Bruce Kennedy, Architect Director at BDP, discusses the use of biophilic design for the Heriot Watt campus in Dubai. Every level of the campus benefits from a series of subtle features and carefully considered themes that provide relief from the extreme environment that can reach 50 degrees Celsius in summer.
Keepmoat Homes has recently celebrated the launch of its fifth phase at Spirit Quarters development in Coventry, consisting of a sales centre and show home, with a ribbon cutting ceremony, a development update and a tour of the newly built Caddington 3-bedroom showhome. The celebration was attended by the Lord
Roann Limited, the granite and quartz worktop supplier, has announced its appointment to an £82 million Leeds city centre apartment project, the Phoenix. As part of the contract, the company will become the project’s exclusive supplier of kitchen worktops. The Phoenix scheme, set for completion in the summer of 2023,
Privately owned hotel company Crimson Hotels has recently acquired The Trafalgar St. James Hotel in Central London. With this purchase, the five star hotel will become the second Hilton Curio Collection acquisition for Crimson Hotels, alongside 100 Queen’s Gate Hotel in South Kensington. Consisting of 131 rooms, The Trafalgar St.
Contractor G F Tomlinson has completed construction work on the new Fradley Park primary school in Lichfield, Staffordshire. The £4.8 million school is the first school to be built in the area in over 40 years and it will offer 210 primary and 26 nursery places Delivered through the Staffordshire
Roann Limited, the premium kitchen worktop supplier, has secured a contract at the £25 million luxury residential development in Nottingham. The Yacht Club Riverside scheme combines luxury and style, aiming to give its future residents an excellent new home with views over the River Trent. The contractor for the development
Contractor Stepnell has completed construction of a new purpose-built £6 million residential care home for children, located in the heart of Warwickshire, Nuneaton. The care home called The Forge was designed by Miller Prestige Homes in collaboration with architects IDP Group. “The Forge therapeutic community home is a significant development
Buildings are generally known for being energy guzzlers when it comes to costs, with the main reasons being the lack of thermal insulation or outdated heating and cooling technology. In addition, residential and office buildings often still rely on fossil fuels. Appliances that consume too much energy are often found
Contractor G F Tomlinson has completed construction work on a new first school on the Bramshall Meadows estate on Ivinson Way in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. The new school will offer pupils 12,000 sq. metres of space, as well as nursery placements. Completed through Staffordshire County Council’s Capital Framework, the £4.3 million
The offsite manufactured modular roof system from Smartroof was used on a new housing development in Worcestershire to maximise sellable space, offer consistent thermal performance and reduce build times. The Bloor Homes’ Evesham Gate development is close to the market town of Evesham and features 460 homes in a mix
Bruce Kennedy, Architect Director at BDP, discusses the use of biophilic design for the Heriot Watt campus in Dubai. Every level of the campus benefits from a series of subtle features and carefully considered themes that provide relief from the extreme environment that can reach 50 degrees Celsius in summer. Using biophilic design principles, BDP has managed to transform a seven-storey office block overlooking the Arabian Gulf into a unified vertical campus for a Scottish university. The nature around has informed the orientation of learning spaces; the choice of materials for walls, floors and furniture; the flow of air, and even hanging felt screens that absorb sound and provide privacy in open-plan staff areas. Biophilic design has been shown to enhance wellbeing. Although plants, as shown in Heriot Watt’s Dubai Campus where interior green walls run through all levels, can form an important part of the design, it is about more than that. It is also about textural elements, a rich variety of patterns, the choice of natural over synthetic materials and the inclusion of ‘biomimicry,’ which in this case includes carpets that recall stone, moss and grass. BDP’s inspiration for the design of the Dubai campus was the designed landscape of Heriot Watt’s Riccarton Estate. Its lush green parkland has an exceptional tree collection and provided a compelling context for the application of biophilic principles; referencing Scottish standing stones and the pavements of Edinburgh in the slate-lined walls and monolithic reception desk that welcome visitors to Dubai. Biophilic design has succeeded in giving the Dubai campus a sense of identity, orientating staff who travel between the Gulf and Edinburgh, and offering its students a unique connection to the heritage of this ancient Scottish university. Arabic culture is referenced in elements that include an interpretation of traditional mashrabiya screens – a laser-cut, gold anodised aluminium veil encircling the welcome space. Its pattern is lifted from the Heriot Watt coat of arms and filters the sun, recalling the dappled light passing through Riccarton’s tree canopy – while the choice of wood for furniture provides another grounding element within the borrowed landscape. An important aspect of biophilic design is its ability to unite interior and exterior environments, and BDP has located social learning spaces where to provide views through palm trees toward the Gulf. To visitors, staff and students, not all of these features will be immediately evident, but they combine on a subliminal level to instill a sense of belonging. And the client, Heriot Watt University, was open to the philosophy. They understood that biophilic design would enrich the learning environment, infusing the Dubai campus with an identity that links it to its Edinburgh roots. In Dubai, this approach has provided a way of uniting nature, culture and heritage in a contemporary setting, creating a sense of belonging and making students and staff feel comfortable in their surroundings. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
