David Pratt has been appointed as Building Control Manager of Derbyshire Building Control Partnership (DBCP). He brings nearly 30 years of experience to the role, having previously held building inspector roles at Chesterfield Borough Council and most recently Mansfield District Council. David is the latest new appointment for DBCP which
FOUR years after starting on site, the design teams behind the purpose-built £320 million Waterside Campus for the University of Northampton have completed the project. The scheme which houses six new academic buildings on a 58-acre former brownfield site has been one of the biggest of its kind in the
Scotland’s largest building preservation company, Richardson and Starling, is today announcing its latest expansion with the opening of a new office in Inverness. 7 new posts are being created with the company actively recruiting from the local area. The firm is seeking 5 technicians and a property surveyor to join
Steelwork has been erected as the construction of a £14million industrial/warehouse development in Northamptonshire continues to make good progress. Main contractor MCS Group has been appointed by St Francis Group in joint venture with the Richardson family to deliver five units totalling 270,000 sq ft at Cransley Park, Kettering. Construction
460,000 houses being planned for land that will be released from the Green Belt, while the percentage of ‘affordable’ homes built continues to fall The Green Belt remains under severe pressure, despite government commitments to its protection, according to a new report from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).
Award-winning developer Crest Nicholson has submitted a Reserved Matters Application for 192 homes and landscaped public open space at Alconbury Weald, Cambridgeshire. Located on the former airfield to the north west of Huntingdon, Crest Nicholson will become the fifth housebuilder to join the growing development of over 5,000 homes.
Every industry faces its own challenges when it comes to grappling with emerging innovations & technologies, even the construction sector. Although many whom work in the industry would say the construction world embraces change, inevitably, there are more pressing realities which can disrupt this idyll; including financial cost, ‘value engineering’
Organisers of Facilities Scotland, the only free-to-attend b2b exhibition dedicated to Scotland’s FM and workplace sector, have announced leading FM companies who will be exhibiting at the event which returns to the SEC, Glasgow on the 12 – 13 September 2018. Stannah Lifts, Viridor, Clockwork IT, Harrowgreen, Work Pal and
Simons Group has been awarded the contract for building the second phase of the new Circle Health private hospital in Birmingham’s medical quarter in Edgbaston. The Lincoln-based contractor is currently on site at the former BBC Pebble Mill studio location, working on phase 1 of the build. This new award
THE money a secondary school is expected to save by taking small steps to become more eco-friendly will be pumped back into the curriculum – benefiting more than 1,200 students in Lincoln. More than 1,600 LED lights are being installed at the North Kesteven Academy – in North Hykeham –
David Pratt has been appointed as Building Control Manager of Derbyshire Building Control Partnership (DBCP). He brings nearly 30 years of experience to the role, having previously held building inspector roles at Chesterfield Borough Council and most recently Mansfield District Council. David is the latest new appointment for DBCP which was formed last year following the merger of six established Local Authority Building Control Services from Derby City Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council, North East Derbyshire District Council, Bolsover District Council and Amber Valley Borough Council. Within the role, David will be active in marketing DBCP’s services and offering to builders, property owners and architects throughout the region. He will also be implementing the industry-recognised ISO:9001 quality management system across the organisation’s offices at Friar Gate in Derby and Chesterfield. Commenting on his new role, David said: “I am excited to join such a forward thinking organisation. DBCP is really going places and the implementation of ISO:9001 will further streamline processes and services across both of DBCP’s offices to deliver greater efficiency to our customers. “DBCP is very much a customer-centric organisation, committed to doing things the right way and looking after the customer. It was these values that attracted me to both the role and DBCP. “There is a great team here and we have a very exciting journey ahead of us to achieve our aim of being the number one choice for building control in the region.” Prior to becoming a building inspector, David began his career as an apprentice site joiner, progressing to the role of bench joiner and kitchen fitter before making the move to building control after 10 years. He added: “I have had experience of building control on the other side of the fence, so I understand the importance of building good relationships with builders, architects and property owners. I share DBCP’s focus in ensuring the best possible outcome for all parties involved in a project – it’s why I love what I do so much.” Outside work, David enjoys gardening and is soon to be a grandad. To learn more about DBCP or to book an inspection, please visit www.dbcp.co.uk or call 0333 880 2000.
FOUR years after starting on site, the design teams behind the purpose-built £320 million Waterside Campus for the University of Northampton have completed the project. The scheme which houses six new academic buildings on a 58-acre former brownfield site has been one of the biggest of its kind in the higher education sector. CPMG Architects, experts in higher education campus transformation, led on the delivery of three campus buildings – the Creative Hub, Senate Building and Logistics Hub – which form half of the university’s new academic buildings. Chris White, director at CPMG said: “This multi-million-pound scheme is a complex development delivered with true collaboration between consultant partners and contracting teams. We’re proud to be part of the team to deliver this ambitious project and these three important buildings.” The four-storey senate building acts as the corporate and research centre hosting guest lectures, exhibitions and events within its teaching spaces, large lecture hall and impressive atria. The dramatic roof creates a bold entrance to the campus and shapes its impact on the wider environment. The Creative Hub will be home to the university’s art and design faculties. With art studios, specialist teaching spaces, media spaces and laboratories; the building’s stripped back and open-plan structure allows visitors unrestricted views of the River Nene. A Logistics Hub has also been completed, housing the university’s infrastructure team which is vital in supporting the campus activity as facilities continue to develop onsite. Chris continued: “We have a wealth of experience in the higher education sector, so we understood the challenges and requirements of delivering a modern estate that is fit for the future. Now the project is complete I’m confident it will be a catalyst to support Northampton’s wider regeneration programme and will be one of the UK’s most vibrant student communities.” CPMG Architects worked with Bowmer & Kirkland on the new campus which will provide world-class teaching and learning facilities for 15,000 students. The new campus also features a Learning Hub, Research and Enterprise Hub, Sports Hub, students’ union, cafes, a restaurant, retail space and student residences. Chris added: “Since our involvement on the project, the whole approach to delivering the campus has been one of collaboration between the architectural practices involved and the wider consultant team, both on the contractor and client sides of the development.” The university previously occupied two campuses located outside of the city; Waterside aims to become a new destination for the university’s students – amalgamating the existing two sites to create one central location. CPMG has more than 30 years’ worth of experience in the education sector – evolving alongside the developing industry. The firm has recently completed projects at University of Derby, Teesside University and Cranfield University – with designs ranging from aerospace research facilities and labs to students’ unions and libraries. Find out more about CPMG at www.cpmg-architects.com or join the conversation @CPMGArchitects
Scotland’s largest building preservation company, Richardson and Starling, is today announcing its latest expansion with the opening of a new office in Inverness. 7 new posts are being created with the company actively recruiting from the local area. The firm is seeking 5 technicians and a property surveyor to join an administrator who is already in place. The premises at Henderson Drive will service Inverness and the Highlands and takes the company’s branch network to 13 across Scotland and the North of England. “There is a strong market for our services in Inverness and the Highlands with a high demand to use local-based companies,” said Richardson & Starling’s managing director, Graham Duncan. “Until now we have serviced the area from our Elgin office but we are keen to work more closely with local suppliers, so setting up an Inverness office was the next obvious step for us.” In July, the firm won a national trade body’s UK contractor of the year title for the record third successive year The Cambuslang-headquartered organisation retained the ‘Contractor of the Year, Damp and Timber Treatment’ title at The Property Care Association’s Best Practice Awards held last month at The Slate, University of Warwick. The firm also walked away with the ‘Innovation’ title as well as two highly commended accolades in the ‘Training and Staff Development’ and ‘Sustainability’ categories. Richardson & Starling is the largest company within the Veitchi Group and has been providing preservation services since 1935.
Steelwork has been erected as the construction of a £14million industrial/warehouse development in Northamptonshire continues to make good progress. Main contractor MCS Group has been appointed by St Francis Group in joint venture with the Richardson family to deliver five units totalling 270,000 sq ft at Cransley Park, Kettering. Construction started on site in May. MCS Group managing director Keir Edmonds said: “Cransley Park, which is adjacent to the A14, is in a prime location for business. On behalf of St Francis Group, we’re delivering high quality units of up to 100,000 sq ft which will cater for a range of occupier requirements, within a landscaped environment. “Very good progress is being made on site, with the steelwork starting to go up, and we’re on schedule to reach practical completion in February 2019.” Cransley Park comprises a 32-acre gateway site strategically located just off junction 8 of the A14 in Kettering. Gareth Williams, development director at St Francis Group, said: “We appointed MCS Group because they have an excellent track record in delivering developments in the industrial/warehouse sector. This is an exciting development, which will deliver much-needed space into a strong regional market where the supply is currently limited. We expect a great deal of interest from potential occupiers now that work is well underway.” The units are being offered for both lease and purchase and have been designed to a high specification to achieve the BREEAM Very Good and EPC ‘A’ rating, featuring 50K/n floor loading, 50M service yards, 8-10M eaves height, dock levellers, level access doors, car/HGV parking and first office accommodation. Prop Search and LSH are the letting agents. Keir added: “This is one of a number of industrial schemes that we are working on. We are delivering around 1,000,000 sq ft of industrial space this year and it’s where we believe there is a major opportunity to win substantial levels of new business and to establish ourselves as one of the leading main contractors in the sector.” MCS Group is currently constructing several warehouse units at sites across the UK and has recently won contracts in Lutterworth, Hatfield and Bristol. The company has also built and refurbished more than 300 car dealerships including Audi, BMW, Mclaren and Jaguar Land Rover since its inception in 2003.
