Planning permission has been granted by the City of London to Mactaggart Family & Partners for The Resident Farringdon. The 128-room hotel, which is due to open in 2027, will be the fifth London site for the brand, taking it to a total portfolio of seven properties across the UK.
Planning has been granted to speculatively build 170,000 sq ft of Grade A sustainable urban logistics space in Adlington, Cheshire potentially creating up to 250 jobs. A joint venture (JV) between Chancerygate and specialist sustainable and impact investor, Bridges Fund Management will deliver the scheme, which has a projected gross
Adaptavate, a global leader in the development and industrialisation of low-carbon and carbon-negative construction materials, has announced the production of the world’s first carbon-negative technology to produce plasterboards. The leap from producing low-carbon construction materials to now providing an additional carbon-negative product comes through the incorporation of char – produced
Work has begun on GVS Filter Technology UK Ltd’s new £14m manufacturing facility and office complex, which will transform a 24,000 sqm vacant site on Caton Road in Lancaster into a sustainable and captivating riverside location. Conlon Construction and Cassidy + Ashton are leading on the project and will deliver
The Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) held a celebration lunch on 23rd May to commemorate the completion of its first BCIA Inspired Leaders programme. The initiative, started in February 2024 and developed in partnership with Inspired Leadership Solutions, was aimed at developing existing and future leaders in the BEMS industry.
The Council’s housing company This City has celebrated a major milestone in construction as a topping out ceremony marks the highest point of the build. The development will become No 1 Ancoats Green on completion and will deliver 129 new homes bringing a long-term brownfield site back into use –
Harris Lamb, the independently owned, Midlands-based commercial property agency that acts for clients nationwide, is moving its established Birmingham office from Edgbaston to Brindleyplace. The company is taking 5,391 sq ft of space on the fourth floor of 4 Brindleyplace as it looks to grow its footprint in the city
As the country enters the second week of the UK general election campaign trail, 12 Tier One UK infrastructure and construction contractors and consultants have today published their Blueprint for Growth, sharing 12 recommendations that the future government should implement to effectively boost the UK’s economic growth and productivity. Collectively
One platform to support build stage progress, excellence and innovation delivery across Quantum homes. Quantum Group, a leading developer in Ireland, has selected Zutec to manage construction project data from a single platform. Zutec leads the way in providing construction and property management software solutions to contractors, housebuilders, developers and
Edinburgh Futures Institute has officially opened its doors to the public in the transformed and revitalised Old Royal Infirmary building. The much-loved city landmark will officially open to the public on Monday 3rd June following an extensive seven-year, multi-million-pound restoration. Built in 1879, the Old Royal Infirmary housed the city’s
Planning permission has been granted by the City of London to Mactaggart Family & Partners for The Resident Farringdon. The 128-room hotel, which is due to open in 2027, will be the fifth London site for the brand, taking it to a total portfolio of seven properties across the UK. The hotel has been designed by EPR Architects, with a focus on creating a highly sustainable building. Situated at 1-8 Long Lane, it will be at the heart of the Culture Mile, with easy access to the Barbican, Smithfield and Farringdon neighbourhoods. From 2026 the area will also be home to the London Museum, as part of the Smithfield General Market regeneration. William Laxton, CEO, Mactaggart Family & Partners, said: “We are thrilled with the consent for The Resident Farringdon and with the opportunity to contribute to this growing and thriving location. It is so important to us to be able to maximise this site’s potential with a modern, high-quality hotel, which is also as sustainable as possible and we are thrilled that the City of London planning committee has vindicated our approach to the scheme. “The Resident Farringdon will offer guests a home-from-home experience, from which they can explore this thriving neighbourhood, with bars, restaurants, galleries, museums and performance venues only steps away, all activated by some of the best infrastructure in Europe in the form of the Elizabeth Line at Farringdon East.” The Resident Farringdon will feature third party operated restaurant, cafe and retail spaces at ground level and a pocket garden for guests and the public to enjoy. In keeping with the rest of The Resident portfolio, the Brand purposely forgoes its own formal bar or restaurant, but has a library lounge. From here the knowledgeable team will encourage guests to enjoy the highlights and hidden gems that abound in the surrounding area. Adam Jones, director, EPR Architects, said: “Sustainability is at the core of the scheme and we and Mactaggart Family & Partners, advised by ARUP, have sought to reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint through a series of thoughtful design solutions, including optimising the façade’s design to minimise energy consumption and solar gain, using a low embodied carbon ventilation system and improving on-site biodiversity.” Additional features of the build will include over 95% of demolition, excavation and construction waste being diverted from landfill. In addition to the pocket garden, enhanced greening at upper floor terrace levels will be introduced, along with a new green roof space helping to achieve a significant uplift in biodiversity. With vast experience that has involved defining some of the world’s leading hotels, EPR’s previous projects in London have included The Ned, The OWO and NoMad. David Orr, CEO of Resident Hotels Ltd as Operator of The Resident, said: “The Resident has established itself with guests as one of the best regarded hotel brands, particularly in London, the most global of cities. The Resident Farringdon opens up a prime destination within the ‘Culture Mile’ BID, where community, culinary and commercial innovation cohabit in abundance. The prospect of partnering with local, yet world-renowned Arts institutions, engaging with our culturally affluent guests, and leading local connectivity with our Resident Insiders teams is very exciting.” Resident Hotels is due to open its sixth location, in The Resident Edinburgh, in August under the leadership of GM Gillian Mylles. She is assembling a great team, ready to delight guests from the final weeks of the International Festival. Heartfelt hospitality fuels The Resident brand’s reputation with exceptional NPS scores, and review rankings. This ethos has ensured that this year saw The Resident Covent Garden confirmed by TripAdvisor Travelers’’Choice “Best of the Best” as the no. #1 Hotel in the UK 2024 and #15 in Europe 2024. Current The Resident Covent Garden is at #1, The Resident Soho is at #18 in London and The Resident Victoria is at #20, which means that we have three Top 20 hotels in the current Tripadvisor Traveler ranked places in London. The Resident Liverpool is consistently at #1 in that great cultural destination, host city to the exceptional Biennial. The brand has plans to add rooms of a total target of 1,500 to 2,000 rooms over the next five years. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Planning has been granted to speculatively build 170,000 sq ft of Grade A sustainable urban logistics space in Adlington, Cheshire potentially creating up to 250 jobs. A joint venture (JV) between Chancerygate and specialist sustainable and impact investor, Bridges Fund Management will deliver the scheme, which has a projected gross development value of around £36m. Called Avro Business Park, the scheme is located on a 7.8-acre site off London Road, south of Poynton town centre, and will adjoin Adlington Business Park and Adlington Industrial Estate. It will comprise 11 units ranging from 7,000 sq ft to 29,000 sq ft, available on a leasehold or freehold basis. Construction is scheduled to commence in October, with practical completion expected October 2025. Neighbouring occupiers to the development include confectionery manufacturer Swizzels, tray sealing and packaging line specialist Proseal, and transport company William Kirk. All properties at the development will target an EPC rating of A+ and a BREEAM Excellent rating. They will feature electric vehicle charging points along with solar photovoltaic cells which provide occupiers with affordable green energy. In addition, the units will be constructed from high-performance building materials to reduce CO2 emissions. Chancerygate development director, Chris Brown, who is based in the company’s Warrington office, said: “Avro Business Park is in an excellent location, with fantastic connections to the airport and the M56 via the new Poynton Relief Road. “The area is witnessing an increasing shift to ESG-led developments, from both the occupational and investor market. “Our development will help satisfy this strong demand for sustainable, high specification urban logistics accommodation within the south Manchester and Cheshire markets.” Founded in 1995, Chancerygate is the UK’s largest urban logistics property developer and asset manager and the only one operating nationwide. The company currently has around 1.16m sq ft of urban logistics space under construction or ready for development across ten sites ranging from Edinburgh to Croydon. Bridges is a specialist sustainable and impact investor. Its property funds focus on sectors that are well-placed to benefit from the transition to a more sustainable and inclusive economy, including lower-cost living, healthcare and sustainable logistics. Guy Bowden, partner at Bridges Fund Management, said: “We’re delighted that we can begin construction on this great site in Adlington. We plan to deliver Grade A logistics space with best-in-class sustainability credentials – meeting the strong local demand and supporting local job creation.” Agents for Avro Business Park are Savills and Williams Sillitoe Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Adaptavate, a global leader in the development and industrialisation of low-carbon and carbon-negative construction materials, has announced the production of the world’s first carbon-negative technology to produce plasterboards. The leap