Engineering steel specialist, William Hare Group, has scooped a contract to deliver the design, fabrication and installation of a sustainable steel solution for the latest iconic development at Broadgate in London. 2 Finsbury Avenue will comprise a 21-storey West Tower and a 36-storey East Tower, linked by a 12-storey podium.
South Staffordshire Plc’s compliance division is delighted to welcome Nicki Hay as its new sales director. Nicki will join the senior management team overseeing all aspects of sales for the two compliance businesses, Integrated Water Services (IWS) Water Hygiene and Omega Red Group. Nicki’s background of over 20 years in
Geotechnical specialists from CAN have embarked on a 20-week programme at the Port of Dover designed to protect the chalk face by removing around 400 tonnes of loose chalk and vegetation across an area measuring 225m long and 40m high. The project is the second phase in a four-year undertaking
Global heavy lifting tower crane specialists, Marr Contracting, have been awarded the contract to deliver specialised heavy lifting crane services on the Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant (LSEP) near Northwich, Cheshire. A joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and FCC Environment, the 60MW energy from waste (EfW) plant will have
Costain, the UK infrastructure business, has reached an important milestone in its gas distribution network upgrade programme with Cadent. Costain is replacing approximately 340km of gas main line each year in Cadent’s East of England network, the largest of Cadent’s five gas networks across the UK. Through working collaboratively with
Groundforce Shorco has supplied a bespoke support system for a major excavation in Dublin. Contractor Bennett Construction is building a new eight-storey campus building in Dublin city centre for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). Two of the building’s eight storeys are below ground, which means the site
AN UNDERGROUND mapping startup has brought in more than £82m from its latest funding round to help bring artificial intelligence to the UK infrastructure industry. Exodigo – for whom former Crossrail CEO Simon Wright OBE acts as an advisor – will use the capital to invest in its UK and European
Solihull Council approved the design for the HS2 green tunnel in Burton Green to cover it with plants and new footpaths to increase biodiversity. The designs respond to community feedback, focusing on bigger and better green spaces around the railway, following public engagement events in October 2019 and March 2022.
One of Scotland’s leading engineering specialists, Akela Ground Engineering (part of Akela Group), has launched an innovative precast concrete beam system which could dramatically speed up the delivery of new homes. ‘ABeam’ from Akela, features a special mechanical pinned joint, allowing for prefabricated ground beams to be installed in a
Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of multi-sector construction and civil engineering projects has been awarded a place on another public sector framework. The company has been selected as a contractor for Lot 5 of the Warwickshire County Council (WCC) Framework Contract
BDC 322 : Nov 2024
Engineering steel specialist, William Hare Group, has scooped a contract to deliver the design, fabrication and installation of a sustainable steel solution for the latest iconic development at Broadgate in London. 2 Finsbury Avenue will comprise a 21-storey West Tower and a 36-storey East Tower, linked by a 12-storey podium. A solid and glazed sawtooth-shaped façade, characterised by triangular patterns, will be facilitated by a steelwork support system. The new building will be the largest on the Broadgate campus, providing 750,000 sq ft of new offices, as well as green, leisure and publicly accessible spaces. The building will create a new benchmark for highly sustainable workspace in central London with BREEAM Outstanding, WELL Platinum, EPC A and NABERS 5-star ratings. It will be all-electric, and a smart-enabled development ensuring leading carbon and energy efficiency in operation. William Hare Group has designed its steel solution to align with the project’s overall sustainability goals, including using LEAN design principles with the supply chain. Having successfully delivered nearby 100 Liverpool Street and 1 Broadgate, William Hare’s partnership on 2 Finsbury Avenue – working with Sir Robert McAlpine – will further extend its longstanding association with the Broadgate joint venture, between British Land and GIC. Matthew Nesbit, Group Board Director at William Hare Group, commented: “We are delighted to have been appointed at 2 Finsbury Avenue, as an extension of the work we have already delivered on the Broadgate development. “Being able to bring our design, fabrication and delivery capability to life on schemes like this is testament to our market-leading position as a global steel specialist.” Completion is expected in 2027, with global hedge fund firm, Citadel, and Citadel Securities pre-letting over a third of the development’s office space. William Hare Group is expected to have completed its works by summer 2025. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
