Construction of a £35 million commercial and residential scheme on Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, has been given the go ahead after a revised scheme secured council approval. The developers of the project made clear the regeneration benefits of transforming the site of a former car dealership between Summerfield Street and Pear
North Yorkshire based structural steel group, Severfield plc, has recently secured six new contracts worth £72 million. One of the new contract victories is the firm’s appointment as the steelwork contractor on the development of 22 Bishopsgate in the City of London. Severfield will provide support to Multiplex in the
Abaco Systems has expanded its UK manufacturing capacity, breaking ground on the construction of an expanded manufacturing facility in Towcester. Once finished in the middle of next year, the facility will offer over 100,000 sq ft of floor space. The firm says that the expansion will replace its Milton Keynes
PagePark Architects have picked up the richest architecture prize in the UK for The Saunders Centre, Glasgow. The architect firm scooped the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award for 2016 having been chosen from a shortlist of 11 projects. The judges chose the Saunders Centre as a clear
Sheffield based GRI Group has acquired contract manufacturer Expac Ltd. Expac, which focuses on toiletry, beauty, health and household sectors, has now become a subsidiary of GRI Expac. Entrepreneur Graham Royle is the leader of GRI Group, which bought the £5 million turnover household products manufacturing firm as part of
LSE launches its third RIBA international Design Competition The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has invited expressions of interest for its next major building project: the redevelopment of 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which will be known as the Paul Marshall Building. LSE is committed to creating a
Yorkshire-based groundworks specialist Mabey Hire is setting up a London-based site crew to support the work of its contracts team in the south of England. The new team will be delivering full temporary works planning, installation and removal for customers. Projects director Peter Aramayo explained: “Currently, jobs in the south
Graf UK has further strengthened its presence in Scotland, with the opening of a dedicated branch in Glasgow. Source link
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has ordered an investigation into the finances of the Olympic Stadium as the cost of converting the venue after the 2012 Games has increased by a further £51 million. The bill for the conversion has now reached £323 million, with one of the primary factors behind
Housebuilding firm Persimmon says that the construction of a new “Brickworks” factory was a further investment in its manufacturing capability. The firm said that cost control and procurement discipline provided crucial support to its successful trading performance as it now looks to build a new brick factory in South Yorkshire.
Construction of a £35 million commercial and residential scheme on Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, has been given the go ahead after a revised scheme secured council approval. The developers of the project made clear the regeneration benefits of transforming the site of a former car dealership between Summerfield Street and Pear Street, near the old Wards Brewery. Hallminster, based in Sheffield, is now considering the withdrawal of an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate that came after the council’s first concerns regarding plans for student and private apartments, commercial units and shops. It can now proceed after talks with the council led to changing the design and scale of parts of the proposed development, which is hoped to being in 2017. Around 300 jobs are due to be created during the construction phase and more than 100 permanent jobs. Hallminster’s Dan Simpson commented: “We are delighted that planning permission has finally been granted after all the twists and turns and we no longer have to take the case to a public inquiry. “We are now looking forward to delivering a standout scheme that Sheffield can be proud of, which will regenerate the site and a wider area helping bring inward investment for the city, generating employment and other economic benefits.” Simpson thanked Bond Bryan Architects’ Darren Southgate and Crowley Associates’ planning consultant Susan Crowley for their work. Four blocks will be constructed to create 144 private residential apartments; five ground floor shops, accommodation for 190 students, as well as other commercial outlets. MAF Properties will manage the development on behalf of Hallminster, having provided student and private housing in Sheffield for 25 years. Bond Bryan Architects, of Sheffield, is using brick, glass and aluminium in the design, which includes a landscaped courtyard and rooftop gardens for the private apartments.
