Leading Magherafelt-based contractor Henry Brothers has been appointed onto the University of Manchester Construction Framework for the first time. The company has won four contracts to deliver developments at the university over the past few years and this appointment onto the framework opens up a pipeline of future projects. The
Principal contractor, McConnell, broke through the £50m turnover mark in March 2024, and expects full year revenue to reach £55m at end of April 2024 (FY24). Revenue growth was 10% higher than forecasted, driven by a strong performance in Scotland, and delivery of significant cladding remediation and defence housing projects
SJ Roberts Construction has secured three new contracts worth £17.6m with Barcud, one of the leading housing associations in Wales. The news further strengthens the relationship between the two organisations which have previously collaborated on developments in Newtown and Presteigne in Powys. These most recent contracts form part of Barcud’s
Plans have been submitted to North Yorkshire Council for a multi-million-pound maritime hub in Whitby. The hub will provide training and certification opportunities for the maritime, marine and offshore industries, to residents of Whitby and the wider area. The application has been submitted following a public consultation in January and
Tier one contractor Sir Robert McAlpine has today announced the appointment of Paul Sims as its new Operations Director as it eyes continued growth. A well-respected industry veteran, Paul will work closely with Commercial Director Glen Harding to further build Sir Robert McAlpine’s growing pipeline of work. Paul was most
This collaboration strengthens Building Heroes’ mission to support the reskilling and redeployment of military veterans into the construction industry. Building Heroes, the leading military-to-construction charity is excited to unveil its latest partnership with AmeyBriggs, which proudly joins as a Bronze Sponsoring Partner. This collaboration strengthens Building Heroes’ mission to support
Three Chamberlain Square, the next highly sustainable commercial building at Paradise Birmingham, has achieved a key landmark moment for itself and the city as its terracotta façade units make progress across the building. More than 8,000 bespoke facade panels are being installed on 3,000 windows across Three Chamberlain Square, starting
London anchored and leading Design & Build contractors McAleer & Rushe, proudly announces the internal appointment of five new Contracts Directors to further strengthen their senior management team. As a family-owned business renowned for its commitment to excellence and partnering with their clients and valued consultants, these appointments underscore the
The Midlands and North division of international contractor, McLaren Construction, has announced a record turnover of £271million for the latest financial year. Following a year of expansion for the division and McLaren Construction group as a whole, the milestone follows news that the contractor generated overall revenues up 22% to
Successful trial of concrete sensor technology benefits major projects in road, rail and water… Costain, the infrastructure solutions company, has made significant time and efficiency savings for its customers after using new concrete sensor technology. Costain’s materials engineers have been using Maturix’s concrete sensors to keep track of the strength
BDC 322 : Nov 2024
Leading Magherafelt-based contractor Henry Brothers has been appointed onto the University of Manchester Construction Framework for the first time. The company has won four contracts to deliver developments at the university over the past few years and this appointment onto the framework opens up a pipeline of future projects. The four-year framework is for schemes from £5m to £20m and Henry Brothers is one of five contractors that have been awarded a place on it. Ian Taylor, Managing Director at Henry Brothers Construction, said: “We are proud to have been appointed onto the University of Manchester Construction Framework and look forward to supporting the university as it continues to improve its estate and facilities. “Henry Brothers initially began working with the university in early 2022 on the first phase of the refurbishment of its Chemistry Building, and we are currently now delivering the second phase of this extensive project. “Since then, we have also been appointed to undertake two further schemes at the university, so we are very pleased to be cementing our partnership with The University of Manchester by being awarded a place on the university’s construction framework. “This appointment will support us as we continue to expand our North West office, which opened in Manchester in 2022, and has already relocated to larger office space in the city. “Henry Brothers has wide-ranging experience of working with universities in the East Midlands, West Midlands and the North West, supporting our partners to invest in their buildings and facilities. This latest framework appointment is great news for the company.” Henry Brothers is part of The Henry Group, which comprises a number of manufacturing and construction sector companies, ranging from external construction through to interiors fit-out. In partnership with clients, it has a proven track record in education, defence, accommodation, commercial, industrial, transport and healthcare sectors. For more information, visit www.henrybrothers.