Network Space has let a further 21,375 sq ft at its Mere Grange development in St Helens to an online retailer leaving only one unit available at the 30-acre development. The international retailer is taking space within the £7million first phase speculative development of four industrial units, which was delivered
If you do your research and find the correct structural steel fabricators, your project will be able to be completed efficiently. It will have an effect on the end item, how much time is required to complete the project, and also your total bill. You need to know that not
Building Passports as a means of certifying key information about a property are an extension of recommendations made in Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of building regulations and fire safety. In the report, which was published in following the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy, Dame Judith spoke of the need to create
Sheffield based Construction Contractor J F Finnegan have secured the contract to construct two speculative units at Silkwood Business Park in Wakefield for PLP. The speculative development comprises the Design and Construction of two new build Industrial units totalling approximately 310,409 sq ft. The project incorporates a warehouse facility and
Stephen George + Partners LLP (SGP) and infrastructure firm AECOM have submitted plans for a £15.8m bus station in Halifax, a key regeneration project which will deliver a fully enclosed concourse with 19 DIRO stands, fully enclosed waiting areas, retail and information facilities under a stunning feature timber framed concourse
The employee-owned business has 7 Regional Distribution Centres located around the UK, an environmental business and a leading B2B ecommerce website both based in the Midlands. Each year they individually nominate a charity of their choice to donate £1,000 to and support throughout the year. The charities that have received
GLP, investor and developer of logistics warehouses and distribution parks, today announces that it has leased a 90,000 SQ FT unit at its G-Park Northampton site. The 90,000 SQ FT warehouse has been let to SF Express, a global customer of GLP. The leasing of Unit 2 marks SF Express’
Leading managing agent Rendall & Rittner has been appointed to take over the management of Metis Apartments in Scotland Street, Sheffield. The block of 122 apartments and five commercial units contains ACM (Aluminium Composite Material) cladding similar to the Grenfell Tower, which is due to be replaced under the Government
Assisting with a multitude of developmental aspects both professionally and personally, leadership coaching is designed to encourage employees to transform themselves into being the best they can possibly be. It also assists management teams and higher level executives in seeing which aspects of the business an employee really excels in
A global social media giant opened new data centres late last year in County Meath, Ireland. One of just six such data centres across the world, they handle the data of their 2.5 billion users globally. With bases across Europe, site security specialists VPS Group were selected by the international
Network Space has let a further 21,375 sq ft at its Mere Grange development in St Helens to an online retailer leaving only one unit available at the 30-acre development. The international retailer is taking space within the £7million first phase speculative development of four industrial units, which was delivered by Network Space in 2018. This latest deal follows 122,000 sq ft of lettings to Kilwaughter, Dresser Natural Gas Solutions (NGS), Synergy LMS and Ormazabal. Together these new occupiers have created around 300 job opportunities at the popular St Helen’s site. Joe Burnett, Development Director of Network Space, said: “Mere Grange has proved a huge success, attracting strong covenants, which is testament to the quality of the scheme’s design, specification and great location. “We only have one 18,500 sq ft unit available on the site, and with the increasing demand for online retail and the shortage of suitable warehouse and distribution space, we are seeing a very high level of interest and expect to be fully let before the year is out.” Network Space developed the Mere Grange mixed-use site in partnership with Homes England, St Helens Council and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Anwyl Homes is currently on site delivering 82 homes on the residential portion of the site having acquired it from Network Space in 2019. Mere Grange offers a total of 162,000 sq ft of high-quality industrial space, the one remaining unit provides 18,595 sq ft of warehousing, including first floor offices and amenity space. With secure, gated service yard and direct access onto the St Helens Linkway (A570), it is just minutes from the M62 offering excellent access to Liverpool, Warrington and Greater Manchester. B8 Real Estate and CBRE are joint agents on the scheme. About Network Space Operating across the Northern Powerhouse region, Network Space is a commercial property developer, investor and manager specialising in the industrial warehouse sector. Founded in 1982, Network Space has created and modernised over 10 million sq ft of industrial warehouse property in over 150 locations. The company’s vision is to provide the best and most complete industrial workspace solution for all of its stakeholder partners, whether they are a tenant, investor or government body. Their secured land bank could deliver 2.5 million sq ft of new industrial property with a value of over £200m over the next five years.
