Wyndham’s, the Gielgud and the Prince of Wales… three evocative names, synonymous with the glamour and prestige of London’s theatreland, have all recently been restored to their former glories by Thomann-Hanry®. Using their patented façade gommage® technique, the company wound the clock back over a century at each of these
The first phase of plans to transform the Kings Hall heritage site to a Health and Wellbeing Campus has been granted Planning Approval by Belfast City Council. Based in south Belfast, the Kings Hall Health and Wellbeing Park will become the most innovative Health and Wellbeing hub in the UK. TODD Architects and Consarc Design Group are working
Two women managing directors who have carved out successful niches in Scotland’s male-dominated construction sector have been elected joint winners at the latest hub South West Building for Growth Programme awards event held last week in Glasgow’s 29 Club. In a break with tradition, a panel of eminent construction sector
Prefect Controls have introduced a new feature for their PrefectIrus product – the integration of an accurate current meter that monitors energy use in each room throughout multi-occupancy buildings such as student accommodation. Until now, managers have calculated energy use based on power rating multiplied by length of time a
Springfield Properties (AIM: SPR), a leading housebuilder in Scotland offering private and affordable housing, has won Best New Share Plan at this year’s ProShare Awards, which recognise and reward innovation and excellence within the share plan industry. The Best New Share Plan award recognises newly-launched employee share plans that are
The team at Kite Packaging were delighted to show Mr Street around their day-to-day operations and give him a deeper insight into the Kite brand. The organisation, which has expanded its Coventry operation and earned a place on the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Barometer earlier this year, is set for
The players at London Irish faced their biggest challenge yet when their principal sponsor, waste management company Powerday, brought a selection of skips, some healthy competition and just one question to the pitch: who would come out on top in the Rugby Kick Challenge? On a sunny July day at
TrustMark, the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme for tradespeople, is celebrating after TrustMark Registered Business, SEH BAC, an award-winning home improvement specialist, recently won the prestigious ‘Consumer Confidence’ award at the National Home Improvement Council Annual Awards (NHIC). The award, which was sponsored by TrustMark, recognised SEH BAC’s commitment to delivering
Vital Energi will deliver a £2.3m energy scheme for The West Works, Redrow’s latest development in Southall. Vital will be taking a phased installation approach to grow the solution in line with Redrow’s construction plans. Vital will be providing the design, supply and installation services for the scheme, which consists
PERFECT Circle, the consortium comprising Pick Everard, Gleeds and AECOM, has appointed Victoria Brambini as its managing director. Brambini, who has headed Scape Procure for the past two years, will take the helm of Perfect Circle from 1 January – leading the organisation to further success and developing its ambitious
Wyndham’s, the Gielgud and the Prince of Wales… three evocative names, synonymous with the glamour and prestige of London’s theatreland, have all recently been restored to their former glories by Thomann-Hanry®. Using their patented façade gommage® technique, the company wound the clock back over a century at each of these iconic buildings, revealing their glorious frontages as they first appeared. Today, all three theatres are owned and run by Delfont Mackintosh Theatres. Impressed by the spectacular results achieved by Thomann-Hanry® at other landmarks such as The Bank of England, The Ritz – and more than 30 Listed Buildings in St James’s borough alone – Delfont Mackintosh appointed Thomann-Hanry® to stage similar revivals at their theatrical landmarks. Echoing the magic of miraculous scene changes between acts, each façade clean was completed with no scaffolding, minimal disruption and, at around a week in each case, in next to no time. Carried out from a boom-mounted cabin, this unique process projects fine particles under compressed air across the building’s surface, gently erasing decades of accumulated grime. Underscoring the system’s impeccable environmental credentials, powder / dirt cleaning residues are then efficiently filtered, collected and recycled. Occupying a landmark corner location in Coventry Street, Leicester Square, the Prince of Wales is actually the oldest of the three theatres, with origins dating back to 1884. However, the current Grade II Listed structure was built in the 1930s, designed by renowned cinema