Foster & Partners has been selected for a £7.1 million overhaul of Cedric Price’s pioneering 1965 Snowdon Aviary at London Zoo. The firm is set to transforms the Grade II listed building, which was recently added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. It will be transformed into a new
Construction firm Beard has been awarded a £1.6 million contract to build and refurbish the existing facilities at Guildford Cricket Club’s pavilion. The pavilion, which was built in 1938, will be upgraded to create new larger, more contemporary changing rooms and a modernised events space, connected to a viewing balcony.
Asian investors have agreed a deal to invest billions of pounds into East London construction over the next five years. The deal was signed in London yesterday with Chinese developer ABP pledging to invest £1.7 billion over the course of the next eight years in its Royal Albert Dock project.
Construction specialist Stepnell has begun construction work on a £9.1 million project to build 57 single-storey timber frame lodges at Center Parcs Woburn Forest, Bedfordshire. Stepnell is building a mix of two, three and four-bedroom lodges on a sloped forest clearing to the north of the development, west of the
Konstructa Hire, the construction site accommodation specialist and member of the Portakabin Group, has announced a £1.4 million investment programme to expand three of its hire centres. Established in 2006, Konstructa Hire is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The business has one of the newest construction hire fleets in the UK
Seven recently completed three-storey town houses in Brighton are setting high design and construction standards aided by the stylish finish achieved through the application of weberpral M, the innovative one-coat, through-coloured monocouche render from Saint-Gobain Weber. These new four-bedroom properties, built by Lewes’-based developer Cross Construction (Sussex) Limited, have light
Date and location Wednesday 8 June 2016 from 08:30, Select Security Halton Stadium, Lowerhouse Lane, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 7DZ Event overview This free to attend seminar and mini exhibition has been organised by the IOSH Manchester and North West Districts, Merseyside and North Wales Branch committees. Topics covered by the
A Hampshire based engineering firm has been fined after a worker severed a finger in a metal working lathe. Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard how the company had allowed the custom and practice of defeating interlocks on CNC metal working lathes to develop. This meant that machines could be operated whilst allowing access to
Metropix has revealed a further increase in the use of floor plans by letting agents in the UK. On analysing sample listings within Rightmove during May, floor plans were available to view on 18% of rental properties. This compares to just 5.7% four years ago, when Metropix undertook the same
7 May 2016 – by Damian Wild It is 12 months since Brett White announced the merger of DTZ and Cushman & Wakefield, a blockbuster deal that has put the combined business’s every move in the spotlight. He has been relatively quiet since, preferring deed to word. Now, though, Cushmans
Foster & Partners has been selected for a £7.1 million overhaul of Cedric Price’s pioneering 1965 Snowdon Aviary at London Zoo. The firm is set to transforms the Grade II listed building, which was recently added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. It will be transformed into a new walk-through colobus monkey enclosure, which will provide visitors with an ‘up-close experience of the stunning primates’. Conceived by Antony Armstrong-Jones (Lord Snowdon, who studied architecture at Cambridge) and delivered by architect Cedric Price and engineer Frank Newby, the structure next to the Regent’s Canal has four large tetrahedral frames and became Britain’s first walk-through aviary when it opened 51 years ago. It is one of the zoo’s 13 listed structures. The client, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) described the appointment of Foster & Partners as ‘symbolic’, given Price’s manifest influence on Foster’s work. Director David Field commented: “It’s fitting that a structure with such a unique history should be given new life by a world-class firm with such a strong heritage. “Our most ambitious project to date, the new aviary will reflect our decades of animal expertise and delivering innovative visitor experiences. “London Zoo has a long history of leading the way in architecture and design and has many listed buildings that have stood the test of time.” Norman Foster added: “The Snowdon Aviary [is] a rare example of a completed work by Cedric Price. I have a particular personal affection for it as it shows most strongly the influence of our mutual friend and mentor Buckminster Fuller.” “The redevelopment of the aviary is a unique opportunity to preserve this exceptional structure and the legacy of pioneering architecture at ZSL London Zoo. It will be a great privilege to be able to contribute to the tradition of contemporary architectural additions at one of London’s most cherished institutions.”