from producing low-carbon construction materials to now providing an additional carbon-negative product comes through the incorporation of char – produced by the pyrolysis of ligno-cellulosic materials. This locks the CO2 sequestered by plants into a stable state, and subsequently into the board, preventing it from being released through decay. Incorporating char makes the current technology to produce Breathaboard genuine permanent carbon-storage, as an alternative to plasterboard which absorbs and stores more carbon than it produces. Importantly, this has been quantified by Adaptavate’s independent, industry verified carbon calculation tool to the latest EN 15804+A2 standard. Adaptavate’s innovative technology allows for CO2 savings through both its product formulation and manufacturing methods. The company repurposes ligno-cellulosic wastes, combining them with minerals and a small amount of water to create a flat board material. Unlike conventional board production, this process requires no natural gas and can absorb low concentration CO2 in the curing process, which can be sourced from industrial emissions during the curing stage. Tom Robinson, founder and CEO at Adaptavate, says: “Our new carbon-negative and carbon-storing technology marks a significant milestone and step forward not only for Adaptavate, a business I founded a decade ago, but also for the global construction industry as a whole. Plasterboard is one of the most heavily used construction material after cement and steel, in an industry that produces around 40% of the world’s carbon emissions. As a former builder, the potential impact of putting carbon storing building materials in the hands of every builder, architect and developer around the world as a drop-in solution is massive in our global endeavour to decarbonise construction. This announcement demonstrates with a real-world example of how we can do this and have a successful business on a global scale.” The development of this new climate-positive technology and the pilot line for the board’s production has been made possible by UK Government grants (Innovate UK), and investment from a group of climate-focused businesses dedicated to accelerating carbon removal within the construction industry, including Counteract, Perivoli Innovations, Low Carbon Innovation Fund 2 (LCIF2), and SEMIN Group. Jeff Ive, CTO at Adaptavate, says: “The production of full-sized permanently carbon-storing plasterboard is a major step forward for Adaptavate and the scale up of our regenerative material solutions. We have brought together a systemic solution for carbon dioxide removal that is required on a global scale, and matched it with a product that is used on a similar scale. With our licencing business model, we aim to deliver these systemic innovations at a rate that the planet needs them. The innovations’ development is thanks to the expert international team we have at our Bristol headquarters. With their knowledge, skills and dedication we have produced a game changing carbon-storing product with a comparable performance to the incumbent. The past few years of innovation in this space have been exciting for us, and we can see that this core technology has some important attributes that could be well used in a diverse product portfolio.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Work has begun on GVS Filter Technology UK Ltd’s new £14m manufacturing facility and office complex, which will transform a 24,000 sqm vacant site on Caton Road in Lancaster into a sustainable and captivating riverside location. Conlon Construction and Cassidy + Ashton are leading on the project and will deliver a transformative UK headquarters that pays homage to the company’s Italian heritage. With roots stretching back to 1979, GVS manufactures highly technical filtration systems for healthcare, life science, safety and automotive sectors. The move will see all c.200 employees from GVS’s current UK office in Morecambe relocate to a new two-storey, low carbon waterside development in Lancaster, in a move that supports the company’s drive to net zero. Leveraging extensive experience in delivering sustainable projects, Conlon Construction will incorporate renewable energy and heat transfer management systems into the build. The new headquarters will also feature a sophisticated drainage system that channels surface water through grassed swales within the car park, leading to a meticulously landscaped wildlife pond, before ultimately releasing the water into the River Lune. The Bamber Bridge-based contractor is working alongside North West architects and planning consultancy, Cassidy + Ashton, who designed the scheme and secured planning permission for the ambitious project. The proposals see both parties working in partnership to transform an existing warehouse into GVS’s new production facilities, comprising injection moulding and high-tech filter manufacturing, which is carried out under ‘clean room’ standards. Conlon will also deliver space for warehousing and storage, plus a striking reception, office, and administration area. Darren Lee, commercial director at Conlon Construction, said: “This project suits our skills and experience at Conlon to a tee. We’ve delivered net zero builds for multiple clients, from the education sector to industrial units, and we’re thrilled to be involved in transforming this site into an inspiring and efficient workplace. “As a Lancashire business, we’ve a rich history of bringing spaces across the county, and beyond, to life – whether that’s through transforming areas with untapped potential or restoring historically significant buildings. “The plans by Cassidy + Ashton are spectacular. GVS will soon have a UK base reflective of its Italian roots and manufacturing prowess.” Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, GVS, a leading manufacturer of medical products and personal protective equipment, played a pivotal role in supplying the NHS with protective face masks specified to the highest classification. Miguel Aranda, Managing Director at GVS Filter Technology UK Ltd, said: “I am very impressed with the progress of the new building and am looking forward to the move next year in 2025. I can’t wait to start afresh in a new location where there will be improvements in our main drivers like safety, quality, delivery, productivity and cost, sustainability, inventory and the most important one, an improved working environment for our people.” Alistair Baines, chairman of Cassidy + Ashton, said: “After several years in the making, it’s great to finally see the works progressing on site. We know how important this project is for GVS as a company and I’m sure it will help strengthen their operations both regionally and globally.” Conlon Construction has broken ground on the former Sofidel site, kicking off construction in a special ceremony attended by representatives from the contractor, Cassidy + Ashton, GVS, structural engineer Sleater & Watson and M&E designer, DRB Environmental Design. Completion is expected in spring 2025. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) held a celebration lunch on 23rd May to commemorate the completion of its first BCIA Inspired Leaders programme. The initiative, started in February 2024 and developed in partnership with Inspired Leadership Solutions, was aimed at developing existing and future leaders in the BEMS industry. The event saw the first 14 selected delegates come together, along with BCIA President Stacey Lucas and former President Graeme Rees, who oversaw the development of the programme during his tenure. Led by Michael Holbrow, a professional coach, mentor, and facilitator who has spent more than three decades in the building controls industry, the programme was the result of a training gap identified during the development of the BCIA’s corporate plan. During this, it was discovered that people development and leadership training was suffering due to the pace of the market. In fact, it was found that often companies would be struggling to recruit and not able to set time aside to concentrate on people development. The 16-week programme comprised of six modules that were designed to change the way in which individuals in the BEMS sector might approach situations, whether that’s how they lead teams and client projects or understand the benefits of self-leadership. As a result of the industry-centric leadership training programme, the delegates were able to truly grasp and understand the challenges and opportunities of leading within the BEMS industry. BCIA President Stacey Lucas was delighted with the success of the programme, saying: “The delegates really sank their teeth into the programme and have taken so much out of it. Michael was a brilliant coach and really helped those taking part to embrace the potential for leadership roles in the building controls sector and understand how to overcome any challenges along the way. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Council’s housing company This City has celebrated a major milestone in construction as a topping out ceremony marks the highest point of the build. The development will become No 1 Ancoats Green on completion and will deliver 129 new homes bringing a long-term brownfield site back into use – including 119 apartments and 10 town houses. A range of one bed to four bed homes are being built to meet a range of needs, including families choosing to live in the city centre, and 30% of these new homes will be capped at the Manchester Living Rent. This is a level of rent that can be covered by housing benefit, which makes sure the homes are accessible to as many Manchester people as possible. The ambition is that This City will scale up to build 500 homes a year. Six further sites are currently being considered for development in the coming years. This development is expected to be completed in 2025. The scheme is being built by Wates and designed by architect Buttress. A full list of contractors can be found in the notes to editors section. Find out more about This City No 1 Ancoats Green will overlook a transformed Ancoats Green, with the development site moving seamlessly into the improved city centre park. This investment will include new walking and cycling routes through the neighbourhood, along with significant new planting – wildflower and wetland planting, and a range of new trees, alongside new accessible play equipment and open grassed areas. This development will also be built to high sustainability standards, limiting heat loss through exemplar insulation, making the homes warm and more efficient to run – essential to support residents through the cost-of-living crisis. The Ancoats Green redevelopment is part