Keepmoat Homes has recently celebrated the launch of its fifth phase at Spirit Quarters development in Coventry, consisting of a sales centre and show home, with a ribbon cutting ceremony, a development update and a tour of the newly built Caddington 3-bedroom showhome. The celebration was attended by the Lord Mayor of Coventry Cllr Maton, Coventry North East MP Colleen Fletcher, local residents, Citizen and Moat House Community Trust. “It was a pleasure to attend the launch of Keepmoat Homes’ ribbon cutting ceremony in the latest phase of development, celebrating the launch of its new showhome and sales centre. The new ‘Spirit Quarters’ housing really enhances the local community and is a great asset to Coventry, and we look forward to welcoming the new residents to the area,” commented Lord Mayor of Coventry, and Henley Ward Councillor, Cllr Maton. Based on Milverton Road, Coventry, the new Spirit Quarters development will feature 96 two-, three- and four-bedroom homes built in partnership with Citizen, of which 20 will be created as affordable housing. Ideal for first-time buyers, growing families and those seeking more space and flexibility, Spirit Quarters is a vibrant and modern community which comes complete with a school, green open spaces and fantastic leisure facilities. “We couldn’t be more pleased to have entered this next phase of the Spirit Quarters development, and celebrate the opening of our sales centre and showhome with our notable guests and partners was the perfect way to mark the occasion,” said Charlotte Goode, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat Homes. “Spirit Quarters is more than a housing development, it’s a community in which our residents can enjoy both a relaxing and active lifestyle. We encourage those looking to get on the housing ladder to book a viewing of our beautiful new showhome and experience for themselves the standout features that Spirit Quarters has to offer.” “It was absolutely fantastic to see the new homes and we look forward to welcoming the new residents of these homes to our community,” added Janet Barrett, local resident and Trustee Board member of Moat House Community Trust. Kevin Roach, Director of Regeneration at Citizen, concluded with: “This phase of the Spirit Quarters regeneration programme will hit the milestone of 1,000 new homes being built and will continue the remarkable transformation of the area. All of this couldn’t have been achieved without the continued support of the local community and our Partners; Keepmoat Homes, Moat House Community Trust and Coventry City Council”. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
Roann Limited, the granite and quartz worktop supplier, has announced its appointment to an £82 million Leeds city centre apartment project, the Phoenix. As part of the contract, the company will become the project’s exclusive supplier of kitchen worktops. The Phoenix scheme, set for completion in the summer of 2023, consists of two residential blocks, with a total of 367 apartments, rising to 18 and 22 stories high. The new accommodation will offer a number of disabled accessible compliant apartments, alongside communal facilities, basement car parking, landscaping and public open spaces. “We’re delighted to have been appointed as the exclusive supplier of kitchen worktops for this Leeds-based project. We’re passionate about providing high quality, durable and aesthetically-pleasing quartz worktops to projects around the UK, but it’s great to be a part of this local investment. Here at Roann Limited, we’re currently experiencing substantial business growth and we’re thrilled to add this project to our ever-growing portfolio,” commented Scott Wharton, Sales Director at Roann Limited. Appointed by Leeds-based contractor Torsion Developments, Roann Limited is supplying £165k worth of Fugen White Shimmer Quartz with Upstands and Fugen Carrara Quartz worktops, to both apartment blocks. Established in 1990, Roann Limited specialises in manufacturing, supplying, and installing high-quality granite and quartz worktops within the house building, property development and construction sectors. With more than 30 years’ experience, Roann Limited is dedicated to procuring stone worktops that help developers significantly reduce costs on their projects by selling direct to them. Roann Limited’s purpose-built factory in Wakefield houses more than £2 million worth of state-of-the-art stone manufacturing machines and equipment, enabling the business to fabricate more than 15,000 worktops every year. Moreover, the company proudly holds accreditations with many of the industry’s leading health & safety schemes, including SSIP certification, and is also ConstructionOnline Gold Approved. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
