A topping out ceremony has taken place to celebrate the latest milestone in the creation of a £9 million sustainable pavilion, being built by Henry Brothers, to expand SportPark, the multi award-winning development at Loughborough University. The 2000 sq m project on Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP) is
THE education sector is well versed in procuring built environment work. However, current market constraints, the latest statistics on the level of work needed across school estates and the lack of associated funding means that it will not be an easy road for many. Emma Hesbrook, regional manager at national
Bouygues UK has handed over the Translational Research Hub to Cardiff University, marking the completion of its work on the Cardiff Innovation Campus. The Translational Research Hub (TRH) will house two world-leading scientific research establishments; the Institute for Compound Semiconductors and Cardiff Catalysis Institute. “Handing over the Translational Research Hub to our valued client Cardiff University
Leading Midlands contractor, G F Tomlinson, has completed works to construct a new medical physics bunker at the University of Birmingham, which is due to house the UK’s first High Flux Accelerator-Driven Neutron Facility. The new bunker is located at the university’s Edgbaston Campus, on the site of the Physics
NATIONAL contractor Stepnell is bolstering its reputation in the education sector across the South West, as the business works on its sixth school project in Dorset in the operating year. Stepnell’s work across the multi-million-pound school projects, which include renovating buildings dating from the early twentieth to the twenty-first century,
SCHOOL EXPANSION PROVIDES HUNDREDS OF NEW PUPIL PLACES FOR HILLINGDON HUNDREDS of new primary school places will be the result of an extensive refurbishment and expansion of Nanaksar Primary School in Hillingdon, West London, which has now been completed. Nanaksar Primary School is part of the Guru Nanak Multi-Academy Trust,
Bouygues UK has formally handed over the keys to the newly-completed sbarc|spark building at Cardiff University, which was officially opened on St David’s Day, 1st March 2022. The new building is the largest innovation facility of its kind in Wales, featuring 12,000m sq of floor space across six storeys, with commercial units and
A Shropshire building contractor has secured the contract for a new £5.1m girls’ house at one of the UK’s top independent schools. The new facilities for day and boarding students at Shrewsbury School will be the 12th scheme Pave Aways has completed at the co-educational school for 13 to 18-year-olds. Other
Work on a new £20million community hub in Chryston has begun, with a turf-cutting event to mark the start of construction taking place on Monday 28 February. North Lanarkshire Council is working in partnership with NHS Lanarkshire on the project that will deliver a 21st-century learning environment along with state-of-the-art
Award-winning UK construction, refurbishment and fit out company, Gilbert-Ash, has been appointed main contractor on a £22 million project to develop a building for the performing arts at Brighton College. Gilbert-Ash is set to move on site on February 21 with the scope of works including the demolition of existing
A topping out ceremony has taken place to celebrate the latest milestone in the creation of a £9 million sustainable pavilion, being built by Henry Brothers, to expand SportPark, the multi award-winning development at Loughborough University. The 2000 sq m project on Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP) is being built to Passivhaus Classic Accreditation to significantly reduce CO2 emissions and is scheduled for completion at the end of the year. As the first Passivhaus development on the University campus, SportPark Pavilion 4 will give sports organisations the unique opportunity to secure environmentally future-proof accommodation that is tailored to their needs. It will also enable occupants to reduce their carbon footprint due to highly efficient heat pumps, opening triple-glazed windows, solar shading to avoid summer overheating as well as a well-insulated building fabric to minimise heat loss. Passivhaus consultants Beyond Carbon Associates have hailed the development as “an exciting, future-facing building, treading lightly on our planet’s resources using Passivhaus energy conservation, solar PV and a climate resilient design to manage future heat waves.” Ian Taylor, Managing Director at leading construction company, Henry Brothers said: “SportPark Pavilion 4 is an exciting Passivhaus development which is supporting Loughborough University’s plans to decarbonise its estate to meet the Government’s zero carbon target by 2050. “It also builds on Henry Brothers’ growing portfolio of environmentally sound schemes and we are very pleased to have reached this milestone in this important development for the University.” Henry Brothers recently announced its Journey to Net Zero strategy, outlining plans to build upon its extensive foundations in sustainability. SportPark Pavilion 4 will project the University’s and Henry Brothers’ forward thinking and environmentally conscious values, delivering significant benefits to its occupants. Professor Mike Caine, Loughborough University Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Sport, said: “SportPark is a tremendous asset to the University and wider region – housing complementary organisations, working in partnership with the University, and harnessing the power of sport to benefit communities, locally, nationally, and around the world. “SportPark