Construction firm Beard has been awarded a £1.6 million contract to build and refurbish the existing facilities at Guildford Cricket Club’s pavilion. The pavilion, which was built in 1938, will be upgraded to create new larger, more contemporary changing rooms and a modernised events space, connected to a viewing balcony. The project will see the creation of a new, wheelchair-accessible layout of the building, with a new ground floor lobby and a lift to the first and second floors. The building will also feature an additional second floor with an external seating area, a meeting room and bar. “This scheme will upgrade one of Guildford’s best-loved clubs,” Contracts Manager for Beard Guildford, Trevor Smallpiece, commented: “This scheme will upgrade one of Guildford’s best-loved clubs, providing modern new facilities which everyone will be able to access and enjoy. “We are pleased to be working with Guildford Borough Council on this fantastic new building refurbishment which is due for completion in July next year.” Architects practice Rolfe Judd says that the extention has been “sensitively designed to complement the current building and will incorporate smart timber cladding across the extended north front. Modern external stairs will replace the dated staircase. Robert Charles, chairman of Guildford Cricket Club, added: “This is a tremendously exciting project. The new pavilion will make Woodbridge Road into a superb cricket ground, worthy of hosting first class and top-level club cricket. It will also be a fantastic facility for the local community.” The new pavilion is expected to be completed at some point in 2017, and it is an exciting prospect for both the cricketers and fans alike as they await the new facilities. Earlier this year, Beard appointed David Sershall as managing director as it seeks to maintain its strong growth. Sershall joined the family-owned business from Hertfordshire-based engineering and construction company VolkerFitzpatrick, where he was managing director of the building division.
Asian investors have agreed a deal to invest billions of pounds into East London construction over the next five years. The deal was signed in London yesterday with Chinese developer ABP pledging to invest £1.7 billion over the course of the next eight years in its Royal Albert Dock project. This scheme will be supported by its partners CITIC Group and Thai company Charoen Popkhand Group (CP Group). The agreements were confirmed as part of the Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai’s visit to the UK at the East London – China Investment Summit The £1.7 billion Royal Albert Dock investment will fund construction of up to six of the first phases of the project with work starting early next year. Chinese business CITIC is the main contractor on the job where Multiplex is also working on phase one. ABP, CITIC and CP Group have also set-up the The East London Development Group which will invest in other infrastructure and housing projects in the area. Mr Xu Weiping, Chairman of ABP, commented: “These major investments are a vote of confidence to the UK and London market following the Brexit vote. “East London is fast becoming one of capital’s most exciting places to do business and we are pleased that other Asian companies have seen the potential and are also now investing in the area.” Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, said: “The project will start construction early next year, and is designed as a comprehensive business-led mixed used development including up to 845 new homes. “It is expected to create 20,000 full-time jobs, which is great news for the people of Newham.” Britain’s relationship with China is still “golden”, the prime minister said as she welcomed a Chinese developer’s plans to build a £1.7bn business district in east London. Theresa May, who held talks with Ma Kai, China’s vice-premier, in Downing Street on Wednesday night, is keen to show Britain remains open to investment from China.
Construction specialist Stepnell has begun construction work on a £9.1 million project to build 57 single-storey timber frame lodges at Center Parcs Woburn Forest, Bedfordshire. Stepnell is building a mix of two, three and four-bedroom lodges on a sloped forest clearing to the north of the development, west of the Village Square. The lodges, designed by Jackson Design Associates, will be made from timber and stone cladding. This will keep in with the character of the village’s surrounding 643 lodges, which opened two years ago. The development is expected to be completed by next Autumn, and will see Stepnell building 15 of Center Parcs’ well-known open-plan woodland lodges, and 42 of Center Parcs’ executive lodges in Woburn Forest. Project manager for Stepnell, John Neill, commented: “We are delighted to be working with Center Parcs for the first time on this exciting and ambitious guest accommodation project which will be carried out in a ‘live environment’ with the short-break village, roads and footpaths remaining open throughout the construction. “Over the next 48 weeks, we will be liaising closely with Center Parcs to continue to deliver an excellent experience for guests.” Nestled in 365 acres of natural forest, Center Parcs Woburn Forest is one of five UK villages and is only an hour away from London. Center Parcs accommodation project manager, Fiona Owen, commented: “We are delighted to be working with Stepnell to help deliver additional accommodation at Woburn Forest. “The team has really understood our requirements for the project which will allow more families to experience Center Parcs.” Half-year revenue and profit has climbed at holiday park operator Center Parcs, despite a dip in occupancy due to ongoing upgrades. In the 24 weeks to 6 October 2016, turnover rose by 4 per cent to £208.3m, compared to £200.2m a year earlier. Accommodation revenue was up by 5.1 per cent while village revenue increased by 2.6 per cent.
