North East engineers RWO Associates is delivering an undisclosed contract to support the construction of the next phase of a multi-million pound digital and creative hub in Middlesbrough, which has been inspired by a popular children’s toy. The Newcastle firm is providing structural and civil engineering services for Boho 8, a £2.5m development of modular stack units based on Lego’s eight piece building block system, which will provide 10,000 sq. ft. of flexible work space to meet the needs of the North East’s expanding digital and creative services sector. The office complex, which sees onsite construction start in July, is expected to open in late 2020 and comes ahead of Boho 10, a development of three skyscrapers. This forms part of an overall £250m investment project by Middlesbrough Borough Council in a high-profile scheme that is expected to create more than 2,000 jobs and strengthen the region’s position as a commercial centre of excellence. RWO Associates is providing a package of civil and structural engineering design services as part of a tender awarded by the council. This includes completing site investigation work alongside the engineering design of structural foundation and drainage works to support a complex stacking design and build concept. The firm is also being retained by the council in a move that will see it provide on-going reviews of plans and advice around the final design and build works as the project unfolds over the summer. Currently employing 19 people, this is the latest success for RWO, which has exceeded its £1.5m turnover target in 2020 as it continues to invest in resources to support a strong order book. RWO’s managing director Ross Oakley, said: “This is another prestigious project for north east engineering capability, reflecting the skills and expertise available in the region to support innovative commercial design and build projects. “It will see us continuing to develop our commercial offering and comes at a time when we are tendering for significant civil and structural work for a number of large residential and commercial contracts across the UK.” RWO Associates is working with architects Seymour Architecture, who have offices in Morpeth and Middlesbrough, and who have designed Boho 8. Director Andrew Bowkett said: “We are developing a site that considers the external public realm as much the building itself. That’s why we are working with RWO to meet current needs and deliver our innovative approach. They have the engineering skills, and experience to deliver the highest standards of service and quality.” Photocaption: RWO Associates is providing engineering expertise for Middlesbrough’s Boho 8. Also pictured is Ross Oakley.

It is not some hidden fact but it is an open truth that blockchain technology has brought technological innovation in the industries. Several industries got disrupted due to blockchain technology interventions. There are several companies that have modulated plans to adapt themselves for the blockchain technology. One of the leading names among the top companies is Nike. Nike saw potential in the blockchain technology and experimented with its use to see whether this technology holds any power to solve the issues faced by Nike. And Nike was right on the mark. A report state that Nike was able to use the blockchain to solve their lingering problems and announced officially to use the blockchain technology. Where Nike is heading towards with Blockchain technology? Blockchain technology never ceases to amaze us. After the implementation of the blockchain technology in UPS tracking, it is now used by Nike. Nike just recently patents a new method called Crypto kicks. It really took the world with surprise, when Nike came up with a method to use the blockchain technology. With how the blockchain technology is being adopted by the big enterprises, it is not too far where the blockchain will be the core technology used in every industrial field. Nike wishes to implement Blockchain in supply chain management Supply chain management has always been a priority of the companies. But with the recent event, it has proven that the supply chain management needs technological innovation to completely track the goods. There have been cases where fake products are reaching to the customers. This has made the brand lose its face in front of the audiences. To fight back this crisis, brands and companies are trying to incorporate the blockchain technology in the supply chain management. Nike has confirmed that fact that there has been cases where their customer has got a fake Nike product. And this has resulted then their loyal customer. After considering all the recent events, Nike decides to use blockchain technology to track down its product. How Cryptokicks are related to the supply chain management Cryptokicks are the crypto token given by Nike to its customers. This action of Nike has made the nontangible decentralized digital currency into a tangible asset. In this case, it is Nike Shoes. How Cryptokicks actually work? Well, Nike has attached Crypto token with its products. With the hello of the crypto token, the customers can easily track down their purchase and the origin of their shoes. The customers can easily authenticate the credibility of Nike with the help of the embedded with the Cryptokicks token. In addition, there is an additional facility where the owner of Cryptokicks can be changed with the help of a crypto exchange platform like bitcoin evolution, read more here bitcoins-evolution.com/about/. Have you ever played the Cat crypto game? These Cryptokicks are just like this game and can give offsprings in the form of physical shoes as per Nike protocols. More technical detail The blockchain network used by Nike is the Ethereum Blockchain network. Nike uses NFT of the ether blockchain technology. NFT stands for the Non-Fungible Token. These tokens have an individual specification and can’t be interchangeable. There is only one way to know the password to unlock the tokens is by buying Nike shoes. There you will get a 10-digit code that will help you to unlock the tokens. The data of the buy-sell will be stored on a blockchain network with the help of the 10-digit identification. You can even consider it as one in a kind of Crypto exchange. The only difference is that, in this exchange shoes are exchange instead of crypto coins. Conclusion Nike was able to understand how important blockchain technology is and was able to predict it future possibilities. It is high time for the other companies to venture into the unknown territory of the blockchain.