of a range of public realm investment in Ancoats that looks to create a green heart for the local community and improve access to quality park spaces. Adjacent to the park, the Ancoats Mobility Hub celebrated its own topping out milestone earlier this year. The innovative investment will help create a low traffic, pedestrian first neighbourhood. The hub will feature secure parking for 150 bikes, alongside changing facilities, 102 electronic vehicle charging points, up to 30 spaces for car club and car share schemes as part of a total of 406 car park spaces which reduces the need for parking within new residential developments nearby (apart from disabled parking). The building itself will feature 400 rooftop solar panels and over 400sqm of living green walls. A last-mile delivery hub and parcel lockers will centralise how local people can receive post and packages, vastly reducing delivery traffic in the area. A new commercial or hospitality space is also being explored. Find out more about the regeneration of Ancoats Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of the Council, said: “The first This City development encapsulates a lot of what we’re looking to achieve when it comes to building new homes in the city centre. “Affordable, low carbon, close to great transport routes, built seamlessly into a rejuvenated Ancoats Green park – and with a range of housing types and sizes to accommodate different demand – including family homes. “Hitting the highest point is a welcome milestone and marks the hump of this project and we look forward to these homes welcoming the first residents next year.” Cllr Gavin White, executive member for housing and development, said: “This City is the innovation that Manchester’s housing market needs to help us deliver genuinely affordable housing – capped at the Manchester Living Rent – using brownfield, Council-owned land. These are the types of homes we know our residents need and in a city centre location. This development – complemented by the improvements to the park next door – is spearheading the final phase of regeneration for Ancoats that begins the end of two decades of investment in this community.” Adam White, Chair of This City, said: “Topping out our No. 1 Ancoats Green scheme marks a really important milestone for This City, proving the concept and our ability to deliver high quality, low carbon and affordable homes at scale. “Our exciting plans for the future will see us ramping up the delivery of our sizeable residential pipeline over the next few years, delivering hundreds more affordable homes available at the Manchester Living Rent. “I’d like to thank City Council Officers and Members, the This City Board, DLUHC, Wates, Buttress and the wider project team for all their input and efforts to date – No. 1 Ancoats Green is a seminal project for This City and one we should all be proud to have played a part in delivering.” Tom Maguire, project director at Wates, said: “The Rodney Street project encompasses everything we stand for at Wates – exemplary design that prioritises sustainability, delivered in a way that helps communities thrive in the long term through Social Value initiatives and the homes it will ultimately provide. “So far here at Rodney Street, we’ve spent more than £50k on local Social Enterprises and over £5m on local supply chains, as well as supported 315 Apprenticeship Weeks. While we celebrate this latest milestone of topping out, we’re focused still on delivering the rest of the project in the same way, creating opportunities wherever possible to benefit Manchester residents and businesses.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Harris Lamb, the independently owned, Midlands-based commercial property agency that acts for clients nationwide, is moving its established Birmingham office from Edgbaston to Brindleyplace. The company is taking 5,391 sq ft of space on the fourth floor of 4 Brindleyplace as it looks to grow its footprint in the city and provide its staff with a highly sustainable, modern and flexible commercial space in an unrivalled location. Harris Lamb prides itself on the quality of its advice, strength of relationships with clients, and the professionalism of its staff, and is looking to build upon this platform further by the move to Brindleyplace. As the city’s premier commercial estate, Brindleyplace is a great fit for the company, offering a quality environment where the new office space will be enhanced with a Cat A fit out and staff can benefit from all of the estate’s amenities and facilities right on their doorstep. Matt Long, asset manager at Praxis, said: “We’re extremely pleased to have another tenant of Harris Lamb’s high calibre join the Brindleyplace business community and add to our established roster of professional services occupiers. “Our continued commitment to refurbishing and repositioning this iconic estate is being recognised not only city-wide, but further afield as companies choose to make us their home. TASK has already been appointed to deliver the CAT A refurbishment of the workspace Harris Lamb is set to move into, and we can’t wait for the firm and its people to join us here at Brindleyplace.” Director of Harris Lamb, Charles D’Auncey, said: “Brindleyplace makes complete sense for us. From a business point of view, it affords us everything we need and more in a Grade