South Staffordshire Plc’s compliance division is delighted to welcome Nicki Hay as its new sales director. Nicki will join the senior management team overseeing all aspects of sales for the two compliance businesses, Integrated Water Services (IWS) Water Hygiene and Omega Red Group. Nicki’s background of over 20 years in senior sales leadership means that she brings with her a wealth of experience specialising in people and process development, sales leadership, sales analysis and sales and marketing improvement. Nicki is customer focused with a passion for developing individuals, sales teams, and strong customer relationships. Neil Shailer, managing director of South Staffordshire Plc’s compliance division commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Nicki to the team as sales director. With Nicki’s vast experience in sales and passion for forging strong customer relationships, I’m confident that she will be an invaluable member of our leadership team and play a fundamental part in our continued success and growth.” The compliance division of the Group offers lightning protection services, electrical earthing solutions, height safety solutions, Legionella control, water treatment and air hygiene services all of which help clients achieve compliance to a range of relevant standards and regulation. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Geotechnical specialists from CAN have embarked on a 20-week programme at the Port of Dover designed to protect the chalk face by removing around 400 tonnes of loose chalk and vegetation across an area measuring 225m long and 40m high. The project is the second phase in a four-year undertaking at the busy port with CAN, an RSK Group company, taking on the role of principal contractor for the chalk face stabilisation works. The project has been carefully planned to take into account port operations, while being mindful of the impact on wildlife, including nesting birds. CAN Geotechnical Project Manager Andy Pope said: “The team is very excited to work on a project associated with protecting such a quintessentially British landmark. Of course, our work is crucial from a very practical perspective: to make sure that the area remains safe for those who work in the Port of Dover. We will achieve this through a combination of light and heavy scaling to prepare the cliff face for further safety measures designed to prevent loose chalk falling from the cliff. The light scaling work will be carried out using small hand tools, supported by heavy scaling using excavators with bucket attachments. “Increasingly, CAN is being called on to advise on cliff stabilisation strategies. Coastal erosion is a challenge that has hit the headlines in recent months across the UK, but regular evaluation and maintenance work such as this can make all the difference.” The CAN team, which has previously worked on Brighton’s chalk cliffs, will also remove material including an old catch fence, cranked palisade fencing, existing steel hoarding and large concrete blocks. Andy said: “Once we have removed these materials and scaled the cliff face to remove loose chalk, we will install a 225m long, 5m high rock fall barrier or catch fence, which is part of the rock fall barrier systems designed to collect and retain any future loose chalk. There will also be periodic maintenance work carried out to remove any rocks from the catch fence.” The CAN Geotechnical team is well known for putting its rope access skills to impressive use at considerable heights, but, while this is a feature for some of the Dover cliffs work, mobile elevated platforms and excavators will provide the main points of access. These will deliver technicians to heights of 40m, allowing them to evaluate and remove loose chalk. Andy said: “The mobile platforms and excavators are more suitable in this instance, as the cliff crest is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This equipment is safe and efficient, ensuring minimal disruption to this sensitive environment. The team will also use a large rotating telehandler with modifications designed by CAN to make this suitable to drill into the cliff face to secure the high-level catch fence and upslope supporting anchors.” The team has worked closely with the Port of Dover to tackle logistical challenges such as planning ahead to ensure team, material and plant deliveries comply with the Port of Dover requirements and UK border control. CAN has been supported by another RSK company on the project, RSK SafeGround, which provided ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveying services. These are vital for a project such as this, as GPR is used to identify any buried or hidden services that could potentially impact on the work. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Global heavy lifting tower crane specialists, Marr Contracting, have been awarded the contract to deliver specialised heavy lifting crane services on the Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant (LSEP) near Northwich, Cheshire. A joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and FCC Environment, the 60MW energy from waste (EfW) plant will have the capacity to process 600,000 tonnes of waste per year – producing enough power for 125,000 homes. LSEP has appointed global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company Black & Veatch as the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contractor to support LSEP in delivering its Energy from Waste facility at the Lostock Works site near Northwich. Babcock & Wilcox Renewable, a segment of the global Clean Energy technology group within Babcock & Wilcox, has also been appointed to support the delivery of the power train, which is the heart of the energy generation and environmental performance of the plant. Working in conjunction with Black & Veatch, Marr developed a two-crane solution utilising the world’s largest capacity luffing tower crane, the M2480D. The solution offers lift capacities of up to 110 tonnes and a reach of up to 73 metres to lift the 70-tonne drum and boiler waterwalls weighing 85 tonnes. The first erected M2480D is founded on the Marr Transit System (MTS) – a rail system that extends the reach and coverage of the tower crane over the site without any loss of capacity. The second M2480D is installed on a static base. The solution will support Black & Veatch’s preferred MMC / DfMA methodology by allowing larger sections of plant and equipment weighing up to 85 tonnes to be installed in fewer lifts. “We’re excited to be working in the UK with a client like Black & Veatch who can see the benefits that the right cranage solution can deliver to a project. With the ability to lift in larger, heavier components, our approach will reduce the number of lifts required, helping to deliver a safer, more productive site,” said Marr’s Managing Director, Simon Marr. “Marr’s experience in the successful delivery of similar large-scale EfW plants in Australia and the Middle East is ideally suited to emerging trends in the UK. Larger plants demand more efficient construction solutions and can really benefit from the use of technology such as the Marr Transit System,” said Steve Ryder, General Manager – International, Marr Contracting. The LSEP is currently under construction and expected to be operational by 2025. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Costain, the UK infrastructure business, has reached an important milestone in its gas distribution network upgrade programme with Cadent. Costain is replacing approximately 340km of gas main line each year in Cadent’s East of England network, the largest of Cadent’s five gas networks across the UK. Through working collaboratively with Cadent and supply chain partners during the design, procurement and delivery stages, the scheme is on track to see 380km replaced by the end of the financial year, 31 March 2024. Costain passed its 340km-per-year target more than a month ahead of schedule, aided by the application of agile operational processes around planning, programme management, reporting and control that have delivered to targets and have led to efficiency gains. Reaching the milestone means that around 33,000 homes have had new gas mains fitted. The upgraded pipeline will reduce the risk of supply disruption to households and businesses while also helping end-users benefit from the safety and environmental improvements being made. The project has seen more than half a million excavations to date. The programme is in the third year of a five-year contract, with the option to extend by a further five years. Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network managing more than 80,000 miles of pipes and transporting gas to 11 million customers. Laura Hughes, energy director at Costain, commented: “This is a hugely fulfilling programme for our team and the whole of the supply chain. We’ve passed an important milestone and are on track to exceed our target by an additional 40km of new gas pipeline. “The UK’s gas distribution network needs to undergo significant improvements to allow us to decarbonise our energy system, comply with environmental legislation and upgrade ageing assets. Collectively with Cadent, we are improving the lives of thousands of people in the East of England by upgrading pipelines to ensure homes remain heated. I’m particularly impressed with our strong performance on safety and efficiency.” Mark Briggs, head of investment planning at Cadent, added: “We’ve been working alongside Costain for a number of years now and we are very pleased to see these sorts of results being achieved. “The work carried out by Costain is part of a big investment programme across the East of England to modernise the gas network – keeping people warm in their homes now and getting the network ready for lower-carbon gases in the future. “Of course, we won’t be resting on our laurels and as one financial year comes to an end, we’ll continue to work collaboratively with Costain to make sure that we push on with this fantastic work; looking forward to driving further efficiencies ensuring a safe, more customer focused plan.