Konstructa Hire, the construction site accommodation specialist and member of the Portakabin Group, has announced a £1.4 million investment programme to expand three of its hire centres. Established in 2006, Konstructa Hire is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The business has one of the newest construction hire fleets in the UK and has expanded from one to 10 hire centres in the last decade – from Glasgow in Scotland down to Hampshire in the south. It is now investing in three of its hire centres to increase capacity and meet the rising demand for its site accommodation buildings available for hire: The hire centre in Cobham is relocating to Borden in Hampshire which will treble capacity and increase production space from a single to a multi-bay area The Dunstable hire centre is moving to Aylesbury to double capacity The hire centre in Warrington is being expanded by an additional acre and benefiting from more workshop space for site accommodation maintenance. Plans are also in place to expand two further hire centres for the business in 2017. David Griffiths, Director and General Manager of Konstructa Hire, said, “We started the business from scratch 10 years ago to supply site accommodation of unrivalled quality to the construction industry, supported by outstanding service levels from our experienced teams based at our hire centre network across the UK.” “In that time, we have increased market share year-on-year and have continued to invest in the development of a range of building types and options which are specifically designed to meet the needs of the construction industry.” “We have increased our hire fleet by a third in the last three years and continue to add to our product range to meet demand from the UK’s leading national and regional building contractors and housebuilders.” “This latest investment in three of our hire centres will significantly increase our fleet storage space and production facilities to further improve lead times and customer service locally. We have ambitious plans to grow the business and our continued investment in our hire centre network is central to that.” Achievements in the 10 years since the Konstructa Hire business was launched by the Portakabin Group have included: A high level of repeat business – more than 75 per cent The development and launch of Konstructa Modular – multi-storey accommodation which features five new patents for advanced site safety to avoid working at height The launch of the UK’s first energy-saving site office building to have A-rated energy performance. The Konstructa fleet of eco site buildings is now larger than its standard range of buildings, illustrating how more contractors are looking to minimise energy consumption on construction sites The only site accommodation business to offer a pioneering Customer Charter and a week’s free hire if a project is not delivered on time Innovative new additions to the range of options have been developed since the launch of Konstructa Hire to meet the site requirements of building contractors and for ease of procurement, including boot washing units and smoking shelters Accreditation from safecontractor for the business’ commitment to achieving health and safety excellence. The range of construction buildings available from Konstructa Hire now includes single and multi-storey site accommodation; anti-vandal buildings for additional security; fire-rated buildings; and low energy site buildings. All the building types can be suited together to meet any construction site requirement – offices; canteens and mess rooms; toilets; shower, changing and drying rooms, and storage units. Konstructa Hire can also supply all furniture, staircases, and effluent tanks and the site accommodation can be branded to reflect a contractor’s corporate image.
Seven recently completed three-storey town houses in Brighton are setting high design and construction standards aided by the stylish finish achieved through the application of weberpral M, the innovative one-coat, through-coloured monocouche render from Saint-Gobain Weber. These new four-bedroom properties, built by Lewes’-based developer Cross Construction (Sussex) Limited, have light textured facades and razor sharp features that achieve a striking contemporary visual impact. Designed by architectural practice Turner Associates of Hove, East Sussex, the properties meet Code for Sustainable Design standards and provide spacious town centre living. Factory produced to ensure product consistency weberpral M is a cementitious, through-coloured render suitable for one-coat application to suitable brick or block work substrates. Produced from carefully selected raw materials weberpral M monocouche render is formulated for pump application which makes quick and efficient installation that contributes to shorter construction programme periods, reducing associated scaffolding and site costs and permitting the completion of ground works at an earlier state. It is supplied ready-mixed with only the requirement of clean water to be added on site. Saint-Gobain Weber is the first manufacturer of monocouche renders to be awarded an A+ rating as defined in the BRE Global 2008 Green Guide to Specification. This audited material helps specifiers to make selections that will collectively reduce the environmental impact of their buildings while achieving a higher number of BREEAM material specification credits. Weberpral M has excellent weather resistance and durability whilst allowing the structure to breathe. Its through-coloured characteristic requires no decoration, is truly low maintenance and offers a variety of ways to achieve architectural features. It is available in a wide palette of 24 attractive colours. Weberpral M is applied in a two pass operation to a thickness of 20-28mm and then scraped when green giving a minimum render thickness of 15-25mm. On the recommendation of specialist applicator Complete Rendering Systems of Lewes, East Sussex, the properties were fully meshed with reinforcing meshcloth to protect against movement in the substrate and ensure maximum durability. “We advised the client that this is a recognised and recommended procedure on a rapid build project and we are confident that the excellent finish will be maintained,” said Bradley Halls, Director, Complete Rendering Systems. “Applied in Chalk, to the structural substrate of 70Nm medium density concrete blockwork, the light fresh colour has contributed to the sharp, contemporary appearance of these attractive properties.” For more information about this project, or for technical support, please contact Saint-Gobain Weber on 08703 330 070, or visit www.netweber.co.uk. Customers in Ireland should call 028 9335 2999 or visit www.weber.ie A free download of the new weber.app for iPhone and iPad users is also available from iTunes and from Google Play for Android smartphones and tablet users. Follow Saint-Gobain Weber on Twitter @SGWeberUK for the latest company news and updates.