North Yorkshire based structural steel group, Severfield plc, has recently secured six new contracts worth £72 million. One of the new contract victories is the firm’s appointment as the steelwork contractor on the development of 22 Bishopsgate in the City of London. Severfield will provide support to Multiplex in the building of 22 Bishopsgate (net internal area of 1.4 million sq ft) by providing metal decking and superstructure structural steelwork. Among the five other contracts will see Severfield working on a commercial office development in the Midlands; two distribution centres in the South East; a research and development complex in Manchester and an extension to a retail complex in London. Severfield plc Chief Executive Officer, Ian Lawson, said: “We are delighted to announce these new contract wins and are excited to be working with Multiplex on such a high profile development as 22 Bishopsgate. “This further demonstrates the breadth of the group’s capabilities and the quality of our order book. “The Group has a longstanding history of working on iconic London buildings such as The Shard, London Bridge Station and Wimbledon No 1 Court. “Our design, experience and engineering skills have resulted in a strong pipeline across a range of sectors.” Last month it was announced that Severfield would replace William Hare on 22 Bishopsgate Project. William Hare was previously in line to build the 62-storey tower steelwork, but main contractor Multiplex has now made the decision to go with Severfield for the job. It is believed that Severfield is set to begin work in mid-December, subject to final contracts being agreed. Other subcontractors working on the scheme include Keltbray, which has been carrying out demolition and excavation work in the building’s basement, and Careys, which is building the tower’s concrete core. Since the vote to leave the European Union in June, the main investor behind the project asked the scheme’s remaining backers whether they wanted to proceed with construction of the tower.
Abaco Systems has expanded its UK manufacturing capacity, breaking ground on the construction of an expanded manufacturing facility in Towcester. Once finished in the middle of next year, the facility will offer over 100,000 sq ft of floor space. The firm says that the expansion will replace its Milton Keynes manufacturing site. Abaco’s UK Managing Director, Andy MacCaig, commented: “We have been planning this move for some time. It will allow us to serve our customers better by improving our efficiency – eliminating transit time, for example – and will create new synergies between our design/development teams and our manufacturing teams that will lead to better communication and real opportunities to innovate. “The net result will be the ability to deliver even better products to our customers more quickly. Those benefits will also be felt by the customers to whom we provide contract manufacturing services.” Abaco says it has made significant investments in state of the art equipment at its facility in Milton Keynes and this will be relocated to the new site. The company recently unveiled the PowerXtreme PPC11A 6U VME rugged single board computer. The board is based on Power Architecture and is available in high performance and low power versions. The high power board features a 1.8GHz QorIQ T2081 processor, said to double the performance of its predecessor. The low power board features a 1.4GHz QoriQ T1042 processor, with four single-threaded e5500 cores and consuming less than 7.5W. Last month, Abaco Systems welcomed the launch by The Open Group of the FACE™ (Future Airborne Capability Environment) Conformance Program. The FACE Conformance Program defines the processes to verify, certify, and provide formal recognition that registered software conforms to the FACE Technical Standard. It provides a number of benefits for buyers as well as suppliers of avionics systems. Abaco has long been an active member of the FACE Consortium, which exists to define an open avionics environment for all military airborne platform types. Increasingly, the principles of FACE are being leveraged beyond airborne applications.
PagePark Architects have picked up the richest architecture prize in the UK for The Saunders Centre, Glasgow. The architect firm scooped the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award for 2016 having been chosen from a shortlist of 11 projects. The judges chose the Saunders Centre as a clear winner of all the candidates. The award was presented at a ceremony held at the National Museum of Scotland, which won the award in 2011. It was presented by Fiona Hyslop MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, along with Margaret Doolan Hon FRIAS. This year’s RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award winner received a gold medal cast by internationally renowned Scottish Goldsmith, James Brent Ward and a cheque for £25,000. This means it is the richest architectural prize in the UK and one of Europe’s most significant architecture awards. The award is generously supported by the Scottish Government and the late Andrew Doolan’s family. Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, commented: “Every year, through the shortlist for the Andrew Doolan Award, we see a display of the many benefits that great architecture can bring and we show the quality of Scottish design to the world. “During the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016, we have been celebrating the best of Scotland’s architecture, both old and new. This year’s Festival of Architecture, organised by the RIAS and its partners, continues to be a fantastic success and tonight’s winner is a welcome addition to the hall of fame of great Scottish architecture.” The judges for this year’s award were: Eleanor McAllister OBE Hon FRIAS, Iain Dickson PPRIAS and David Dunbar PPRIAS (Chair). The full judges’ citation for the winning project reads: “This splendid new addition to Glasgow Academy’s campus is an elegant and subtle addition to the streetscape. The reinforced concrete structural frame is clad in a pattern of precast polished and honed finishes. This modular assembly rises from the podium for the raised ground floor, through a sequence of bay windows to a reinterpretation of the Glasgow dormer at roof level.”