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Groundforce Shorco has supplied a bespoke support system for a major excavation in Dublin. Contractor Bennett Construction is building a new eight-storey campus building in Dublin city centre for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). Two of the building’s eight storeys are below ground, which means the site is currently occupied by a deep excavation more than 50m long and 30m wide. Modular hydraulic equipment supplied by Groundforce Shorco is supporting the concrete secant-piled retaining wall while Bennett Construction completes the excavation and installs the reinforced concrete basement slab. Although the excavation is roughly rectangular in plan, it includes several irregularities that complicate the engineering of the support solution. Lateral forces impose geotechnical loads varying between 215kNm and 300kN/m which are supported by Groundforce Shorco’s MP150 and MP250 hydraulic props via a waling beam comprising the company’s modular Mega Brace system. However, where the shape of the excavation does not allow the use of standard equipment, bespoke beams and props have been designed and supplied to ensure that all of the concrete secant piles remain fully supported. Five MP250 props support the middle of the excavation, spanning almost 30m. These props are fitted with 1,220mm-diameter ‘super-tube’ (twice the diameter of standard extension tubes) to increase stiffness and prevent deflection. Each of the four corners of the excavation is supported by a combination of MP150 and MP250 props in lengths ranging from just over 5m to more than 18m. These props act as knee-braces, supporting the Mega Brace beam at angles of approximately 45o. This arrangement imposes a significant shear force on the retaining wall. “At certain locations there are very short lengths of retaining wall comprising only a few piles and these are unable to resist the shear from the knee braces,” explains Groundforce Shorco major projects manager Adam Fletcher. To enable the waling beam to resist the shear at these points, Groundforce Shorco designed bespoke steelwork that was welded to the Mega Brace beam in-situ. “When the final pile layout was determined we decided to split the frame to suit two levels of propping and designed a bespoke corner brace to follow the pile line and limit the deflection where shear keys could not be used,” explains Adam. Chiara Morena, Groundforce Shorco design manager, said: “In standard procedures, the props are located against the retaining wall using gallows brackets. These not only ensure the correct positioning of the prop but also carry its unsupported weight and prevent any risk of slippage. On this project, only the hard secant piles could be used for supporting the beam via gallows brackets and that was an additional challenge. Once a partial built wall was provided, we had to verify the anchored connection of the gallows brackets for each beam extension around the excavation. “However, due to the difference in level in the RCSI excavation, one of the MP250 props is installed at a 3o angle to the horizontal which introduces an upward force at the higher end of the prop as it is braced against the waling beam. To counteract this, we installed an additional gallows bracket upside down, in non-standard fashion, above the prop at this point.” Adam added: “Groundforce Shorco became involved when the design was at a very early stage and contributed to several revisions before the design was finalised, which also gave the opportunity to have a full picture of what was happening around the design. The bespoke solutions provided where the standard kit was not suitable are one of our strengths.” Damien Watson, project manager with Bennett Construction, commented: “Groundforce Shorco provided continuous assistance after completing the design and during the installation and removal phases. They even helped with elements that fell outside their responsibility as a supplier of temporary propping equipment.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
AN UNDERGROUND mapping startup has brought in more than £82m from its latest funding round to help bring artificial intelligence to the UK infrastructure industry. Exodigo – for whom former Crossrail CEO Simon Wright OBE acts as an advisor – will use the capital to invest in its UK and European team and expand its range of scanning products, which accurately identify and categorise underground hazards and assets. The geospatial specialist uses sensors and AI technology to identify utilities and other underground assets, and has been used successfully on major projects across the UK. Most recently, the technology was deployed by Colas Rail on its Birmingham Midland Metro Extension project, which extends the current light rail network and will also connect to the Curzon Street HS2 station currently under construction. With this announcement of the additional round – which takes the overall total of funding past £93m – Exodigo will now expand its teams on the ground in the UK, allowing it to better support some of the nation’s biggest infrastructure projects. Aurelia Setton, Chief Business Officer of Exodigo, said: “This new round of funding will fuel more strategic investments in the UK and in Europe. Our partners are already seeing the benefits of working with Exodigo, particularly