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Principal contractor, McConnell, broke through the £50m turnover mark in March 2024, and expects full year revenue to reach £55m at end of April 2024 (FY24). Revenue growth was 10% higher than forecasted, driven by a strong performance in Scotland, and delivery of significant cladding remediation and defence housing projects in England. Established in 1928, McConnell was taken over in 2018 by Rob McGregor and Eamonn McGarvey. Rob was previously the CEO of Apollo Property Services Group, a £400m property services provider that merged with Keepmoat Group in 2012 and is now part of Equans UK. Eamonn was the Regional Managing Director for Apollo/Keepmoat in Scotland. McConnell has firmly established itself as a Principal Contractor, whilst retaining its in-house specialist services of Roofing, Cladding, and Specialist Coatings. McConnell delivers building refurbishment and energy efficiency works to all forms of buildings and infrastructure in the UK, using directly employed skilled operatives supported by a capable supply chain. To support growth, a new regional office was opened in St Albans in September 2023, to augment existing regional offices in Glasgow and Dartford. Chairman, Rob McGregor, commented “FY24 has been a significant year for McConnell. Our growth has been a direct result of the continued strengthening of our management team. We have a Tier 1 senior leadership team that underpins growth, generates customer confidence, and allow us to attract the best people in the sector. We’ve also invested in the growth of our operational and support services teams, and in early April 2024 we took on our 200th employee, of which more than 80 are skilled operatives. They form the backbone of our service delivery and are augmented by carefully selected supply chain partners.” Managing Director, Eamonn McGarvey, added “We’re moving into FY25 in May, with more than £60m of secured work for the year and are well positioned on a number of national frameworks in England and Scotland. We’re forecasting further strong growth opportunity for FY25, therefore plan to open a regional office in the North of England to increase our geographic reach and capability.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
SJ Roberts Construction has secured three new contracts worth £17.6m with Barcud, one of the leading housing associations in Wales. The news further strengthens the relationship between the two organisations which have previously collaborated on developments in Newtown and Presteigne in Powys. These most recent contracts form part of Barcud’s ongoing commitment to deliver new homes in the communities where they’re most needed and will see affordable housing constructed in Knighton on the Shropshire/Wales border, in Builth Wells, Powys and Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. Work has started in Knighton where a mix of eighteen 1, 2 and 3 bedroom homes are being built to A-rated energy standards thanks to the inclusion of air source heat pumps and solar PV panels. The homes, located on West Street in the town, will all be available on an affordable rent basis, with work anticipated to complete in Spring 2025. A further 31 homes will be built on Hospital Road in Builth Wells, and 34 on Piercefield Lane in Aberystwyth. Work on those sites will start later this year. Commenting on the investment and decision to again partner with SJ Roberts Construction, Alex Dawson, Head of Development at Barcud, said: “Investing in the communities where affordable housing is most needed is a priority for Barcud, and ensuring those homes meet the very highest standards of quality and energy efficiency is a value we’re all very proud of. “It is, therefore, vital that we partner with a main contractor that shares these values and which can demonstrate an unrivalled commitment to quality and excellent construction management. Having worked with SJ Roberts on previous projects, we are confident in the team’s ability to successfully deliver these new homes and look forward to seeing the positive impact that they have in the communities of Knighton, Builth Wells and Aberystwyth.” Concluding for SJ Roberts Construction, Mike Sambrook, MD, said: “Our track record delivering quality homes across a range of tenures for social landlords is something we’re incredibly proud of.“Having successfully partnered with Barcud previously on a 36-home project in Presteigne, Powys and the Maes Dulais development in Newtown, it is testament to our experience in this sector that we’ve been appointed to build 80 further homes for the team. To us, this isn’t simply an agreement to build houses, but instead to create vibrant communities that the residents feel proud to call home.