Proposals for a new hotel, which overlooks Keel Square in Sunderland city centre have moved forward with a deal agreed for the sale of the land for the development. The council has agreed the sale of the land to developer Cairn Group. Plans for the 120-bed Holiday Inn Hotel were approved in the latter part of 2019. Final agreements have now been signed with the council, meaning that work can now commence on the four-storey development. The hotel is set to create 130 jobs when it opens its doors next year. Cairn Group’s Richard Warren said: “We’re delighted to be able to push forward with the development of an exciting new addition to the city’s leisure and hospitality portfolio. We are thrilled to be part of regenerating Sunderland and remain committed to investing within the region.” Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, added: “This has been a challenging time for the city, as it has for the UK at large, so it is good to be able to announce a really positive development for Sunderland, and one that demonstrates that we are ready to emerge from this crisis on the front foot and deliver the dynamic city centre our residents want and deserve.” Cairn Group’s £18m Holiday Inn development is being part-funded by Canada Life, a commitment secured by Avison Young, and will create additional accommodation to support an increase in the number of visitors to the city. Simon Beanland, principal and head of investment at Avison Young, Newcastle, said: “This funding commitment by Canada life is another tremendous vote of confidence for the City of Sunderland, following hard on the heels of substantial funding commitments by Legal & General elsewhere in the city.” Building work will get underway over the summer, and it is expected that the hotel will complete by the end of 2021. The hotel will also comprise ground-floor commercial units.

The complete portfolio of Kawneer products will be used at St Sidwell’s Point in Devon. Work is expected to start shortly on the installation, on the world’s first Passivhaus leisure centre, of architectural glazing systems by leading UK manufacturer Kawneer. The systems – two types of curtain walling, three types of doors, windows and brise soleil – will be installed by Kawneer-approved specialist sub-contractor AB Glass for main contractor Kier at St Sidwell’s Point in Exeter. The 4,850m2 project will replace an ageing swimming pool with an eight-lane national/county-standard pool and four-lane learner pool, both with movable floors, together with dry sports facilities including gym, café and crèche, and health and spa amenities. Benefits of the Passivhaus design include a 70% saving on energy costs when compared to a current good practice pool, a 50% reduction in water use, outstanding internal water and air quality, excellent daylight levels and lower maintenance costs due to a high-quality building fabric. Step up Kawneer’s Passivhaus-certified AA®100 capped curtain walling, which will be used around the building envelope and some locations internally, and RT®82HI windows which feature exceptional levels of thermal performance and airtightness, partly due to larger-than-normal thermal breaks. These Passivhaus-certified products will be installed by AB Glass alongside Kawneer’s AA®100 FR and AA®720 FR fire-rated curtain walling and doors as internal screens, AA®190 TB external entrance doors, AA®720 standard and AA®720 HI doors internally and externally, and AA®130 brise soleil. The flagship in Exeter City Council’s £330 million regenerating city centre masterplan, which also includes housing, offices, restaurants and retail, is expected to open to the public, alongside a new bus station, in the spring of 2021, and attract more than 500,000 visits a year. Exeter City Council and Passivhaus designers Gale & Snowden architects have delivered several Passivhaus multi-unit housing schemes but this is the first commercial Passivhaus development they have embarked on together. The hybrid construction comprises an in-situ concrete frame with aerated concrete blockwork infill and mineral wool batts on an insulated in-situ ground floor slab. The design also features a metal standing seam roof on CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) and glulam beam structure and a liquid-applied warm roof on a steel frame structure. The Passivhaus Institute is acting as Passivhaus certifier and modelling the design in a bespoke multi-zone PHPP (Passive House Planning Package). As such, the energy performance figures are different to standard Passivhaus calculations due to the high pool and changing area temperatures. Alan Brayley, managing director of AB Glass, who will have a team of up to 30 on the project for an estimated 30 weeks, said: “We are thrilled to have been awarded this contract. This is an innovative project that we are very excited to be involved in. The environmental credentials of this building are such that we believe some of the standards and skills we will be implementing here will be in high demand in the future as many more buildings look to emulate what we see here.”

