Ayesa wins largest water project contract to date in Saudi Arabia, valued at 95 million euros
Ayesa, a leading global provider of technology and engineering solutions, announces it has won its biggest contract ever in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, worth 95 million euros. The National Water Company (NWC), a key figure in the water industry, has appointed the Andulasian firm to provide consultancy services for the design of 190 cutting-edge, sustainable water projects that will enhance both the quantity and quality of the resource. This contract is a part of NWC’s commitment to provide safe drinking water and effective sanitation with a planned investment of around 200 billion euros by 2030 into comprehensive water cycle infrastructure including water treatment and sanitation processes to the delivery of potable water to its population. In respect of Ayesa’s contract, the Spanish Engineering leader will design major hydraulic infrastructure across four regions of the country—south, west, northwest, and north. This comprehensive plan includes the construction of multiple water storage tanks to enhance the reliability of the water supply, alongside the development of pumping stations, treatment plants, purification facilities, and widespread distribution networks. The projected capital expenditure for these projects stands at approximately five billion euros. Ayesa will deliver the design of these hydraulic projects as well as provide environmental services such as Environmental Impact Assessment and Ecological assessments to the NWC during the bidding stage for the construction of the infrastructures. Ayesa will leverage the most innovative technologies in water treatment, sustainable materials, and measures to optimize energy usage. José Ramón Delgado, Ayesa’s Country Manager in Saudi Arabia, highlighted the contract’s significance: “This contract marks a historic milestone for the company, representing the largest contract in hydraulic works design for Ayesa to date. This contract is an opportunity for transformative growth, positioning Ayesa as a global leader, and leveraging the strengths and experience of our engineering hubs across various locations in Saudi Arabia, Spain, Ireland, Bahrain, and India. This major win establishes Ayesa as a leading engineering and technology services provider in the Middle East.” Ayesa is currently in the Top 20 (#17) worldwide for water supply as surveyed in the 2023 ENR Global Sourcebook. To find out more about Ayesa’s award-winning engineering work, click here Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Barhale recommits to Anglian Water’s @one Alliance to deliver £2.6 billion package of investment over AMP8
Barhale is set to recommit to Anglian Water’s @one Alliance ahead of a new Asset Management Period (AMP8) for 2025 to 2030, in which the water company is proposing its largest ever package of investment. The existing partners – Balfour Beatty, Barhale, Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB), MWH Treatment, SKANSKA and SWECO – have already delivered £1.3 billion in work, half of Anglian Water’s overall enhancement portfolio, so far in AMP7 (2020-2025). For AMP8, Barhale will remain a full member in the @one Alliance from 1 April 2024, offering civil, mechanical and electrical engineering, complex infrastructure and tunnelling expertise alongside the Alliance’s other seven partners. The @one Alliance is set to deliver a record £2.6 billion of the water company’s overall investment in AMP8, with much of this work specifically targeted at protecting and enhancing the East of England’s natural environment and providing resilience to climate change. This investment portfolio forms part of Anglian Water’s wider, record £9 billion proposed plans for AMP8, which will see a huge programme of much-needed investment across the East of England between 2025 and 2030. James Haddon, Barhale’s Eastern Region Director said “Anglian Water is England and Wales’s largest water company by geographical area and has committed to an impressive programme to provide resilience, enable growth, improve ecological quality and become carbon neutral across the region. These are huge challenges and it is a testament to the @one Alliance’s success that it continues to set a benchmark for collaboration and innovation both within the water industry and beyond. “We are very proud to have been a part of the @one Alliance since its launch in 2005 and to be extending that relationship through the next AMP.” Jason Tucker, Director of Strategic Delivery and Commercial Assurance for Anglian Water, said: “The opportunity our next five-year regulatory period, AMP8, affords for Anglian Water and the @one Alliance to deliver on our purpose of bringing environmental and social prosperity to the region we serve is unprecedented. “The scale of investment to enhance our environment and secure water supplies for future generations is massive and I’m delighted that our long-standing and successful @one Alliance will continue to help us deliver our capital investment programme in support of our growing region.” Anglian Water was one of the first utilities to introduce an alliancing model to deliver its capital programmes across the East of England. Since the @one Alliance’s inauguration in 2005, the company’s approach has been held up as an exemplar as part of the Government’s Construction Playbook. A key aspect of this continued success has been the embedding of performance incentives around efficiency, carbon, innovation, ED&I and culture. A key aspect of this continued success has been the embedding of incentives around efficiency, innovation, culture and high performance into the @one Alliance’s structure, in order to enable delivery of Anglian Water’s incredibly ambitious investment programme. Ian Hutchinson, Managing Director of Anglian Water’s @one Alliance, said: “Alliancing in this way allows partners to reimagine traditional ways of working by encouraging innovative thinking, advancement of new technology, and collaborative working between partners. This flexibility means that the @one Alliance plays a crucial role in enabling Anglian Water to deliver large-scale investments to build its region’s resilience against climate change. “By combining the @one Alliance’s partners’ years of investing in innovation and efficient delivery, we’ve been able to decrease the total cost of our proposed AMP8 plans from £10bn to £9bn, a 10% reduction. We’ve already seen how successful and powerful a truly integrated and collaborative alliancing approach can be. That’s why we’re delighted to welcome back our much-valued partners, along with Binnies this AMP, to support us in delivering this much-needed investment for our region.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Topping Out Milestone Reached at Tustin Estate
Southwark Council and Bouygues UK have celebrated reaching the ‘topping out’ stage at the significant housing project Tustin Estate alongside London’s Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development Tom Copley. Phase 1 of the project is 100% replacement affordable homes with all existing residents moving into new homes. Tustin Estate, the first large-scale project procured through Pagabo’s Developer Led Framework, will provide nearly 700 new homes. The scheme includes 250 replacement council homes and shared equity properties, 220 additional council homes including keyworker homes, and 220 homes for private sale. It will include a new central park, refurbishment of existing council homes and around 1,800 sqm of commercial floorspace. The public realm and landscaping across the estate will be significantly enhanced and will include new pedestrian, cycle and vehicular routes throughout, greenways, and improvements to Tustin Common. Work commenced in autumn 2022 and the whole project is planned to complete in 2030. The partners will deliver the project in four phases. Community engagement has been central to the project from the outset. The mandate for the project was established through a community ballot and residents have so far been able to influence the design, construction strategy and social value activity at masterplan level and for the details of phase 1. Extensive consultation has already taken place to gather residents’ feedback and input on the details of phase 2, with the application for ‘reserved matters’ planning permission being submitted later this year. Engagement will continue throughout the later phases. Giving back to the local community is a key priority for Southwark Council and Bouygues UK. Bouygues UK have held workshops for young people in the local area and educational workshops including interview skills at London South Bank University, a pre-employment course and longer-term apprenticeships and training opportunities. Local family events and excursions are regularly held in the community. Employing local labour is also a key priority with positions such as resident liaison officer and traffic marshall given to local people. Phillippa Prongué, Bouygues UK’s Managing Director for London and the South East said, “It’s amazing to think that it was only last summer we were breaking ground here in the sunshine and construction work had only just started. It’s fantastic to see the progress that’s been made in that time. We are proud that this scheme is very much being designed with the residents, for the residents, with collaboration at the heart. When everybody pulls together and the community comes together in the way that it has done here, we can achieve great things. Thank you all for being here today to celebrate how far we’ve come.” Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, Tom Copley, said, “I was delighted to join the Tustin community for the topping out ceremony of one of London’s most ambitious and exciting regeneration projects. “This project is not only delivering new, modern homes for existing residents but also creating more than 200 of the new council homes Londoners so desperately need, alongside a host of new amenities and job opportunities for the local community. The Tustin Estate is a shining example of how we are working together to build a better, fairer, more prosperous London for everyone.” The Leader of Southwark Council, Cllr Kieron Williams, said, “I’m thrilled to celebrate this important progress milestone on a redevelopment where we’re building new homes for existing residents as well as additional new council homes. We’ve worked with residents to bring about the much-needed transformation of Tustin Estate and it’s inspiring to see these ideas, plans and visions start to become tangible reality. I look forward to seeing residents enjoy their new warm, dry, safe, sustainable homes and to seeing this community continue to go from strength to strength.” Andrew Eke, Chair of Tustin Estate’s Community Association said, “Here at Tustin Estate, the council, Bouygues UK and the residents are all working together as a unit. I am so proud that the people living here, myself included, have been involved at every stage of the project and have helped shape it. We’ve been kept up to date with progress through our weekly site walks, monthly resident project group meetings, drop-in sessions, and community events. In fact, some people living here now have jobs on the project. Alongside Bouygues UK and Southwark Council, we have shown, when you look for solutions and you don’t give up, miracles can happen.” The new estate is expected to achieve a 94% reduction on carbon emissions when in use, with clean energy being supplied by the local waste-to-energy district heating network, high-insulation building fabric, solar panels, SUDs, and air-source heat pumps for individual houses. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Edge appointed to £20m Malvern Theatres Levelling Up Project
MALVERN Hills District Council and Malvern Theatres Trust Board (MTT) have appointed construction consultancy EDGE to provide project management and cost management services for its £20m Malvern Theatres expansion scheme. Levelling Up funding was granted to the scheme in 2023 by the UK Government to significantly widen access to the creative arts by extending the leading cultural hub and its community services. The project consists of over 2,000sqm extension comprising a new studio theatre, flexible workshop spaces, teaching spaces, editing rooms, and commercial events spaces, and will be delivered in partnership with architects Burrell Foley Fischer. Attracting roughly 300,000 visitors each year, the aim of the project is to deliver a world-class cultural facility increasing footfall by around 135,000 more attendees per year, which would in turn boost the local Great Malvern economy by £11m annually. Josh Barber, senior project manager at EDGE, said: “We’re really pleased to have been appointed to help bring the new state-of-the-art theatre to life, which will widen access to both culture and opportunity, broadening scope to offer the local population training and experiences in performing arts, digital media and hospitality. “The project is strongly focused on community benefit and social value, and that aligns perfectly to our values at EDGE. Our culture sector team is an agile but growing one renowned for high-quality service, and we’re proud to add a Levelling Up project of this scale to our wider portfolio.” The newly accessible facility will enable increased participation by physically and mentally disabled people, by improving access to the theatre’s main commercial offer as well as its ‘Take Part’ programme of tailored events. Malvern Theatres will also be able to accommodate an extra 105 local schools with its new facilities, be that for theatre performances or specific workshops. The project is predicted to create 45 jobs and a further 120 indirect employment opportunities, with Malvern Theatres aiming to offer 10% of these to apprentices and work experience opportunities for school-aged children. Fred Moroni, marketing director at Malvern Theatres, said: “We’re delighted that EDGE has been appointed as a key partner in the delivery of this exciting and transformative project for Malvern. Levelling-up means increasing opportunities for everyone in our community and we look forward to working with EDGE to create spaces in which this shared vision can be realised.” Cllr John Gallagher, portfolio holder for resources at Malvern Hills District Council, said: “We are pleased to have appointed EDGE as part of the development at Malvern Theatres. This is such an exciting time and we can’t wait to see progress being made on this monumental project.” Helen Grassly, director at Burrell Foley Fischer, added: “We are delighted to have been selected, by Malvern Theatres and Malvern Hills District Council, as their architects to remodel and extend the theatre. It is already an incredibly successful venue, in a magnificent setting, and we are excited to be working with them on designs to support their future ambitions. We look forward to sharing our initial ideas with the community in due course and asking for their input to the evolving proposals.” The new Malvern Theatres project is planned to be completed in 2026. For more information on EDGE and its services, follow the link below:https://www.edgeps.co.uk/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
McAleer & Rushe appointed by Dominus to deliver landmark student accommodation scheme in City of London
Exemplary mixed-use scheme will comprise student units, cultural spaces and community amenities Construction contract value of over £100m… Specialist Design & Build Contractor McAleer & Rushe has been appointed by developer Dominus Real Estate to create a permanent home for London’s Migration Museum, as part of a landmark mixed-use scheme in the heart of the City of London worth a construction contract value of over £100m. The 65 Crutched Friars development, which is due to complete in Summer 2027, will include new purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), to provide over 700 student homes in a 21-storey building. The student units will be complemented by green spaces open to the public, such as a new pocket park and public roof terrace, for the benefit of the local community. Located on the eastern edge of the City of London, the scheme has been designed to be sustainable in both construction and operation, targeting a BREEAM Outstanding rating as well as utilising offsite manufacturing, including prefabricated bathroom pods, a precast and unitised façade and both blue and green biodiverse roofs. While demolition works have commenced, the major transformation of the former office block is due to begin in Spring 2024 with the accommodation ready for the 2027/28 student intake. Enhancing student living in