Date and location Wednesday 8 June 2016 from 08:30, Select Security Halton Stadium, Lowerhouse Lane, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 7DZ Event overview This free to attend seminar and mini exhibition has been organised by the IOSH Manchester and North West Districts, Merseyside and North Wales Branch committees. Topics covered by the seminar are: Disaster and Root Cause Analysis, Managing the message, Evidence/Civil & Criminal Defence, The role of the Safety Practitioner, Claims management, Expert witness in Coroners Court, Business continuity, Resilience and audit trail. Speaker details are on the website link and are subject to change. Target audience IOSH Members and guests including all the local safety groups, representatives from small and medium enterprises. Benefits of attending In attending this meeting, delegates will learn how to work together with company directors to ensure that whatever happened doesn’t happen again! In doing so, you will develop the skills necessary to engage your organisation’s board in OSH management using business speak. In turn, you will be able to show clearly the importance of investing in OSH – and give company directors the peace of mind to sleep at night! Further Information and booking An event programme and booking form are available on the IOSH website. To book your place on this event, please complete the booking form and send it to bookings@iosh.co.uk. If you have any booking queries you can also Tel: 0116 257 3197. Closing date 1 June 2016. Attendance limited so please book early. Source link
A Hampshire based engineering firm has been fined after a worker severed a finger in a metal working lathe. Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard how the company had allowed the custom and practice of defeating interlocks on CNC metal working lathes to develop. This meant that machines could be operated whilst allowing access to the moving parts. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident which occurred on 3rd July 2015 found that the worker’s hand had come into contact with the moving parts of the machine whilst he was attempting to release a jammed work-piece. This resulted in one of his fingers being severed. Repro Engineering Limited, of Aysgarth Road, Waterlooville, Portsmouth, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, and was fined £14,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,222,37. HSE Inspector Frank Flannery speaking after the case said: “This incident could have been prevented by more active and robust management action, it sends out a message to employers that tampering with safety devices can lead to injury and prosecution” Notes to Editors: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. hse.gov.uk More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/ HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk Source link
Metropix has revealed a further increase in the use of floor plans by letting agents in the UK. On analysing sample listings within Rightmove during May, floor plans were available to view on 18% of rental properties. This compares to just 5.7% four years ago, when Metropix undertook the same analysis in June 2012. Brian Farrell, Director of Metropix, a supplier of floor plan based products to the residential estate agency market, had this to say: “The appeal of floor plans continues to grow with letting agents who are looking to differentiate themselves from competitors. It’s a clear instruction winner and agents are really seeing that they matter to both landlords and tenants. As a judge at one of the major forthcoming letting agency awards, I was interested in seeing that many letting agents that entered are now using floor plans as a key point of difference.” Research from Rightmove backs this up, as their last study in 2015 found that 1 in 5 buyers and tenants said they would ignore a listing without a floor plan, or only return if nothing else caught their eye. On top of this 37% of landlords would not invite an agent to value their home, if they did not provide floor plans as standard. Concludes Brian Farrell: “The tide continues to turn as letting agents look for a unique selling point for their own organisation. Our complementary Space Planner tool is growing in popularity too as it helps agents offer an interactive service so prospective tenants can plan the layout of furnishings in a home: ideal for those looking to rent who may already have belongings and would prefer not to have to re-purchase new sofas or wardrobes with each and every house-move!” Source link
7 May 2016 – by Damian Wild It is 12 months since Brett White announced the merger of DTZ and Cushman & Wakefield, a blockbuster deal that has put the combined business’s every move in the spotlight. He has been relatively quiet since, preferring deed to word. Now, though, Cushmans is firmly established as a top-three global real estate adviser, able to brandish the sort of telephone-number credentials that the very biggest companies on the planet revel in: 43,000 employees, 250 offices, 60 countries and so on. And White is ready to shout – and surprise. At the time of the deal there was an assumption that top three would never be enough for White. It was an irresistible narrative: the former CBRE chief executive would lead his new firm past his old one. It hasn’t happened yet and, he says emphatically, it won’t. All the content from this weekís magazine, including this article, is available in the new app. “I think CBRE will forever, at least in my career, be the largest firm,” he says. “I think that’s now unassailable, particularly given their focus now on facility management, facility services businesses, which are big revenue and low margin. So that ship has sailed. I think that’s great, actually, for us because we are going to focus a little bit differently. And I think that whether we are two or three – my guess is that’s going to bounce around a lot – we like that position.” That position is an interesting one. Despite being the newest Goliath on the block, White – and his chief lieutenant for Europe, John Forrester – is keen to hang on to its upstart, disruptor status. “We like being the underdog even though we are really not any more,” he says. Click here to read the full interview Source link