National contractor registers its 3000th site – marking its continued commitment to improve image of construction. Morgan Sindall – one of the UK’s leading construction, infrastructure and design businesses – has been recognised for its long-term commitment to improving the image of the construction industry. The company, winner of over 300 Considerate Constructors Scheme National Site Awards, has become the third constructor to register 3000+ sites with the Scheme. The 3000th milestone registration was for the £30m redevelopment of 55 Colmore Row – a prestigious landmark in central Birmingham. The redevelopment is expected to be completed by Autumn 2016 and will provide 160,000 square feet of Grade A office space, including three new floors added to the top of the building. Morgan Sindall strives to care about its appearance, respect the community, protect the environment, secure everyone’s safety and value its workforce – the key principles of the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice. The company was one of the first constructors to join the Scheme in 1997 and became an Associate in 2007.  Associate Members are companies who have proved their commitment to the Code through a high number of consistently high performing registrations. Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive Edward Hardy commented: “Morgan Sindall’s milestone achievement acknowledges the long-standing commitment they have made towards improving the image of the industry. “Through supporting the Scheme and its aims, they play a pivotal role in driving the industry forward and setting the standard for others to follow. The Scheme looks forward to recognising more milestone achievements with other contractors, as the industry and public continue to realise the benefits that being part of the Scheme brings.” Pat Boyle, Managing Director for Construction at Morgan Sindall said: “I am very proud to accept this milestone award on behalf of all of our employees, which demonstrates our on-going commitment to being a considerate constructor. “As an Associate Member, the Considerate Constructors Scheme is fundamental to the way we manage our construction projects and engage with communities. We strive to go above and beyond the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice and our ultimate aim is to leave a positive Morgan Sindall legacy long after project handover.” Ben Cushway, Contracts Manager at Morgan Sindall added: “The Colmore Row project team is delighted to be the 3,000th Scheme site registration for Morgan Sindall. Given the city centre location of the project, being a considerate constructor is paramount to its successful delivery. “The Scheme provides additional focus for us to consider the project’s wider impacts on the local community, our workforce and the environment. We take pride in working with the Considerate Constructors Scheme to continually improve and develop the benefits we provide to the local and wider community by offering a positive and safe experience to all.”

Maven Capital Partners, the leading UK private equity and property manager, is pleased to announce that it has completed the purchase of a 20,000 ft2 office building in Maidenhead. It is due to undertake a complete £5.5m refurbishment of the property which will result in a Grade A modern corporate HQ for the thriving Thames Valley market, which is seeing increasing demand from blue-chip companies for highly specified office space. Located in Vanwall Business Park, the site is only around 30 miles from central London, with excellent transport links to the city. It is ideally positioned for motorway and air travel, being in close proximity to the M40 and M4 motorways and Heathrow Airport, and will further benefit from the introduction of Crossrail to Maidenhead in the next few years. This is the 11th acquisition for Maven’s burgeoning UK property business, and the second office acquisition in the Thames Valley in the past 18 months, following the c. £4.8m purchase and redevelopment of Planar House (now known as ‘Eclipse’) in Marlow in 2014. The 27,000 ft2, two-storey Planar House has since undergone a multi-million pound ‘back to frame’ modernisation, including substantial external and internal improvements, including the installation of new external cladding, floor to ceiling glazing, new plant, passenger lift and air conditioning, new LED lighting and a new feature glass reception area. The upgrade has resulted in a Grade A EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating. There is a diminishing supply of modern and attractive office space in the Thames Valley market, which has been enjoying consistent growth since the financial crisis began to ease, reflecting the improving UK economy and increasing business confidence. As a result the market is seeing growing competition among tenants and rising rental rates. Maven has a fast growing, specialist property investment and development business, with executives based across the UK sourcing attractive property opportunities for investors. During the past three years the team has deployed approximately £40m of investor funds, in transactions including the development of four hotels and three student accommodation projects. Andrew Whiteley, Investment Director at Maven, who led the deal, said: “We are delighted to have sourced another high quality opportunity for our investors, as our property investment business continues to build momentum across the UK. The Thames Valley market is in rude health, as the UK economy continues its recovery, with a notable shortage of modern office space in the area following a period of very limited development of new office space. The increased competition for high quality premises is driving rising rental levels and presenting attractive opportunities for investors with the development and investment expertise. Given the increasing focus by businesses on finding a prime location and achieving energy efficiency, this project offers the prospect of a strong investor return”.