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Plans have been submitted to North Yorkshire Council for a multi-million-pound maritime hub in Whitby. The hub will provide training and certification opportunities for the maritime, marine and offshore industries, to residents of Whitby and the wider area. The application has been submitted following a public consultation in January and February when 69 per cent of those who responded to the survey were supportive of the scheme. Chief Executive, Richard Flinton, said: “Submitting the planning application is an exciting step forward for this project. The Maritime Hub will open doors to new economic growth in Whitby and help provide a route for young people into the maritime and marine industries. I encourage everyone in the community to look at the plans on our website and leave comments if they wish.” Concerns about the hub being located on a flood plain have also been mitigated as the building will be designed to flood. In the event of a flood, the ground floor units will allow water to enter, and all services will be raised above one metre. After water levels drop, the units would be easily washed out. Corporate director of community development, Nic Harne, added: “We have listened to stakeholders and consultation feedback throughout the planning process before submitting this application. “Endeavour Wharf will still retain around 200 parking spaces and the height of the Maritime Hub will match the surrounding buildings such as The Angel Hotel. “We have received some suggestions that following Eskdale School’s merger with Caedmon College this summer, the school site would be a better location. But existing and potential future tenants of the wharf have stated they need direct access to the water and as such the school site would not be a suitable alternative.” The project has been developed to address a local need to develop a better supply of technical abilities in the maritime sector and put the town at the forefront of the growing renewable energy sector. The hub will also provide accommodation for maritime businesses and service providers. Workshops on the hub’s ground and first floors will house the current and new wharf-based operations and functions of the Harbour Authority. There will be classroom space, engineering workshops and marine biology laboratories, offering opportunities for training and employment in areas ranging from marine biology to off-shore wind. The second floor will be an office space for marine-based start-up businesses and other maritime industries. The space is intended to be occupied by local, regional and national businesses and organisations, making Whitby a hub of maritime activity. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Tier one contractor Sir Robert McAlpine has today announced the appointment of Paul Sims as its new Operations Director as it eyes continued growth. A well-respected industry veteran, Paul will work closely with Commercial Director Glen Harding to further build Sir Robert McAlpine’s growing pipeline of work. Paul was most recently the Operations Director at Lendlease Europe, where he worked on a number of high-profile, award-winning projects, including TV studios for both the BBC and Sky along with multiple offices, 5-star hotels and rail schemes across the course of a career spanning almost four decades. Alongside the appointments of Mike Hickson OBE as Managing Director of Defence, and Vip Gandhi as Managing Director of Transport, Paul is the latest in a series of hires to help Sir Robert McAlpine maintain its market-leading position in its core sectors, which include Infrastructure, Healthcare, Industrial, Commercial and Special Projects. Grant Findlay, Executive Managing Director, Buildings, at Sir Robert McAlpine, commented: “We are very pleased to welcome Paul Sims to Sir Robert McAlpine. Paul has a reputation for being a truly outstanding operator and will help cement company’s continued growth within our target sectors. He’s a natural fit for Sir Robert McAlpine.” Paul Sims, Operations Director at Sir Robert McAlpine, said: “Sir Robert McAlpine is immensely well-respected within the construction sector, and works with some really fantastic clients, so this felt like the perfect move. I look forward to getting stuck in, building on client relationships and helping the firm go from strength to strength”. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
This collaboration strengthens Building Heroes’ mission to support the reskilling and redeployment of military veterans into the construction industry. Building Heroes, the leading military-to-construction charity is excited to unveil its latest partnership with AmeyBriggs, which proudly joins as a Bronze Sponsoring Partner. This collaboration strengthens Building Heroes’ mission to support the reskilling and redeployment of military veterans into the construction industry. Building Heroes provides comprehensive support to military personnel, reservists, and their families during their transition from military to civilian life. Participants receive support which encompasses essential skills, training, and guidance to facilitate successful careers in the construction sector. AmeyBriggs are recognised for supplying vehicles and equipment to ensure the safety of our military and managing the Ministry of Defence’s construction and material handling fleet, playing a crucial role in supporting the British Armed Forces on operations at home and overseas. Commenting on the collaboration, AmeyBriggs Managing Director Phil Crick said, “We are delighted to be a Bronze sponsoring partner with Building Heroes. As a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, we have pledged our support to the Armed Forces Community, both past and present, and are delighted that our support will help train ex-force personnel to support their future employment opportunities.” Building Heroes is actively working with training providers in both the North and South of England to identify suitable Plant training programmes for launch later this year. These funded training programmes will cater to former military community members and service leavers in their resettlement process. The collaboration with Amey Briggs will help to provide graduates with potential employment opportunities upon completion of these specialised plant training programmes. Nicola Schneider, Head of Corporate Partnerships, expressed her enthusiasm, stating: “We are delighted to welcome AmeyBriggs as a sponsoring partner of the Building Heroes Education Foundation. The forthcoming launch of plant training programmes, with employment outcomes supported by AmeyBriggs, signifies a key step in identifying employment pathways for our graduates within the construction industry. We eagerly anticipate the positive impact this collaboration will have on our Armed Forces community.” For those interested in pursuing a career in the construction and infrastructure sector, Building Heroes invites you to explore future course details, timings, and application processes. Contact info@buildingheroes.org.uk for more information. Organisations looking to enhance their teams and contribute to ESG objectives, social value, equality, diversity, and inclusion are encouraged to partner with Building Heroes. Learn more about becoming an academy, corporate charity, or employer partner at https://www.buildingheroes.org.uk/our-partners. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Three Chamberlain Square, the next highly sustainable commercial building at Paradise Birmingham, has achieved a key landmark moment for itself and the city as its terracotta façade units make progress across the building. More than 8,000 bespoke facade panels are being installed on 3,000 windows across Three Chamberlain Square, starting with the building’s Paradise Street elevations. The panels give the building its unique and appealing terracotta finish as well as its characteristic ogee arches, with the terracotta manufactured by a traditional supplier in the heart of Tuscany, Italy. The amount of terracotta used in the building adds up to more than a kilometre in length, equal to the length of 20 West Midlands Metro trams end to end. The building is currently at its eighth floor level in terms of construction progress, out of ten overall floors, and will top out later this year. Scheduled to open in 2025, main contractor Sir Rober McAlpine (SRM) began work on site in the spring of 2023. Three Chamberlain Square forms an integral part of the overall Paradise masterplan which is bringing up to 2 million sq ft of commercial space, including 370 residential units and 120,000 sq ft of leisure space, to the city. At 189,000 sq ft, Three Chamberlain Square also helps ensure a continued supply of Grade A office space for the city with an emphasis on sustainability and low energy and low carbon design as part of the global drive to net zero. The unitised façade is manufactured and assembled off site by specialist contractor Inasus, with Palagio in Italy contributing the profiled terracotta fins. Palagio has been in business for fifty years supplying terracotta materials around the world. The façade has excellent thermal insulation properties which will improve the energy efficiency of the building. It is fully demountable, meaning its component parts can be refurbished and recycled in the future, rather than demolished. The terracotta is also unglazed, reducing the embodied carbon further, and once installed requires little maintenance. Gently aging as time goes by, terracotta also helps give buildings a uniquely organic look and feel, and at Three Chamberlain Square this process is a key part of the building’s appeal and identity as a highly sustainable space. Designed by architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS), Three Chamberlain Square is a radical statement of sustainability for the city and aims to be one of the greenest commercial buildings built in the UK to date. With BREEAM Outstanding and NABERS 5* at design stage ratings already in place, it is already proving to be a first for Birmingham in terms of environmental standards. Ross Fittall, commercial development director at Paradise Birmingham developer MEPC, said: “The façade panels are a key part of the design of Three Chamberlain Square and bring a new architectural aesthetic to Paradise, one that complements the adjacent Grade I listed Town Hall and pays homage to the Victorian terracotta buildings found throughout the city. “As well as being an organic and beautiful material, terracotta is also robust and stands the test of time. It is completely fitting to be used here on Three Chamberlain Square, the most sustainable commercial building in Birmingham, situated in the civic heart of the city centre.” Leader of Birmingham City Council, Councillor John Cotton, joined representatives from MEPC and SRM at the installation of the terracotta panels. He said: “Three Chamberlain Square is a really good example of the tremendous transformation of Birmingham. “We’re seeing record levels of investment in the city and that is about new jobs, new opportunities and bringing new businesses here. This shows how we are working together to change the city for the better so everyone can live, work and thrive in this great city of ours.” As an important contributor to regional growth, Paradise is committed to creating high quality, new pedestrian streets and squares for everyone to enjoy, as well as improving wider pedestrian and public transport links across the city. Early work on the access and transport links around Paradise were supported by Greater Birmingham Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP). Paradise has already completed phase one of the development with One Chamberlain Square wholly occupied by PwC and Two Chamberlain Square providing some of the best views in Birmingham, with stunning vistas across Chamberlain Square itself and of the city’s impressive Classical and Victorian civic architecture. Leisure operators include Dishoom, Rosa’s Thai Café, Albert’s Schloss, F1® Arcade and Yorks Café. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
London anchored and leading Design & Build contractors McAleer & Rushe, proudly announces the internal appointment of five new Contracts Directors to further strengthen their senior management team. As a family-owned business renowned for its commitment to excellence and partnering with their clients and valued consultants, these appointments underscore the company’s dedication to investing and nurturing talent from within. Commenting on these senior promotions, Martin Magee, Managing Director of McAleer & Rushe said: “On behalf of our shareholders Seamus McAleer, Founder & Chairman and Eamonn Laverty, CEO, together with our main board, we are very pleased to announce these new appointments and we congratulate each one of them. “They will undoubtedly further bolster our senior management team’s professionalism, dedication andleadership capabilities to successfully deliver the exciting projects of our ever-expanding client base. Particularly so, with our early engagement in the development cycle through the negotiation of fixed price design & build contracts and collaborating with our clients through the challenges of the planning process and ultimately achieving commercial viability.” The new Contracts Directors together with the other department directors will work closely with the McAleer & Rushe Contracts UK main board in the active management of the Business Strategic Plan for the next 5-years, with turnover secured at £450m for 2024 and on target to exceed £500m in 2025. With immediate effect, the following staff members have been promoted to the Contracts Director position. As pictured, Left to Right: Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Midlands and North division of international contractor, McLaren Construction, has announced a record turnover of £271million for the latest financial year. Following a year of expansion for the division and McLaren Construction group as a whole, the milestone follows news that the contractor generated overall revenues up 22% to £964 million in 2022/2023 and is on course to break the £1 billion annual turnover barrier in 2023/2024. McLaren Construction (Midlands and North) has experienced growth over the past 12 months, with new appointments across its leadership, project, and sustainability teams and six projects handed over for 2022/2023. Nationally, McLaren Construction is active across multiple markets and intends to continue growth across its residential, data centre, commercial office, leisure, health, education and remediation portfolios. This vision for expansion is shared by the Midlands and North division, which is concentrating on diversifying its public sector work, with a focus on health, education and remediation, alongside data centres and industrial and logistics schemes. Last year, Midlands and North secured its place on the £8bn Procurement Partnerships Framework and was appointed to two of the four lots awarded to McLaren nationally. Under the construction discipline, McLaren Construction (Midlands and North) was appointed to deliver public sector projects from £15m-£30m in the East Midlands and £30m+ in the West Midlands. The contractor is one of 87 appointed to the second-generation Framework which will run from 1 November 2023 for four years and as part of this, is expanding its portfolio of data centre projects with further schemes set for the next 12 months. Further building the reputation of the contractor as an industry leader in the industrial and logistics sector – completed projects in this arena have included Sherburn 42 in Leeds, Konect 62 in Knottingley, the Pets at Home National Fulfilment Centre in Stafford and MAG 401 at Manchester airport. Notable industrial and logistics schemes which have commenced works in the last 12 months include Horizon 29 Phase Two in Bolsover and Project Holst in Coventry. Demonstrating growth within the student property sector, McLaren Construction is also well underway with prominent accommodation sites in the Midlands and North including St Gabriels in Manchester, Talbot Street in Nottingham, and Longwood Close in Coventry which is a joint venture between McLaren Property and Topland. In 2024, the division will be concentrating on continued growth of its project pipelines in the industrial and logistics arena, alongside the student accommodation and data centre sectors, while strengthening and further developing its supply chain across the Midlands and North regions. Gary Cramp, managing director of McLaren Construction Midlands and North, said: “The last 12 months have been consistently successful for the division and our dedicated teams have worked hard to procure schemes across a variety of sectors, strengthening our position as a reliable contractor with diverse expertise. “The quality of our product and service will always be of utmost importance in delivery and we are looking forward to the next 12 months and our expansion in new sectors, alongside working on prominent frameworks.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Successful trial of concrete sensor technology benefits major projects in road, rail and water… Costain, the infrastructure solutions company, has made significant time and efficiency savings for its customers after using new concrete sensor technology. Costain’s materials engineers have been using Maturix’s concrete sensors to keep track of the strength and temperature of setting concrete. The technology has been deployed across a number of Costain’s projects in the road, water and rail sectors. The Gaia 200 sensors, each the size of a large smartphone, send real-time temperature and strength data wirelessly to engineers, temporary works designers and other specialist contractors. This information helps them make faster, more informed decisions, for instance about when to remove the formwork following a concrete pour. The introduction of these sensors has reduced the length of time that the formwork is in place by around 33%, on average. Traditionally, concrete pours are tested by physically removing cube samples to be examined under lab conditions, with a typical pour requiring around six cubes. The ability to record readings directly and accurately from sensors means that these tests are no longer required. One Costain project has used the sensors for more than 80 different pours and structures, eliminating the need to conduct destructive testing of approximately 500 strike cubes. Bhavika Ramrakhyani, head of materials at Costain, commented: “We have an important role to play in maximising efficiency for our customers without compromising on quality or safety. It is important that our engineers have instant access to the right information at the right time, with crucial information sent directly to their devices and laptops. This means they can make informed decisions to accurately determine when it is safest to remove the temporary falsework and formwork after a pour. “We’ve already seen enormous efficiency benefits. Programme delivery speeds have improved considerably, with striking times reduced by a third on sites where we have used the sensors. At the same time, the technology enables us to repurpose and reuse more of our temporary structures, as well as reducing the quantity of materials used, lowering our carbon footprint, which is another major benefit.” Anojan Selvarajah, materials engineer at Costain, said: “We’re pouring more than a thousand cubic meters of concrete every week, so it’s important that we can safely and easily monitor concrete strength data with a high degree of accuracy throughout the construction cycle. As an engineer I found this system to be very reliable and user friendly to use on sites.” Tobias Ejersbo, CEO at Maturix, added: “Costain has a fantastic heritage in UK infrastructure and a track record of innovating to realise greater efficiency. We are pleased that its engineers are seeing the benefits from using our real-time concrete monitoring system to keep track of the strength and temperature of dozens of pours across multiple different projects. “As someone passionate about technology and not from a construction background, it is amazing to see how Maturix can help others with their passions. Construction is evolving at such an amazing rate we are so privileged to be part of the journey.” Costain is an advocate of Production Thinking, which combines modern methods of construction with new technologies and materials, digital tools and smart decision making, all with the aim of driving productivity. More than a thousand people at Costain have completed production thinking e-learning training to further drive quality, predictability, safety and low carbon thinking into customer delivery teams. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