and theatre architect Robert Cromie in classic art deco style. The recent façade clean, stone restoration and decoration project carried out by Thomann-Hanry® is the first major restoration work since a £7.5 million refurbishment in 2003. In just six days, some 1,003 square metres of reconditioned stone, render and Portland Stone across two elevations were gently revived and revealed in their original splendour. Designed by prolific theatre architect WGR Sprague, Wyndham’s first opened on 16th November 1899. Situated on Charing Cross Road, this magnificent Grade II* Listed building was built in Modern Renaissance style, with an imposing free classical Portland Stone frontage. Inside, the auditorium was constructed on four levels and decorated in Louis XVI style. Other than a restoration of its stunning ceiling in the 1970s, much of the auditorium has been carefully preserved as it was first built, making it an outstanding exemplar of Victorian architecture and design. Cleaning three elevations in just 8 days, Thomann-Hanry® have ensured that the elevations of this fine building do justice to its spectacular historical interior. Located on Shaftesbury Avenue and with 986 seats on three levels, the Gielgud is another WGR Sprague masterpiece. Having opened as the Hicks Theatre in 1906, it was renamed the Globe Theatre in 1909, changing again to its current name in 1994 in honour of Sir John Gielgud, a legendary English actor whose extraordinary career spanned eight decades. First refurbished in 1987, the theatre last underwent an extensive renovation in 2007, when the exterior was clad in scaffolding for months. In stark contrast, the recent cleaning works by Thomann-Hanry® were completed – scaffold-free – in just 8 days, with two elevations and some 1,086 square metres of Portland Stone restored to their pristine original state with minimal disruption to theatre goers and passers-by in the heart of London’s bustling theatreland.
The first phase of plans to transform the Kings Hall heritage site to a Health and Wellbeing Campus has been granted Planning Approval by Belfast City Council. Based in south Belfast, the Kings Hall Health and Wellbeing Park will become the most innovative Health and Wellbeing hub in the UK. TODD Architects and Consarc Design Group are working with healthcare specialist developers Benmore Octopus Healthcare Developments Ltd on the design of an innovative health park masterplan located at the iconic Kings Hall, South Belfast. The King’s Hall Health and Wellbeing Park is a joint venture between developer Benmore Group and healthcare and property investor Octopus Healthcare. The campus will be the first of its kind, setting a new standard for health care provision in Northern Ireland. It will provide GP services in new accommodation for population south of the city. The vision is to create an integrated healthcare model which will be part of a wider lifestyle, leisure and well-being park. The masterplan scheme of site area 68,424 sqm will offer a range of integrated and onsite health, community and leisure facilities. These include a primary care complex alongside ancillary medical facilities with the ability to accommodate care for over 25,000 patients. The suburban city redevelopment will also include elderly residential care facilities ; consisting of independent living apartments and bespoke homes for the over-55s as well as a hotel and resident’s gym facilities and a multi-storey car park. Architecturally, the former Kings Hall landmark venue will be sensitively refurbished, with the primary design ambition to preserve the heritage of this iconic and unique 1930’s art deco building. The existing Kings Hall will sit at the heart of the scheme, along with the addition of new, neighbouring medical and accommodation-based facilities masterplanned which to create a village feel. The architectural team have developed this landmark regeneration masterplan, working closely with the developers and collaborating with Belfast City Council, extensively engaging with various healthcare stakeholders and the local community. David Burrows of Benmore Octopus said the proposed £100m project will be the “most innovative healthcare and wellbeing hub in the UK”. “It will create next generation GP care services for the growing population of south Belfast as well as delivering a range of on-site diagnostic facilities alongside housing options for the over 55-plus. We believe the King’s Hall Health and Wellbeing Park will be a beacon of excellence and a standard bearer for integrated healthcare provision in the city and Northern Ireland going forward.” Planning Approval was granted by Belfast City Council at the December Planning Meeting and it is proposed that works will commencing on site in 2019
