A major project has begun to breath some life into Saughton Park. The historic Edinburgh park will be worked on in a scheme of work that is expected to last a year. The work on the park began this week and is the culmination of a great amount of effort
The latest Construction Products Association summer forecast isn’t predicting sunshine for the construction industry. In the document the main worry is that the term ‘uncertainty’ and what it is actually supposed to mean or refer to, shows up a whopping 70 times throughout the course of the forecast. In 2015,
The former and future home of the Financial Times newspaper is being renovated to provide 270,000 sq ft of Grade A office space, complete with a walkable large-span glass roof designed and supplied by Wrightstyle, one of Europe’s leading advanced glazing systems companies. Bracken House is a Grade II Listed
London based Tricon, Europe and the Middle East’s leading foodservice consultancy, has retained their silver accreditation award against the Investors in People Standard, demonstrating their commitment to high performance through great people management. Established in 1980, Tricon offer consultancy services for the world’s leading hospitality venues from their offices in
The Construction Leaders Club, or CLC, has announced that they have plans for expansion. The networking and business growth organisation has released news of its expansion after spending a number of years developing a networking event for construction industry professionals in Nottinghamshire, Derby and Leicester. The monthly meetings that take
City Facilities Management has secured its first contract in the health care sector. The privately-owned FM provider has commenced a three-year, hard FM contract with health care provider, Four Seasons Health Care, who offer a range of care for older people and are considered specialists in Dementia Care. Under the contract
Wates Smartspace (FM) has won a contract with The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) to maintain its prestigious London estate. The three-year deal which commenced on 1 August, will see Wates Smartspace deliver planned preventative maintenance services across 30 campus buildings, nine halls of residence and a
ASW Property Services, a property services specialist covering Wales, the Midlands and the South West of England, has signed an agreement with Family Housing Association, a registered social landlord in Swansea, to maintain its 2,800 properties over the next four years. The deal creates job security for more than 100
Proposals to build a new public leisure centre in Egham in Surrey have been approved. The designs for the project were put forward by Watson Batty Architects and they have received full planning approval. The project has been valued at £19 million. Watson Batty Architects worked closely with their client,
Essential Projects, a Nottingham based bespoke metal and glass manufacturer has been awarded a contract for work to be carried out at the Westgate Shopping Centre in Oxford. The business will install a range of glass and metal work that has been crafted especially for the Next Retail store in
A major project has begun to breath some life into Saughton Park. The historic Edinburgh park will be worked on in a scheme of work that is expected to last a year. The work on the park began this week and is the culmination of a great amount of effort that has been put in over the course of the last five years to raise the £5.2 million needed for the work to go ahead. The Heritage Lottery Fund were a significant help in the fundraising efforts, contributing £3.8 million to the project. Saughton park was last redesigned in 1908 in order to make room for the Scottish National Exhibition that was then visited by more than 3.5 million people. Hopefully this restoration will have the same amazing effect on the park. The work will revive some of the key features of the Exhibition such as the bandstand, botanic garden and the winter garden. There will be a collection of other improvements made to Saughton Park including the refurbishment and restoration of the stables at the park in order to create a community venue as well as providing a base for project partners the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. There will also be a new cafe constructed in the park with restorations and additions made to the furniture, lighting and paths on the site. The contractors for the site are P1 Solutions and this week they carried out the ceremonial sod-cutting in the Walled Garden of the park in order to commemorate the start of the project. At the event were a number of council officials as well as staff that work at the park and representatives from the Heritage Lottery Fund. After the work has been completed there will be a management plan created and maintained with a range of events and activities included as well as opportunities for volunteering in order work towards the next target for the park, achieving the Green Flag status.
