their careers through networking, events, further education and training. The awards are designed to celebrate 100 individual female contributors that represent the leaders and role models of the future. In addition to facilities management, women in the property services industry, including BIFM Awards 2015 Rising Talent in Facilities Management winner Tanya Horscroft, have also been nominated. The awards cover all aspects of business, such as HR and recruitment, insurance, media, law, public sector, sport and not for profit organisations. The shortlist is now open to public voting, which closes on 27 May. The finalists from each category will be announced on 6 June, with a winners event on 30 June. Online voting and the full shortlist, with profiles of each nominee can be found here. Facilities Management shortlist: Cheryl-Anne Sanderson, G4S Elaine Gibson, NSPCC Kirsty Johnston, Mitie Lianne Lawson, Interserve Construction Marianne Kwong, BNP Paribas Mary O’Connor, CBRE Pleun van Deurssen, Incentive QAS Sajna Rahman, Sodexo Sophie Austin, Sodexo Sophie Kimber, ISS Property Services shortlist: Alex Chitty, Land Securities Alice Boswell, British Land Cleo Folkes, St Martins Corporate Erin McDonald, CBRE Gemma Dew, Land Securities Jessica Neale, CBRE Najwa Jawahar, WSP Parsons Brinkerhoff Natalie Essa, Land Securities Rebecca Fieldhouse, Iceni Projects Tanya Horscroft, Capita Source link
National Grid has chosen Costain as programme manager for its £100m project to replace its gas pipeline across the Humber estuary. Above: The Humber Estuary National Grid intends to lay the replacement pipeline in a tunnel under the river to provide a more robust long-term engineering solution. Currently, the pipeline runs in a covered trench along the river bed and is susceptible to tides and erosion, requiring regular maintenance. Planning consent for the replacement pipeline, from the Planning Inspectorate, is expected in September 2016. The River Humber pipeline is 5.4km long and runs between Paull, on the north bank of the Humber, and Goxhill, on the south bank. The current pipeline was built in 1984 and runs in a trench on the riverbed between above-ground installations. Over time, tidal patterns have eroded the riverbed covering the pipeline, leading to parts of it becoming exposed. To protect it, exposed areas were filled with gravel-filled bags and concrete ‘mattresses’ placed over the top, with plastic fronds to mimic seaweed and encourage the settlement of sand and silt. This solution ensured the pipeline could continue to operate normally in the short term. But the long-term solution had to be replacing the pipeline. The replacement pipeline will be constructed in a tunnel to be dug beneath the River Humber. This will minimise the impacts on the river and surrounding habitats, and ensure the continued operation of the UK gas transmission network. The project has been designed by Capita. Costain will be providing a full range of project services to National Grid. The works will span across multiple disciplines including health, safety, project management, project controls and planning, commercial management, engineering, risk management and other specialist tunnelling disciplines. Costain power sector director Nigel Curry said: “The award of this contract demonstrates Costain’s ability to meet its customers’ needs through our broadened consultancy and advisory project service offering.” Length of pipeline: 5.4km / 3.3 miles Diameter of pipeline: 48 inches (1,220mm) Length of pipeline tunnelled: 5km / 3.1 miles Depth of tunnel: 35 metres Width of tunnel: 3-4 metres Length of construction: 35 months (approx.) Length of time spent tunnelling: 12 months (approx.) Gas pressure: 70 barg Cost: Upwards of £100m This article was published on 13 Apr 2016 (last updated on 13 Apr 2016). Source link
Construction workers who were systematically blacklisted by major contractors, often just for airing safety concerns, have begun to receive compensation. The Ucatt union, which represents many of the 3,213 people on the industry blacklist found in the office of the Consulting Association seven years ago, says that 71 of its members have now received a full and final settlement for compensation. The 71 received £5.6m between them, making the average settlement close to £80,000. Some were as high as £200,000. The compensation is for breach of confidence/misuse of private information, breach of the Data Protection Act 1988, defamation and loss of earnings. Ucatt acting general secretary Brian Rye said: “Ucatt has been fighting the blacklisting case since the day it was revealed. This initial tranche of compensation is the first significant milestone in the battle to win justice for blacklisted workers. I hope that this compensation will provide some recompense for these members who have suffered appalling treatment at the hands of the blacklisters.” Ucatt is still negotiating a further 89 cases. Unless settlement is agreed, these cases will go to trial in May 2016. Initially, unions were urging their members not to accept a settlement but to sue instead. Lawyers for the blacklist victims are still attempting to secure a guarantee that if any further documents are discovered relating to the blacklisting of workers or their personal information, the individual is given access to them and they are then destroyed by the blacklisting companies, in order to prevent future blacklisting. The legal teams involved in the case are trying to secure agreement that the companies concerned will provide training and future support to any of the victims who require it, to help them re-join the industry. Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Costain, Kier, Laing O’Rourke, Sir Robert McAlpine, Skanska UK and Vinci issued a joint apology in October 2013 for setting up and using The Consulting Association to operate an industry blacklist. They set up the Consulting Association after the collapse of a discredited predecessor body, the Economic League. The eight contractors set up The Construction Workers Compensation Scheme in a bid to make a clean start, although not without criticism along the way. [e.g. See previous report here.] This article was published on 9 Feb 2016 (last updated on 10 Feb 2016). Source link