Sheffield based GRI Group has acquired contract manufacturer Expac Ltd. Expac, which focuses on toiletry, beauty, health and household sectors, has now become a subsidiary of GRI Expac. Entrepreneur Graham Royle is the leader of GRI Group, which bought the £5 million turnover household products manufacturing firm as part of its continuing acquisition strategy. Among Expac’s products are talcum powder, shower gel, cleaning sprays and washing up liquid. The acquired firm will carry on operating under its own in-house management team who will make decisions on a day to day basis. During its acquisition of Expac, GRI Group was advised by commercial law firm Nabarro. Corporate partner Ben Hendry led the Nabarro team. He was assisted by corporate associates Richard Lee and Caroline Walker. GRI Group was also advised by BHP Chartered Accountants. Corporate partner at Nabarro, Ben Hendry, commented: “We were thrilled to advise GRI Group on their latest acquisition. Expac is recognised as a highly successful manufacturer with a strong presence in the household products sector. “GRI Group has established itself in developing, manufacturing and the distribution of chemical ingredients for personal care, household care, pharmaceutical and many industrial applications. “The combined business will have many advantages such as a comprehensive range of products and contract manufacturing capability. We look forward to working with them in the future.” Graham Royle, chairman and chief executive of GRI, added: “Expac is a fantastic strategic fit with the rest of our group associate companies. “There is virtually no product overlap and the combined range offers superb synergy across the customer base and global geographical markets that we cover.” Meanwhile, GRI recently unveiled new global sustainability reporting standards. The Global Reporting Initiative has launched a new set of global sustainability reporting standards aimed at giving companies a common language for communicating such information.
LSE launches its third RIBA international Design Competition The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has invited expressions of interest for its next major building project: the redevelopment of 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which will be known as the Paul Marshall Building. LSE is committed to creating a world-class estate with buildings and facilities that are equal to its international academic standing. LSE is one of the world’s leading universities with a truly global reach, competing for students and staff with Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Stamford. LSE has established a reputation in the last decade of commissioning high quality, innovative and sustainable architecture. The construction of a major new university building on the site of 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields will cement this reputation. This international competition, run in conjunction with the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), follows the School’s previous two successful RIBA competitions. In 2009 RIBA Gold Medal winning architects O’Donnell + Tuomey were selected by LSE to design the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre which was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2014. In 2013 Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners were selected for the LSE Centre Buildings redevelopment which is currently on site. The School has now instigated its third RIBA international design competition to procure a design response which will achieve the following: The new building will play a key role in promoting the values, ethos and brand of LSE Its contemporary high quality design will inspire future generations of students and academics and will be regarded as a seminal piece of university architecture in its historic setting overlooking Lincoln’s Inn Fields in central London The building will be integral to the transformation of the campus and enhancement of the public realm as well as contributing to the quality of its unique neighbourhood Environmental sustainability and carbon minimisation will be fundamental aspects of the building’s identity The Design Competition is a two-stage process. Expressions of Interest will be sought in September, following which a shortlist of up to six design teams will be selected before the end of the year. The competition brief will be issued in January 2016 and from the submissions the winning team will be selected. All shortlisted teams will be paid an honorarium. Julian Robinson, LSE’s Director of Estates said: “With a project value in excess of £100m, the Paul Marshall Building presents a unique challenge for architects to secure a high-profile global scheme with the opportunity to design a new landmark university building in one of central London’s most important and historic areas.” Paul Marshall is a major benefactor of LSE, recently contributing £30m for the creation of the Marshall Institute for Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship. 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which was purchased by LSE in 2013 from Cancer Research UK, will host the new Marshall Institute alongside a number of academic departments and research centres, following completion of its redevelopment Further information, the Invitation for Expressions of Interest and the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire are both available via www.ribacompetitions.com/LSE ENDS Note to Editors: For more information please contact the LSE Press Office pressoffice@lse.ac.uk or call 020 7955 7060. Please ensure RIBA Competitions are credited when mentioning the above competition. RIBA Competitions delivers variety, inspiration and value through expertly run design and architectural competitions. For further details visit www.architecture.com/competitions Posted on Wednesday 23rd September 2015 Source link