The latest Construction Products Association summer forecast isn’t predicting sunshine for the construction industry. In the document the main worry is that the term ‘uncertainty’ and what it is actually supposed to mean or refer to, shows up a whopping 70 times throughout the course of the forecast. In 2015, the same term cropped up a mere 22 times in comparison. The projection that has been produced this year by the Construction Products Association, or CPA, only stretches to 2019, the year the UK is set to leave the EU, shorter than previous forecasts which have stretched between three and five years. It could be that, without a comprehensive understanding of the terms in regards to Brexit, no accurate prediction could be reached and any attempts would only be speculation. The CPA forecast that was published in 2015 went two years further that the normal three year forecast. Comparing the 2015 prediction to the most recent demonstrates that confidence in the construction industry has dipped, with industry activity estimated at 9% higher in the 2015 forecast. A most worrying point in the 2017 forecast is that the construction industry appears to be edging towards a recession in 2018. It is widely thought that although it could be a difficult time, a full recession could be narrowly avoided. Without worrying over predictions of the future, growth in the construction industry has appeared to have suffered a slight dip in recent months, with activity appearing to decline according to CPA figures. This uncertainty is clear in a number of other industry surveys and is not surprising since the Government appears to be unclear of the different elements of Brexit, or so it has been reported. In all, uncertainty isn’t necessarily negative, just the industry surveys protecting their own back against projecting results too one way or the other when in fact there are too many unknown variables at the moment to do anything more than speculate.
The former and future home of the Financial Times newspaper is being renovated to provide 270,000 sq ft of Grade A office space, complete with a walkable large-span glass roof designed and supplied by Wrightstyle, one of Europe’s leading advanced glazing systems companies. Bracken House is a Grade II Listed office building, originally built between 1955 and 1958, and lies adjacent to the St Paul’s Cathedral Conservation Area of the City of London, and was home to the Financial Times until the mid-1980s. The sensitive renovation will retain the building’s pink sandstone cladding, an allusion to the colour of the FT’s pages, as well as the astronomical clock over the main entrance, which features the face of Sir Winston Churchill, a personal friend of Bernard Bracken, a former chairman of the Financial Times. The structurally glazed roof light has been completed using Wrightstyle’s SR60140-2 and SR60140-4 profiles for the rafters and purlins, and the company also supplied two full-size test pieces before the main project design was signed off. The access-only roof glazing was comprehensively weather tested and underwent a TN67 test, in which weights are dropped onto the glass to ensure the safety of anyone walking on it. Wrightstyle supplied to Wilde Contracts Ltd, part of the Roger Wilde Group, specialists in glass flooring, who also carried out pre-contract testing. The roof light covers a main atrium area, to maximise light flow to the building’s central core, and replaces old 1970s concrete and glass pre-cast slabs. In a twist of history, it’s been announced that the Financial Times will move back to Bracken House next year after almost 30 years since relocating to Southwark. In 1987, Bracken House became the first post-war building in England to be given listed status. “Wrightstyle systems are renowned for their robust integrity, and have been specified on other roof light projects, both here and overseas – for example on a recent major banking headquarters in Hong Kong,” said Denis Wright, Wrightstyle’s chairman. “We were delighted to work with Roger Wilde on this project which once again underlines the specialist nature of the advanced glazing market, and how our systems are being specified internationally,” he said. Main contractor for the Bracken House project is the McLaren Group. Picture credit: Roger Wilde Group www.wrightstyle.co.uk
London based Tricon, Europe and the Middle East’s leading foodservice consultancy, has retained their silver accreditation award against the Investors in People Standard, demonstrating their commitment to high performance through great people management. Established in 1980, Tricon offer consultancy services for the world’s leading hospitality venues from their offices in London and Dubai. Their team of 42 are some of the brightest and most experienced people in the foodservice industry and have worked on many of the most prestigious projects including most recently, the Ned and Rosewood Hotels in London, the Burj Al Arab in Dubai and Google HQ in Dublin. Investors in People is the international standard for people management, defining what it takes to lead, support and manage people effectively to achieve sustainable results. Underpinning the Standard is the Investors in People framework, reflecting the latest workplace trends, essential skills and effective structures required to outperform in any industry. Investors in People enables organisations to benchmark against the best in the business on an international scale. Paul Devoy, Head of Investors in People, said: “We’d like to congratulate Tricon, Investors in People accreditation is the sign of a great employer, an outperforming place to work and a clear commitment to success. Tricon should be extremely proud of their achievement.” Commenting on the award, Mike Coldicott, Tricon’s Managing Director said: “We are delighted to have retained our IIP Silver Status as it highlights us as one of the UK’s leading employers. As a consultancy, we truly are the sum of our people and we put trusted advice, insight and integrity at the heart of our culture. I believe this ethos has been recognised by this prestigious award.” For more information about Investors in People or Tricon please visit www.investorsinpeople.com or tricon.co.uk
The Construction Leaders Club, or CLC, has announced that they have plans for expansion. The networking and business growth organisation has released news of its expansion after spending a number of years developing a networking event for construction industry professionals in Nottinghamshire, Derby and Leicester. The monthly meetings that take place in Nottingham has been a huge success and brings in professionals from across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. The CLC also been involved in the creation and running of a number of aligned and popular business growth programmes that have been set up for the use of small businesses owners and senior decision makers alike. As part of their expansion, the CLC has launched a new business networking event tailored for the construction industry. This event will take place in Lincolnshire, and a pilot session will take place in Lincoln on the 15th of September. The event is open for all of those who work in or alongside the construction industry. The events that are held by the CLC are for networking opportunities, but they also offer a range of business development and training programmes to support smaller businesses that are connected to the construction sector. It was thought that the CLC was the only organisation that has been created solely for the purposes of business growth, leadership and management development in the construction industry. The CLC was founded by Terry O’Mahoney in Nottingham. The Company has developed, offering monthly networking events, training and even a Mastermind Programme that focuses on business owners and senior decision makers in a company. The CLC also offers a Rising Star programme for individuals that display a great deal of potential and want to progress further up the ladder over the course of their career. Hopefully the Lincolnshire event which will take place on the 15th September will be as successful as the CLC’s counterparts.
City Facilities Management has secured its first contract in the health care sector. The privately-owned FM provider has commenced a three-year, hard FM contract with health care provider, Four Seasons Health Care, who offer a range of care for older people and are considered specialists in Dementia Care. Under the contract terms, City are responsible for delivering a full range of electrical, mechanical, building, fabric, catering and laundry services across the entire Four Seasons estate, which includes over 260 care homes across the UK. Campbell Murdoch, Chief Operating Officer for City Facilities Management commented: “We are delighted to have been awarded this contract by Four Seasons and very much look forward to working in partnership to deliver our comprehensive FM model over the next three years and beyond. “Not only will City’s integrated services provide a dedicated, 24/7 response to Four Seasons’ maintenance needs but it will provide a seamless approach to our delivery and ensure that residents continue to enjoy efficient and well maintained homes.” City’s agreement with Four Seasons includes a blend of national self-delivery and sub-contractors comprising of multi-skilled technicians across the UK and Northern Ireland.
Wates Smartspace (FM) has won a contract with The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) to maintain its prestigious London estate. The three-year deal which commenced on 1 August, will see Wates Smartspace deliver planned preventative maintenance services across 30 campus buildings, nine halls of residence and a 9.5 hectare sports ground spread across the City, from Aldwych to New Malden. The team are currently in the process of carrying out an asset and condition survey and transferring four engineers from the previous FM provider. The LSE is a globally renowned university and ranked the second in the world for social sciences. The British institution employs over 3,000 members of staff and educates around 9,500 full-time and 1,000 part-time students from over 140 countries, with an annual turnover of approximately £299 million. James Gregg, Managing Director of Wates Smartspace (FM), commented: “We are extremely proud to to be working in partnership with The London School of Economics and Political Science at such a critical and exciting chapter for the university, in the midst of a huge investment programme to create a better campus environment so that it can continue to attract some of the world’s leading minds.” The contract award follows a number of recent successes for the Wates Smartspace (FM) business with high profile, public interfacing clients including Twycross Zoo, ACCA and the Canadian High Commission in London.