Pavilion 4 will provide the capacity to welcome yet more mission-driven organisations to the University, and to reinforce the East Midlands region’s potential as a global sports innovation hub, with Loughborough at its heart. “The SportPark expansion coincides with a growing number of innovation and technology-led sports businesses launching at, or relocating to, LUSEP, attracted to the collaborative environment and access to the University’s world-leading expertise in sports science, engineering, health and well-being, high-performance athlete base, and sports infrastructure.” SportPark Pavilion 4 is delivered by the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) as part of the Getting Building Fund (GBF). Funds were designated for investment in local, shovel-ready infrastructure projects to stimulate jobs and support economic recovery across the country. The LLEP was allocated £20 million, supporting the SportPark 4 project with £6 million. A separate £1.8 million GBF allocation helped fund improvements at Junction 23 and the A512, which links the M1 with Loughborough. It makes LUSEP one of the most accessible science parks in the UK. Andy Reed OBE, Interim Chair of the LLEP Board of Directors, said: “Loughborough University’s global reputation for sport brings tremendous opportunities for us all and, through this fourth pavilion, provides new jobs and opportunity for further growth across a range of services. “This latest project directly supports 165 jobs, with more than 150 in the wider economy. Importantly, it also helps create further demand to bring sports-related organisations and businesses to the region. “On a separate note, it’s really pleasing for me personally to see the continued development of SportPark. I was fortunate to be involved in creating the vision of a sports cluster at the University for the first phases of the development back in the mid-2000s. It’s wonderful to see it continue going from strength to strength.” To find out more about Henry Brothers, visit henrybrothers.co.uk
THE education sector is well versed in procuring built environment work. However, current market constraints, the latest statistics on the level of work needed across school estates and the lack of associated funding means that it will not be an easy road for many. Emma Hesbrook, regional manager at national framework provider Pagabo, discusses how compliant procurement through frameworks and a direct award approach can support schools with their building programmes. 61 schools have been announced this week as successful in securing funding from the government’s school rebuilding programme. Although, this number is a drop in the ocean when compared to the fact that 1,105 schools applied for support within a short four-week window earlier this year. With the Department for Education (DfE) planning to support 500 projects in the next decade, that means more than half of this batch of applicants are likely to miss out on funding altogether – and considering the DfE has previously revealed that more than £11 billion of repair work is needed across England’s schools, this is significantly short of what is needed. To qualify for this latest allocation of funding, schools had to demonstrate that they had at least 1,200 square metres of ‘severe condition need’ to apply. The government has quite rightly prioritised applications with ‘structural or safety issues that pose risk to users’, followed by those showing ‘severe deterioration’ in external walls, roofs, windows or doors, or those with mechanical and electrical systems ‘close to failure’. However, outside of these categories there are thousands of schools that require refurbishment work that are just as important. As well as maintenance, another consideration is the drive towards net zero. Almost 70 per cent of schools around the country comprise of buildings from before the 2000s – with 20 per cent dating back to the first half of the 20th century or even earlier. There are no prizes for guessing when education providers prefer – or rely on – construction work to be undertaken considering that summer offers the largest annual window in which sites are significantly quieter. Post-covid, summer has provided an ideal concentrated timespan to get building work, critical repair or maintenance work done. With such a significant number of schools needing work and likely to miss out on funding, it’s fair to assume that next summer will be busier than ever with summer works – and we may see a marked increase in works during term time as well. When it comes to carrying out education projects in recent months, we have seen an increase in contractors turning projects off and turning their backs on expensive bidding opportunities. This comes as no real surprise when considering the backdrop of rising costs, and materials and labour shortages across the construction industry – but it has given the direct award process a new lease of life in the procurement realm. We know that clients have existing supply chain relationships, which must be nurtured. While framework providers are capable of consulting and opening up a network of compliant suppliers, there is intangible value found in building on existing collaboration, which direct award can allow. The direct award approach is one that can work for both low and high-value projects, offering benefits including greater cost and programme certainty, tailored social value outcomes and no stressful or costly bidding process. It also allows for a quick turnaround for supplier appointment, without compensating on compliance checks. One such example of a recent scheme that maximised the benefits of the direct award process is Nottingham College. The team approached us in April for a low value project to be completed this summer. The expression of interest went to market via our DPS and Medium Works framework, but with suppliers oversubscribed with work to assign the necessary bidding resource to the project, a direct award was suggested. Local contractor J Tomlinson was appointed quickly via direct award, getting the project on track and on site within weeks – and is now making excellent progress against the original programme timetable. Schools craft our experts of tomorrow and without the best environments, pupils’ learning experience will be impacted. This is why it’s so important that the built environment sector looks to support schools with creating those excellent environments, and while funding continues to fall short for schools, we must champion tactics like direct award to help schools in creating the environments they need however and where we can. For more information, please visit https://www.pagabo.co.uk/
Bouygues UK has handed over the Translational Research Hub to Cardiff University, marking the completion of its work on the Cardiff Innovation Campus. The Translational Research Hub (TRH) will house two world-leading scientific research establishments; the Institute for Compound Semiconductors and Cardiff Catalysis Institute. “Handing over the Translational Research Hub to our valued client Cardiff University brings our work on Cardiff Innovation Campus to a successful completion. It has been a hugely rewarding experience for our team to be involved in such a complex and exciting project which will provide world leading science and research,” said Bouygues UK’s Operations Director for Wales, Stephen Davies. “The success of the project has been underpinned by the great teamwork from all parties involved including our design team, supply chain partners, Gleeds and Cardiff University. I am particularly delighted with our team’s commitment to social value with over 470 hours of our staff’s time donated to education and support, 26 work experience placements offered, and 60 jobs given to previously unemployed people. We wish to thank Cardiff University, Gleeds and all our partners for their support and commitment in helping us to deliver an exceptional project to such a high standard.” Designed to foster collaboration, the 129,000sq ft research hub is the largest of its kind in Wales, bringing together industrial partners alongside researchers to design, develop and test new cleaner, greener products and processes using the Hub’s bespoke laboratories, offices, shared collaborative scientific spaces, ERDF-funded cleanroom and state-of-the-art microscopy suite. Bouygues UK won the contract to build the £150m state of the art campus, part of Cardiff University’s biggest campus upgrade for a generation. The TRH is adjacent to the sbarc|spark building, which was the first building Bouygues UK completed for the University’s Cardiff Innovation Campus. It features 12,000msq of floor space across six storeys, an oculus staircase leading to commercial units and lab spaces for spinouts and start-ups as well as a public open space with a café and a flexible auditorium for TEDx-style events. Social value was a key factor during the build of the Innovation Campus and throughout the project Bouygues UK delivered almost 6,000 weeks of employment for apprentices, trainees, graduates and previously unemployed people. “I am delighted this innovation centre of excellence is now open for business. The significant investment we’ve made in the centre will help bring some of the most brilliant minds in Welsh academia together to find and develop made-in-Wales solutions to the major problems facing Wales and the rest of the world,” continued Wales’s Economy Minister Vaughan Gething. “Developing ‘next generation’ practices and technologies that will both shape our lives today and improve our experiences tomorrow will be crucial if we are to meet the climate emergency head on and build a greener, more sustainable economy,” he concluded. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News
Leading Midlands contractor, G F Tomlinson, has completed works to construct a new medical physics bunker at the University of Birmingham, which is due to house the UK’s first High Flux Accelerator-Driven Neutron Facility. The new bunker is located at the university’s Edgbaston Campus, on the site of the Physics East Building which forms part of The School of Physics and Astronomy. G F Tomlinson oversaw both the design and build of the project. Construction of the bunker began in September 2020, with the grounds of an existing bank of land being excavated down eight metres from the high side, and four and a half metres from the lower side under guidance from geologists. The main contractor worked closely with concrete structure specialists Northfield Construction Ltd and M&E engineers Dodd Group, to erect a steel frame following excavation works and the installation of a concrete structure – with a 450mm thick floor, 600mm thick walls and a 300mm thick floor slab on top. In addition to this specialist radiation doors were installed. Landscaping works have also been carried out on site, with the sowing of grass seed and planting of trees along the bank leading up to the bunker. Now complete, the bunker will house a High-Flux Accelerator, which will allow researchers at the university to better understand how neutrons interact with matter, helping to pave the way for how this research and technology can be applied in nuclear medicine and the study of space. G F Tomlinson installed a gantry crane and roller shutter to enable the installation of the High-Flux Accelerator, which has now been lifted into place. The contractor is due to return later this year to then install a wall in place of the shutter, sealing the highly specialised equipment safely into its final location which is due to be fully operational by summer this year. The High Flux Accelerator-Driven Neutron Facility will be the first of its kind in the UK, and only the second such facility in the world – the other located in Helsinki in Finland. It forms part of the National Nuclear User Facility (NNUF), which is funded by the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). It will create a new hub for international research with applications extending to nuclear medicine and space, as well as enable a national training programme to boost the UK skills base in these state-of-the-art techniques. Chris Flint, managing director of G F Tomlinson, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have completed the construction of this new bunker. It will be home to an important international facility designed to perform crucial research in the nuclear sector, which can be used to further specialised nuclear medicine and the understanding of materials in space. “The bunker has been meticulously designed and built with safety and security of the utmost priority – the thickness of the concrete structure will ensure protection from radiation, as well as the installation of specialist radiation doors into the facility. Once fully installed, the facility will be operated in accordance with strict guidelines set out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency. “We worked on site whilst the adjacent Physics East Building was occupied and being used for studying and essential testing throughout each day of the project, we therefore took great care to ensure our works did not disrupt the existing building users. “The University of Birmingham has a long-standing history and track record of carrying out vital scientific research and it is wonderful to have worked with them to provide the ideal location for this unique facility, which will set a benchmark for further investment and development in the UK’s nuclear research future.” Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction Industry News
NATIONAL contractor Stepnell is bolstering its reputation in the education sector across the South West, as the business works on its sixth school project in Dorset in the operating year. Stepnell’s work across the multi-million-pound school projects, which include renovating buildings dating from the early twentieth to the twenty-first century, is contributing to the county’s upgrading programme and adding to an ever-growing portfolio of education building expertise. Stepnell began their sixth project, a major renovation at Coombe House, on the outskirts of Shaftesbury in October 2021. Formerly St Mary’s School – a Roman Catholic day and boarding school for girls that was closed in July 2020 due to funding issues – the 165,000 square feet of mixed-use accommodation set within 55 acres was purchased by Dorset Council for £10 million as part of the council’s five-year £145 million capital programme. The project is due to complete in spring 2022. Previously, three projects have been completed on behalf of Gillingham Primary School, Ferndown Upper School and Blandford Upper School, with Coombe House, Woodroffe School, and Corfe Hills School currently underway. Corfe Hills School works are part of the efficiency estate programme and involve extensive remodelling and refurbishment of an existing year block. Provision of all new M&E Services, and IT Services. This also includes the provision of existing services to the remainder of the school at all times whilst implementing all new M&E and IT services. Provision of new classrooms, new windows and doors and associated ventilation. Formation of new IC’S and assistance with the decant of a number of classrooms. All works are taking place in a live school environment with works in close proximity to occupied classrooms. The project at Ferndown comprised of alterations to classrooms through new stud partitions, suspended ceilings and new flooring. At Blandford Upper, new ceilings, toilets and shower cubicles formed part of the refurbishment of the changing rooms. Remedial fire stopping works and fire doors were implemented between compartments to the roof void of block four. Furthermore, fire stopping measures were installed between the stairwells in block H and the adjoining class and storerooms. Rob Speirs, regional managing director of Stepnell, said: “Working within live sites in educational settings poses unique challenges but we are delighted to have been able to safely and efficiently complete works around the opening requirements of the school. The result is an enhanced space for high-quality education via the remodelled year block and existing school areas.” Rob added: “We were thrilled to have secured the redevelopment project for Coombe House, which will be pivotal in increasing the accessibility to high quality SEND institutions in Dorset. “Alongside our completed projects at Ferndown Upper School and Blandford Upper School, each development has shown Stepnell’s capability to form strong collaborations – including with Dorset Council and architects Kendall Kingscott. Our works in the region are helping to enable more resilient communities in a county where parents are desperate for their children to be educated to a high quality and meet their needs closer to home.” To find out more about Stepnell visit: www.stepnell.co.uk or join the conversation at @Stepnellltd.
SCHOOL EXPANSION PROVIDES HUNDREDS OF NEW PUPIL PLACES FOR HILLINGDON HUNDREDS of new primary school places will be the result of an extensive refurbishment and expansion of Nanaksar Primary School in Hillingdon, West London, which has now been completed. Nanaksar Primary School is part of the Guru Nanak Multi-Academy Trust, which has an exceptional track record of establishing successful schools. Its founder – Sant Baba Singh Ji – believes that education is a human right for children and has established 19 schools worldwide. Designed by architecture firm CPMG Architects, and delivered by contractor Bowmer + Kirkland, the £14m project includes new, purpose-built facilities to accommodate up to 840 pupils across all primary years. The new school space – built for the Department for Education – provides a warm, friendly and inclusive environment, accompanied by excellent outdoor sporting, social and learning spaces. This includes a dedicated outdoor horticultural area to reflect a key part of the Nanaksar ethos and curriculum, providing an invaluable space for learning about plants and plant care, along with the production of fruit and vegetables as healthy food choices. A generously sized greenhouse is also included along with a series of raised beds for cultivation. Hugh Avison, director at CPMG Architects, said: “It was rewarding to have been able to enhance the external areas to really maximise opportunities for outdoor learning. We made the most of the awkward tapering geometry of the site by creating an orchard, which provides a valuable natural asset to the school campus. In addition, as it matures it will become an important extension to the existing woodland within the Minet Country Park, expanding ecological corridors and benefitting local biodiversity. The planted sedum roof to the main hall spaces provides a further haven for wildlife. “Another important consideration for the school was the provision of a really supportive environment for the pupils. The building design and layout provides clear sight lines, views across the landscape, small group breakout spaces, as well as distributed staff spaces for pastoral support. “Overall, we’re genuinely pleased to have played an important part in providing best start to schooling life that all pupils deserve, and to have helped increase the number of high-quality education places for the local community.” To support with age progression, younger students are prioritised on the ground floor, with direct access from the reception classrooms to outdoor terrace areas, which minimises their need to use stairs. From this, the building organisation establishes physical progression up the building as pupils move up through year groups. The arrangement within the teaching wing of the school has been developed to group together four classrooms associated with each year group, accompanied by a dedicated breakout space. Teaching corridors are also split into year group zones, identified by different interior colours and finishes. Externally, the designs make use of traditional brickwork in an understated and contemporary manner to create a light and welcoming visual appearance, balancing a fresh and independent identity for the school. These two styles of brickwork add warmth and texture, while minimising maintenance requirements to create a building that stands the test of time. Within this, the primary school setting is reflected in more playful elements such as a patterned wall at the main entrance, colourful surfaces and inventive playline markings. Aftab Ahmed, head of business operations and chief operating officer at Nanaksar Primary School, said: “We are so pleased with the new school facilities provided by the team. This work has marked a major investment for the community in Hillingdon for current and future generations. “The new school facilities create a safe, welcoming and friendly environment that meets the needs of our current and future pupils across all communities. The facilities not only deliver a great teaching space but allows the teachers deliver the high quality of education using various resources incorporated within the build. “The work delivered will make sure that everyone thrives in this environment, and that our students get the very best start to their education possible.” The project team consists of landscape architects Ares, planning consultant DPP, structural engineer and highways consultant Curtins, building services engineer CPW, technical advisors MACE and main contractor Bowmer + Kirkland.
Bouygues UK has formally handed over the keys to the newly-completed sbarc|spark building at Cardiff University, which was officially opened on St David’s Day, 1st March 2022. The new building is the largest innovation facility of its kind in Wales, featuring 12,000m sq of floor space across six storeys, with commercial units and lab spaces for spinouts and start-ups. Designed by Hawkins\Brown architects, the building houses an eye-catching Oculus staircase – the first of its kind in the UK – which was designed and produced by Taunton Fabrications. The sbarc|spark build began in 2018 and is the first building to be completed on the University’s Cardiff Innovation Campus. Bouygues UK remains on site at the Translational Research Hub (TRH) – a building situated adjacent to sbarc|spark – which will house two world-leading scientific research establishments; the Institute for Compound Semiconductors and Cardiff Catalysis Institute. TRH is due for completion in the middle of the year. Featuring collaborative working spaces, auditorium and RemakerSpace, sbarc|spark locates 400 experts from 12 social science research groups alongside Cardiff Innovations@sbarc – the University’s home for partnerships. It will eventually be home to 800 people, providing an innovative space to nurture and grow tomorrow’s big ideas, with dedicated space for student entrepreneurs and start-ups. The building also benefits the local community as the ground floor will be a public open space with a café and a flexible auditorium for TEDx-style events. Bouygues UK Operations Director for Wales, Stephen Davies, said: “Our team have achieved a major milestone in handing over the sbarc|spark building for our valued client Cardiff University. Our team and trusted supply chain partners have worked tirelessly to deliver a facility of the highest quality and it is so rewarding for them to finally see the smiling faces of the client and their tenants as they start to occupy the building. “We would like to thank Cardiff University, Gleeds and all our partners on the project in achieving the successful handover of the sbarc|spark building and look forward to their continued support as we drive towards completion of the full facility. “We are extremely proud of the teams’ commitment to social value and the community which include 471 hours of staff time donated to education and community support and 5,957 weeks of employment delivered for apprentices, trainees, graduates and previously unemployed people. In addition, more than 70% of site contractors and labour was sourced locally during the build, bringing economic benefits to Wales.” Professor Damian Walford Davies, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, has overseen the delivery of the centre. He said of the opening: “We celebrate the opening of sbarc|spark confident that the vision that inspired it – that of a community of Cardiff University researchers with social and economic wellbeing as their subject and goal, co-located with external partners with innovation in their souls in a building designed to eliminate barriers – will now be lived reality.”
A Shropshire building contractor has secured the contract for a new £5.1m girls’ house at one of the UK’s top independent schools. The new facilities for day and boarding students at Shrewsbury School will be the 12th scheme Pave Aways has completed at the co-educational school for 13 to 18-year-olds. Other significant projects it has carried out at the school include the academic building Hodgson Hall, the Chatri Design Centre and the extension and refurbishment of the Barnes Theatre. The new house will be the fifth house for female students and has been designed by Adrian James Architects, which was responsible for Hogdson Hall. It will provide single and communal bedrooms for students and staff accommodation with shared facilities including a house hall, kitchen and TV room. Work will start in early April with completion in the summer term of 2023. Pave Aways will use its expertise in low carbon construction to deliver the highly sustainable blueprint, which includes a ‘fabric first’ highly insulated and airtight skin, plus a mechanical ventilation system, air source heat pumps and a photo voltaic panels to generate electricity. Managing Director Steven Owen said: “The new house is an exciting development in the evolution of Shrewsbury School and we’re delighted to have been trusted to build it. “Our experience in building low or zero carbon facilities for schools, coupled with our pedigree in the education sector, has been key to securing this contract. Having delivered a series of these schemes in the past two years, including the first ever Passivhaus school in Mid Wales, has given us a strong foundation in the skills required and a supply chain that is well equipped to support us.”
Work on a new £20million community hub in Chryston has begun, with a turf-cutting event to mark the start of construction taking place on Monday 28 February. North Lanarkshire Council is working in partnership with NHS Lanarkshire on the project that will deliver a 21st-century learning environment along with state-of-the-art health and wellbeing facilities. The new community hub is being delivered by hub South West, the development partner of North Lanarkshire Council with construction partner Robertson Construction and will replace the existing Chryston Primary School as well as provide a new Community Health Clinic. Councillor Frank McNally, Convener of Education and Families, broke ground on the site by cutting the first turf. He said: “Today’s event is another clear example of the council’s vision for its local communities to provide first class learning environments for pupils and teaching staff and deliver excellent facilities for the wider community to benefit from. “The new facility will provide the children and residents of Chryston and surrounding areas with superb facilities. “Our integrated town hubs and the smaller community hubs are modernising the entire school estate and offer multiple services from the council and our partners. “We’re delivering significant investment across North Lanarkshire that will benefit people of all ages now and for generations to come.” Plans for the hub include high-quality outdoor and indoor sports facilities; an extensive landscaped playground for the school; healthcare gardens for clinic patients and staff; and community greenspaces and paths designed to enhance connections across the site and encourage active travel. The new learning facility will see up to 509 pupils learn in naturally lit, flexible spaces and be flexible to accommodate a wide range of learning requirements. One of the exciting features developed by Ryder is the landscape design which creates seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor environments with all class bases benefiting from direct access to the playground. And pupils will be able to take part in daily mile walks with a route which is indicated with footprints around the site. Outdoor play equipment also includes bug hotels, allotment beds, and a fire pit surrounded by log seating, all provide different teaching and learning opportunities for the school. Plans for the clinic include the provision of seven treatment/clinical rooms and a group room to support the delivery of local health services in state of the art health and wellbeing facilities including garden areas. The new community health clinic will provide a larger, more modern facility than the existing Muirhead Clinic, which only allows a small range of community health services to be provided locally due to its size and lack of any dedicated car parking. It will continue to operate its existing services while the new clinic is built. Maggs Thomson, Head of Health, Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire, said: “This is a major milestone towards delivering a new state-of-the-art health clinic for Chryston and the surrounding area. “It will be a purpose-built clinic providing clinical services close to where people live and ensure local people no longer need to travel to Glasgow for certain services. “Through detailed engagement with local service users and stakeholders we will develop a modern facility meeting the needs of people in the area. “This partnership working also means services will continue to run at the existing health clinic during construction, and then transfer to the new facility once completed, meaning there should be minimal disruption for patients and service users.” Michael Ross, Chief Executive, hub South West, said: “It is fantastic to celebrate the start of this exciting project and continue our close working relationship with North Lanarkshire Council in delivering its programme of works. “Our unique partnering approach and focus on the benefits to both the local community and local economy, coupled with our focus on quality and continuous improvement, will ensure this facility is enjoyed for generations to come.” Andy McLinden, Robertson Construction Central West, said: “Our experience in the education and healthcare sectors will allow us to deliver a state-of-the-art facility that not only supports the Council’s vision but that the whole community can be proud of. “Chryston Community Hub is the first project we will deliver on behalf of hub South West since securing Tier 1 status last year and we look forward to engaging with the people of Chryston as the build progresses.” Children and young people, staff, parents and the local community all played a significant role in developing the design for the campus. We worked closely with them to ensure the design reflected our aspirations while taking into account the local community’s requirements and the area’s natural heritage and architecture. The new facility is expected to be operational by August 2023.
Award-winning UK construction, refurbishment and fit out company, Gilbert-Ash, has been appointed main contractor on a £22 million project to develop a building for the performing arts at Brighton College. Gilbert-Ash is set to move on site on February 21 with the scope of works including the demolition of existing buildings and the construction of a 400-seat multifunctional theatre, dance and drama studio. It also includes classrooms for English and Drama and a social space for gatherings. Due to complete in February 2024, it’s the company’s third major project in the East Sussex resort and comes just months after Gilbert-Ash handed over the impressive business school at the University of Brighton. Gilbert-Ash Managing Director, Ray Hutchinson, said the company has a track record of delivering stand-out projects for the performing arts such as the Stirling Prize winning Everyman Theatre in Liverpool. He said: “Gilbert-Ash is very proud to be undertaking such a prestigious project at Brighton College. This is a school steeped in history and academic excellence having recently been awarded the title of School of the Decade by the Sunday Times. “Under the leadership of Headmaster, Richard Cairns, the school has embarked on an ambitious 10-year masterplan of new buildings with the new performing arts building being the final act in that substantial plan. The project has been named Project 175 to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the College. Gilbert -Ash is looking forward to working closely with our client, the design team and our trusted supply chain to bring to life the remarkable plans for this new building.” Due to the historical significance of the college, the new development will take place within a Conservation Area and adjacent to listed buildings. With the college now home to over 1200 pupils and 400 staff, the campus expanded through the years although some areas are now unsuitable for its programmes. The completion of Project 175 will help the college deliver its vision for drama over the next 10 years. Gilbert-Ash attributes its continued success to its ‘As One’ approach and its unique working culture and family environment as an employee-owned company. It continues to complete a broad portfolio of successful construction projects across sectors including arts and culture, workplace, hotels and leisure, education, science and technology, retail, residential and student accommodation.