Privately owned hotel company Crimson Hotels has recently acquired The Trafalgar St. James Hotel in Central London. With this purchase, the five star hotel will become the second Hilton Curio Collection acquisition for Crimson Hotels, alongside 100 Queen’s Gate Hotel in South Kensington. Consisting of 131 rooms, The Trafalgar St. James Hotel is situated in Trafalgar Square, a great location for tourists and business people coming into London. It is within easy walking distance to many of London’s key tourist and cultural attractions, including Covent Garden, Soho and the Southbank. Moreover, the hotel is bolstered by strong amenities, comprising several food and beverage outlets, such as a rooftop bar with unparalleled views. A new destination restaurant will soon open on the ground floor, which will be operated by a high-end Asian restaurant group. Following the Crimson Hotels acquisition, The Trafalgar St. James Hotel will be headed up by Federico Ciampi, the current General Manager of 100 Queen’s Gate, who has been promoted to the role of Cluster General Manager, making a welcome return to a hotel he managed four years ago. “We are delighted to have acquired The Trafalgar St James Hotel with the property making a welcome addition to our portfolio of London hotels. We are looking forward to working with the hotel team, under Federico’s leadership, to firmly establish the property as one of the best in the capital,” commented Alykhan Kassam, CEO at Crimson Hotels. The acquisition of The Trafalgar St. James marks the second Curio Collection by Hilton property in its portfolio alongside 100 Queen’s Gate Hotel, a five-star boutique hotel situated in South Kensington. Founded in 1995, Crimson Hotels owns and manages nine hotels, totalling over 2,000 bedrooms. Crimson Hotels properties range in style, from top-level luxury hotels in cultural locations that build on prime location, history and fantastic amenities, to budget options for convenient, comfortable and enjoyable travel. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
Contractor G F Tomlinson has completed construction work on the new Fradley Park primary school in Lichfield, Staffordshire. The £4.8 million school is the first school to be built in the area in over 40 years and it will offer 210 primary and 26 nursery places Delivered through the Staffordshire County Council Framework, the new, two storey 1FE primary free school was project managed by Entrust. Now complete, it will be run by the John Taylor Multi Academy Trust and a ceremony will be held later in the year to celebrate the opening. “We are delighted to have completed Fradley Park Primary School with framework partner Staffordshire County Council, which will provide much-needed school and nursery places for the local community in Lichfield,” said Chris Flint, Managing Director at G F Tomlinson. “Our completion of this project also coincides with that of Bramshall Meadows Primary School – another scheme that we have worked on through the Staffordshire County Council Framework. We’re pleased to continue to be very active in this region, in the education sector and in general, building numerous quality schools throughout the Midlands.” The primary school in Lichfield comprises nine classrooms, a library, catering spaces, indoor sports facilities and an outdoor play area. There is also a MUGA (multi-use games area) pitch on site to enable a number of sports activities for pupils. The school has been constructed with consideration for proposed expansion to 2FE in the future – taking its capacity up to 420 primary and 52 nursery places in total – to accommodate for further planned housing schemes in the local area. “Fradley Park is the latest of our primary schools to be built in response to growing demand for school places locally Whenever there is new housing in an area, we always work with developers, local schools and the Department for Education to put plans in place to meet increased demand for school places. With its brand-new library, sports facilities and state-of-the-art classrooms, this school will provide children with a fantastic environment in which to learn and grow,” commented Staffordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Education Jonathan Price. Staffordshire County Council has entrusted G F Tomlinson with the delivery of five schools to date, with Fradley Park Primary School being the latest. “We’re extremely pleased to see Fradley Park ready to open its doors to local children and their families. As our first primary free school, Fradley Park has been a key priority for the Trust, and we have been supported extremely well by Staffordshire County Council, Entrust, the Department for Education and GF Tomlinson. Our close working relationship has played no small part in enabling us to reach this milestone so effectively, and for us to be receiving a truly wonderful new school that will grow with its local communities for generations,” added Mike Donoghue, CEO of John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust, expressing his delight over the completion of the school. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
Roann Limited, the premium kitchen worktop supplier, has secured a contract at the £25 million luxury residential development in Nottingham. The Yacht Club Riverside scheme combines luxury and style, aiming to give its future residents an excellent new home with views over the River Trent. The contractor for the development KMRE Group selected the Wakefield-based business to supply 91 units of 20mm Compac Luna with 100mm upstands and hob splashbacks, as part of the £65,000 contract. The white marble quartz with speckles, chosen by Roann Limited for the apartments, is easy to clean, scratch resistant and durable. KMRE Group partners with investors to identify investment opportunities and develop homes whilst delivering residential schemes. The brand new exclusive waterside development consists of one, two and three-bedroom apartments. The Yacht Club Riverside is situated in an idyllic and popular area of Nottingham and will feature an onsite gym, and benefit from excellent transport links. “This is a project we were very proud to be a part of. The Yacht Club Riverside is located in a stunning area of Nottingham and the finished product looks great. The Compac Luna provides a sophisticated, polished finish to the kitchen area and the colour of the worktop can be paired with a number of decorative pieces to help residents create their own unique kitchen space,” commented on the project, Scott Wharton, Sales Director at Roann Limited. With more than 30 years of experience in supplying work surfaces, this project marks one of 26,000 to date for Roann Limited. The company is dedicated to procuring stone worktops that help developers significantly reduce costs on their projects by selling direct to them. Established in 1990, Roann Limited specialises in manufacturing, supplying, and installing high-quality granite and quartz worktops within the house building, property development and construction sectors. Roann Limited’s purpose-built factory in Wakefield houses more than £2 million worth of state-of-the-art stone manufacturing machines and equipment, enabling the business to fabricate more than 15,000 worktops every year. Roann Limited proudly holds accreditations with many of the industry’s leading health & safety schemes, including SSIP certification, and is also ConstructionOnline Gold Approved. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
