Work has commenced at a new all-through school in Abergavenny, with Morgan Sindall Construction being appointed as contractor for the project. Councillors were faced with the plans earlier this year when the existing comprehensive school’s building was considered for replacement. The project is part of the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, which aims to improve buildings and education facilities throughout the region. Totalling £61 million, the rebuild work consists of replacing the existing King Henry VIII High School and combining it with the Deri View Primary School to create a single 1,900 place all-through school for three to 19-year-olds. At the heart of the design are the pupils at Abergavenny school, who have been heavily involved in consultation events. The discussions have helped shape plans for the school, which is set to welcome students in 2024. As part of the changes involved in the new development are an additional learning needs base and a flying start early learning centre and wrap around childcare facility. There will also be plenty of sport provisions, with a full-size 3G football pitch, 2G hockey pitch and recreational grass pitches for all field sports as well as a three court multi-use games area. Moreover, the Abergavenny school has been developed with sustainability in mind and it will run on Building and Ground mounted Solar Panels with mains electric back up. The design includes 18 electric vehicle charging points and rainwater harvesting as well as storm water retention storage to minimise impact of surface water downstream. Morgan Sindall Construction is also using modern methods of construction including site metering and AI to detect when heaters and electronics have been left on but are not in use. Phase 1 of the development will focus on the construction of the main school, with phase 2 involving the demolition of the existing building and creation of a hockey pitch. Groundworks are currently taking place to plateau the hill on which the school will be built. Using its extensive experience in delivering educational facilities whilst working on live sites, the tier one contractor will use a separate entrance and maintain a clear line of separation between the existing school to avoid disruption to pupil’s learning. The development was awarded to Morgan Sindall Construction through the £1 billion South East & Mid Wales Collaborative Construction (SEWSCAP) framework. The contractor has already delivered more than 6,000 school places in Wales through SEWSCAP and its commitment to backing local suppliers has seen it route more than 90% of spend through Welsh subcontractors and consultants during this time, totalling more than £150 million. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News

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

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.”