London, Crutched Friars will help to meet the growing need for student accommodation within the City with an abundance of social and study spaces, including private dining rooms, gym and wellness zones, a TV lounge and entertainment spaces. The development also secures the future of London’s Migration Museum with a purpose-built, three-floor 30,000 sq ft space, which will be free-to-enter thanks to a 60-year lease granted by the Ahluwalia family, with no rent or service charge payable, alongside a new pocket park. Commenting on the announcement, Mark Diamond, Senior Director, McAleer & Rushe said, “We’re thrilled to be delivering this prominent mixed-use scheme in the City of London as Construction Partner with Dominus. Our decade-long collaboration, involving several successful projects throughout the UK, is rooted in shared values and a commitment to delivering positive social value impact and community outreach. Crutched Friars is a prime example of our early engagement approach in action and with our experienced teams behind us, we are looking forward to working on this landmark visionary scheme with all stakeholders involved.” Designed by award-winning Danish architectural studio 3XN, the student residences will feature a mix of Premium Studios, Studios, Twodios, Threedios and affordable Cluster bedrooms and contains generous communal spaces, private study areas, gym, laundry facilities and external roof top terraces. Lee Saywack, Executive Director at Dominus, commented, “Partnering with McAleer & Rushe is a great next step in bringing 65 Crutched Friars to life and delivering much needed new student accommodation to the City of London. “The scheme’s central location, proximity to universities, cutting-edge amenity spaces, customer-centric operating method, and the provision of a new and permanent home for the Migration Museum, illustrates our commitment to meaningful regeneration that benefits both people and place.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
NHS Framework ‘first’ for JDP as it toasts £10m live healthcare projects
One of the West Midlands leading independent architects is celebrating a major healthcare first for its business. Johnson Design Partnership, which has recently increased its team to 10, has been named on the NHS Shared Business Services Framework for the region, scoring top marks in the Property lot for Consultancy and Advisory Services for Health. This means the Bridgnorth-based practice will now be able to directly tender for more than £250m worth of contracts, building on an already impressive medical CV that currently accounts for more than £10m of live design and build projects. These include a Physio Hub for Frimley Park Hospital and Farnham Hospital, a new Urgent Treatment Centre and Emergency Department for New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton and reconfiguration and expansion of Car Park A at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Vic Johnson, who founded Johnson Design Partnership in 2001, commented: “We are so pleased to be named in the SBS Framework for the West Midlands, giving us the perfect opportunity to bring our design flair to healthcare projects on our doorstep. “The rigorous assessment process scores organisations on capability, sustainability, track record and ability to deliver projects on time and competitively, driving savings across the NHS.” He continued: “Not only did we pass all the criteria, we top scored in the Property lot, beating some of the biggest organisations in our field in the process. “What it means for our business is that we are now approved and that healthcare institutions in the Midlands can use us for design and consultancy work without having to go out to tender. This could potentially deliver double the amount of work we do in this field over the next two years.” Johnson Design Partnership has built a growing relationship in the healthcare sector, now accounting for more than half of all projects it currently takes on. Major hospitals, specialist surgical settings, doctor’s surgeries and dental practices have all benefited from the JDP design flair that aims to bring spaces to life, whilst also meeting the demanding infection and operational requirements expected of it. The firm’s agility has also started to pay dividends with the NHS looking for quicker response times. Matt Spinks, Director, continued: “There are lots of factors to consider when working in a medical environment, but we relish that challenge, seeing it as an opportunity to push the boundaries of conventional thinking by bringing new design ideas and materials into play. “We aim to be creative with the spaces we are given responsibility for, aiming to bring the ‘inside in’ as much as we can through the use of different landscapes, new visuals, more lighting, different colours and creative seating.” He concluded: “There’s no point trying to hide behind the challenges. Be bold and be brave, giving medical staff, patients, and their families a kinder and more welcoming environment.” Johnson Design Partnership offers a complete project management service from feasibility work and planning to detailed design, project monitoring and contract administration. It has recently invested in the latest 3D design software and management systems, as well as embarking on a new website and digital media campaign to showcase its vast array of successful projects and the design solutions it offers. For further information, please visit www.johnsonltd.co.uk or follow the company on its social media channels. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals