Last week the University of Wolverhampton launched the first Demolition Management Master’s Degree. This course is the first of its kind on offer in the UK, and a local businessman is among the first people to sign up for the course. Richard Dolman works for the Nuneaton based company AR
Mick George are diversifying and will be looking to offer vehicle purchasing and leasing services. Construction companies are not necessarily the first companies to look at when exploring the idea of purchasing or hiring vehicles. However, it is worth considering that companies in this industry are able to efficiently operate
Scott, former bid director for the Group sales division at Capita, has a strong background in large-scale sales solutions. While at the five-billion-pound professional services organisation, Scott headed up the growth engine within Capita, and was responsible for securing new business contracts worth 50million pounds and above. Following a successful
Skanska has been awarded a contract by the City of London Corporation to carry out mechanical and electrical maintenance and look after the fabric of the Corporation’s buildings. The contract begins in July 2017 and lasts for five years, with the option to renew for a further two years. The
The US Customs and Border Protection is set to start constructing the very first segment of the Trump Border Wall in the month of November, going through a wildlife refuge with funding that was received from Congress. The news broke as an official from the US Fish and Wildlife Service
It has been announced that of all of the different lifting options that are available within a Care Home structure, using a ceiling hoist is the most appropriate across all cases. According to Good Practice Guidelines, ceiling hoists are the most effective lifting methods. According to research, there should be
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
Last week the University of Wolverhampton launched the first Demolition Management Master’s Degree. This course is the first of its kind on offer in the UK, and a local businessman is among the first people to sign up for the course. Richard Dolman works for the Nuneaton based company AR Demolition and has enrolled on to the course which will begin this month at the University’s School of Architecture and Built Environment. The Master’s Degree course has been accredited by the Institute of Demolition Engineers. The new Demolition Management course has been created with the assistance of industry experts and it is thought that the syllabus will be delivered to the students by academics and specialists in the demolition sector. The creation of this course has taken place after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding by the University of Wolverhampton and the IDE. This Memorandum was signed in September last year and looked to introduce a range of new opportunities for both students and those already working in the industry. The demolition sector works of more than £8 billion worth of projects each year. The new qualification will hopefully attract more young people to this sector as well as making sure that current demolition engineers have access to the best opportunities for professional development possible. A number of central representatives from the industry and academics that are a part of the curriculum delivery team have attended a range of different planning meetings that have been held over the course of the last two years in order to design and create the new Master’s Degree in Demolition Management. The degree course is a great way to make the industry more professional. For Richard Dolman, getting a degree in his career subject was an interesting prospect, and could also appeal to those who were less interested in academics earlier in life. The degree course is another step towards plugging the skills gap present in the demolition industry at all points.
Mick George are diversifying and will be looking to offer vehicle purchasing and leasing services. Construction companies are not necessarily the first companies to look at when exploring the idea of purchasing or hiring vehicles. However, it is worth considering that companies in this industry are able to efficiently operate and maintain over and above 400-strong fleets in some cases. However, before making this move it is imperative that a construction company fully understand the market it is moving into, as well as have the foresight to carry out the move and have the knowledge to add to their service portfolio in order to move successfully. Mick George Ltd have done just that and made the leap into the commercial vehicle trade. In order to carry out this expansion the company have come to an agreement with one of their established vehicle suppliers, who shares the same vision and ethos as the construction company. Steve Howell is the part owner of Neva Consultants after generating a range of experience throughout his career, which began in Car Sales in 1981. At Neva, Steve pays a central role and has been directly involved in the turning over of up to 2,000 cars a year to a range of different satisfied clients. Steve has been working with Mick George for a number of years, especially with the Finance Director Jon Stump. After helping Jon source a BMW 323SE, Steve became involved in the supply of the Company Cars, Lorries, and Tipper Trucks in volume for the construction company. The car leasing market is stable and buoyant that the moment, and Mick George Ltd will be offering vehicles at a much reduced rate while removing the hassle of maintaining the vehicle and any risk of depreciating value. This plan will be attractive to customers and will offer the construction company an innovative way to stay ahead in this uncertain market while still complementing the core of their business services.