If you do your research and find the correct structural steel fabricators, your project will be able to be completed efficiently. It will have an effect on the end item, how much time is required to complete the project, and also your total bill. You need to know that not every structural steel fabricator functions similarly in terms of equipment, kinds of projects, etc., therefore it is necessary to know what to look at before working with a certain business. The following are some tips to help you out with the above aim. Look for where there are experts Structural steel fabricators function differently therefore you need to see whether the company you have selected has experience in your project. If you can find some experienced brand that knows about the kind of fabrication you need, this will allow the work to be completed fast. It will also be done well as they will have had experience in the task. How many years have they been working for? You need this question to be answered. No doubt, some fresh companies may give you excellent service, but it is rather risky selecting a business that does not have much experience and is new. For those whose task is really large and tough and if you do not want any complications, select an established brand that has been working for some years. The reason for this is that they have been present for some years and know how to handle tasks and customers. They are doing something correct that’s why they are in business for some time. Check out reviews Nowadays it is simple to know what consumers think about a certain company as there is the internet. It is a good idea to see online reviews. Do not only look at the reviews present on the company’s website. Check out ones present on social media. Professional brands usually have customer testimonials present on their page. No doubt these are wonderful, however, see off-site ones present on other platforms such as Instagram, Google My Business, etc. Does the business invest in equipment and staff? Those brands which spend money on equipment, technology as well as staff are often likely to complete the task faster, better, and well. The employees are a vital part and the way they work is important in determining how they will complete your project. Therefore, see their credentials also. Registration is important See if the business is registered in the area it is present. For instance, if you are looking for structural steel fabricators in Melbourne, check if they are registered over there. If they are then it means that they will give items and services which are of a good standard. Only those businesses get registered that are effective. One spends much cash on a project and they will want it to be completed according to their requirements. You will want to be satisfied that you have selected a professional brand that will give you excellent results. Consider the above tips for this.
Building Passports as a means of certifying key information about a property are an extension of recommendations made in Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of building regulations and fire safety. In the report, which was published in following the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy, Dame Judith spoke of the need to create a ‘golden thread’ of data about a building for a supply chain of stakeholders from architects to engineers, through to building safety managers and end users. And whilst this ‘thread’ applied specifically to high-rise buildings, it has given credence to the idea that the same informative package could be produced for regular housing. So, how would a building passport work, and how useful might it be in addressing issues relating to the UK’s energy deficient housing stock? In essence, a building passport would be a constructional blueprint of a property. This would include information such as the thermal standards a property was built to – and that it achieved those standards – and the type of materials that were used to build it inside and out. Accessible to housing and building authorities, such data would be crucial to ensuring all homes within a new development, for example, were built to the same standard. It would also provide householders with a clearly-defined, certified baseline upon which to improve on their home’s energy performance, should they so wish. Call to action For easy accessibility, building passport data would be held digitally. This would lead in all probability to terabytes of information needing to be stored securely but accessibly. This information would need to be kept up to date when changes to the building are made, such as changing the boiler or building an extension, so it remains accurate and relevant to the building. The Insulation Manufacturer’s Association estimates more than 3,400 homes would need to be upgraded per day from now until 2035 in order to meet the government’s target for EPC band C for homes . Unfortunately, the necessary renovation work is nowhere near starting; a fact which is made all the more lamentable by the persisting instance of houses being built to outdated regulations. In my opinion, the government should be tackling the issue of Britain’s poorly-insulated homes with the same vigour it applies to other public endeavours and displays of national infrastructure investment. Easy access Having outlined the likely logistical issues involved with processing and storing a huge amount of building passport data, it is worth pointing out that the information is already available – it’s just a case of collating it. BIM, EPC certificates, U-value calculations and supporting data sheets are a basis for modern housing developments. If accessible in one easily downloadable digital space, this information would make retrofitting or altering a property to an acceptable standard a far more straightforward prospect. In her review of building regulations and fire safety, Dame Judith makes it clear that the UK construction industry requires a sea change in culture and practice to improve its all-round standards. Initiatives such as the building passport would certainly represent a positive break from tradition, as it would remove the element of guesswork involved in increasing a property’s energy efficiency. In knowing what a home’s performance is to begin with, small changes could be made to further improve it. And small changes on a mass scale could make a huge difference to the country’s emissions count. The government has shown favour to Dame Judith’s golden thread in relation to high-rise buildings, so it’s hoped the same accord will be bestowed upon a similar scheme for standard properties. As stated, upgrading nearly 30 million poorly-insulated UK homes represents an almighty challenge. Therefore, the imminent issue of building passports for new properties offers an easier option. It would mean we wouldn’t be adding to an already serious problem.