A office building. Our space is undergoing an extensive refurbishment, including a new VRF heating and cooling system and LED lighting, which is on target to achieve an EPC A rating. “Outside the building itself, our staff are set to benefit from all of the estate’s amenities right on the doorstep, including an established and growing programme of health, wellness and wellbeing activities (such as yoga and massages) as well as estate-wide events like the film festival and regular markets.” The Brindleyplace estate is well served by public transport and is close to everything the city has to offer, including world-class connectivity, retail, leisure and eating out options. With unrivalled transport connections and situated on the city’s extensive waterways, the estate is a jewel in Birmingham’s crown both as a commercial office destination and as a place where people come together to visit, spend time in, exercise and relax in, and most of all, enjoy. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
As the country enters the second week of the UK general election campaign trail, 12 Tier One UK infrastructure and construction contractors and consultants have today published their Blueprint for Growth, sharing 12 recommendations that the future government should implement to effectively boost the UK’s economic growth and productivity. Collectively directly employing nearly 100,000 people across the UK and representing £25 billion of UK revenue – which can be factored by at least a three-fold economic impact as infrastructure investment generates significant wider economic benefit in the wider supply chain and communities – the Blueprint for Growth represents the asks of a significant portion of the UK infrastructure and construction industry. With the current Government’s Major Projects Portfolio consisting of an unprecedented 244 projects requiring delivery, and an established and clear correlation between investment in infrastructure and GDP growth – with the industry one of the most effective, efficient, and sustainable ways of spreading jobs and skills across the country – the Blueprint for Growth is a clear collective ask to align on a number of key areas: The Blueprint for Growth represents a notable collective commitment from the UK infrastructure and construction industry to collaborate with policymakers, industry stakeholders and government agencies to help develop the twelve recommendations and realise the shared vision of a thriving infrastructure sector which continues to drive sustainable growth, create jobs and build a brighter future for the UK. To read the Blueprint for Growth in full, click here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
One platform to support build stage progress, excellence and innovation delivery across Quantum homes. Quantum Group, a leading developer in Ireland, has selected Zutec to manage construction project data from a single platform. Zutec leads the way in providing construction and property management software solutions to contractors, housebuilders, developers and asset owners across the UK and Ireland, and will roll out document, quality, handover and health and safety management solutions to support Quantum in delivering safer, higher standard homes and properties. Patrick Shaughnessy, Construction Director at Quantum Group, commented: “At Quantum, we place a huge emphasis on build quality and excellence, and are proud to lead the way in bringing in specialist and innovative techniques to support our drive to be more effective, efficient, productive, and sustainable. “In a market where quality cannot be overlooked, we required a platform to differentiate ourselves from others and create a framework for quality-driven processes. With innovation at its core, Zutec fitted the bill in terms of an easy-to-use platform that provides solutions, features and functionality that gives us more control over how we manage documents and information related to construction and quality for all our projects – all from one place. This will help us better manage site teams, site progress, suppliers, and sub-contractors, and ultimately raise the standards of the quality and innovation across our developments.” By digitising building information and construction documents, Quantum will use Zutec’s Document Management for planning, design, tenders, procurement, and plot tracking, including the ability to approve drawings for future developments and resolve issues on site as they arise. With project information in one place, Quantum can eliminate inefficient and costly data sprawl, but also save time and costs by having clear visibility of information that enables better understanding of projects and drives more informed decisions that bring projects to completion faster. A suite of integrated Quality Assurance and Health & Safety forms, checklists and inspections will all be delivered to Quantum by Zutec to ensure data is digitised and can be easily collected in a consistent way and housing and apartments are built to the company’s high standards. This will include the ability to upload photos to evidence work done and a snagging register so data can be reviewed, and problems resolved ahead of handover. Data related to safety inspections can be captured on-site in real-time then easily shared with teams to provide safety visibility and mitigate risk. Zutec’s