Developers of London’s proposed ‘garden bridge’ are hoping that construction will start in the summer after signing a contract with France’s Bouygues Travaux Publics and Italy’s Cimolai. Above: The garden bridge will have 270 trees and more than 100,000 plants, according to current plans Bouygues and Cimolai have been working with the Garden Bridge Trust since April 2015 when they won the contract for preconstruction services. The joint venture has now been confirmed as responsible for completing the detailed design, construction and planting the trees and shrubbery that are expected to define the privately-owned crossing of the Thames in the capital. The contract value was not disclosed. The bridge cost has been estimated at £175m by the client body but the funding is not yet in place. The bridge trust said that 80% of Lambeth’s pre-commencement planning conditions have now been approved. Others relating to the start of particular construction works have yet to be agreed, although the trust says it has approval for two out of seven of these. Lease negotiations are also continuing about the land required for the South Landing. Bouygues TP and Cimolai are supported by consulting engineer Flint & Neil and Moxon Architects. Arup, Heatherwick Studio and Dan Pearson Studios will continue to provide advice to the Trust about the Bridge design and construction. The project, brainchild of TV’s Joanna Lumnley, is taking £40m from taxpayers (a £30m grant from the Department for Transport and a £10m grant from Transport for London) and has a £20m loan from TfL. The rest is expected to come from donations, but it remains nearly £30m short. This article was published on 16 Mar 2016 (last updated on 16 Mar 2016). Source link
It has been announced that of all of the different lifting options that are available within a Care Home structure, using a ceiling hoist is the most appropriate across all cases. According to Good Practice Guidelines, ceiling hoists are the most effective lifting methods. According to research, there should be ceiling hoists installed in at least 5% of bedrooms, and the rooms that have ceiling hoists fitted should also have en-suite facilities. This setup has been recommended for new build multi-occupancy property like nursing and residential care homes. Clos-o-Mat is a company that is looking at simplifying the process of lifting patients or residents. The care equipment supplier has been working for the past 55 years to provide advice and equipment to customers. Clos-o-Mat offer a number of pieces of toilet care equipment in order to make caring for elderly or disabled people safer and easier. The business is known for being the leading suppliers of toileting technology that is aimed at the elderly and disabled around the UK. Clos-o-Mat has created a complete fixed track hoist service which has been developed with the advice from designers. The company offers the supply and installation of the equipment as well as commissioning and maintenance in order to make sure that the fixed lifting equipment functions at its best and is kept as a safe piece for equipment to lift and relocate people. The Clos-o-Mat lifting equipment is a simply designed and allows the care worker the capability to lift someone from a bed in order to transfer them into the shower or toilet and back. The equipment can also allow a worker to lift and move a person from room to room with the fixed ceiling tracks. This will make the lifting and maneuvering process easier on the person being moved, and give them back some dignity. This new system also works to reduce strain on the care worker’s back and arms as well as makes sure that the correct sling and hoist are always used.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), John McAslan + Partners, and the Environment Agency have today (Tuesday 27 October 2015) announced the winners of the 2015 RIBA McAslan Bursary. Umi Baden-Powell has been awarded £5,000 for the project ‘The Zero-Point House: A machine for living in the age of housing and environmental crises; a cross-cultural solution to housing shortages and rising sea-levels.’ Umi Baden-Powell is currently undertaking her MArch at the Royal College of Art, and will use the bursary to research floating architecture in the Netherlands and in Nigeria in order to produce guidance for specific and sustainable floating architecture solutions in the UK. It is hoped that the bursary is the beginning of a much larger project, which will culminate in a prototype house. During the debate, the jury also highly commended Clementine Blakemore for ‘Project Lacy Green – Phase Two’ and Christopher Bradley and Tom Cole for ‘5sqm of desire: (Designing for a socio and bio-climatic sustainability understanding of the balcony typology)’ who will each be awarded £2,500. The judging panel comprised Jo Ashbridge (AzuKo), David Balmforth (ICE), Sir Phillip Dilley (Environment Agency), Peter Hansford (BIS), Asif Khan (Asif Khan Ltd), John McAslan (John McAslan + Partners), Robert Torday (John McAslan + Partners), John Waldron (RIBA Education Trust Funds Committee) and Georgina Ward (John McAslan + Partners). Sir Phillip Dilley, Chairman of the Environment Agency, said: “The Environment Agency is delighted to support the 2015 RIBA McAslan Bursary. Umi Baden-Powell’s project is a worthy winner and shows great imagination. Indeed all of the winners deserve our warmest congratulations. It is critical that we nurture skills and a spirit of innovation in the next generation to ensure that our industry can provide sustainable solutions for the future. The RIBA McAslan Bursary is helping that happen.” Jane Duncan, RIBA President, added: “The RIBA McAslan Bursary scheme is so important to our portfolio of funding schemes, and I am delighted that we have been able to run it again this year. The potential for these projects to have a real and lasting impact on the future of sustainable design cannot be underestimated. I would like to congratulate Umi Baden-Powell, Clementine Blakemore, Tom Cole and Christopher Bradley, and extend my thanks to the Environment Agency for the funding of the bursary cycle this year, which is clearly supporting diverse and innovative projects.” John McAslan, Executive Chairman, John McAslan + Partners, added: “The judging panel was hugely impressed by the variety and ingenuity of this year’s submissions. Umi Baden-Powell’s winning entry responds directly to the challenge of climate change and her approach and proposed methodology has real vision. We look forward to working with Umi and with the two runners up, Clementine Blakemore, and Tom Cole/ Christopher Bradley, over the coming year. It will be fascinating to watch their respective projects evolve.” ENDS Notes to editors: 1. For further press information contact Callum Reilly in the RIBA press office: callum.reilly@riba.org 020 7307 3757 2. Images of the winners’ work can be viewed at: https://riba.box.com/s/mqezx7idurmn4omjeb3tljxz4hy5lkl5 3. For more information on the RIBA McAslan Bursary, visit www.architecture.com/mcaslanbursary 4. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members www.architecture.com 5. Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA @RIBA Posted on Tuesday 27th October 2015 Source link
1) Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway 2) Khorgos-Aktau railway 3) Central Asia-China gas pipeline 4) Central Asia-China gas pipeline, line D 5) China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway 6) Khorgos Gateway China’s “One Belt, One Road” project aims to make central Asia more connected to the world, yet even before the initiative was formally announced China had helped to redraw the energy map of the region. It had built an oil pipeline from Kazakhstan, a gas pipeline that allowed Turkmenistan to break its dependence on dealings with Russia and another pipeline that has increased the flow of Russian oil to China. Chinese companies have funded and built roads, bridges and tunnels across the region. A ribbon of fresh projects, such as the Khorgos “dry port” on the Kazakh-Chinese border and a railway link connecting Kazakhstan with Iran, is helping increase trade across central Asia. 1) Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway A China-led consortium last year won a $375m contract to build a 770km high-speed railway line between Moscow and Kazan. Total investment in the project — set to cut journey time between the cities from 12 hours to 3.5 hours — is some $16.7bn.Back to top 2) Khorgos-Aktau railway In May last year, Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced a plan to build — with China — a railway from Khorgos on the Chinese border to the Caspian Sea port of Aktau. The scheme dovetails with a $2.7bn Kazakh project to modernise its locomotives and freight and passenger cars and repair 450 miles of rail. Back to top 3) Central Asia-China gas pipeline The 3,666km Central Asia-China gas pipeline predated the new Silk Road but forms the backbone of infrastructure connections between Turkmenistan and China. Chinese-built, it runs from the Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan border to Jingbian in China and cost $7.3bn.Back to top 4) Central Asia-China gas pipeline, line D China signed agreements with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to build a fourth line of the central Asia-China gas pipeline in September 2013. Line D is expected to raise Turkmenistan’s gas export capacity to China from 55bn cu m per year to 85bn cu m.Back to top 5) China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway Kyrgyzstan’s prime minister Temir Sariev said in December that the construction of the delayed Kyrgyz leg of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway would start this year. In September, Uzbekistan said it had finished 104km of the 129km Uzbek stretch of the railway.Back to top 6) Khorgos Gateway Khorgos Gateway, a dry port on the China-Kazakh border that is seen as a key cargo hub on the new Silk Road, began operations in August. China’s Jiangsu province has agreed to invest more than $600m over five years to build logistics and industrial zones around Khorgos.The map below shows how the transport and energy projects link across the region. Or you can visit chad kimball google maps to see more. Source link
The company has confirmed it has acquired the freehold of the Accolade Wines bottling facility in Avonmouth, Bristol. According to Keller, the purchase was “pursuant of settlement agreement in connection with a previously announced contract dispute on the property”. In 2013, main contractor VolkerFitzpatrick sued Keller, claiming the company had installed defective piles on the warehouse, which was completed in 2008. It is expected that Keller will carry out some remedial works on the property before the sale, which it expects to complete before the end of the year. The value of the settlement will be based on the final value of the property after these works are carried out. The contractor said it would purchase the facility with the aim of “recouping most, if not all, of the purchase price of the sale”. The bottling facility, which is the biggest in Europe, is currently fully operational, with Accolade Wines paying annual rent with a yield of 6.8 per cent. The purchase is expected to be reflected in the group’s half-year results. A statement from the firm said: “This purchase has been largely financed by a new bank facility raised for this purpose and will have no impact on the group’s trading or on the implementation of its strategic objectives.” Source link