International Quarter London’s (IQL) landmark building, the Pavilion has agreed a deal for to bring a new world-renowned restaurant to the area. Global restaurant and bar group, D&D London has signed an agreement which will see it launch its latest dining concept within the Pavilion. The Pavilion is currently under construction and stands at the gateway to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, east London.  Designed by award-winning contemporary architects ACME, the building is made almost entirely from sustainable timber and split over three floors. D&D London will create an inclusive and inviting place to eat, drink and socialise. Their design will incorporate a ground floor café and brasserie, first floor restaurant, and a rooftop bar. The building includes a roof terrace with views across the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and what will become East Bank, the future home to world-class cultural institutions including Sadler’s Wells and the V&A, among others. With a collection of over 40 restaurants and bars across the globe – from London, to Leeds, to Paris, to New York – each space has its own identity, but shares a vision for great food, drinks and service, as well as world-class design. IQL is a £2.4bn joint venture between Lendlease and regeneration specialist LCR that stands at the gateway to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is a vibrant new 22-acre neighbourhood within the heart of Stratford, which brings together new homes, offices, and a diverse range of shops and restaurants. Guy Thomas, Head of Retail at Lendlease, said: “The Pavilion will be the beating heart of IQL and our goal was to sign up a tenant with enough gravitas and vision to establish a concept that would complement the thriving and diverse community we are building and nurturing. D&D London will make the Pavilion a focal point for IQL and Stratford, and they will offer something for everyone.  We look forward to revealing more about this project as work progresses.” Des Gunewardena, Chairman and CEO of D&D London, added: “D&D has an established reputation for being at the forefront of restaurant development within emerging areas of cities both in the UK and oversees. We see Stratford as an exciting new cultural and leisure quarter of London, particularly following the 2012 Olympics, and we are admirers of Lendlease’s bold vision for IQL’s development. We look forward to occupying what will be some beautiful spaces and hope to develop restaurant, café and bar concepts to do justice to a building which is sure to become an iconic landmark for Stratford and for London.”

A major shopping complex in Reading is set to boost its entertainment offering with the introduction of a new independent cinema. Really Local Group has reached a deal with Moorgarth to redevelop a 4,000 sq ft space in Broad Street Mall into a cinema, music and events centre. The developer will repurpose the ground and first-floor unit of the former Argos store to provide a four-screen cinema due to open in summer 2020. In addition, the new space will include food kiosks, outdoor terrace seating area and a café bar run by Compound Coffee, their first venture outside London. The design, by Lyttelton. Yates, uses a bold colour scheme to create a sense of uniformity and symmetry throughout the venue. Both the floorings and walls of the food kiosks, terrace seating area, private hire room and the cinema lobby will be a sage green in tribute to Reading’s colour palate and to unify the neighbouring spaces. The entrance, café and the outdoor seating area on the upper level will be in a vibrant yellow to draw footfall to its warm and welcoming aesthetic, while the carpets, walls and seats in the cinema screening rooms will be a saturated blue. Really Local Group creates and restores cultural infrastructure, acting as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of the local area. The company’s mission is to provide inclusive and affordable venues for communities, which will be uniquely designed to reflect their locality, serving as a community ‘hub’ for the area. This is the firm’s second project, following on from the launch of Catford Mews, which opened in September 2019. Catford Mews, a new cultural hub for Lewisham, includes a three-screen cinema, the first multiscreen in Lewisham in almost 20 years, live entertainment space, pop-up food market including a variety of stalls from local traders and a full-service bar serving local brands. Preston Benson, Founder of Really Local Group commented: “We are very excited about coming to Reading, to enhance the cultural infrastructure offer in a town with an established creative community. Working with Moorgarth and Reading Borough Council, we hope to be able to curate a new ‘cultural quarter’ for the town and secure collaboration opportunities with local independent businesses, artisans and traders.” Gary Lewis: Managing Director, Moorgarth Group Limited added: “We are delighted to be partnering with Really Local Group to deliver our long-held aspiration of bringing an exciting and vibrant new cinema to Broad Street Mall. This is another milestone in the re-imagining of the centre.” Really Local Group is also calling on the people of Reading to help name the new venue. Those with a perfect naming idea which pays tribute to Reading are asked to tweet the developers at @reallylocalgrp with suggestions by the 18 February. The winner will be awarded an annual membership complete with free cinema tickets and further discounted cinema tickets, food and drink, as well as an invite to the exclusive venue launch party this summer (plus 10 friends).