Sheffield based Construction Contractor J F Finnegan have secured the contract to construct two speculative units at Silkwood Business Park in Wakefield for PLP. The speculative development comprises the Design and Construction of two new build Industrial units totalling approximately 310,409 sq ft. The project incorporates a warehouse facility and integral mezzanine offices, respectively. Both unit 1 (235,409 sq ft) & unit 2 (75,000 sq ft) include a service yard, dock levellers and level access doors, car, trailer parking and external works. Matthew Fitton, Development Director at PLP said: ‘PLP is committed to the Yorkshire logistics market because of the region’s expertise in this essential part of the economic infrastructure of the UK. This speculative development project demonstrates both PLP’s commitment to the region and also the strength of the occupational demand in the Wakefield sub-market. With immediate proximity to Junction 40 of the M1, PLP Wakefield will appeal to both national and regional businesses. PLP Wakefield is a well-established commercial location with great amenity value, strong occupier base and access to a large, skilled labour force. We expect this development will potentially create up to 500 new jobs when these units are occupied and fully operational.’ As part of PLP’s sustainability policy on speculative buildings, the units will be delivered to a net zero carbon ready standard (as defined under the UK Green Building Council framework) and will achieve a BREEAM Very Good rating. Sustainability initiatives include roof mounted solar panels, multiple electric charging points for vehicles and future proofed infrastructure to scale these installations post occupation.’ Dawa Singh, Head of Pre-Construction at J F Finnegan commented, “We are excited to have secured this project for PLP and look forward to working closely with PLP and Quartz Project Services. J F Finnegan have played a significant role in logistics and distribution warehouses within the South Yorkshire region for over 75 years. We are passionate about Wakefield and proud to be a part of this latest redevelopment project which will enhance the local economy in the current economic climate.”
Stephen George + Partners LLP (SGP) and infrastructure firm AECOM have submitted plans for a £15.8m bus station in Halifax, a key regeneration project which will deliver a fully enclosed concourse with 19 DIRO stands, fully enclosed waiting areas, retail and information facilities under a stunning feature timber framed concourse and fully green roof. The redeveloped bus station is a key component of West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Calderdale Council’s plans to transform public transport within Halifax town centre. The bus station combines improved passenger facilities and a safe and welcoming environment in a statement building that marries contemporary sustainable architecture with the existing listed heritage assets. SGP is the architect for the project, while AECOM is lead consultant providing engineering, planning, environment and transport planning. Says Alistair Branch, Studio Director at SGP: “Our design for the bus station redevelopment sensitively integrates a number of important listed heritage structures within a modern bus concourse facility, improving safety for pedestrians and enhancing accessibility to the town centre in a state-of-the-art station that meets the aspirations of the client, operators and key stakeholders.” SGP has chosen a simple and contemporary ‘pavilion’ form to create a bold gateway to the town centre for passengers and passers-by. A simple timber grid shell structure supports a full green roof, flowing down as the concourse gently traverses the steep site, improving access for users with walking difficulties or wheelchairs. The eaves will use a two-part copper effect capping and triangular rooflights stand up from the roofscape, adding form and interest. Continues Alistair: “The surrounding buildings all have views towards the bus station from a high level, making the roofscape as important as the other elevations. Our design incorporates a fully green roof, with a wildflower meadow over the main concourse to encourage ecological diversity and a sedum green roof over the bus boarding areas to reduce load on the large canopy overhangs.” The concourse facades will use a combination of glazing and large format natural stone cladding, respecting the material of the listed Sion School. The School itself will be integrated into the design, with a colonnade and glazed entrance to frame the view of the School and provide a dramatic, light airy arrival space. A glazed link connects the bus concourse with the School, offering a sensitive interface and creating a breathing space around the listed School. Accessibility and safety are central to the design and SGP’s innovative Y shaped configuration of stands allows facilities such as a retail unit, waiting rooms and a café area to be sited in the triangular centre, serving all the