Two women managing directors who have carved out successful niches in Scotland’s male-dominated construction sector have been elected joint winners at the latest hub South West Building for Growth Programme awards event held last week in Glasgow’s 29 Club. In a break with tradition, a panel of eminent construction sector judges concluded that of the eight participating companies on the Building for Growth programme, two businesses, one run by Claire Donnelly, MD of Hillington-based Aspire Industrial Services, and another by Caroline Barrett, MD of CVD Fire Protection from its base in Carluke, Lanarkshire, best demonstrated their vision, strategic planning and leadership. Aspire Industrial Services, which was established only last year is a one-stop shop for the supply hire, testing and servicing for asbestos, construction and demolition activities, with an open trade counter where customers can buy their Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE), and branded work and corporate wear. Claire said: “We are a young business, but we have already been fortunate enough to win a number of major contracts on construction sites throughout the UK by introducing innovative products which seek to make construction sites safer. “The Building for Growth programme has been a brilliant opportunity to consider carefully how we can make our business bigger and better and capable of regularly winning work from Tier One construction sector contractors.” CVD Fire Protection, which was established in 1997 is a 50-employee strong, £3m turnover business which provides fire protection, diamond concrete drilling and cutting services to the construction industry. Caroline said: “I really enjoyed the hub’s Building for Growth programme. It was full of ideas on how to make your business better and focused our brains to think about “working on” our businesses rather than simply “working in” them. Above all, I think, it has taught me the importance of having a strategic approach, and I am delighted to have won this award.” A public-private partnership funded by Scotland’s business development agencies and a clutch of Tier One contractors including Morisons, Ashleigh, Graham, Morgan Sindall and Keir, hub South West’s development programme is aimed at ambitious companies in construction and related sectors based in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway. Now in its ninth cycle, its Building for Growth programme is targeted at ambitious local SMEs looking to grow in a sustainable manner by building upon the skills and internal capacity to take on increasing volumes of work. Over 90 delegates from 72 companies across the region have now graduated from the course. Session workshops focus on topics such as smart tendering, team building, strategic growth and exit options, marketing planning, supplier development programmes, corporate social responsibility and pitching for business. Gordon Hunter, Supply Chain Development Manager at hub South West, said: “Our Building for Growth programme, has already delivered success to the leaders of its participating companies by both broadening and deepening their grasp of the factors needed to win more new, bigger contracts from the Tier One contractors. “We hope and trust that Claire and Caroline and the other participants in our ninth Building for Growth programme will follow in their footsteps.”
Prefect Controls have introduced a new feature for their PrefectIrus product – the integration of an accurate current meter that monitors energy use in each room throughout multi-occupancy buildings such as student accommodation. Until now, managers have calculated energy use based on power rating multiplied by length of time a device is estimated to be active. However, fluctuating voltage and imprecise predictions of ‘on-times’ can make these estimates wildly inaccurate. The new PU3 from Prefect comes with iACM (Integrated Accurate Current Metering) as standard, logging the current only when a heater is operational. This data is then transmitted via the buildings wiring system to the central controller where it is recalled for estimation of seasonal energy usage. As well as monitoring heaters in bedrooms, the feature also notifies managers if there is a problem with hot water tanks. Usually a problem is only evident when both elements fail and water isn’t being heated. With accurate metering, if one element fails, the drop in current immediately identifies the problem – meaning efficiency can be restored. Glen Golding, Prefect Controls MD, said “This development means accurate usage can be calculated so that better purchasing of energy will lead to greater savings for organisations providing multi-occupancy accommodation.” PrefectIrus is currently in more than 20,000 bedrooms and continuous development makes it an invaluable product to ensure efficient use of energy across Britain’s university accommodation estate. For further information contact Glen Golding on 01787 320 604.