on their ability to deliver projects at scale, on time, within budget, and safely. “Utility strikes are an issue around the globe, leading to unnecessary emissions, risks, delays and budget overspend, but our solutions locate up to 30% more utility lines than other services, and reduce preliminary digging and trial holes by up to 90%. This funding will open up even more opportunities to scale across new verticals in the UK and in Europe.” Jointly headquartered in Silicon Valley and Tel Aviv, Israel, Exodigo runs its UK operations out of its London office in Farringdon. The funding round has been co-led by Greenfield Partners and existing investor Zeev Ventures, and is further backed by existing investors SquarePeg, 10D VC, JIBE and National Grid Partners. Raz Mangel, partner at Greenfield Partners said: “Exodigo is one of those rare companies that has managed to revolutionize a large market that is difficult to innovate in, by combining breakthroughs on both the software and hardware side in order to create unparalleled technology for non-intrusive underground mapping. The company operates with a unique intensity, leading to incredible market and product velocity. “The company operates with a unique intensity, leading to incredible market and product velocity. We’re thrilled to partner with Jeremy and the entire Exodigo team to play a part in the next phase of their global expansion as the company makes underground mapping and exploration a reality for the mass market.” Jeremy Suard, co-founder and CEO, Exodigo, said: “We want to transform the entire built environment and are committed to making underground exploration safer, faster, and more sustainable so our customers can design, dig and build safely with confidence. As the only subsurface imaging company to put AI-interpreted signal processing into practice, Exodigo solves a massive, longstanding problem for industries where what lies underground matters.” For more information about Exodigo, visit www.exodigo.com. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Solihull Council approved the design for the HS2 green tunnel in Burton Green to cover it with plants and new footpaths to increase biodiversity. The designs respond to community feedback, focusing on bigger and better green spaces around the railway, following public engagement events in October 2019 and March 2022. The plans for the southern end of the structure have already been approved by Warwickshire District Council, where the railway will travel in a 400-metre green tunnel. The railway will be hidden, and the roof will be covered with landscape planting and new footpaths to sensitively integrate the railway into the surrounding landscape and enhance local biodiversity. Solihull Council’s approval of the northern section of the structure, where the railway exits the tunnel north portal in a 1.4-kilometre cutting with retained walls, completes the planning approvals for this stretch of HS2. A key feature for this area is the realignment of the Kenilworth Greenway, which provides a link from Balsall Common to Kenilworth via Burton Green for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders. The new Greenway will cross under Cromwell Lane and then cross the roof of the green tunnel and run alongside the railway cutting, with noise barriers further minimising impacts on the local community. Large-scale planting of native trees and shrubs will provide biodiverse habitats for wildlife, shield the Greenway visibly from the new railway, and re-establish vegetated connections to Black Waste Wood and Little Poors Wood, both areas of ancient woodland. Alan Payne, HS2’s Senior Project Manager said: “We’re delighted to receive Schedule 17 planning consent for the northern section of the green tunnel from Solihull Council. We’re committed to maximising green space around the new high-speed railway and have worked with residents and authorities to ensure our tunnel design conserves, enhances and transforms the landscape in this area. “The design for the permanent realignment for the Kenilworth Greenway and the landscape infrastructure created over the green tunnel is central to how we deliver this, linking the local community and railway with the wider landscape.” The green tunnel in Burton Green was designed by the Mott MacDonald SYSTRA Design Joint Venture working for HS2’s main works contractor for the West Midlands, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), who are constructing 90km of HS2 between Long Itchington in Warwickshire to the centre of Birmingham and on to Staffordshire. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
