The planning stages of a construction project require attention to a whole lot of details, and the type of concrete being used is one that should be near the top of every list of priorities. But what type of concrete is best for your project? iMix Concrete will run through
Energy Assets Group (EAG), one of Britain’s leading metering and energy services businesses, has announced that from 1st February 2019, all of its utility network design and construction operations will be rebranded as Energy Assets Utilities (EAU). As a result of the brand strategy, Future Energy Group (FEG), which was
An acoustic attenuation solution provided by Sto has helped create a new acoustic environment at a leading London restaurant. The StoSilent Distance system has been installed at Lyle’s – a restaurant that is quickly becoming recognized as one of most prestigious establishments of its kind in the capital. Located in
Perhaps the most luxurious new private rental apartment block in Ashford is already more than 60% reserved as demand for high-quality accommodation soars in one of the fastest-growing and best connected towns in the South East. Called La Scierie (The Saw Mill) because it has been built on the site
Less than one in ten young people would consider a career in construction, even though more than half are interested in subjects that qualify them for the industry, new research by L&Q has revealed. L&Q, one of the UK’s largest housing associations and developers, surveyed 1,095 16-18 year-olds about their
The redevelopment of Birmingham’s Centenary Square reached a leafy milestone as work began to plant the first of the site’s trees. More than 50 trees will be planted over the next few months, including 17 Silver Birch, 12 Ginkgo, 12 Cherry and 12 Acer Rubrum, which will be complemented with some low-level planting. The first
A contract at a £600m scheme in London has been won by a Worcester-headquartered residential and mixed-use property management specialist. Mainstay has been appointed to manage the first two phases of Hallsville Quarter, Canning Town. Part of the £3.7bn Canning Town and Custom House Regeneration Programme, Hallsville Quarter will include
Environmental consultancy Delta-Simons is the first company to take home the trophy for Client Advisor of the Year; a new category at the coveted Lincolnshire Construction and Property Awards. The annual black-tie event, which welcomed more than 350 guests at the Doubletree by Hilton in Lincoln on Tuesday (5 February),
With businesses across the country looking to prepare for the potential effects of a hard Brexit, one company has invested in £700,000 worth of insurance stock to ensure they have exactly what they need for the foreseeable future. A recent survey found a surge in the number of companies considering
A purchase ‘in excess of’ £55 million has been completed for a penthouse at Clarges Mayfair, continuing a strong start to the year for the London Super Prime market. The penthouse –the largest in a 34-residency development – overlooks Green Park and was sold by agent Quintessentially Estates on behalf
The planning stages of a construction project require attention to a whole lot of details, and the type of concrete being used is one that should be near the top of every list of priorities. But what type of concrete is best for your project? iMix Concrete will run through various types of concrete and the applications they’re best suited for. Small wall footings, sheds and floors – C15 C15 is ideal for these kinds of projects. This particular type of concrete allows for non-permanent finishes to be placed on top, such as tiles, which means it is perfect for flooring. It is worth noting that it is only suitable for flooring without any embedded metal, such as steel rebar. Foundations and floor slabs – C20 For foundations for single storey buildings, internal floor slabs and oversites, you need C20 concrete. With a 28-day strength of 20 Newtons, it is strong enough to withstand the loads expected in these environments, without possessing the strength of other, heavy duty concretes. Footings, foundations, groundwork and trench fill – C25 For this variety of applications, a versatile type of concrete is needed, and C25 fits that bill. Used in domestic and commercial applications alike, most commonly in foundations for houses and extensions, it is strong and durable, with a 25 Newton 28-day strength. Driveways – PAV 1 Driveways are expected to withstand a high amount of wear and tear, as well as heavy loads on a regular basis. PAV 1 concrete is ideal for a driveway as it contains air-entrainment additives that create small bubbles, protecting the concrete from freeze-thaw damage. Paths, patios and pavements – C30 With a 30 Newton 28-day strength, C30 is the recommended concrete for those looking to lay a patio or path in their garden , or for the laying of pavements. It can be used for garage bases, too – ‘external light use applications’ also fall into the category of suitable uses for C30 concrete. Reinforced floors, walls and workshop bases – C35 Floors in certain environments are going to have to endure greater impacts than your average domestic flooring. Think of warehouses and other industrial environments – vehicles, machinery and materials make for a very heavy load, and as such the floor needs to be made of a heavy-duty concrete, such as C35.
Energy Assets Group (EAG), one of Britain’s leading metering and energy services businesses, has announced that from 1st February 2019, all of its utility network design and construction operations will be rebranded as Energy Assets Utilities (EAU). As a result of the brand strategy, Future Energy Group (FEG), which was acquired by EAG in May last year, and Dragon Infrastructure Solutions (DIS), which joined the Group in May 2017, will now operate as EAU. The move reflects the success of the company’s expansion strategy which, since 2015, has seen its network design and construction business build a nationwide offering with operational centres in Livingston and Alva (Scotland), Northampton, Birstall and Sheffield. In total EAU employs over 300 people, working with housebuilders and developers to deliver the gas, electricity, water and fibre-to-the-home networks that energise Britain’s public and private housebuilding programme. “The acquisitions of FEG and DIS have added significantly to the resources and geographic capability of the network design and construction services available to our customers. By creating a nationwide service offering with a single brand, our people will be better empowered to drive our growth plans through a clearer sales, marketing and customer service focus,” said Craig Topley, Energy Assets Group Managing Director (Construction). “This opens up exciting opportunities both for staff and our customer base as we continue to enhance the service delivery portfolio through the strategic expansion of the Group.” The Group is also an independent operator of ‘final mile’ gas and electricity networks and a leading provider of energy-related services including metering, data and asset management. www.energyassets.co.uk
An acoustic attenuation solution provided by Sto has helped create a new acoustic environment at a leading London restaurant. The StoSilent Distance system has been installed at Lyle’s – a restaurant that is quickly becoming recognized as one of most prestigious establishments of its kind in the capital. Located in the historic refurbished Tea Building in Shoreditch, Lyle’s frontage consists of original individual glazed windows, which lead into a clean modern, large open plan area. Within this area there are exposed HVAC services below the soffit, a bar space and an open kitchen experience. “Although the interior is clean, light and modern and gives a feeling of space, unfortunately all the original features of the building, i.e. glazed tiles to the walls, original concrete columns and polished concrete floors are hard and reflective and only add to the acoustic conundrum with attenuation, reverberation and speech clarity,” explains Sto’s Technical Consultant for Acoustics, Mike Wallace. “Add to the mix the open kitchen and bar, mood music and hard wooden tables and chairs, and it was vital that the correct acoustic balance was achieved. “For a restaurant, it’s important to create the correct balance. You want the area to have a good background atmosphere, and at the same time, the customers need to be able to hold conversations without straining to hear, where speech is intelligible. This is when good all-round acoustic design becomes a vital element within the space. To achieve this, we were asked to provide a Class B solution, which translates to 0.8 and 0.85 as a weighted sound absorption coefficiency.” The Sto Silent Distance 115 system was chosen to achieve this balance and Sto worked closely with Billy Hookway of Trishna Group to provide the optimum design. The Sto Silent Distance 115 system allows the creation of seamless, sound-absorbent walls and ceilings up to 200 m², allowing inclined planes, sharp and consistent joints, bulkheads and floating return bulkheads. In line with the aspiration of the client wishing to have a modern, clean, uncluttered aesthetic, it was natural for Lyles to choose the Sto Silent Distance system. The interior soffit consisted of existing pre-constructed square concrete coffers, and the client wished to retain these, so Sto designed the individual canopies to be tight to the soffit and give the impression of height and depth, and to accentuate and express the natural concrete coffers. The use of the Sto SW150 minimal void solution, in conjunction with the 25mm 115 board, provided the perfect balance in achieving the all-important acoustic design and the aesthetic requirements. Installation of the system was managed by Craft Interior, a trained Sto Acoustic installer. “The overall installation was finished with Sto Silent Décor M in white, to create an eye-catching finish that is very in-keeping with the clean and minimalist design of the restaurant’s interior,” adds Graham Chadwick of Craft Interior. “The StoSilent Décor M is spray-applied and can be tinted to match a wide range of shades from the StoColor system”. The final effect has been extremely successful, with Lyle’s diners able to enjoy their meal in surroundings that are attractive and contemporary from both a visual and acoustic viewpoint. Picture caption: A StoSilent Distance acoustic attenuation solution has helped create a new acoustic environment at this leading London restaurant. Picture courtesy of Adam Luszniak Photography
Perhaps the most luxurious new private rental apartment block in Ashford is already more than 60% reserved as demand for high-quality accommodation soars in one of the fastest-growing and best connected towns in the South East. Called La Scierie (The Saw Mill) because it has been built on the site of a former town centre saw mill, the 31 spacious apartments feature Italian designer kitchens, stone worktops, LED lighting systems, marble-effect porcelain tiles, TVs fitted in the bathroom and bi-folding doors to private balconies. Built with the executive lettings market in mind, the block consists of 10 two bedroom and 21 one-bedroom apartments accessed from a stunning entrance lobby. Constructed and finished to an extremely high specification by Ingleton Luxury Homes, there has been considerable interest among prospective tenants since it was released to the market just before Christmas. La Scierie is an ideal choice for people looking for a slice of affordable luxury in the heart of one of the most vibrant and fast-growing towns in Kent, with commuters to London in particular being drawn to the upmarket development. In addition to the quality of the apartments, location is also a huge draw. La Scierie is a couple of minutes’ stroll from Ashford International station, which offers unrivalled rail links to London and Europe. London St Pancras can be reached in just 38 minutes, while regular Eurostar trains whisk passengers to Paris in two hours from this corner of the Garden of England. The apartments are also close to the town centre and the Ashford Designer Outlet, where a £90m expansion is due to open later this year bringing another 50 upmarket brands to Ashford. More than £520m is being invested in town centre facilities, with a fabulous new six-screen Picturehouse boutique cinema, hotel and restaurant complex having opened in December. Among the first tenants to move into La Scierie are young couple Amba Doughty and Harry Edwards, along with their four-month-old baby Harrison. They are “thrilled” with their first family home. “We were initially attracted by the fantastic location so close to the town centre, the train station and the Designer Outlet but at our first viewing we were amazed at the quality of the apartments. We are so happy to make this our first family home,” said Amba. La Scierie is owned by innovative property company, A Better Choice for Property Ltd, which was established by Ashford Borough Council in 2014 as an investment company with the aim of building a portfolio of 400-500 private rental properties, helping to generate new income to help pay for council services. For viewing and more information about La Scierie contact the letting agents Connells on 01233 511020.
Less than one in ten young people would consider a career in construction, even though more than half are interested in subjects that qualify them for the industry, new research by L&Q has revealed. L&Q, one of the UK’s largest housing associations and developers, surveyed 1,095 16-18 year-olds about their career aspirations. Around 50 per cent of the young people said that they were interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). However, only nine per cent stated that they would consider a career in housebuilding. The Construction Industry Training Board estimates that 230,000 new recruits will be needed by 2020 to support construction growth and account for an ageing workforce. There are 167 different careers in construction, and the built environment is the second biggest employer in the country after the NHS. Around half of all construction careers require degrees in a STEM subjects. However, the new research revealed that the industry was perceived as challenging and unexciting by students. The findings were revealed today as L&Q launched its new schools programme aimed at increasing the number of young people joining the construction industry by raising awareness of the wide variety of jobs available. Learning to Succeed is a £1 million programme that will seek to address the sector’s image issues by offering free STEM education lessons and careers advice to 30 schools in 12 London boroughs. The programme is being developed and delivered in partnership with Construction Youth Trust, the construction industry’s youth charity. Schools became obliged to provide weekly careers advice to all pupils in 2018, although no extra funds have been allocated. L&Q is the first housing association in the country to offer careers advice and assistance of this kind. The survey also revealed: Science is the most popular school subject, closely followed by maths Young people cited concerns that construction wasn’t an exciting field to work in or they thought they wouldn’t be good at it as reasons for their lack of interest However, for the nine per cent who were interested in construction, the “excitement” of the field was the biggest factor for their interest Exactly 40 per cent of young people feared they wouldn’t be good at the job. To address this, L&Q is promoting the benefits of apprenticeships where people are paid to learn. The results suggested that having an exciting career was more important than money to the majority of young people, in our survey the young people who did want to work in construction said they were motivated by excitement rather than money Matthew Corbett, Director of the L&Q Foundation, said: “Construction isn’t just about hard hats and steel capped boots, it’s also about innovation, technology, great design, communities and placemaking. If we’re going to solve our housing crisis, then we need our young people to help – but first we need to increase interest and awareness of the opportunities the industry has to offer. “The average age of a tradesman on a site is now 45-years-old. And Brexit is looming. We’ve got a serious amount of work to do in promoting ourselves if we’re ever going to fill the substantial gaps in our skills base and make the industry more appealing to younger people.” Construction Youth Trust Director, Carol Lynch, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with L&Q to develop and deliver the Learning to Succeed programme. It is through the development of programmes like Learning to Succeed that we can challenge the negative misperceptions of the construction industry and inspire young people to choose a career from amongst the amazing breadth of roles available within the sector.”
The redevelopment of Birmingham’s Centenary Square reached a leafy milestone as work began to plant the first of the site’s trees. More than 50 trees will be planted over the next few months, including 17 Silver Birch, 12 Ginkgo, 12 Cherry and 12 Acer Rubrum, which will be complemented with some low-level planting. The first tranche of trees have been planted close to Centenary Way, near the Hall of Memory and Baskerville House, with the remainder being planted in phases. Councillor Sharon Thompson, Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods at Birmingham City Council, said: “The transformation of Centenary Square into a world-class public space for Birmingham is progressing well, and it was a privilege to be involved in putting one of the first trees into place.” Chris Hall is Interim Deputy Chief Executive at Acivico, the delivery team acting as project manager on behalf of Birmingham City Council, said: “Centenary Square has always been one of the most well-known parts of Birmingham city centre, which is why we are so excited about helping to create what will become an iconic space for the public to enjoy.” The redevelopment of Centenary Square is being delivered for Birmingham City Council by Bouygues UK. Once completed, Centenary Square will be a stunning public space in the heart of the city, featuring a 5cm-deep pool with water jets, which can be drained for events to take place. The entire square will be illuminated by 43 lighting columns. Work on Centenary Square is due to be completed this summer.
A contract at a £600m scheme in London has been won by a Worcester-headquartered residential and mixed-use property management specialist. Mainstay has been appointed to manage the first two phases of Hallsville Quarter, Canning Town. Part of the £3.7bn Canning Town and Custom House Regeneration Programme, Hallsville Quarter will include a new town centre, public realm, co-working space and mixed-tenure housing. The first phase completed in 2015; phase two in 2018 and a planning application was granted in June 2018 for phase three, with a start on site scheduled for 2019. With the two initial phases comprising more than 550 homes, the appointment means that Mainstay now manages in excess of 40,000 residential properties. Charles Lucas, technical director at Mainstay, said: “We are delighted to be appointed to manage this landmark scheme for East London. “Mainstay Group has seen continued growth in recent years, and this latest win – after a vigorous tender process – is testament to our reputation as a quality and trustworthy managing agent. “We look forward to working closely with Linkcity to bring this exciting project to life.” Linkcity was selected as developer by the London Borough of Newham (LBN) to deliver the £600m scheme. Simon Rosenberg, development director at Linkcity, added: “When the Hallsville Management Company board undertook the selection process, we were keen to choose a partner who we felt would share our values in terms of quality and attention to detail. “As a company with two decades’ worth of experience and a proven track record in delivering excellence, Mainstay felt like the natural choice.”
Environmental consultancy Delta-Simons is the first company to take home the trophy for Client Advisor of the Year; a new category at the coveted Lincolnshire Construction and Property Awards. The annual black-tie event, which welcomed more than 350 guests at the Doubletree by Hilton in Lincoln on Tuesday (5 February), celebrated Lincolnshire’s leading projects and players in the construction and property industry. Headquartered in Lincoln, Delta-Simons operates from nine locations across the UK and employs more than 100 environmental professionals who specialise in health & safety and environmental and sustainability services, working on a range of premier commercial and residential schemes. At the awards Delta-Simons were up against two other impressive finalists – planning consultant Globe Consultants Limited and landscape architect Influence – for the Client Advisor of the Year accolade, which celebrates companies that provide leading support, advice and professional services within the industry in Lincolnshire. One of the firm’s recent, notable projects includes The Parklands; a new residential community in the village of Sudbrooke led by Lincoln-based Jackson & Jackson Developments. Delta-Simons provided ecological planning and design services, including arboricultural surveys, great crested newt surveys and translocations to a newly constructed pond feature. Delta-Simons also undertook geotechnical and contaminated land investigations on the award-winning regeneration project for the Lincolnshire Co-Op via chartered surveyors Banks Long and Co. At the Lincolnshire Construction & Property Awards, which are organised by the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, the judges praised Delta-Simons for its range of innovative solutions in response to difficult situations and projects. The comments included: “The judges were particularly impressed by Delta-Simons’ approach to social and economic impact on the local community. As an environmental and sustainability consultant, sustainability underpins everything they do, going above and beyond to help the team save energy and waste, for example; subscribing to the governments cycle to work scheme and offering waste and water reduction initiatives to name a few.” Paul Bennett, unit director for the Midlands region at Delta-Simons, said: “You are only as good as the team around you and the clients that you have, and this award is recognition that we have both a fantastic team and strong client base. “We are very proud to be part of a number of key projects that are transforming Greater Lincolnshire and are so pleased to have secured this accolade, which is testament to the outstanding work of our Lincoln-based teams and the support of the wider business. “Thank you to those that have passed on kind messages of support and to the judges for their praise – we will be sure to channel this positivity going forward as we continue to maintain our reputation as an environmental champion within the county.” Over £3,500 was raised on the night for chosen charity Kids – a Lincolnshire-based charity that supports disabled children, young people and their families.
With businesses across the country looking to prepare for the potential effects of a hard Brexit, one company has invested in £700,000 worth of insurance stock to ensure they have exactly what they need for the foreseeable future. A recent survey found a surge in the number of companies considering relocating abroad to elsewhere within the EU in order to accommodate a hard Brexit. The British Chamber of Commerce has also stated that thousands of UK firms are also stockpiling goods to deal with the potential worst effects of Brexit. Kite has carried out extensive risk assessments across its supply base and decided to stockpile 700 pallets of the most vulnerable lines. This is where employee-owned business, Kite Packaging, is implementing its strategic plan with international manufacturing partners by purchasing the £700,000 worth of inventory in order to secure its stock levels ready for Brexit. Companies and organisations throughout the UK are anticipating the repercussions that Brexit will create, including extra costs and changes in compliance, business structure and trade. In the face of such uncertain times, businesses have been left with no choice other than to divert time and resources to Brexit, important elements that could have been dedicated to other pivotal strategies such as future growth. Preparing for a no-deal Brexit means the realisation of compromised stock levels as sourcing international product will become more challenging within the parameters of UK business. This investment is another example of Kite’s market leading approach, which will inevitably put the business in good stead for the coming months of unfamiliar territory where stock may well have limited availability. Managing Partner Gavin Ashe said: “No business wants to tie up capital unnecessarily but we have a strong balance sheet and take our responsibility to our customers very seriously. It was felt we just couldn’t take the risk of running out of stock so we have made this investment to protect our customers.” For more information on Kite Packaging’s services or products, visit kitepackaging.co.uk.
A purchase ‘in excess of’ £55 million has been completed for a penthouse at Clarges Mayfair, continuing a strong start to the year for the London Super Prime market. The penthouse –the largest in a 34-residency development – overlooks Green Park and was sold by agent Quintessentially Estates on behalf on an international client. It comes after the sale of a £95 million house near Buckingham Palace two weeks ago, the most expensive home sold in the UK since 2011. US hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin purchased 3 Carlton Gardens at £30 million less than it was on the market just two years earlier. An industry-wide drop in prices across the capital has affected the prime market recently, with prices in some of the most exclusive locations dropping by up to a quarter over the past year. Nearly £500,000 has been sliced off the value of houses in Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster over the 12 months to November 2018, a report from Your Move revealed last month. House prices across London’s ten most expensive boroughs dropped ten per cent on average, it said. Quintessentially Estates said that the Clarges Mayfair sale illustrates the state of market in which the lower end is cautious over Brexit concerns and increased stamp duty. Buyers at the upper end of the market, it said, are currently ‘jumping’ at the chance to invest thanks to the fall in sterling after the 2016 referendum that has added to the ‘potential windfall for dollar and Euro-denominated buyers’. Quintessentially Estates CEO Penny Mosgrove said: ‘We currently have over £200 million worth of property requests for Prime Central London from our network of over 65 offices globally and growing. ‘We are set for a significant increase in revenue from the previous financial year with our ever growing private and corporate client base globally.’ Quintessentially Estates is a dedicated global property specialist that offers expertise to a exclusive HNW clientele. Its access encompasses off-market properties in over 65 locations around the world, as well as a wide network across its portfolio which covers buying, selling, renting and managing in major international markets. The firm hand-picked the Clarges Mayfair property, and continues to see strong activity in London. ‘We are currently working on behalf of a number of high net worth individuals looking to invest in the capital, added Quintessentially Estates director Simon Garcia added. ‘Our clients are confident about the market long-term, many of whom are entrepreneurs and business owners who have or are experiencing rapid growth, with continued positive forecasts.’