Handover Management means Quantum can effectively manage projects to completion by bringing together O&M (Operations & Maintenance) Manuals, Fire Evacuation Files (FEF) and Health and Safety Files (H&S) in one place to meet asset owner and regulatory obligations. All data can be captured in the field by site teams and subcontractors using the Zutec Field app from any device with or without a Wi-Fi connection. Information is then synced in the Zutec cloud, when a device is online, and uploaded into the Zutec dashboard for reporting and analytics, but also for easy information, site progress and compliance. “As developers and housebuilders look to digitise more construction and quality processes, our aim is to support them with the best solutions that help drive structure and standardisation in data and documentation across their business. Before now, Quantum didn’t have a digital system in place to manage information during the construction stages and relied on manual and paper-based processes. With Zutec they can have all their information in the cloud and workflows in place to ensure the right people have the right information at the right time, empowering teams to deliver builds more efficiently and to higher-quality standards, while giving site managers complete control and confidence over works completed. One solution for everything,” said James Cannon, Chief Revenue Officer at Zutec. To find out more about how Zutec is helping customers deliver quality work the first time around, please visit www.zutec.com. Alternatively, book a demo and experience solutions for yourself: https://zutec.com/book-a-demo Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Edinburgh Futures Institute has officially opened its doors to the public in the transformed and revitalised Old Royal Infirmary building. The much-loved city landmark will officially open to the public on Monday 3rd June following an extensive seven-year, multi-million-pound restoration. Built in 1879, the Old Royal Infirmary housed the city’s main hospital until 2003 and was once described by The Illustrated London News as “the best planned hospital” in Britain. Now home to the University of Edinburgh’s Edinburgh Futures Institute, the category-A listed building will bring together people finding innovative solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems. The 20,000 sqm redevelopment is now one of the largest institutes for interdisciplinary learning, research and innovation in Europe. Edinburgh Futures Institute is building on the University’s expertise across disciplines ranging from artificial intelligence to philosophy to deliver educational programmes, collaborative research projects and partnerships. The Institute brings together students, researchers, partners and civic society to focus on the responsible use of data to address global challenges including ethics of artificial intelligence, social inequality and climate change. The building, which unites modern design with restored historic architecture, will also bring benefits to the local community. Alongside new access points from Middle Meadow Walk, a new public square has been created along with a café and exhibition and performance spaces. The building’s signature wide and airy Nightingale Wards have been retained and are now reused as teaching and workspaces. Collaborative spaces are also available for external organisations and partners, with incubation areas for start-up businesses and labs for innovation and prototyping. Once opened, the Institute will also host a range of events and opportunities for members of the public and University of Edinburgh community. In August, the Institute will host the Edinburgh International Book Festival and will become a permanent home for this annual event. The Futures Institute sits within the University’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. It is one of six innovation hubs supported by the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal’s Data-Driven Innovation programme. Through the University of Edinburgh’s participation in the City Region Deal, the Institute has received £56m in capital funding from the UK Government and more than £2m from the Scottish Government. The University worked with a project design team led by Atkins Realis, including architects Bennetts Associates and construction partner Balfour Beatty, to restore, extend, and upgrade the building. Professor Kev Dhaliwal, Interim Director of Edinburgh Futures Institute, said: “The amazing restoration of the Old Royal Infirmary has created an inspiring place for us all to collaborate. It opens up exciting opportunities to co-locate students, staff and external partners to innovate and address local and global challenges together. The Institute is a place that asks questions and strives to find solutions for the challenges of where data meets society.” Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Edinburgh, said: “So many people in Edinburgh have a connection to this historic building and we want to ensure that it fulfils the pledge set in stone above the main entrance, ‘patet omnibus’ – open to all. Edinburgh Futures Institute’s new home will allow us to connect the University community with local and global groups, organisations and industries in new and meaningful ways.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals