The UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) has introduced a “radical new approach” to inspiring innovation in the built environment, after launching its first Innovation Lab that will offer workshops and collaborative opportunities to develop new solutions in the construction industry. Announced on Thursday (5 January), UK-GBC’s Innovation Lab brings in
Proposals have been unveiled to expand Sir Andy Murray ’s Cromlix House hotel in Perthshire. The plans include 30 new rooms, a spa, treatment rooms, staff accommodation, a 200-capacity conference and events area, and a gym designed by the world number one tennis star himself. About 40 jobs are expected
British Steel Pension Fund, represented by international real estate advisor Savills, has let retail space on Manchester’s Market Street to New Look Retailers Ltd. The fashion retailer has agreed a new 10-year lease at 90/100 Market Street, which totals 10,801 sq ft (1,004 sq m). The deal follows the recent
Britcon has secured five new building contracts with discount supermarket operator Lidl UK. Britcon has now secured 11 contracts for Lidl over the past 18 months for new stores, extensions and refurbishments, valued at approximately £16m. At Ripley in Derbyshire Britcon is demolishing an existing Lidl store on Chapel Street
The main application of this organic compound lies in a variety of industrial, commercial and household applications. A chlorofluorocarbon is an organic compound that consists mainly of 3 elements which are carbon, chlorine and fluorine which are produced as a derivative of ethane. These are most often known by the
The largest-ever programme of improvements to barriers protecting London and Kent from flooding will form part of the next stage of work under a CH2M project being carried out for the Environment Agency. The scope has now been agreed for the second year of CH2M’s work on Thames Estuary Asset
With figures estimating that women account for just 1% of workers on construction sites, it’s rare to find a female site manager running the show. But they do exist. And they can bring real benefits to the working environment as illustrated by site manager Charlotte Hale of Neath based Hale
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and AHR have announced Boon Yik Chung as the 2016/17 winner of the RIBA AHR Stephen Williams Scholarship. Boon Yik Chung completed his Part 1 at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL and was awarded the RIBA President’s Bronze Medal in December 2015.
With the completion of a green energy generating hydro screw in Sonning, Berkshire, Pridewater Estates Ltd will become the UK’s first completely carbon neutral marina and caravan site organisation. Pridewater Estates Ltd owns and operates four canal marinas and caravan sites which are spread across the UK from near to
he construction division of The Premier Group, a national specialist in construction and maintenance work, has completed works on two new Asda filling stations in South Wales, which are now open for business. The new petrol filling stations, based in Llanelli and Tonypandy, were additionally awarded to The Premier Group
The UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) has introduced a “radical new approach” to inspiring innovation in the built environment, after launching its first Innovation Lab that will offer workshops and collaborative opportunities to develop new solutions in the construction industry. Announced on Thursday (5 January), UK-GBC’s Innovation Lab brings in Canary Wharf Group, Land Securities and Marks & Spencer (M&S) as lead partners in the initiative’s overall aim to foster innovative sustainability solutions and explore future trends of the built environment. UK-GBC’s head of leadership and innovation Cat Hirst said: “Research and Development levels across our industry are painfully low; the UK currently only spends £43m on construction R&D. The risks to a single company of investing in developing a solution for such a high-cost industry is often seen as prohibitive. But we desperately need to find ways of working together to achieve radical change if we are to challenge business as usual and transition to a sustainable way of working. “At UK-GBC we’re seeking to catalyse this change by using our unique position to convene our member organisations to work together to address the issues our industry faces. We want to ensure there is the time, space, and structure for open innovation to occur for the built environment.” The Innovation Lab officially began last month with a workshop aimed at identifying “breakthrough challenges” that will form the basis for the next nine-months of workshops and programmes; Thursday marks the official announcement from UK-GBC. The initial workshop highlighted the key challenges that the industry will face in regards to climate resilience, resource efficiency and technological advancements. The next workshop will be held on 1 February and the open format allows members to collaborate to share both risks and rewards. Land Securities head of sustainability Caroline Hill said: “The Innovation Lab will provide us with an exciting opportunity to work and collaborate with businesses in the property industry, to explore innovative sustainable solutions. Most importantly we want to see how sustainability can help to break through some of the challenges our sector is currently facing.” Read more here.
Proposals have been unveiled to expand Sir Andy Murray ’s Cromlix House hotel in Perthshire. The plans include 30 new rooms, a spa, treatment rooms, staff accommodation, a 200-capacity conference and events area, and a gym designed by the world number one tennis star himself. About 40 jobs are expected to be created at the hotel if the plans are approved. Graeme Green, general manager at Cromlix, said: “Since we reopened in spring 2014, Cromlix has been a real success story, with both the hotel and Chez Roux restaurant far exceeding expectations and often operating at capacity. “We are now hoping to build on this success by extending the existing buildings to create additional hotel bedrooms, banqueting facilities and staff accommodation as well as growing the team.” The ten-bedroom Cromlix, which Murray bought for a reported £1.8 million in 2013, was named luxury Scottish hotel of the year in 2016. The expansion of the Cromlix is expected that work can commence within the next year and be completed by 2020 if the proposals are approved. Article taken from Scottish Construction Now.
British Steel Pension Fund, represented by international real estate advisor Savills, has let retail space on Manchester’s Market Street to New Look Retailers Ltd. The fashion retailer has agreed a new 10-year lease at 90/100 Market Street, which totals 10,801 sq ft (1,004 sq m). The deal follows the recent success of a letting to Skechers on the adjacent retail unit on Market Street, where Savills also advised British Steel Pension Fund. Dan Walker, director of in town retail at Savills, comments: “These two lettings are representative of the current demand in Manchester for prime retail space. We are delighted to have secured two high profile retailers which will both complement and augment the existing offer on Market Street.” New Look Retailers Ltd was advised by CBRE. Source link
Britcon has secured five new building contracts with discount supermarket operator Lidl UK. Britcon has now secured 11 contracts for Lidl over the past 18 months for new stores, extensions and refurbishments, valued at approximately £16m. At Ripley in Derbyshire Britcon is demolishing an existing Lidl store on Chapel Street to build a new purpose-designed store on the 74,000 sq ft plot. It started on site with demolition last month and expects to complete the new store before summer is out. In Sheffield, Britcon is contracted to complete an extension to the Lidl store on Chesterfield Road. Nearly 4,000 sq ft is to be added to provide increased warehousing and freezer space, and a new Backnische (bakery). Britcon is also building a new 24,000 sq ft store for Lidl on Wombwell, Barnsley, a new store in Bradford city centre and also an extension/refurbishment at the existing Lidl store in Market Harborough. Britcon managing director Paul Clarkson said: “It is rewarding to see that our partnership with Lidl is proving successful as we secure further contracts. We understand retail construction well and bring added value with a one stop solution to Lidl. “To be able to manage the entire process of demolition, site preparation and new build plus ancillaries gives peace of mind to the Lidl estates team which is pursuing a busy expansion programme.” This article was published on 27 May 2016 (last updated on 27 May 2016). Source link
The main application of this organic compound lies in a variety of industrial, commercial and household applications. A chlorofluorocarbon is an organic compound that consists mainly of 3 elements which are carbon, chlorine and fluorine which are produced as a derivative of ethane. These are most often known by the DuPont brand name Freon. Dichlorofluoromethane is the most common representative of this organic compound. Chlorofluorocarbons are non-toxic, non-flammable and do not react with other compounds. However, the production of such compounds has been slowly phased out under the Montreal protocol, which is made to stop production of substances that contribute in the depletion of the ozone layer. Download Sample @ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4613 The main application of this organic compound lies in a variety of industrial, commercial and household applications. Along with non-toxic, non flammable and non-reactive these substances also have stable thermodynamic properties and this makes them ideal for various applications which include coolants for commercial and home refrigeration set up, aerosol propellants, electronic cleaning solvents and blowing gents. Out of these, their wide application lies as refrigerants, propellants and as solvents. However, in the recent past it was discovered that this compound causes harm to the environment especially chlorine which contributes largely too the depletion of the ozone layer. Hence, these compounds are being replaced with products such as hydrofluorocarbons. The main drivers for the chlorofluorocarbons market is its use in the refrigerant industry. The automobile industry is one of the main factors that drives the refrigerant industry. The primary application of chlorofluorocarbons is in the refrigerant industry in the manufacturing of refrigeration and air conditioning products. Other applications, which drive its market, include its use in solvents, foam blowing agents, plastics, and electronics among others. The market for chlorofluorocarbons is expected to rise especially in developing countries. Nevertheless, due to the harmful effects it causes to the environment related to the depletion of the upper layer of the ozone, the compound is being replaced by hydrofluorocarbons, which is being accepted to a huge extent globally as it is safe as compared to chlorofluorocarbons. But the use of hydrofluorocarbons also cause bad effects to the environments but on a smaller scale hence demand for green refrigerants in the market is increasing and is expected to replace chlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons in the near future. Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/4613 The key segments considered for this market include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). The market for chlorofluorocarbons is mature in North America and Europe and is not expected to rise by much in the next few years. This is due to the stringent and restricted policies passed by the respective governments due to the harmful effects they cause to the environment especially the upper layer of the ozone and due to the green house effects that it causes. In these countries, the demand for green refrigerants is expected to rise in the next few years. The market for chlorofluorocarbons is still high in India, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries and is expected to rise due to its ever-growing economy and fast expanding manufacturing bases and lack of laws and regulations against its use. India and China manufacture chlorofluorocarbons to a huge extent and the market demand for the compound is still large here and not expected to decline anytime soon over the next few years. The main companies profiled for the manufacture of chlorofluorocarbons include Arkema SA, which is based in France, Daikin Industries which is based in Japan, E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company and Honeywell International which is based in the U.S, Mexichem Flur SA which is based in Mexico, Solvay SA which is based in Belgium, Dongyc Group which is based in China, Navin Fluorine International Ltd. and Gujarat Fluorochemicals Ltd and SRF Ltd. which are based in India among others. Looking for more details? Follow the link http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/chlorofluorocarbon-market.asp Source link
The largest-ever programme of improvements to barriers protecting London and Kent from flooding will form part of the next stage of work under a CH2M project being carried out for the Environment Agency. The scope has now been agreed for the second year of CH2M’s work on Thames Estuary Asset Management 2100 Programme (Team2100). Work includes engineering investigations, appraisals, detailed designs and construction across the Thames Estuary, including the improvements to the major barriers. The Thames Estuary tidal flood risk management system protects 1.25 million people and £200bn of property, and consists of walls, embankments, flood gates, pumping stations, outfalls and major barriers on the River Thames and its tributaries. In its first year, Team2100 focussed on gaining a sound understanding of the assets, undertaking engineering investigations on 180 gates and 50km of walls and embankments throughout the estuary. “The innovative approach being implemented on Team2100 is generating significant benefits in efficient delivery, having generated more than 100 innovation ideas and implementing six of these innovations to date,” said CH2M’s global water business group president Peter Nicol. The Environment Agency selected CH2M as its delivery partner on Team2100 in 2014. Team2100, listed as one of the government’s Top 40 infrastructure projects, is investing up to £300m on tidal defences over the next 10 years. Significant investment is required to ensure that the assets continue to provide protection against flooding into the next century, despite rising sea levels. Increased wall heights and a new barrier will be required later this century, but the focus of the first 10 years of investment is on continuing maintenance and essential improvements. This article was published on 18 Aug 2016 (last updated on 18 Aug 2016). Source link
With figures estimating that women account for just 1% of workers on construction sites, it’s rare to find a female site manager running the show. But they do exist. And they can bring real benefits to the working environment as illustrated by site manager Charlotte Hale of Neath based Hale Construction. Instead of keeping order by yelling (as might be stereotyped of a site manager…), her approach is different. “I talk to people” she explains. “If someone isn’t working as well as usual, I’ll ask them if something is wrong instead of shouting”. Yet Charlotte does add that the ability for a woman to shout is still a pre-requisite. “You do need to be strong. Construction sites can be dangerous places so if there’s a potential health and safety issue for example, you have to be stern.” Although Charlotte hadn’t previously planned to join her family’s construction business, she helped out on site during her university holidays and found she loved it. “I really enjoyed being in the thick of things. It suits my mind-set. When problems arise, although they’re construction based, I can see a way out of them through being innovative.” Charlotte puts a lot of her approach down to her route in to the industry; through first doing a business degree. As well as learning how to problem solve, she also learnt a lot about how to manage people and get the best out of them. For someone who didn’t initially plan to join the construction industry but is thriving within it, Charlotte offers an interesting perspective on why there are so few women doing jobs like hers. “It’s not because women can’t do the job, or because there’s a lack of respect for them on site – I’ve not had any derogatory comments or problems like that. I think it’s due to how we’re brought up as children – boys have digger toys while girls don’t. It’s socialisation. I think things are changing as people find that it’s good to have women on site but the change definitely isn’t as quick as in other industries.” This is definitely true. In fact the Office for National Statistics says that the number of women working as roofers, bricklayers and glaziers is so low that it is un-measurable. Interestingly Charlotte’s brother, Graham Hale – who has also recently started working as a site manager for Hale – knew that he wanted to join the construction industry from an early age. He explains how he got into it: “I started off by doing a plumbing apprenticeship before then going on to do site management qualifications. I think I’ve really benefited from having that trade background in terms of understanding what goes on site.” Learning a trade first is the more traditional route into construction and is the one that Hale Construction’s Chairman, Jonathan Hale took. He started out as a carpenter before later setting up Hale Construction in 1996. Considering the fact that both of Jonathan’s children are doing well as site managers despite their different routes into the industry, it’s not surprising that their shared background – time spent on site – is the key factor that Jonathan sees for a successful career in construction. He explains: “People have started up construction companies coming from a completely different background, such as accountancy for example. But this approach can fail. You need to know the trade so that no one can fob you off! Alongside that you do need a mixture of practical and people skills as it’s not the easiest of industries. But it is very rewarding when it all comes together and you build lovely homes for people, plus of course it’s great to have Charlotte and Graham on-board.” Hale Construction employs more than 130 people and is part of a wider Hale Group, which includes private housing developer Hale Homes and eco-friendly joiner company Seven Oaks. The group has a turnover of over £30m and is set to expand further in 2017.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and AHR have announced Boon Yik Chung as the 2016/17 winner of the RIBA AHR Stephen Williams Scholarship. Boon Yik Chung completed his Part 1 at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL and was awarded the RIBA President’s Bronze Medal in December 2015. He is currently working at muf architecture/art LLP and will be starting his MArch (RIBA Part 2) in September 2016, continuing at the Bartlett School of Architecture. The scholarship will offer Boon personal academic mentoring by a member of staff at AHR and a £5,000 grant towards his studies. The judges were also impressed by the work of Emily Priest, Architectural Association, and AHR generously awarded her an additional £1,000 as a commendation prize. Director of AHR, Brian Johnson said: “With a record number of entries and increasingly higher standards of submissions this year the judges faced a real challenge in selecting an overall winner. This year’s successful applicant, Boon is a worthy recipient of the Stephen Williams RIBA AHR Stephen Williams Award and AHR are delighted to be able support him in his continuing education with this scholarship. Emily’s commendation recognises her talent and once again AHR are delighted to support her to realise her ambitions to enter the profession.” RIBA President Jane Duncan said: “Boon is clearly an exceptional student, and I am delighted that we have been able to award him the RIBA AHR Stephen Williams Scholarship to support his Part 2 studies. The standard of entries was outstanding, and I would like to thank AHR for recognising this and awarding a supplementary commendation.” The judging panel consisted of from Laura Collins (Arcadis LLP and previous recipient of the scholarship), Jane Duncan (RIBA President), Brian Johnson (Director, AHR), David Simister (Creative Director, AHR) and Tony Watson (Education Trust Funds Committee). ENDS Notes to editors: 1. For further press information contact Callum Reilly in the RIBA Press Office: 020 7307 3757 callum.reilly@riba.org 2. To download images of Boon Yik Chung and Emily Priest along with their portfolio images visit: https://riba.box.com/s/rv22o8ojkswl6lg3oxqc59z29w1xdqno 3. The Scholarship was established in 2008 and is offered in memory of Stephen Williams, a past Director of Aedas (since renamed as AHR). http://www.architecture.com/ahrscholarship 4. Since 2008, the scholarship has been awarded to Laura Collins (University of Sheffield, 2009/10), Henry Fisher (University of Bath 2010/11), Joseph Deane (Royal College of Art 2011/12), Kerry Watton (Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow School of Art, 2012/13), Mick Scott (Oxford Brookes University 2013/14), Chloe Anderson (London Metropolitan University 2014/15), and Jonathan Connerney (Queen’s University Belfast 2015/16). 5. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a global professional membership body that serves its members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment. Visit www.architecture.com and follow us on Twitter @RIBA 6. AHR has a long-standing reputation for award-winning design and the creation of innovative places and environments. AHR is one of the UK’s most established architecture and building consultancy practices, with experience dating back to 1835. Today AHR has evolved into an international business encompassing 450 staff in 13 offices. The practice is currently working on a new headquarters for Blackpool Council, two major retail projects in Pakistan and a series of schools under the government’s Priority Schools Building Programme. Earlier this year AHR completed Heathrow Terminal 2 MSCP, and in 2013 completed the multi award-winning Al Bahr Towers in Abu Dhabi. www.ahr-global.com@ahrglobal Posted on Friday 15th July 2016 Source link
With the completion of a green energy generating hydro screw in Sonning, Berkshire, Pridewater Estates Ltd will become the UK’s first completely carbon neutral marina and caravan site organisation. Pridewater Estates Ltd owns and operates four canal marinas and caravan sites which are spread across the UK from near to Leighton Buzzard in the south, to New Mills in Derbyshire’s High Peak, with another near Lichfield, and one on the outskirts of Tamworth. The combined berthing capability of these marinas sits currently at over 300 boats and such facilities has meant the energy required to run all four marinas each year was significant – an output to the environment which Pridewater Estates has always worked to minimise. Ever aware of their carbon footprint, Pridewater Estates already make use of solar panels where possible at their marina locations however were looking to see how far they could go to cancel out their environmental impact completely. The answer came in the form of a highly efficient hydroelectric scheme – an Archimedes screw. An Archimedes screw is an energy generator which works by water falling naturally over a cascade, rotating the screw, which moves a turbine and generates electricity. While not feasible to install a hydro screw at each marina location, the idea came to build one screw which would produce enough energy to not only offset all four marinas at once but also provide a surplus which could be fed back into the National Grid. To this end, Pridewater Estates acquired a site to construct the green energy hydro screw in the beautiful Thames-side town of Sonning, Berkshire. The design and build was conducted by experienced civil engineering contractors Greenford Ltd who have been responsible for several other notable Archimedes screw projects including Blenheim Palace and the listed Mapledurham Watermill. THE STATS; The Sonning hydro site houses a 99kw generator driven by a 25 tonne Archimedes screw The screw is 4.2 metres in diameter, with a flow rate of 8,000 litres per second – sufficient to fill approximately 275 Olympic sized swimming pools every day! This site now has the capacity to generate enough power to supply approx. 2,000kwh every 24 hours – this is equivalent to offsetting approximately 150 average sized UK houses a year* The screw is set to produce approximately 730,000kwh per year – almost double the 440,000kwh per annum used by all four Pridewater Estate marina and caravan sites combined! The site also provides other ecological benefits including a fish pass which allows the continued safe passage of fish and other native fauna Robert Hutton, co-owner of Pridewater Estates Ltd, said, “Reviewing the ever increasing electricity running costs at our four marinas, coupled with an unexpected opportunity to acquire a suitable site on the Thames, led us to the decision to make this significant investment. We believe Pridewater Estates will be the first carbon neutral canal marina and caravan site operator in Great Britain and we will be able to play our own small part in tackling global warming and promoting green solutions to power generation. Thrilled to be an industry sustainability pioneer Another benefit of this initiative is to be able to provide marina and caravan sites for our customers to enjoy knowing we are a part of Britain’s incredible environmental landscape while minimising the mark made on it. Pridewater Estates are thrilled to be an industry sustainability pioneer and to operate 100% carbon neutral marinas.” To find out more about this green energy sustainability initiative and to view their marina locations please visit the Pridewater Estates Ltd website www.canalmarinas.com
he construction division of The Premier Group, a national specialist in construction and maintenance work, has completed works on two new Asda filling stations in South Wales, which are now open for business. The new petrol filling stations, based in Llanelli and Tonypandy, were additionally awarded to The Premier Group as part of the Asda Framework in 2016. The Asda Llanelli and Tonypandy sites will mark the second and third projects that The Premier Group has completed for the supermarket giant. The scope of the works completed at the Asda Llanelli site included a fully automated petrol filling station in the area of an existing car park, comprising of 4 x 4 pumps with two 75,000 litre fuel storage tanks, decorative landscaping works, a car park and road entrance works. The Asda Tonypandy site saw The Premier Group undertake the construction of a fully automated petrol filling station in the area of an existing car park, comprising of 3 x 4 pumps with two 75,000 litre fuel storage tanks, a car park and road entrance works. The Premier Group provided a number of different services to Asda during these two projects and was heavily involved in the pre-construction phase at the Llanelli and Tonypandy sites. The Premier Group is a leading UK independent fuel engineering company that operates as three main divisions: construction, installation and servicing. In addition to Asda, The Premier Group works with many major national brands. The company has also completed projects for Esso, Shell, BP, MRH, Rontec and Tesco. Collaborating with Asda has enabled us to enhance The Premier Group’s reputation of working with major supermarket chains. Steve Evans, managing director of the construction division of The Premier Group, said: “We are really pleased to be handing over these two new sites. Collaborating with Asda has enabled us to enhance The Premier Group’s reputation of working with major supermarket chains to provide specialist construction and branding work. As this project was for new sites, we were able to showcase our ability to solve problems, offering improvements for the client while maintaining the highest standards of health and safety. “Being based in Swansea, these projects were close to home for us and we are proud to have delivered our services to these local sites. This will help us to build upon our portfolio of construction works carried out in the South Wales region.”