Yorkshire-based groundworks specialist Mabey Hire is setting up a London-based site crew to support the work of its contracts team in the south of England. The new team will be delivering full temporary works planning, installation and removal for customers. Projects director Peter Aramayo explained: “Currently, jobs in the south are carried out by northern site crews, taking them away from home for extended periods. The only other alternative is to use subcontractors, but increasingly our customers are requesting that their suppliers must use their own employees. “By setting up a permanent site crew in London, we’ll be able to provide a completely seamless service from North to South, and we will be able to further reduce our response times to emergency works.” The new team of three steel erectors and a supervisor will support rather than replace the existing crews, the company said. They will be based out of Mabey’s Iver facility and report to Sean Poulter, installation manager – south. The aim is to have the team up and running this summer. “We will bring the team up to our facility at Garswood, St Helens, for their induction,” said Mr Aramayo. “We pre-assemble a lot of our kit in the yard at Garswood so they will be involved in that part of the process, and we will put them with existing crews to get them up to speed with our way of working.” This article was published on 20 May 2016 (last updated on 20 May 2016). Source link
Graf UK has further strengthened its presence in Scotland, with the opening of a dedicated branch in Glasgow. Source link
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has ordered an investigation into the finances of the Olympic Stadium as the cost of converting the venue after the 2012 Games has increased by a further £51 million. The bill for the conversion has now reached £323 million, with one of the primary factors behind the rise being the installation of retractable seats. The seats allow the former Olympic stadium to host both football matches and athletics events, with the estimated cost of them rising from £300,000 to £8 million. Khan’s deputy mayor Jules Pipe explained that City Hall has inherited “a mess” from predecessor Boris Johnson. Pipe commented: “Last year the previous administration told the public that the costs had risen in total to around £270m. The new Mayor has now been told that cost will be more than £320m. “Understandably, Sadiq has ordered an investigation as to why those two figures are so wildly different. “As the new administration at City Hall is clearing up the mess of the previous administration, we need to make sure that the stadium runs on a sustainable basis and is affordable to London.” It is now being suggested that the seating issue could threaten the viability of athletics events and concerts scheduled for next summer, and may even delay some of West Ham United’s home fixtures at the beginning of the next football season. Engineers have estimated that it may take up to 30 days to reconfigure the stadium, which is three times as long as first estimated. The issue has been complicated further as the original seating contractor, Alto Seating Solutions, has since gone into liquidation. The most recent cost rise in the Olympic stadium conversion has taken the total bill for the venue up to £752 million, which has been met almost entirely by the taxpayer aside from a £15 million contribution by West Ham.
Housebuilding firm Persimmon says that the construction of a new “Brickworks” factory was a further investment in its manufacturing capability. The firm said that cost control and procurement discipline provided crucial support to its successful trading performance as it now looks to build a new brick factory in South Yorkshire. The new site, located close to Doncaster, is commissioned for the first quarter of next year and will be manufacturing a significant amount of Persimmon’s brick requirements. The announcement came in a third quarter trading statement that covered the period from July 1, 2016 to November 1, 2016. Persimmon took encouragement from trading over the summer weeks straight after the EU referendum, with the volume of customers visiting Persimmon sites staying way ahead of the previous year. From then on, at the beginning of the autumn selling season, Persimmon said that customer activity strengthened in line with the traditional seasonal variations of the market. Since the group posted its half year results on August 23, 2016, private sales rate has been 19% ahead of last year, which represents a continuation of the stronger sales rate experienced during the summer weeks. The company is now fully sold up for this year and has around £757 million of forward sales reserved past 2016, which is a rise of 4% on the same point last year. Persimmon said that the market has benefitted from strong lender support and resilient consumer confidence. However, the business has recognised that the uncertainty regarding the potential impact of the EU referendum result on the UK economy may go on for some time. Persimmon says that it is still cautious with regard to new land investment but has continued to progress attractive propositions on a selective basis. In a bid to support growth moving forward, the housebuilder is planning to open a new regional operating division near Nottingham on January 2, 2017.