stands. Creating segregated foot and vehicular paths, the concourse is the shortest route for pedestrians to get to the stands and there is only one crossing place, which has good sight lines for both walkers and drivers. For the fully enclosed bus concourse area, the DIRO bus stands will be separated from the bus concourse by means of a fully glazed screen and automatic doors linked to induction loops within the bus stand area, ensuring the automatic doors will only operate when a bus is parked on the respective bus bay. Concludes Alistair Branch: “This is another significant transport commission where SGP with will be providing full architectural services with AECOM for client West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Halifax Bus Station is a once in a generation project, a statement building, sustainable and future-proofed for new electric vehicles, able to help reduce congestion, enhance public spaces and promote economic activity across Halifax and the West Yorkshire region.” AECOM’s Project Manager for the scheme Kirsty James said: “This is a further milestone in the delivery of a number of transport schemes within Calderdale that AECOM is proud to work on through the delivery of multi-disciplinary support. This investment in the bus station will bring a very significant improvement in the quality of public transport facilities for the residents of Calderdale.” This project has received funding through the Transforming Cities Fund and match funding from the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund. The planning decision is expected Autumn 2020 and the project is planned to complete by March 2023.
The employee-owned business has 7 Regional Distribution Centres located around the UK, an environmental business and a leading B2B ecommerce website both based in the Midlands. Each year they individually nominate a charity of their choice to donate £1,000 to and support throughout the year. The charities that have received a £1,000 donation from Kite for 2020 are: Zoë’s Place: A baby hospice providing palliative, respite and end-of-life care to babies and infants LOROS Hospice: Providing free, high-quality, compassionate care and support to terminally ill adult patients, their family, and carers Rotherham Rise: Providing help and support for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual exploitation Children with Cancer UK: Leading national children’s charity dedicated to the fight against childhood cancer Anxious Minds: Support for mental health across the North East Family Food Bank: Helping support families and reduce the impact of child poverty Macmillan Cancer Support: From the moment of diagnosis, through treatment and beyond, they are right there with you, offering emotional, physical, and financial support Age UK: Helping older people when they need them the most SMASH: Helping young people who are not thriving to improve their levels of well-being For more information on Kite Packaging please visit kitepackaging.co.uk
GLP, investor and developer of logistics warehouses and distribution parks, today announces that it has leased a 90,000 SQ FT unit at its G-Park Northampton site. The 90,000 SQ FT warehouse has been let to SF Express, a global customer of GLP. The leasing of Unit 2 marks SF Express’ first UK Distribution Centre and will form part of its expanding Supply Chain overseas strategy. GLP has delivered over 5.4 million SQ FT of logistics space for SF Express in China, making them one of GLP’s largest customers in China. G-Park Northampton is in a prime location benefiting from its proximity to the M1 and M40 and is within easy reach of the M6/A14. This puts 90% of the population of England and Wales within a four-hour HGV drive time. G-Park Northampton is located within Moulton Park and comprises three units and one build-to-suit logistics warehouse from 50,000 to 155,000 SQ FT. Grade ‘A’ rated, the highly specified buildings have achieved BREEAM scoring Very Good and are suitable for a range of occupiers including last mile logistics, 3PLs, retail/FMCG and manufacturers. Moulton Park is one of the most successful industrial estates in Northamptonshire and is already home to a wide range of regional and national businesses. Occupiers continue to be attracted by the areas’ exceptional transport links, access to national markets and suitably skilled workforce. Simon Truss, General Manager for Western Europe at SF Express, said: “We are very excited to open 90,000 SQFT of warehousing capacity in Northampton. Following an extensive review we selected Moulton Park because of its optimal location and build quality. The facility will focus on National Distribution for our high value products, and as such will be fitted out to a very high standard.” Joe Garwood, Development Director at GLP Europe, said: “As a long-standing global customer of GLP, we are thrilled to expand our relationship with SF Express and support their expansion into the UK. We look forward to continued collaboration in the UK and beyond”.
Leading managing agent Rendall & Rittner has been appointed to take over the management of Metis Apartments in Scotland Street, Sheffield. The block of 122 apartments and five commercial units contains ACM (Aluminium Composite Material) cladding similar to the Grenfell Tower, which is due to be replaced under the Government funding. Rendall & Rittner was selected by the First Tier Tribunal to oversee the reinstatement work and the ongoing management of the building because of the company’s expertise, experience and scale that will enable it to deal with the cladding issues at the property. Rendall & Rittner was instrumental in bringing together the group of property managers, building owners and professional bodies that appealed to the government to step up, take action and introduce the Building Safety Fund. Matt Kirk, Northern Divisional Director at Rendall & Rittner comments: “We are delighted to be appointed to manage the recladding of Metis Apartments and work closely with its residents to make their homes safe for the future. We recognise that by appointing us, the First Tier Tribunal is placing responsibility on us to carry out the works promptly and professionally. It will be a huge relief for everyone that lives in the building when this issue is resolved.” “As a business we wholeheartedly welcome the Government’s Building Safety Fund and will be actively pursuing funding on behalf of residents and leaseholders at buildings that we manage that meet the criteria.” Rendall & Rittner is one of the UK’s largest residential property managers with a portfolio of over 70,000 units under management. Founded 30 years ago, the business manages some of the country’s largest and most prominent residential developments, with seven offices across England including its northern division in Manchester. For further information on Rendall & Rittner please visit www.rendallandrittner.co.uk.
Assisting with a multitude of developmental aspects both professionally and personally, leadership coaching is designed to encourage employees to transform themselves into being the best they can possibly be. It also assists management teams and higher level executives in seeing which aspects of the business an employee really excels in and which blind spots could be improved upon. A recent study by FMI about the impact of leadership coaching in the built environment revealed some interesting findings for the construction sector. Flexible in its approach to business management, coaching is designed to be specifically tailored to the needs to the individual receiving the coaching. Construction firms often create their business model around the ideology of the economy being able to grow and shrink at the drop of a proverbial hat. Leadership coaching is often required in order to sustain this adaptive approach to business, as it allows leaders to be best prepared for a range of challenges the future may hold. The sector has always been volatile, with construction leaders regularly handling levels of complexity and ambiguity that would be considered extreme by the measure of many other industries. This rapid change of pace within the industry has rendered more traditional leadership techniques old-fashioned at best, requiring leaders and executives to better equip themselves to deal with an ever-changing global landscape. Strategic thinking is the name of the new game, aiming to minimise ineffective or knee-jerk responses to the business environment which can cripple an organisation with remarkable rapidity. Introducing coaching into the equation provides numerous benefits to the industry’s leadership by helping to manage transitions and develop essential skills, as well as turning those skills into positive habits for lasting change. Unlike conventional training, a coaching-led approach to development allows for maximum flexibility and agility while still providing the essential, tailored individual support that leaders need. FMI’s study notes four particular areas where access to coaching can provide critical support to leaders within the construction sector. A Sounding Board Executives often feel isolated at the top of their organisations, so access to a coach provides a much-needed “thought partner” who can be reliably confided in, especially as entering senior positions dramatically shifts the working dynamic with former organisational peers. The main workforce is often also critical of the leadership team, both at an individual and collective level, which can result in feelings of isolation and self-doubt, affecting wellbeing and ultimately business performance. Coaches again can step in here to act as valuable neutral parties so that leaders can still give voice to sensitive or complex issues which others below them in the organisation may struggle to empathise with. This leads to improved self-awareness in executives, with many saying that working with a coach as an external advisor has helped them to better understand and process feedback they receive as leaders, in turn producing healthier and more effective leadership approaches and an improvement in their organisations. More Effective Leadership Transitions The idea of “loneliness at the top” only becomes more notable when leaders transition into new roles as part of succession planning. Ambiguous expectations and complexities in taking over leadership from another introduce a “perfect storm” of isolation and self-doubt for many, especially when combined with a significant shift in previous internal relationships. Having a coach on hand to help shift thinking and adapt to a new role proves invaluable, with 91% of FMI’s study participants saying that engagement with a coach made them feel increased readiness for a new role. This development of new active skills and assistance in navigating changing relationship dynamics leads to more capable, confident, self-aware and stable leadership teams. Boosting Role Engagement Employee engagement is a hot topic at the moment given its power in so many aspects of the business world. Interestingly leaders tend not to seek out coaching specifically for the purpose of improving engagement, but nearly 88% of FMI’s surveyed participants said that access to coaching improved their engagement with their roles. Boosting job satisfaction and confidence, as well as helping to reduce the learning curve for new roles and improving relationships in the workplace all contribute to positive engagement. This gives increased likelihood of retention, effectively boosting leadership development ROI in the long term, and almost always produces performance boosts which enhance overall business profitability; a powerful combination. Driving Commitment & ROI As well as boosting “secondary” ROI drivers such as engagement and retention, using coaching as a way to develop specific leadership competencies to drive success will almost inevitably lead to both individual and organisational growth. In the highly volatile E&C environment, covering required skillsets can be time consuming and expensive, but coaching offers a highly engaging way to empower leaders to self-develop while at the same time directly boosting their in-role efficacy. “Multiple research approaches confirm the idea that coaching offers an ROI that verges on the extraordinary,” says Nick Goldberg, founder and CEO at leadership development solution Ezra Coaching. “Investing in leadership throughout an organisation produces enormous benefits, not least of which is maximising engagement and retention potential for employees. By working to make coaching more accessible to all leaders, a business is investing not just in its workforce and culture but in its whole growth trajectory.” While a great deal of focus is often placed on the benefits of coaching for soft skill development, in fact many leaders decided that access to a coach also improved the strategy, culture and even financial health of their organisations. In a challenging sector where the right leaders are a very scarce commodity, investing in people with coaching not only ticks valuable HR boxes but will significantly elevate the potential of the business in its entirety.
A global social media giant opened new data centres late last year in County Meath, Ireland. One of just six such data centres across the world, they handle the data of their 2.5 billion users globally. With bases across Europe, site security specialists VPS Group were selected by the international building contractor Mace, to help protect and secure the construction of the massive data centres. Built on a 250-acre site, they deployed their award-winning VPS Smart Towers, state-of-the-art CCTV towers that are purpose-built to cope with the dynamics of ever-changing building sites. Work on the huge data centre started in April 2016 and features two 2,300sq m (25,500sq ft) buildings currently housing eight data halls, linked by an administration building. A third data hall is currently under construction and two further blocks are going through the planning process. It is estimated to have cost €300m and at one stage was the largest building project in Ireland. Comprising day and night cameras, sensors and alarm systems, networked to an on-site monitoring station run by their partners, Provincial, the 20 towers covered the site 24/7, and were independently powered by hydrogen cylinders, with zero emissions, apart from water. “Theft of equipment, plant and fuel from construction sites is a major problem all over the world, with Ireland experiencing a 35% rise last year, with the value of stolen goods reaching almost €8 million” Says Eoin Foley, VPS Group’s Ireland Managing Director. “The VPS Smart Towers are fully loaded, that combine leading technologies, but they have two outstanding features. “One is their flexibility and their wireless connectivity which enables them to be moved around the site easily, without any cabling. For a dynamic construction environment that is critical, as the works areas will change almost daily, so that the Smart Towers will often be moved two or three times a week. And secondly, the hydrogen cylinders, with zero emissions apart from water, is an additional environmental benefit, and dovetails well with the primary client’s zero carbon commitment, as the data centre itself is fuelled by renewable energy.” Advanced camera technology wirelessly transmits live and recorded images over any mobile, WiFi or satellite network. 24/7 monitoring combined with siren warnings to create an extremely effective deterrent – as soon as an alarm is triggered, the on-site security operations centre can identify the exact location and send out a patrol immediately. The VPS Smart Towers incorporate vandal-proof pan-tilt zoom (PTZ) and fixed cameras, supplemented with infra-red illuminators, a variety of movement detectors; digital recorders, and a public address system can also be fitted. The unique combination of technologies and expertise has helped to prevent trespassers and crime on the site, and have won VPS Group several of Security and Excellence awards, including for Customer Care Initiative, Best Use of Technology, and Innovation of the Year. They are currently hold the Transport Technology Business of the Year Award.