Scott, former bid director for the Group sales division at Capita, has a strong background in large-scale sales solutions. While at the five-billion-pound professional services organisation, Scott headed up the growth engine within Capita, and was responsible for securing new business contracts worth 50million pounds and above. Following a successful four years at Capita, Scott was headhunted by Servest, the leading integrated FM service provider, in a strategic move to upscale the business development and retention strategies, focussing on larger, complex opportunities. Scott, working closely with sales, operations and divisional managing directors will be involved in developing and implementing innovative solutions and streamlining processes, while enhancing Servest’s tailored offering to further meet and exceed client demand. “We are delighted to welcome Greg to the team,” said Andrew Sugars, Executive Director at Servest. “Greg’s arrival will enhance a more innovative, customer-centric and insight led approach. The experience that he brings to the team will no doubt be a contributing factor in our continued success.” Scott commented: “The opportunity presented to me by Servest was so compelling that I decided to make the jump. I’m excited about working with the teams to further develop how Servest goes to market and to introduce change that will help the growth and success of this organisation.” www.servest.co.uk
Skanska has been awarded a contract by the City of London Corporation to carry out mechanical and electrical maintenance and look after the fabric of the Corporation’s buildings. The contract begins in July 2017 and lasts for five years, with the option to renew for a further two years. The City Corporation is a unique public body, with a large and diverse portfolio of properties. Iconic infrastructure in the capital includes Mansion House, Tower Bridge, the Old Bailey, the Guildhall and the Barbican together with Smithfield and Spitalfields markets. The City Corporation’s estate spreads outside of London to include Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath, Tilbury Docks and Burnham Beeches. It has everything from schools and police stations to libraries and a large investment portfolio of commercial offices, retail and leisure. Pete Collinson, Operations Group Director at the City of London Corporation, said: “We’re pleased to appoint Skanska with the demanding task of delivering a quality maintenance service to our built environment and our heritage and green spaces. Providing continued maintenance and improvement to our property and facilities for the benefit of visitors and users is an ongoing priority.” Katy Dowding, Managing Director at Skanska, commented: “We are thrilled to have won this contract. We look forward to working with this prestigious new customer. We’ll be using lots of new ideas and innovations to deliver a first-class service.” www.skanska.co.uk
The US Customs and Border Protection is set to start constructing the very first segment of the Trump Border Wall in the month of November, going through a wildlife refuge with funding that was received from Congress. The news broke as an official from the US Fish and Wildlife Service discussed it with a NGO that is raising money for the support of 2 South Texas national wildlife refuges. It was reported that a 3 mile border barrier has been quietly planned in the past 6 months through Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, with soil testing and drilling also reportedly started in New Mexico and California. The construction of the wall was expected to start in January but the House did approve a $1.6 billion spending bill to build some pieces in California and Texas. CBP declared that although the Senate is not sure of this, it will shift own budgets in order to start the work on the segment. According to Carlos Diaz, Customs and Border Protection spokesman: “It would be premature to speak about specific locations.” He went on to say that the only projects that are now authorized are installing 35 gates that exist in the current border fence. The Santa Ana 2,088 acre refuge is one of the country’s most important bird watching sites housing over 400 species. Unfortunately, even if environmental damage would be substantial, the Department of Homeland Security is allowed to wave environmental regulations stopping construction in such sensitive wildlife areas. Democrats are expected to be unified in order to stop such a project. President Trump did make the border wall construction a signature promise and did make huge allegations about its construction, with costs being estimated as being a lot lower than what it would actually cost. While the wall was not mentioned much in recent months, the CBP did start a bidding contest in order to build models for the wall, with concrete and different alternative designs being allowed. Winners are expected to be announced in the month of November. According to The Luxury Team, building a border wall across the entire border with Mexico would be totally impossible and would cost so much more than what many expect, especially if concrete would be used. It seems that President Trump agrees with this and stated that the wall that should be built needs to be see-through, with parts of the border not having to be covered as it is protected by topography. Nothing is officially known about how President Trump will achieve the wall project, even at a lower scale version. Under President Obama administration the current fence, which is a really modest project, cost around $3.2 million per mile. The CBP announced that their entire yearly budget is $20 million. The Republican and Democratic lawmakers did not manage to come up with any feasible idea about how the wall would be paid. According to the Department Of Homeland Security, the entire cost would be $20 billion. The Mexican officials did vigorously reject all propositions about financing the construction.
It has been announced that of all of the different lifting options that are available within a Care Home structure, using a ceiling hoist is the most appropriate across all cases. According to Good Practice Guidelines, ceiling hoists are the most effective lifting methods. According to research, there should be ceiling hoists installed in at least 5% of bedrooms, and the rooms that have ceiling hoists fitted should also have en-suite facilities. This setup has been recommended for new build multi-occupancy property like nursing and residential care homes. Clos-o-Mat is a company that is looking at simplifying the process of lifting patients or residents. The care equipment supplier has been working for the past 55 years to provide advice and equipment to customers. Clos-o-Mat offer a number of pieces of toilet care equipment in order to make caring for elderly or disabled people safer and easier. The business is known for being the leading suppliers of toileting technology that is aimed at the elderly and disabled around the UK. Clos-o-Mat has created a complete fixed track hoist service which has been developed with the advice from designers. The company offers the supply and installation of the equipment as well as commissioning and maintenance in order to make sure that the fixed lifting equipment functions at its best and is kept as a safe piece for equipment to lift and relocate people. The Clos-o-Mat lifting equipment is a simply designed and allows the care worker the capability to lift someone from a bed in order to transfer them into the shower or toilet and back. The equipment can also allow a worker to lift and move a person from room to room with the fixed ceiling tracks. This will make the lifting and maneuvering process easier on the person being moved, and give them back some dignity. This new system also works to reduce strain on the care worker’s back and arms as well as makes sure that the correct sling and hoist are always used.
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