Springfield Properties (AIM: SPR), a leading housebuilder in Scotland offering private and affordable housing, has won Best New Share Plan at this year’s ProShare Awards, which recognise and reward innovation and excellence within the share plan industry. The Best New Share Plan award recognises newly-launched employee share plans that are designed to link clearly with business objectives. It must also be effectively communicated and have a simple process to encourage employee participation, resulting in strong levels of uptake. In particular, the judges were impressed with Springfield’s above-average take-up, especially that this level of engagement was achieved in a working environment where the majority of the workforce is deployed outdoors over multiple sites and that it included a very high take-up amongst both younger and female employees. At the time of the Company’s IPO on AIM in October 2017, Springfield launched an employee Save As You Earn scheme through YBS Share Plans, part of Yorkshire Building Society (YBS). The sharesave scheme offered every employee the option to save £5 to £500 a month over a three-year period and, at the end of the period, employees are able to use those savings to purchase shares in the Company at a 20% discount to the price at which the Company floated. Springfield implemented a multi-pronged engagement campaign to raise awareness of the scheme and its benefits with employees. As a result, 333 employees (69% of the workforce – from all parts of the Company) joined the scheme, with average savings of £221.41 per month and a large number of employees opting to save the full monthly amount. ProShare is a not-for-profit member organisation that aims to foster responsible employee share ownership on terms favourable to companies and their employees through engagement with policymakers, companies, advisers and service providers and driving awareness. Ashley Price, Head of YBS Share Plans, said: “I was thrilled to see Springfield Properties plc rewarded for the launch of their Sharesave scheme at the 2018 ProShare Awards winning the ‘Best New Share Plan’ category. The communication and engagement put in place resulted in truly remarkable participation rates across all age bands and genders, and we have been delighted to support Springfield and see so many of their employees see the value of employee share ownership.” Innes Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Springfield, added: “Looking after our employees is a strong part of the Springfield ethos. We have a skilled and hardworking team who are responsible for what Springfield achieves, and we wanted to provide them with an opportunity to be more directly invested in, and benefit from, the future success of the business. It was also important to us that the scheme was inclusive and accessible across our diverse workforce. “We are really pleased with the uptake of the programme, which at 69% is well above average for this type of scheme within our industry, and that employees from all parts of the business have chosen to take part – from our apprentices to trades people through to salaried employees and senior management – across all age bands. We are delighted that the success of this scheme has been recognised by the ProShare Awards, and we look forward to continuing to grow our company for the benefit of all our employees and other shareholders.”
The team at Kite Packaging were delighted to show Mr Street around their day-to-day operations and give him a deeper insight into the Kite brand. The organisation, which has expanded its Coventry operation and earned a place on the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Barometer earlier this year, is set for continued growth as it goes in to 2019. With a regional branch network across the UK this Coventry-based business also has sites in Rotherham, Swindon, Letchworth, Sittingbourne Portsmouth and Gateshead, as well as an Environmental Compliance business and a leading ecommerce offering. Coventry and Warwickshire’s Growth Hub’s Strategic Account Manager, Phil Peak, joined them as Mr Street explored Kite’s Coventry base and met with some of its employees. Kite’s key founding principle of a sense of partnership being at the heart of every good long term relationship has laid solid foundations as the Kite brand has grown over its 18 year history. Kite’s hard work and dedication to its sector did not go amiss, with Mr Street describing it as “a hidden gem in the Coventry economy.” Managing Partner, Gavin Ashe said: “On behalf of all the staff and partners at Kite Packaging, we’d like to thank Andy Street for the time he gave us. It was great to be able to talk about the opportunities and difficulties that we all face.” If you would like find out any more information about Kite Packaging or the services they offer please visit kitepackaging.co.uk.