EasyGates have produced a 3D animated video posing the question ‘Is your automated gate safe’? The 4 minute video covers some general hazard areas and structural hazards that can be avoided with correct and proper installations. At a time when it is estimated that only 30% of the automated gates in the UK are installed to regulation standards, it could mean many gates in the UK could be potentially dangerous. Following a recent manslaughter charge to a gate installer for incorrectly installing automated gates and the current focus on gate safety following the Gate Safety Conference and Gate Safety Week last week, the release of the video comes at a poignant and relevant time. The video aims to help and support owners, occupiers, landlords and installers understand and acknowledge that they have a legal responsibility for the safety of their powered gates. And that it is always recommended that a competent expert is used to check and service automatic gates on a regular basis. The video looks at a number of hazardous situations including being hit by a moving gate, being caught or trapped by moving or stationary parts and being crushed against or trapped by an obstacle. Structural hazard scenarios are also covered with focus on how the outside elements can affect structure integrity and safety. Strong wind forces, cracks, bends, defective welding, suitability in the structure, water ingress, damage to cabling, control boxes and connections between components. EasyGates Managing Director, Tony Daniels-Gooding said: ‘We felt it was important to produce this video to show some example potential hazards automatic gates have and how with the correct installation, inspection and testing, that they can be used safely and efficiently. We all have a responsibility to each other and our customers in this sector to ensure automatic gate installations adhere to and meet regulation standards. EasyGates are ASO Safety Solutions UK competence partners, supplying a number of the core safety products to the UK marketplace and providing quality, safety and technical service to a wide range of customers. [wpdevart_youtube]youtu.be/TEA3tL0llhU [/wpdevart_youtube]

The third Gate Safety Conference took place on Wednesday 14th October 2015 in the West Midlands. Attendees from numerous industry sectors including property management, gate, garage door and facility management visited the one day event hosted by ASO Safety Solutions, supported by EasyGates.   The event took place during the DHF’s Powered Gate Group, Gate Safety Week and included guest speakers from across the industry addressing the ongoing issue of gate safety awareness.   Simon Mersch of ASO Safety Solutions opened the conference with some key industry facts and figures followed by EasyGates Stuart Roddy who recapped on the two previous conferences and discussed new developments in the UK door and gate market.   Bob Perry from the Door Hardware Association was joined by Neil Sampson of the Powered Gate Group to discuss the importance of Gate Safety Week, reasons, objections and participations.   The HSE’s Stuart Charles presented a hard-hitting and emotive detailed section on possible penalties and how they can be prevented, how the safety expectations have changed within the industry and what liabilities there are.   Tony Weeks, head of Technical Services at National Security Inspectorate presented on the NSi’s involvement in the UK gate industry and developments in the code of practice.   Michael Skelding and Nick Perkins of the DHF updated on the renewal of EN 12453 and the UK’s position on the international committee for standardisation. Nick discussed practical applications of solutions and technologies.   Marcus Horstkemper of ASO then discussed the different types of force limitation, signal transmission and closing edge safety devices.   Gte’s Christian Pfeiffer presented details on force testing and its role in gate maintenance with a demonstration.   EasyGates Managing Director, Tony Daniels-Gooding said: ‘The conference was very well received and attendees have expressed how worthwhile and interesting it was. Taking place during Gate Safety Week, it was an ideal time to highlight the importance and responsibility we all have in the industry to ensure we meet the requirements of contracting, installing and maintaining safe and proper gate installations.   EasyGates are ASO Safety Solutions UK competence partners, supplying a number of the core safety products to the UK marketplace and providing quality, safety and technical service to a wide range of customers.

An innovative conference for landscape professionals, ‘Soil – meeting the challenges of a changing landscape’, took place on 14th October at the Howbery Park Conference Centre in Wallingford, Oxfordshire to mark the UN’s International Year of Soils. Six industry experts, including conference organiser Tim O’Hare and past president of the Landscape Institute, Sue Illman, presented to 90 delegates, who included landscape architects, garden designers, landscape contractors, topsoil suppliers and tree nurseries.   The conference was the brainchild of soil scientist Tim O’Hare, who has provided soil science consultancy to some of the country’s highest profile public realm landscape schemes, including the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, The Garden Bridge, Jubilee Park, Chavasse Park, Battersea Power Station and King’s Cross Regeneration. His objective for the conference was to provide a platform for debate by the landscape sector on the issues around soil, to give delegates a practical soils tool kit to which they can refer when they next embark on a landscape project, and to ensure soil is elevated to its rightful place in the landscape hierarchy.   First to speak, on the significance of soil in Environmental Impact Assessments, was Senior Associate at Tim O’Hare Associates, Rob Askew. A nationally recognised and industry-accepted standard set of Significance Criteria to help assess the potential impact of infrastructure projects on Greenfield soil resources (topsoil and subsoil) does not currently exist. Rob presented examples of bespoke Significance Criteria for assessing agricultural land and soil resources, which have been used on recent major national Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) projects, including HS2 Phase 1 (London to Birmingham).   Sue Illman of Illman Young Landscape Design presented on the many aspects of Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) design, and how soils are a fundamental part of their function. The presentation covered a number of practical aspects, including the need to understand the geology in SuDS design, the soils required for different sorts of SuDS, issues relating to contaminated land, and point source and blanket infiltration.   City silviculture and the dynamics of the urban landscape was the subject addressed by Johanna Gibbons. From John Evelyn to the rapidly evolving field of urban forestry and expanding urban populations, Jo drew from the foundations of the notion of sustainability rooted in forestry practice through to the current call to arms by pressure groups such as Trees and Design Action Group (TDAG) through publications such as ‘No Trees, No Future’. She argued for a cross disciplinary collaborative approach from soil science, community engagement, engineering and ecology in realising the value of the urban forest.   Tim O’Hare’s presentation ‘Practical applications of soil science for today’s landscape’ gave delegates useful, practical information they could take away and apply to their future landscape projects. Drawing on his 23 years’ experience working within the landscape industry he clarified some of the more common soil issues and misunderstandings that arise on projects, including ideas on tree pit design, his opinion on urban tree soil systems, soil requirements for species-rich grasslands, understanding soil pH, and the new 2015 version of BS3882.   With the engaging title ‘The Topsoil Journey – from lovely drop of gear to exact science’, George Longmuir reflected in his presentation on how natural topsoil was bought and sold in the past when greenfield sites were abundant, the ‘muck away’ influence, today’s established topsoil blending operations to produce BS3882 topsoil, and the future of designer soils to meet individual project requirements. The London Olympics was used as a ‘best practice’ case study.   John Melmoe, Commercial Director of multi-award winning landscape contractor Willerby Landscapes, gave the contractor’s perspective on selecting and applying the correct soils for the job, discussing the importance of pre-construction planning, advanced procurement, site testing of soils, correct handling, and hold points during installation. He highlighted projects where soils have had a significant importance and bearing on the contractor’s programme, including Jubilee Park, Chavasse Park, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park South Park and, more recently, Cubitt Park, King’s Cross.   One surprising theme that emerged from all of the presentations was the need to specify soils on a ‘project-specific’ basis and to not rely on the British Standard for Topsoil (BS3882).   Speaking after the conference, Tim O’Hare commented: “I am delighted with how well the conference was received by all the delegates. We have had tremendous feedback on the quality and relevance of the speakers’ presentations and I really do believe we have put soils back at the top of the landscape agenda. If this means that soils form part of the very early planning stages of future projects – as they should – then this conference will have achieved one of its key objectives.”

One of the world’s most innovative opera companies with an international reputation for distinctive and highly theatrical productions, the English National Opera (ENO) is based at the London Coliseum, a Grade II listed building.  The Coliseum is a prestigious landmark and has 2,359 seats – the largest theatre audience in London.  The ENO undertook a significant four-year restoration programme in 2004, supported by English Heritage, and more recently an extensive fire detection and alarm system upgrade to the latest Siemens Sinteso technology. Siemens has maintained the fire detection and alarm system at the Coliseum for a number of years. ENO Maintenance Supervisor Trevor Barnard worked closely with Siemens on the project and explains some of the challenges the team faced. “The theatre is a prestigious and irreplaceable historical building.  Its shape, size and height means that many areas can be extremely difficult to access, particularly around the stage and thorough risk assessments had to be undertaken to ensure safe working practices during installation. “We have to take particular care with all furnishings and fittings as well as the delicate fabrics near the staging area.  The theatre has extremely high level ceilings which means testing of fire detectors has to be carried out using special long poles. “A major challenge for us is that all work has to be undertaken within a two week period in August, when the theatre has a yearly maintenance window and there are no staged performances.  This is the time period when all operational works are undertaken. Careful programme planning is required to work around multiple trades and suppliers operating on site at the same time.” Siemens has provided long-term support and maintenance of the ENO fire safety system for a number of years, which stood them in good stead during the fire detection upgrade.  Their detailed knowledge and clear understanding of the building itself, the logistics and the needs of the organisation resulted in the ENO being offered a phased migration plan.  There were two main benefits of this decision, firstly to meet and work to an agreed annual budget figure, and secondly to provide the confidence that operational milestones would be met. Trevor continues: “Siemens worked with us in a unique way and it was very much a team effort.  They completely understood the importance of the two-week completion date, the parameters that they had to operate within and the implications of non-performance on delivery.  Siemens invested considerable time in pre-planning the logistics of the migration, for example, carrying out detailed surveys of the Coliseum prior to project delivery.   I was impressed by Siemens’ meticulousness planning, resulting in minimum disruption and seamless implementation.” Trevor explains: “The old system had twice as many loops as the new.  Eight years ago I visited every single head and call point.  I know the location of each and every one.  As part of introducing a new numbering system, Siemens had to undertake this labour intensive job, visiting each new detector head and labelling accordingly.  Each new detector has a unique address number, with over sixty devices on just one loop.  This means that once the upgrade is completed Siemens will ensure all new detectors are re-labelled with their new address, all fire safety plans will be updated and the Computer Aided Design drawings of the building re-issued to reflect the migration process.” During some performances the ENO uses ‘theatrical smoke’ and pyrotechnics.  As the fire detectors are normally constantly monitoring heat and smoke, the system mitigates theatrical smoke by switching to ‘heat only’ measurement during a performance. The Siemens unique Sinteso fire detection system features advanced intelligence which delivers the highest level of protection against all types of fire hazards. Each detector is configured with a unique set of parameters for each location, enabling the system to differentiate between false fire phenomena, such as steam or cooking fumes, and a real indicator of fire. Its built-in intelligence means it can offer fast identification and early warning of fire; the system is constantly alert, evaluating each situation minute by minute and taking decisions on complex criteria to ensure a safe environment Trevor concludes: “In summary, migration for ENO to the latest Siemens fire detection technology is being achieved with the minimum of disruption and expense.  It enables us to improve the performance of our fire safety equipment, with the major benefit of retaining elements of our existing infrastructure, as all Siemens technology has backward compatibility.  The reliability of the hardware and unique intelligent signal processing means zero unwanted alarms, now and in the future.”