One of Scotland’s leading engineering specialists, Akela Ground Engineering (part of Akela Group), has launched an innovative precast concrete beam system which could dramatically speed up the delivery of new homes. ‘ABeam’ from Akela, features a special mechanical pinned joint, allowing for prefabricated ground beams to be installed in a matter of hours. By combining precise off site fabrication, alignment, interlocking sections with secure fastening, this joint design ensures a robust, reliable and efficient way to connect precast ground beams. Officially launched at the National House Building Council (NHBC) Construction roadshow in Glasgow last week, ABeam offers housebuilders an exciting new and sustainable alternative to ground beam installation. Officially approved and signed off on “live” projects by the NHBC, ABeam could help housebuilders lay foundations for up to three plots per day. Following significant investment, including the creation of a state-of-the-art fabrication facility at Akela’s headquarters near Glasgow, ABeam has been specifically designed to offer housebuilders greater efficiencies in delivery of new homes. Will Payne, General Manager, Akela Ground Engineering, said: “After reviewing the precast ground beam options available on the market, we found many still had considerable downsides, the use of pile caps, insitu concrete and tie bars were common, this requires sequencing of works and could also be impacted by weather conditions, all of this leads to considerably longer installation times. “Akela’s new ABeam precast system eliminates all of these issues and offers significant advantages in terms of construction install, performance and overall project quality.” Akela’s purpose-built facility at Thornliebank has the capability to fabricate the Abeams in a controlled environment to ensure quality and production output. The company has also invested in renewable ground source heating for curing the concrete to lower the carbon impact on the environment. Will Payne continues: “In addition to the significant time savings and efficiencies, our new ABeam system can be delivered using the same plant equipment for full the installation process, with lighter bearing pressures from our JCB JX driven piling rigs. “Using sustainable methods of production at our purpose-built facility and existing equipment for installation, we’re able to reduce our carbon footprint and offer developers a more modern and energy efficient alternative to existing ground beam options. For example, with ABeam, clients will no longer need to install crane platforms or hard standings at their sites.”Andy Borland, Construction Director at Bellway Homes, said: “Akela’s ABeam system has meant we were able to release plots to our wider teams a lot faster compared to other precast ground systems we have previously used. Our bricklayers were working on multiple plots within three days of pile installations at this development, rather than taking over a week and relying on the weather. We also didn’t need to install any crane platforms as Akela used the same excavated plant for the entire installation process, saving us money on preparatory works that other precast ground beams systems require.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of multi-sector construction and civil engineering projects has been awarded a place on another public sector framework. The company has been selected as a contractor for Lot 5 of the Warwickshire County Council (WCC) Framework Contract for the Provision of Engineering and Construction Works. Work under Lot 5 of the Framework will typically involve the construction – or the design and construction – of major highway, structural and other civil engineering works, including agricultural buildings and waste management site works. As well as operational competences, Health and Safety (H&S) and design credentials will be a key focus. Winvic’s exemplary safety record for its highways works delivery, it’s robust H&S cultural change programme – Doing It Right – as well as its tried and tested digital design and Net Zero construction capabilities are all substantial merits which helped the company to secure the Framework place. Winvic’s team will initially spend time detailing compliance and operation processes and preparing for future projects. Winvic’s Social Value team will also be strategising and planning to deliver activities against the Themes, Outcomes and Measures (TOMs) set out by WCC. Rob Cook, Director of Civils and Infrastructure at Winvic, said: “As always, the Winvic team worked exceptionally hard to demonstrate our credentials in the tender for Lot 5 of Warwickshire County Council’s Highways Framework and we’re delighted to be working with another county council. We have collaborated with the local authority previously when delivering projects within their boundaries and we’ll now build on that already strong relationship.” “We’re delighted that WCC share our vision of putting the safety of the public and our workforce first, while balancing the speed of operations with budgets, and we aim to maintain our highways works zero per cent accident rate. Plus, with our long-standing commitments to social value, sustainability and innovation, we’re well placed to drive forward-thinking programmes, environmentally focused and Net Zero schemes that really make a difference to local people. The whole team is looking forward to delivering their first project under the highways Framework in Warwickshire.” For more information on Winvic, the company’s latest project news and job vacancies please visit www.winvic.co.uk. Join Winvic on social media – visit X (formerly Twitter) @WinvicLtd – and LinkedIn. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