Contractor Stepnell has completed construction of a new purpose-built £6 million residential care home for children, located in the heart of Warwickshire, Nuneaton. The care home called The Forge was designed by Miller Prestige Homes in collaboration with architects IDP Group. “The Forge therapeutic community home is a significant development for the area and through applying our extensive care sector expertise and collaborative ethos, the team were able to deliver the best value and quality over the course of the scheme,” said Adrian Barnes, Regional Director at Stepnell. “This not only extended to the quality of the construction, but also in the way we collaborated with both the community and environment through careful planning and communication with Forge Care and local suppliers.” Stepnell, which acted as the principal contractor, completed construction week in 52-weeks. The sustainability-focused development, which utilised carefully selected materials including timber cladding and zinc, included a total of four standalone residential care buildings, community facilities and external landscaping works. The external spaces feature 21 car parking spaces, as well as sensory and nature areas for residents to grow plants and encourage wildlife. Moreover, each of the buildings at the care home in Nuneaton include a welcome space, main lounge and kitchen, as well as quiet and activity spaces, with five ensuite bedrooms on the first floor. “We would like to thank the team at Stepnell, IDP and all the local suppliers involved in the project for going above and beyond to deliver this outstanding residential care facility that is conscious of the specialist needs of the end users,” commented Gavin Miller, Director at Forge Care. “The Forge facility will provide a safe and secure environment for children who are experiencing emotional and behavioural disorders or recovering from trauma, providing them with opportunities to develop greater self-awareness, social responsibility and leadership. Thanks to the outstanding project delivery from Stepnell, the facility meets the Sanctuary Model where the design facilitates learning, develops personal, social health and wellbeing in vulnerable children,” Gavin concluded. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
Buildings are generally known for being energy guzzlers when it comes to costs, with the main reasons being the lack of thermal insulation or outdated heating and cooling technology. In addition, residential and office buildings often still rely on fossil fuels. Appliances that consume too much energy are often found in these buildings and the high costs from the factors mentioned above burden many different parties involved in the construction of the property. This includes investors. Since 2019, the European Green Deal has tightened the previously set climate protection targets. The associated measures also include the EU taxonomy and this is linked to assessment criteria for the real estate industry. Further measures of the EU taxonomy result from the ESG requirements. They are considered standard criteria for sustainable investments and decisions by investors, real estate owners, as well as municipalities and companies. In order to meet the ESG criteria, climate-protecting individual measures, such as the installation of photovoltaic systems or the improvement of thermal insulation, must be implemented. Residential and office buildings that meet these criteria have a positive public image as they are considered to be as sustainable and energy-efficient as possible. Investors benefit from the sustainability and low operating costs of the buildings in which they have invested. Compliance with ESG criteria is becoming increasingly important, as the construction industry accounts for a high proportion of global energy consumption and is responsible for a large proportion of energy and process related CO2 emissions. For all those involved in a construction project, such as architects, planners, and investors, energy-saving and sustainable measures for real estate are becoming increasingly important. In order to reduce the costs for energy, there are a wide variety of concepts and construction methods. For example, the HUF City Living complex in Montabaur (Germany). It not only contains 44 residential units, unusual architecture and state-of-the-art technology also come together here. The exclusive residential project was built in accordance with the KfW 55 energy standard. In HUF City Living, aquatherm black system was installed within the ceiling. This surface heating and cooling system from aquatherm made an important contribution to meeting this standard and was a significant component of the project. Ice energy storage, photovoltaics, hot water collectors, and heat pumps were combined as energy sources in the sophisticated energy concept for these residential buildings. The aquatherm black system formed part of this concept as the system is self-sufficient and invisibly installed within the ceiling or floor in all flats. The central element is the ice energy storage tank as this feeds several heat pumps in the individual technical rooms of the buildings and is coupled with many solar double modules on the shed roofs of the houses. If the measures and energy concepts presented in this paper are implemented, residential and office buildings can not only cover their own electricity needs, but also feed surplus electricity into the existing grid. Sustainable and energy-efficient buildings reduce their own operating costs, fulfil the ESG criteria set by the European Union, and make an important contribution to climate and environmental protection. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
Contractor G F Tomlinson has completed construction work on a new first school on the Bramshall Meadows estate on Ivinson Way in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. The new school will offer pupils 12,000 sq. metres of space, as well as nursery placements. Completed through Staffordshire County Council’s Capital Framework, the £4.3 million scheme has been designed and project managed by Entrust. and now that it is completed, it will be led and managed by The Uttoxeter Learning Trust. “We feel very privileged to have been able to deliver this brand-new, high-quality school building for Staffordshire County Council which will create much-needed school places for children in the local area. The project is the first to be completed in response to the rise in demand for places within Uttoxeter and we feel very proud,” said Chris Flint, Managing Director at G F Tomlinson. “We very much look forward to seeing the school welcome pupils in September as the children take their first steps to embark on their academic journeys. The school has been designed with future growth and expansion very much in mind to provide an excellent learning environment for the growing community.” Developed in response to an increased demand for school places in Uttoxeter generated by new housing in the area, such as the Bramshall Meadows housing development, the new, single storey 1 form entry (1FE) school is the first to be constructed in Uttoxeter. The new school comprises a nursery, classrooms, a multi-use hall, catering space, outdoor sports pitch, play areas and car parking. “Bramshall Meadows has been built in response to increased housing in the area, which has meant there will be more demand for school places. Whenever there is new housing in an area, we always work with developers, local schools and the Department for Education to put plans in place to meet increased demand for school places. It’s fantastic that local children will be able to learn in a brand-new school with lots of amazing facilities, and I am sure they are looking forward to starting school life in September,” commented Jonathan Price, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education. G F Tomlinson has been entrusted to deliver five schools to date for Staffordshire County Council with Bramshall Meadows First School being the latest, following the recently completed Fradley Park Primary School in Lichfield. “We are absolutely delighted with the new school and the high quality of the build project with all of its amazing facilities. We are very excited to welcome the first children into school in September,” concluded Andrea Cairns, Executive Headteacher at Bramshall Meadows First School. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
The offsite manufactured modular roof system from Smartroof was used on a new housing development in Worcestershire to maximise sellable space, offer consistent thermal performance and reduce build times. The Bloor Homes’ Evesham Gate development is close to the market town of Evesham and features 460 homes in a mix of tenures, offering high standards of a sustainable design. Built to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3, the homes feature high levels of insulation to walls, roofs and flooring, highly efficient glazing, and improved detailing to reduce heat loss. As part of this fabric first approach to design, the three and four-bed Makenzie, Medina and Morris homes will maximise fabric efficiency and space through the creation of rooms in roofs. The project provided the perfect opportunity for Smartroof to provide Bloor Homes with its offsite produced room in roof system for phase one of the scheme. With energy efficient, fabric first design having become a key driver for all new homes, particularly with the latest changes to Building Regulations Part L, Bloor Homes require solutions that can maximise airtightness, optimise insulation and eliminate thermal bridging. Smartroof’s pre-engineered insulated roof system does just that and has allowed the developer to maximise a smaller footprint by increasing the space in homes and creating rooms in roofs. Comprising a series of factory produced panels incorporating insulation, dormers, spandrels, roof windows and roofline, it is delivered to site and craned into place. Once in place, the roofs simply require tiling. The system has many benefits – less waste, better control of quality, safer to install – and meets the industry’s demand for solutions that allow us to build better quality homes more efficiently. In addition, the interlocking design and production of the system in a factory-controlled environment ensures consistent and predictable thermal performance. With the latest changes to Part L of the Building Regulations, the factory insulated panels eliminate voids or cold spots and offer design flexibility as insulation levels can be easily upgraded to meet requirements. Bloor Homes also benefited from reduced working at height and decreases in on site wastage to provide a cost-effective method of production. At a time when the construction sector is facing challenges in terms of cost, quality and a shortage of trades, the Smartroof system expedited the build process and has ensured the homes at Evesham Gate are future-proofed to meet the required thermal efficiency standards whilst also providing additional much-needed space for the homeowner. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
