More than fifty students from Carshalton College and Merton College have taken up industry placements with national contractor United Living, to help build 68 new homes for the ex-service community. Since November last year, the construction site at Rhodes Moorhouse Court in Morden has had support from Level 2 and
The contract to complete a £5 million school project in Derby has been handed over to Morgan Sindall, who will deliver a new primary school and nursery on Radbourne Lane. Hackwood Primary will house six classrooms and a 26-place nursery, adding more than 200 new school places to the area.
Cambridge biomedical campus has just welcomed a new state of the art hospital, as final touches approached completion. The Royal Papworth Hospital, which will house five operating theatres, five catheter laboratories (for non-surgical procedures) and two hybrid theatres, was delivered by Skanska. “We’re delighted to hand over the building to
Kent-headquartered national building contractor, United Living, has secured more than £25 million worth of housing maintenance and refurbishment contracts across the South East region. The business, which works in partnership with housing providers throughout England and Wales to build new homes and refurbish existing properties, has made a strong start
The ground has been broken on a new £300 million state-of-the-art physics laboratory and shared facilities hub at the University of Cambridge. Bouygues UK was joined by members of the university to celebrate the beginning of construction. “This is a great step in the development of physics research and learning at
SIX NEW classrooms and a 690 m2 sports hall at Henlow Church of England Academy, Bedfordshire have now completed, completely reimagining the 600 pupil school’s teaching facilities and sports opportunities. PCMS Design designed the modern, new extension to the original school site, with Building Services Design (BSD) providing mechanical and
Prefect Controls have introduced a new feature for their PrefectIrus product – the integration of an accurate current meter that monitors energy use in each room throughout multi-occupancy buildings such as student accommodation. Until now, managers have calculated energy use based on power rating multiplied by length of time a
The first phase of the design and construction of the new £45 million Northstowe Education Campus in Cambridgeshire will be carried our by Kier. The teaching facilities will be a part of the new sustainable Cambridgeshire town Northstowe and address the lack of school places in the county. The 133,203
Work has just begun on the installation of architectural glazing systems by leading manufacturer Kawneer on the second of three buildings at Bournemouth University. Approved dealer Leay is installing Kawneer’s AA®100 zone-drained capped curtain walling, along with AA®541 fixed light windows and two types of doors on the 5,000m2 Fusion
CONSTRUCTION of the University of Huddersfield’s new £30 million centre for the study of art, design and architecture is months ahead of schedule, and it has witnessed an unusual “topping out” ceremony conducted by the granddaughter of Dame Barbara Hepworth, the famous artist who has given the building its name,
More than fifty students from Carshalton College and Merton College have taken up industry placements with national contractor United Living, to help build 68 new homes for the ex-service community. Since November last year, the construction site at Rhodes Moorhouse Court in Morden has had support from Level 2 and Level 3 students who are learning construction skills at the College’s Merton Campus. They have taken up placements across a range of disciplines including plumbing, carpentry, electrical, drylining, bricklaying and plastering. The placements are being delivered and managed by United Living in partnership with Haig Housing Trust. Level 1 students based at South Thames College have also participated in site visits to the housing development and will attend an on-site presentation about opportunities in the construction industry. Farhan Mohamed, senior site manager at United Living, said: “It’s an absolute pleasure to provide these young people with the support and encouragement to learn new skills and pursue a career in construction. Our team of professionals are enjoying sharing their own knowledge and experience, which will hopefully play a part in encouraging this next generation into the sector and ensure the construction industry continues to flourish and grow.” Brigadier James Richardson, chief executive of Haig Housing Trust, said: “We’re delighted that this major development project on our Morden estate not only delivers 68 much needed new homes for Veterans and their families but has also benefited students from our neighbouring College. Aside from the skills they gain it also reflects the importance of the Armed Forces Covenant in bringing Veterans and local communities closer together.” Bryan Smyth, who is studying for a Level 3 diploma in electrical installation, said: “I’ve had a fantastic time here, working with the team at United Living to gain some experience and understand what it’s actually like to work on a construction site. I’ve gained a lot of new skills and I want to thank them for this opportunity.” Nathan Williams, who is studying bricklaying, said “My experiences working on this site were amazing. Everyone was friendly and welcoming and I’ve genuinely learnt loads of new skills. I hope to come back to help with the completion of the project.”
The contract to complete a £5 million school project in Derby has been handed over to Morgan Sindall, who will deliver a new primary school and nursery on Radbourne Lane. Hackwood Primary will house six classrooms and a 26-place nursery, adding more than 200 new school places to the area. The school will also be a Sunesis Mosaic model. The school project is being delivered through the Scape Venture framework, with funding from Redrow Homes East Midlands and Miller Homes as part of their plan to build more than 700 new homes on the neighbouring Hackwood Farm estate. “Innovative framework procurement options offer long-term social value for councils and the communities they serve. We are pleased to be delivering the new, first class education facilities at Hackwood Primary School as part of Scape’s Venture framework,” said Rob Cant, framework director at Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure in the Midlands. The project management and quantity surveying services of the school project are being provided by independent property, construction and infrastructure consultancy, Pick Everard, which is currently being fabricated off-site in Hull. “Hackwood Primary School is a perfect example of how the private and public sector can work together through the Scape Venture framework to deliver a new community facility in the most efficient way. It’s an innovative and exciting collaboration with Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure, Lungfish and Sunesis working together utilising our Mosaic offsite product to ensure the school is delivered quickly with minimal impact on the environment,” added Mike Salter, Group Development Director at Scape Venture. The project is expected to be complete in time for the new academic year in September 2019.
Cambridge biomedical campus has just welcomed a new state of the art hospital, as final touches approached completion. The Royal Papworth Hospital, which will house five operating theatres, five catheter laboratories (for non-surgical procedures) and two hybrid theatres, was delivered by Skanska. “We’re delighted to hand over the building to our customer. We look forward to watching its transformation with the latest medical equipment into a world-class facility. The thousands of hours of work by our people and the supply chain will leave a positive lasting legacy for Cambridge, the UK and beyond,” commented Charlie Norris, Project Director for Skanska. Patients will benefit from approximately 310 beds, including a 46-bed critical care unit, with most patients having their own single, en-suite rooms. Other key features include a specialist air filtering system in the hospital’s cystic fibrosis department to minimise the spread of airborne infections, and a link corridor to the adjacent Addenbrooke’s Hospital to support the transfer of patients needing treatment in the two hospitals. Royal Papworth staff will move from their existing hospital in Papworth Everard to the new facility, which will continue to enable staff deliver excellent care to patients suffering from heart and lung disease. “It is incredibly exciting to be able to walk through the hospital without hard hats and high-vis jackets and really imagine this impressive building as a fully-functioning heart and lung hospital. After many years of planning, we are now just months away from moving in and starting to realise the huge benefits that the new building and its location on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus will bring for our patients and staff,” said Stephen Posey, Chief Executive at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. All of Royal Papworth’s clinical services will be moved to the new facility during a three-week move period from 23 April 2019.
Kent-headquartered national building contractor, United Living, has secured more than £25 million worth of housing maintenance and refurbishment contracts across the South East region. The business, which works in partnership with housing providers throughout England and Wales to build new homes and refurbish existing properties, has made a strong start to the year, with a host of client wins for its 152-strong southern refurbishment team. They include: An appointment to a £6m contract with the University of Essex to refurbish a high-rise student accommodation block with external groundworks, in Colchester A £2m remodelling and refurbishment contract for Network Housing at Colebrook Court, a vacant building in Cuffley, Herts, which will create 11 new, modern standard homes in the roofspace An award to undertake kitchen and bathroom replacements to various homes managed by Metropolitan, with an initial value of around £1m Works to support Anchor Housing with various improvements to sheltered housing schemes across London and the home counties Installation of new class A2 aluminium cladding and insulation across an occupied block in Croydon on behalf of Firstport LLP The first stage award for design development and planning for replacement cladding across two properties managed by Lewisham Homes Fire protection improvements and installation of new sprinkler systems to three buildings managed and owned by Canterbury City Council, in Whitstable and Herne Bay Further works to upgrade kitchens and bathrooms across homes managed by Stevenage Council Daren Moseley, managing director for refurbishment (south) at United Living, said: “Housing providers and local authorities continue to face the challenges of a broken housing market with very stretched resources. We have the expertise to help them ensure their existing stock has longevity and surpasses regulatory standards. But more importantly, we’re trusted as a partner because of the added value we strive to bring to our projects; whether that’s through our training and skills programmes, or how we support the communities in which we work.”
The ground has been broken on a new £300 million state-of-the-art physics laboratory and shared facilities hub at the University of Cambridge. Bouygues UK was joined by members of the university to celebrate the beginning of construction. “This is a great step in the development of physics research and learning at the University of Cambridge. We look forward to moving in to our new facilities and opening our doors to the wider research community and the public to increase understanding and foster discovery,” commented Professor Andy Parker, Head of Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge. The development will provide a purpose-built centre for world-leading physics research, bringing together all of the Cavendish Laboratory’s research groups under one roof. Located at the West Cambridge campus off Madingley Road, the flagship building of the development will be named the Ray Dolby Centre to recognise a £75 million gift from the estate of sound pioneer Ray Dolby. It will house a range of laboratories, offices, clean rooms, workshops and multiple lecture theatres. “Bouygues UK and our sister company Bouygues Energies & Services have been involved from the start on this exciting scheme, working alongside the University of Cambridge’s existing project team to develop proposals for a new world-class laboratory. It is exciting to break ground on this project that will see us bringing innovation, a collaborative approach and our technical expertise to create a new home for major academic research,” said Fabienne Viala, Chairman of Bouygues UK and UK Country Manager for Bouygues Construction. The new facility is expected to be completed in 2022.
SIX NEW classrooms and a 690 m2 sports hall at Henlow Church of England Academy, Bedfordshire have now completed, completely reimagining the 600 pupil school’s teaching facilities and sports opportunities. PCMS Design designed the modern, new extension to the original school site, with Building Services Design (BSD) providing mechanical and electrical (M&E) engineering support for the project. “The six classrooms and sports hall are a standalone block,” explained Adam Middleton, senior electrical engineer at the national M&E practice, BSD. Adam continued: “The new sports hall comprises four new Sport England compliant courts, which are to be used for both the school’s own netball, basketball and hockey teams as well as for community hire; making it an incredibly inclusive space – and one which will support not just the school but the wider Henlow population. “There are also attached changing rooms as well as a 88 m2 storage facility.” BSD provided technical support to PCMS Design to ensure that the delivery of the M&E engineering services for electricity, gas, water and the fire alarm system ran smoothly and to specification. “There were a couple of challenges on this project; time constraints meant that the scheme had to be completed for the beginning of term but, through working closely with the delivery team, we managed to complete the project on time and on budget. “The new building is a standalone building, separate to the main school. Services had to be provided to the new site and connected to existing services without impacting on the school’s day to day operations,” added Adam. The sports hall has a standing seam zinc roof, which is curved to the hall and pitched to the storage room, as well as architectural louvres which allows for air flow through the area. Alex Bond, PCMS design director and project manager said: “PCMS Design engaged BSD to advise on the performance specification for the mechanical and electrical installation on a large educational sports hall and classroom block project at Henlow Church of England Academy. “We found its services to be invaluable in the early planning stages, and throughout the specification process when specialised M&E skills and knowledge were needed.” Head teacher Caren Earp said: “Thanks to the incredible design team, we now have a fantastic new building which is going to be of huge benefit to our children, increasing the number and range of opportunities for sport that we can now offer.” The project was funded by Central Bedfordshire Council and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
Prefect Controls have introduced a new feature for their PrefectIrus product – the integration of an accurate current meter that monitors energy use in each room throughout multi-occupancy buildings such as student accommodation. Until now, managers have calculated energy use based on power rating multiplied by length of time a device is estimated to be active. However, fluctuating voltage and imprecise predictions of ‘on-times’ can make these estimates wildly inaccurate. The new PU3 from Prefect comes with iACM (Integrated Accurate Current Metering) as standard, logging the current only when a heater is operational. This data is then transmitted via the buildings wiring system to the central controller where it is recalled for estimation of seasonal energy usage. As well as monitoring heaters in bedrooms, the feature also notifies managers if there is a problem with hot water tanks. Usually a problem is only evident when both elements fail and water isn’t being heated. With accurate metering, if one element fails, the drop in current immediately identifies the problem – meaning efficiency can be restored. Glen Golding, Prefect Controls MD, said “This development means accurate usage can be calculated so that better purchasing of energy will lead to greater savings for organisations providing multi-occupancy accommodation.” PrefectIrus is currently in more than 20,000 bedrooms and continuous development makes it an invaluable product to ensure efficient use of energy across Britain’s university accommodation estate. For further information contact Glen Golding on 01787 320 604.
The first phase of the design and construction of the new £45 million Northstowe Education Campus in Cambridgeshire will be carried our by Kier. The teaching facilities will be a part of the new sustainable Cambridgeshire town Northstowe and address the lack of school places in the county. The 133,203 sq ft Northstowe Education Campus will become Cambridgeshire’s largest education campus once completed. It will comprise a nursery, a 3FE primary school, a secondary school, Special Educational Needs (SEN) school and sixth form college. 3,000 students aged 0-19 years within the sustainable new development will benefit from teaching and learning facilities at Northstowe, which is expected to have a population of 24,000. A new secondary school, the seventh owned by Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT), will be delivered by Kier, providing places for up to 600 pupils aged 11-16. The project will then be extended in two subsequent phases to allow for 1,800 pupils. It will feature a multi-purpose school hall/theatre space and drama studios, a large sports hall, a gym, two dance studios and all-weather floodlit football and hockey pitches. In addition, Kier will create a 110-place Special Education Needs (SEN) school. “Having previously constructed Pathfinder, Northstowe’s first primary school, we are delighted to now be delivering the next phase of education provision for the emerging Northstowe community. This addition to the school development further builds on our position as a leading UK provider of educational buildings and we are looking forward to starting the first phase of works on this project,” commented Mark Dady, managing director at Kier Eastern. Kier started enabling works on site in September with the first cohort of students starting in September 2019.
Work has just begun on the installation of architectural glazing systems by leading manufacturer Kawneer on the second of three buildings at Bournemouth University. Approved dealer Leay is installing Kawneer’s AA®100 zone-drained capped curtain walling, along with AA®541 fixed light windows and two types of doors on the 5,000m2 Fusion 2/Poole Gateway Building (pictured) designed by Atkins architects. Leay’s team of up to 10 operatives, who are also installing AA®720 and series 190 heavy-duty entrance doors, is expected to be on site until January while the overall project is scheduled for completion by Willmott Dixon in September 2019. The new £27 million landmark building will target BREEAM “Excellent” and provide specialist facilities for two of the university’s internationally renowned faculties – Media and Communication and Science and Technology. The building will house state-of-the-art facilities on a series of tiered floors. This will include many multi-media areas, each with acoustically and visually sensitive areas, including TV and film studios, audio editing, media production spaces, green screen and motion capture suites, and animation studios. Leay’s business development manager Mike Watts said: “The project is in essence large triangular curtain wall screens to the front and rear elevations. These screens are 25m wide and 15m high at the tallest point and are located within the atrium. “The client was keen to see clean sightlines and minimal steelwork so we worked alongside the structural engineer to ensure the intermediate steels to tie the screen back to were kept to a minimum in quantity and also a minimum in size by calculating the screen to transfer and deadload itself down on to the ground-bearing slab. “We proposed the use of Kawneer products to the architect and Willmott Dixon from day one on this scheme as we knew they would provide the aesthetics the architect was requiring and also the structural integrity required for the spans of curtain wall.” Designed to form a new visual gateway to the university’s Talbot Campus and its parkland setting, it forms part of a wider £100 million programme to expand the university’s facilities. Work has also started on installing Kawneer systems on a third building at the university – a £40 million new home for the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. Again designed by Atkins but this time with main contractor Kier, the Fusion 3/Bournemouth Gateway Building will feature Kawneer’s AA®100 zone/mullion drained curtain walling with feature face caps on tall atrium screens along with AA®720 window vents and entrance doors and series 190 doors. Kawneer approved dealer Aluminium Sashes will have a team of up to eight operatives on site until April 2019. Kawneer systems were also used in 2017 on the original £22 million Fusion building at the university which fuses education, research and professional practice through a mix of flexible informal study and social collaborative spaces including 27 seminar rooms, three lecture theatres, research space and a 24-station PC laboratory. Kawneer’s AA®100 zone-drained curtain walling, AA®541 top-hung casement windows, AA®545 low/medium duty swing doors and series 190 doors were installed by approved dealer AB Glass for Willmott Dixon to a BDP design. This 5,800m2* BREEAM “Excellent” building is topped with a glass dome, allowing maximum natural light into the building. Feature cladding bands were fixed to the Kawneer curtain walling by aluminium fins.
CONSTRUCTION of the University of Huddersfield’s new £30 million centre for the study of art, design and architecture is months ahead of schedule, and it has witnessed an unusual “topping out” ceremony conducted by the granddaughter of Dame Barbara Hepworth, the famous artist who has given the building its name, in the presence of the main contractor’s MD for Construction. Dr Sophie Bowness – who is an art historian and a trustee of the world-famous Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield – was invited to turn a bolt on one of the 146 aluminium panels that will be fixed to the glazed walls of the new building. Their function will be to reduce solar glare, but architects AHR have ensured that they are also an artistic adornment. One of the great sculptors of the 20th century, Barbara Hepworth, who lived from 1903 to 1975, was born and educated in Wakefield. She was the first choice to be commemorated by the new University of Huddersfield building and at the topping out ceremony Vice-Chancellor Professor Bob Cryan thanked Dr Bowness for giving permission to use her grandmother’s name. The ceremony was attended by key figures from building firm Morgan Sindall, including its Managing Director for Construction, Pat Boyle. Morgan Sindall recently completed the University’s £28 million Oastler Building, opened in 2017, which was announced as the Best Education Building at the West Yorkshire Local Authority Building Control Awards. After Dr Bowness had carried out the ceremony, Professor Cryan said that the University’s policy of naming buildings after famous local people was designed to inspire students, and the legacy of Barbara Hepworth would be sure to do that. Professor Cryan praised the “dream team” from Morgan Sindall who had ensured that construction work was nine weeks ahead of schedule. The Barbara Hepworth Building will be completed in the spring and be ready for use at the start of the 2019 academic year. As the five-storey, 7,500 square metre Barbara Hepworth Building takes shape, the University was pleased to welcome Morgan Sindall’s MD for Construction Pat Boyle and Dr Sophie Bowness, granddaughter of Wakefield sculptor Barbara Hepworth, to the ‘topping out’ ceremony