ASW Property Services, a property services specialist covering Wales, the Midlands and the South West of England, has signed an agreement with Family Housing Association, a registered social landlord in Swansea, to maintain its 2,800 properties over the next four years. The deal creates job security for more than 100 staff employed by ASW, will enable the company to invest in apprenticeships and provides certainty and a quality service for the tenants of properties managed by Family Housing Association. The deal was signed this week by Anthony Thomas, managing director of ASW, and Karen Dusgate, chief executive of Family Housing Association, which develops and manages homes for thousands of people across South West Wales from Pembrokeshire in the west to Neath Port Talbot in the east. As a result of the agreement, tenants will be able to access a responsive, emergency hotline available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, which they can call if they have problems in their homes. Emergencies will be attended within 2 hours by ASW. ASW will also be responsible for refurbishing void properties when tenants have moved out, making them available as quickly as possible to the next residents. Its target in terms of turnaround time is just ten days – significantly faster than the industry average. The agreement also means that ASW can invest in training a new generation of apprentices. ASW’s Thomas estimates that in the duration of the four-year deal, up to 16 apprentices will work on properties owned by Family Housing Association. He stresses that such schemes are critical when it comes to being able to invest in training a new generation of workers. ASW will also engage with the local communities providing work experience placements and supporting local community projects. Anthony Thomas said: “Agreements such as this are important to both organisations for several reasons. It gives the tenants of Family Housing Association a reliable and high quality service they can call on at any time and know they will receive good service. “For us, it allows us to plan over the next four years in terms of our workforce and training. We will be able to invest in training apprentices while offering job security to our existing staff. On top of that, all our staff live locally and therefore also spend their wages locally, keeping wealth in the area and boosting the local economy in a way that does not happen if larger companies from further afield are awarded such work.” Karen Dusgate, Chief Executive at Family Housing Association, said: “We went through a very comprehensive tender process, working closely with our tenants at all stages and are delighted to have appointed ASW Property Services to provide our day to day repairs service and empty homes repairs management. “We look forward to building on our strong existing relationship with ASW to deliver a repairs service that makes a positive difference to the lives of our tenants and the communities they live in.”
Proposals to build a new public leisure centre in Egham in Surrey have been approved. The designs for the project were put forward by Watson Batty Architects and they have received full planning approval. The project has been valued at £19 million. Watson Batty Architects worked closely with their client, Places for People, in order to come up with plans that would transform the 23,400 sq ft facility already on the proposed site, into a purpose built 41,000 sq. ft. space with state of the art facilities. The proposal is to demolish the existing building and before creating the new leisure centre on the same site. This project will create the town’s first public swimming pool which will feature eight 25 metre lanes as well as a moveable floor and spectator seating. There will also be a 10 meter x 10 meter learner pool that will also have a moveable floor. The leisure facilities will also include a 4-court sports hall and a fitness suite with 110 different stations and an indoor cycling studio. As part of the designs there is also four flexible studios indoor health studio with a sauna, steam rooms, wet and dry treatment rooms. Watson Batty has been working to devise the project with Places for People, Runnymede Borough Council and Active Lifestyle which is the centre’s operators. Also involved in the drafting of the proposal were a number of other consultants in order to make the most out of the developments. The consultation took over a year and a public consultation was also held in order to make sure that they deliver facilities for the local communities and make sure that they receive the optimum capital investment for the project. There are also a range of external facilities included as part of the leisure centre plans, including six 3G five-a-side football pitches and a full sized synthetic turf pitch and a full-sized football grass pitch.
Essential Projects, a Nottingham based bespoke metal and glass manufacturer has been awarded a contract for work to be carried out at the Westgate Shopping Centre in Oxford. The business will install a range of glass and metal work that has been crafted especially for the Next Retail store in the newly constructed Shopping Centre. Westgate Shopping Centre is located in the middle of Oxford city centre and is thought to have cost £440 million. The Westgate development has gone ahead in order to rejuvenate and transform the already established shopping centre. The construction work will create a retail and leisure destination that will be spread across 800,000 sq. ft. and include a range of different facilities. There are plans for 100 new retail stores as well as 25 different restaurants and cafés and a boutique cinema. There will also be a rooftop dining space and a wealth of new public spaces to be enjoyed by visitors to the city. In order to fund the over £400 million pound planned work, the Westgate Oxford Alliance has had to acquire investments through a joint venture between Land Securities and the Crown Estate. This joint venture has also seen Laing O’Rourke nominated as the principal contractor for the Oxford project. The plans for the Westgate development were approved by Oxford City Council, and the preparatory works first began at the site in February 2015. The the extension of the shopping and leisure centre is expected to be complete in Autumn this year. Essential Projects has been contracted by Laing O’Rourke as part of the ongoing work on the site to design, manufacture and install a range of tailor made metal and glass staircases as well as make some structural alterations. Essential Projects has also been tasked with the manufacture of a range of unique features that are needed for the new Next Plc store is being built as part of the development.