The players at London Irish faced their biggest challenge yet when their principal sponsor, waste management company Powerday, brought a selection of skips, some healthy competition and just one question to the pitch: who would come out on top in the Rugby Kick Challenge? On a sunny July day at Hazelwood, the Exiles stepped up to an out-of-the ordinary training challenge to see who could earn the highest score by kicking rugby balls into different sized skips and bins. The rules were simple: each player had three shots to get the ball in one of six targets. The smaller the skip, the higher the score; so would they risk it all to hit that magic 100-pointer wheelie bin, or play it safe by aiming for larger, less valuable goals? One by one, the boys attempted to dropkick their way to the top of the leaderboards. Curious to see who was the most accurate on the day? Follow the action one kick at a time in the full competition video here – https://www.powerday.co.uk/news/london-irish-rugby-kick-challenge/ After the final scores were tallied, Powerday took the challenge online, asking fans if they could beat the pros at their own game with the official Rugby Kick Challenge game! Whether you’re on your phone, tablet, laptop or PC, you can choose your favourite London Irish stars to see how well you can do with just ten kicks of the ball and three targets to aim for. Shoot for the golden skip for maximum points, then share your top score for ultimate bragging rights. Will you be able to kick the perfect game? Visit the Powerday website and Play the Rugby Kick Challenge today to find out. See here – https://www.powerday.co.uk/rugby-kick-challenge/
TrustMark, the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme for tradespeople, is celebrating after TrustMark Registered Business, SEH BAC, an award-winning home improvement specialist, recently won the prestigious ‘Consumer Confidence’ award at the National Home Improvement Council Annual Awards (NHIC). The award, which was sponsored by TrustMark, recognised SEH BAC’s commitment to delivering Consumer Confidence. The business also demonstrated how it provided an exemplary level of service and care by offering availability of choice, consumer comfort, protection and overall satisfaction to its customers. Delivering the keynote speech at the awards, TrustMark Chairman, Ranil Jayawardena, commented: “Consumer confidence is not something that only benefits the consumer, for in a confident marketplace, the businesses that deliver trust and quality will be the ones that thrive. SEH BAC exemplifies excellence in consumer confidence and is why they are well-deserved winners of this award. The championing of trustworthy, competent businesses, alongside the enhancement of consumer protection has always been a driving force at TrustMark, and the recent changes to the scheme allow us to build on this legacy. SEH BAC is an excellent example of a TrustMark Registered Business and we are thrilled they have been recognised as being among the very best in the industry. Congratulations.” “We are absolutely delighted and incredibly proud to win this fantastic award from the NHIC,” added John Savage, Managing Director of SEH BAC. “Our commitment has always been to deliver a superior quality of service that customers can trust and ultimately recommend to others. It’s an ethos embodied by our entire team from reception, through to our sales team, installers, after-care team and senior management. It’s an immense honour to receive this high recognition from TrustMark, which is such a respected body within the home improvement industry.” The winners were announced at the 44th Prestigious NHIC Annual Awards on 22 November at a distinguished gala presentation evening in Westminster. SEH BAC has been a TrustMark-registered firm since 2009 through the Glass and Glazing Federation, a TrustMark Scheme Provider. For further information about TrustMark or to find a local quality TrustMark tradesperson, visit www.trustmark.org.uk
Vital Energi will deliver a £2.3m energy scheme for The West Works, Redrow’s latest development in Southall. Vital will be taking a phased installation approach to grow the solution in line with Redrow’s construction plans. Vital will be providing the design, supply and installation services for the scheme, which consists of a 185kW CHP engine, three 533kW gas boilers, two 8,000 litre thermal stores, low temperature hot water system and 280m of district heating. Vital will also be responsible for supplying the heat interface units for the development which consists of 313 new homes, alongside commercial units. Vital adapted the design presented by Redrow’s consultants to provide a more financially beneficial and efficient solution. This was achieved by reducing the number of CHP engines from four with a thermal storage of 20m³, to one CHP with a thermal storage of 16m³ which not only reduces the cost of plant and maintenance, but also provides a more accurate size solution for the development’s energy demand. The energy scheme will be installed alongside the development’s construction, with the CHP engine being switched on later in the development process when there is the required demand. The project will also see Vital provide the additional infrastructure to futureproof the network by installing capped pipework to allow for the additional connections. The original intention was to install a capped district heating link from the energy centre to provide the ability to connect to the nearby Southall West Energy Centre in the future. However, this design was reassessed and adapted by Vital to supply the development and the capped link from a single district heating main which reduced the length of pipe required. Rob Callagahan, Regional Director for the South for Vital Energi, commented, “After working with Redrow on previous projects such as their Padcroft and 500 Chiswick Road developments, we are pleased that we have been selected to provide the energy scheme for this new development. We have carried out a detailed design to ensure the most financially beneficial and efficient solution has been provided and look forward to seeing the project implemented.” The West Works development comprises one, two and three bedroom luxury apartments and is due for completion late 2019.