460,000 houses being planned for land that will be released from the Green Belt, while the percentage of ‘affordable’ homes built continues to fall The Green Belt remains under severe pressure, despite government commitments to its protection, according to a new report from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). CPRE’s annual State of the Green Belt report highlights that there are currently 460,000 homes being planned to be built on land that will soon be released from the Green Belt. Moving Green Belt boundaries when reviewing local plans makes it easier for local authorities to release land for housing, but is only supposed to take place under ‘exceptional circumstances’. This strategic shrinking of the Green Belt, as a way of getting around its protected status, is as harmful as building on the Green Belt itself. The report also demonstrates that building on the Green Belt is not solving the affordable housing crisis, and will not do so. Last year 72% of homes built on greenfield land within the Green Belt were unaffordable by the government’s definition. Of the 460,000 homes that are planned to be built on land that will be released from the Green Belt, the percentage of unaffordable homes will increase to 78%. CPRE warns that this release of land looks set to continue, as one third of local authorities with Green Belt land will find themselves with an increase in housing targets, due to a new method for calculating housing demand. The London (Metropolitan) Green Belt will be the biggest casualty. Tom Fyans, Director of Campaigns and Policy at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: ‘We are being sold a lie by many developers. As they sell off and gobble up the Green Belt to build low density, unaffordable housing, young families go on struggling to afford a place to live. The affordable housing crisis must be addressed with increasing urgency, while acknowledging that far from providing the solution, building on the Green Belt only serves to entrench the issue. ‘The government is failing in its commitment to protect the Green Belt – it is being eroded at an alarming rate. But it is essential, if the Green Belt is to fulfil its main purposes and provide 30 million of us with access to the benefits of the countryside, that the redevelopment of brownfield land is prioritised, and Green Belt protection strengthened.’ There is currently enough brownfield land in England to accommodate more than 1 million homes. CPRE urges the government and local authorities to ensure that this is redeveloped before any more greenfield land is released from the Green Belt. Local authorities with Green Belt land have enough brownfield land for over 720,000 homes, the report finds, much of which is in areas with a high need for housing and existing infrastructure. In addition to a push for a genuine ‘brownfield first’ approach to development, CPRE are also calling on the government to: retain its commitment to protect the Green Belt by establishing long-term boundaries halt speculative development in the Green Belt develop clear guidance for local authorities on housing requirements to protect designated land support the creation of new Green Belts where local authorities have established a clear need for them
Award-winning developer Crest Nicholson has submitted a Reserved Matters Application for 192 homes and landscaped public open space at Alconbury Weald, Cambridgeshire. Located on the former airfield to the north west of Huntingdon, Crest Nicholson will become the fifth housebuilder to join the growing development of over 5,000 homes. The application comes forward under the Planning Framework and Design Code set in place by the Outline application for Alconbury Weald. The Crest Nicholson team is working closely with the master developer behind Alconbury Weald, Urban&Civic. Benefitting from a prominent location on the central hub of the first phase, the new homes have been carefully designed to reflect the character of the local area. The green spaces around the homes will be connected by safe cycle and walking routes, while a number of public amenities will be delivered along the Linear Park, including orchards, outdoor table tennis and other games. Crest Nicholson aims to deliver a mixture of house types at Alconbury Weald, including one & two-bedroom apartments and four-bedroom townhouses along the green Boulevard. Townhouses with balconies will surround the cricket pitch and semi-detached and mews properties frame the Linear Park, which follows the line of one of the former airfield’s taxi-ways creating a safe walk and scoot to school route. A mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses characterise the remainder of the development, arranged around a central green park. Contemporary buff-coloured brick and red brick are used to denote distinct character areas within the development and are complemented by blue brick and render detailing. Internally, the homes will be light and spacious, and finished to a high specification. Toby Lambert, Development Director at Crest Nicholson Chiltern: “We are excited to have secured the opportunity to become the latest housebuilder to join the growing Alconbury Weald community. With over 5,000 homes, an enterprise zone and a variety of public amenities – including new schools, sports pitches and a health centre – this is truly a visionary project for the wider Cambridgeshire area. Our plans are to deliver a mix of 192 high-quality homes and we look forward to working with Urban&Civic bringing this vision to fruition.” Tim Leathes, Development Director for Urban&Civic, said: “With 475 homes currently under construction, 130 families moved in, and families moving in each week, it is great to be able to open up the next parcel for development. Our approach ensures that housebuilders coming on site bring forward the variety of sizes, types and prices people need, but there is also a consistency in the overall quality and nature of design and in the way homes connect to community facilities and green space. “As the first housebuilders start to finish their work on the early areas around the school, we will be announcing more housebuilders coming on over the next few months. There are nearly 70 house types on sale at Alconbury Weald, offering a great place to live and set down roots.”
Every industry faces its own challenges when it comes to grappling with emerging innovations & technologies, even the construction sector. Although many whom work in the industry would say the construction world embraces change, inevitably, there are more pressing realities which can disrupt this idyll; including financial cost, ‘value engineering’ and tight timescales. At large, the construction world steady, both in terms of commercial and residential builds. To ensure the sector doesn’t swamp itself in its own projects, new technologies (aka methods and products) are becoming more necessary in order to lighten workloads. One of the biggest challenges in the construction industry is miscommunication, where new innovations are a potential solution to reducing this issue. Not just exclusive to construction, miscommunication draws out projects and can cause problems to arise. Some examples of miscommunication in construction include: the wrong product is ordered as a contractor misread an illegible hand, or the product information might be completely at odds with what was specified originally. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is doing a great job tackling these examples. With BIM, different contractors working on a single project can share and access product information all through a 3D model of the construction. Whilst mistakes do happen, it is high time that technologies such as BIM are implemented across the board to prevent the likelihood of mistakes occurring through miscommunication. Necessitating these approaches is all well and good, providing the technologies are cost-efficient. Contractors are more than happy to adopt the new advancements as long as they are a worthwhile investment. This means that the products themselves should be made to ensure longevity, sophistication, and cost-effectiveness in equal measure. Contractors are more likely to use new products if they meet the above criteria. Should contractors be expected to pay a little more for a product, then the benefits must be recognisable. For instance, if a contractor has to choose between a cheap, slow application process or a more expensive, weather-resilient and faster application process, , then they will go for the latter, particularly as the more refined adhesive will save time and labour costs. To an extent, it is important to look at the larger picture when buying new products. Products including Sika-Trocal® Spray Adhesives cost a little more than traditional methods but save time on labour, balancing out project costs. That means contractors get the more premium product for the job whilst still saving hours. Sika-Trocal® Spray Adhesives, including C-400, are less labour-intensive and reduce wear-and-tear on the operative, making for an easy and less time-consuming application. Using new products and technologies for the first time can be alienating. In order for clients to get the best out of their products, Sika-Trocal® provides comprehensive training courses at site and management levels. For the construction industry to keep pace with exponential building demands, quick-drying but cost-effective products are a complete priority. Sika-Trocal® ensures all angles are covered when creating new technologies, ensuring clients have a full understanding of how to maximise the potential of great products.
Organisers of Facilities Scotland, the only free-to-attend b2b exhibition dedicated to Scotland’s FM and workplace sector, have announced leading FM companies who will be exhibiting at the event which returns to the SEC, Glasgow on the 12 – 13 September 2018. Stannah Lifts, Viridor, Clockwork IT, Harrowgreen, Work Pal and Nurture Landscapes are just a handful of the UK’s leading facilities manufacturers and suppliers that are attending this year’s event. They join safety and fire safety companies who will also be exhibiting at the co-located events Health & Safety Scotland and Facilities Scotland. All three events are part of the Scotland Works series, which provides a unique opportunity for professionals to access 150+ exhibiting companies and four streams of professional content dedicated to helping them maintain a safe, secure and cost-effective business – all with one free visitor badge. In addition to the plethora of exhibiting companies, visitors to Facilities Scotland will gain access to a free-to-attend CPD accredited professional seminar programme under the theme ‘Building the Scottish FM powerhouse’. The programme features a series of talks from prominent voices from Scotland’s facilities industry who will discuss and debate latest trends shaping the FM market in the region. Tim Else, Director from event organiser Western Business Exhibitions comments, “We are delighted at the quality of exhibiting companies that are taking part in this year’s event.” “Visitors will be able to meet these brands face-to-face and get bespoke advice for their business. It is the ideal platform for FM’s to combine a year’s worth of education and supplier sourcing into just two days.” Free visitor registration is now open at www.facilitiesevents.com
Simons Group has been awarded the contract for building the second phase of the new Circle Health private hospital in Birmingham’s medical quarter in Edgbaston. The Lincoln-based contractor is currently on site at the former BBC Pebble Mill studio location, working on phase 1 of the build. This new award brings the total contract to £33.5m and, when complete, will be the second largest private hospital in the UK. The hospital is based on an expandable model which can be adapted and expanded to meet clinical demand now and in the future. Phase 1, which includes three operating theatres (expandable to six), an endoscopy procedure room, and 18 in-patient bedrooms, is due to complete in March 2019. Work is already underway on Phase 2, a dedicated rehabilitation centre, which is expected to be complete in July next year. “We are delighted that our relationship with Medical Properties Trust and Circle Health is going from strength to strength,” said Simons Chief Executive Tom Robinson. “Being awarded with the next stage in this fantastic project is testament to the progress and quality of the work already undertaken on Phase 1. The hospital is going to be a great addition to Birmingham’s renowned Medical Quarter and a project of which we will all be exceptionally proud.” Paolo Pieri, CEO of Circle Health, said: “This rehabilitation facility is a game-changer in UK healthcare, bringing the latest technology and the proven European methodology for accelerating the care of neurological patients, and also for those who have undergone surgery on bones and joints. “When Circle Birmingham Hospital opens next year, it will deliver a truly state-of-the-art experience, combining leading doctors with the most advanced equipment, and rapidly become the must-go location for planned surgery. No one will be in any doubt that Birmingham is a global centre of excellence for healthcare.”
THE money a secondary school is expected to save by taking small steps to become more eco-friendly will be pumped back into the curriculum – benefiting more than 1,200 students in Lincoln. More than 1,600 LED lights are being installed at the North Kesteven Academy – in North Hykeham – during the summer holidays by Lincolnshire-based Greenio, a company that specialises in the installation and maintenance of renewable energy systems. Once completed, the project will offer savings of over 125,000kg of carbon dioxide per year – saving the school more than £270,000 over the next 15 years, or almost £25,000 annually. Paul Allison, head of finance at North Kesteven Academy, said: “Our students and 150 members of staff will return to the school in September to a brighter and better working environment. “It is a pleasure to be working with Greenio as it is a local company that has a great track record of delivering renewable projects, specifically in the education sector in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. Our governors instantly gained confidence in Greenio that we would see required savings in what is, for us, the largest one-off project on our site in the last five years – especially at a time when funding for the sector is under great pressure. “We enjoy some outstanding facilities at North Kesteven Academy and are proud of our breadth of curriculum and the opportunities presented to our students, especially in the performing arts. The money we will save from this project can be ploughed back into building on this.” Using an innovative funding model, the installation is cost neutral, with the school paying the difference in savings for the duration of a five-year payback period in order to cover the capital cost of the equipment. Anna Wooster, managing director of Greenio, said: “We have been working with the North Kesteven Academy since the beginning of 2016 so we are looking forward to helping the school take steps to become more eco-friendly over the summer holidays. “We’d also like to thank Paul Allison for his hard work on what is the biggest project the school has seen over the past five years. He took the scheme on when he first started at the academy over 12 months ago, taking it through the multiple different stages before getting it finalised and signed off by the governors. He has been a big driving force in making this happen, which will have a major benefit to Lincoln pupils for decades to come. “LED lamps have revolutionised energy-efficient lighting, taking over from incandescent and standard fluorescent tubes. Customers can enjoy the benefits of a system that delivers significant savings in fuel costs and carbon emissions as LEDs consume up to 90% less power than incandescent bulbs. “Schools changing their lightbulbs will always be in a positive position as there are no upfront costs. We have been involved in dozens of educational projects since we started in 2013 and many schools have bought new equipment such as laptops and books with the money they have saved. Others have invested in their staff development and even hired extra members of staff.” Greenio, based in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, is now starting to work with local councils across the UK to reach out to schools and offer them cost-saving heating and electrical solutions. Anna added: “Our engineers will be working at North Kesteven Academy throughout the summer holidays, however for previous educational projects, we have worked during term times, including late out-of-hours shifts, to ensure the smoothest transition and ensure no classes are interrupted.” To learn more about this project, or to find out how you can improve your carbon footprint and save money, contact Greenio on 0800 810 0565.