PERFECT Circle, the consortium comprising Pick Everard, Gleeds and AECOM, has appointed Victoria Brambini as its managing director. Brambini, who has headed Scape Procure for the past two years, will take the helm of Perfect Circle from 1 January – leading the organisation to further success and developing its ambitious plans for growth. Perfect Circle was formed in 2016 to deliver the four-year £350 million National Built Environment Consultancy Services (BECS) framework for Scape Group, the public sector owned built environment specialist. To date, Perfect Circle has delivered more than 750 projects to over 220 clients. Brambini said: “I’m excited about joining Perfect Circle, and delighted to be leading the next stage of progressing the joint venture into an even higher performing and sustainable organisation. “It’s a great opportunity for me to be able to add value to the business, drawing on my knowledge and experience of working in the public sector, to ensure our clients continue to receive outstanding levels of service through the Scape BECS framework.” Brambini, who joined Scape in 2014 as head of national frameworks and later taking up the role of MD of Scape Procure in 2016, had worked ‘client side’ prior to that as director for places at Rutland County Council. Richard Whitehead, chairman of Perfect Circle, said: “This is a significant appointment for Perfect Circle. Victoria joins us at a pivotal time in our evolution, as we make plans for further expansion and continued initiatives on achieving the best value for clients. “There are tremendously exciting times ahead as we continue to build upon our excellent relationship with Scape and deliver a comprehensive suite of services. “Perfect Circle has gone from strength to strength in its success of delivering for Scape over the past two years. Victoria will assist to reinforce the Perfect Circle brand, ensure the delivery of the framework and explore new opportunities for being the trusted partner for clients.” Whitehead added: “Having worked in a local authority prior to Scape, Victoria has seen the direct benefit of framework delivery to clients – having been a client herself. “Her five years of engagement in the delivery marketplace has given her a unique look at operational delivery, as well as the benefit and huge value the BECS framework has for clients.” Perfect Circle is a consortium of leading, innovative firms with expert industry knowledge and expertise working closely with a wealth of local supply chain providers. Together it delivers the very best high quality, value for money services for clients. Whitehead said: “A regional presence across the UK has enabled Perfect Circle to engage with the local supply chain more effectively, supporting local economies and targeting more than 25% work to be undertaken by SMEs. In its first two years, the delivery teams have contributed to more than 12,000 hours in community engagement and charity work.” The services available under the BECS framework include, but are not limited to: project management, quantity surveying, building surveying, commercial surveying, architecture and design services, civil and structural engineering, highways consultancy and engineering services and strategic asset management. Perfect Circle understands public sector procurement and is able to work with any public body via the BECS framework. Through the consortium’s breadth and depth of expertise across many built environment disciplines and services, it offers the fastest route to market in public sector project procurement, delivering value for money to UK taxpayers. Through its global reach and networks, Perfect Circle also ensures UK public sector built environment projects delivered overseas are procured seamlessly.