The regeneration of Stratford is reaching a new milestone, with construction work on one of the area’s new residential communities nearly complete. Housebuilder Bellway London is behind Legacy Wharf, a development of one, two and three-bedroom apartments off Cooks Road. Building work is due to finish next month on the
A new deal has been signed by Interserve with Land Securities Group Plc to continue work on retail centres across the UK. Worth over £15 million, the one-year extension of the contract will see the firm deliver a range of services at four major retail centres. This extension can be
Clegg Construction has completed a new Students’ Union building at a West Midlands university. The build was carried out by the Nottingham-based company at Aston University in Birmingham, on behalf of Aston Students’ Union as part of a £6.1m design and build contract. The modern new build replaces the 1960s
Site remediation works have been completed at Broad Street in Birmingham, allowing for construction to begin on a new £118 million residential tower. When complete, the Broad Street development, which was recently renamed The Mercian, will have 481 apartments exclusively for rent, offering hotel level service and a whole host
Abtec Building Technologies (Abtec BT) has upgraded the environmental controls in various buildings at Arthur Mellows Village College, a sixth form secondary school located near Peterborough. As well as reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions, the new controls have provided the school with greater ease of use and operational efficiencies.
The new partnership between Wates Residential and Orbit will bring a further 42 new homes to the London Borough of Bexley. Already creating more than 700 homes in Bexley, the partnership will further contribute to the redevelopments of a site on West Street in Erith. “We are delighted to be
As Travelodge continues its expansion across the Midlands, national property and construction consultancy Wakemans has completed work on the budget hotel chain’s latest development in Solihull. Wakemans acted as tenant’s agent on the £10million Solihull Travelodge, which has 82 rooms including SuperRooms, an on-site restaurant called the Bar Café and
A major transformation project will bring two new buildings to a school in Slough. Wates Construction has commenced work on the site of Langley Grammar for the 63,300 sq ft facilities, which will include space for 200 more students. “We’re pleased to be starting the important task of building these
Kier has been confirmed by the Ministry of Justice as the main contractor for the construction of a new prison at Wellingborough, in Northamptonshire. Scheduled to start next month, work on the 1,680-place category C resettlement development is due to be completed by autumn 2021. The new prison will be built
Bluestone National Park Resort today announces the opening date for its £7 million Dome – a groundbreaking ‘giant umbrella’ William McNamara CEO and Founder of Bluestone said: “This is the first of its kind in the UK which will create an additional 55 jobs and boost the local economy by
The regeneration of Stratford is reaching a new milestone, with construction work on one of the area’s new residential communities nearly complete. Housebuilder Bellway London is behind Legacy Wharf, a development of one, two and three-bedroom apartments off Cooks Road. Building work is due to finish next month on the first phase of Legacy Wharf, which comprises five linked apartment blocks around an attractive communal courtyard with flower beds, meeting places and a children’s play area. The development includes commercial and retail premises, as well as landscaped podium gardens, a gym and a concierge service for residents, all within walking distance of one of London’s largest shopping centres, world-class sporting facilities and fantastic transport links. Emma Hamlett, Sales Director of Bellway London, said: “We’re delighted that this new community at Legacy Wharf is nearly complete, with many of our new residents already settled in and loving their brand new home in this flourishing part of the capital. “The 2012 Olympics legacy has made Stratford one of London’s most sought-after and fastest-growing residential districts and Legacy Wharf offers a great chance for first-time buyers and central London commuters to get their feet on the housing ladder in this fantastic location. “What’s more, Help to Buy London is making buying here possible for people who might otherwise not be able to afford their own place in the capital. “With apartments selling fast, I would encourage anyone hoping to take advantage of the opportunities here to act now and avoid missing out.” Help to Buy London allows purchasers to buy a new-build home with a five per cent deposit and a 55 per cent mortgage. The remaining 40 per cent is provided in the form of an equity loan from the government, which is interest free for the first five years of homeownership. The scheme is available on new-build homes in London worth up to £600,000. The final three-bedroom home within the first phase at Legacy Wharf is available from £593,000. Further one, two and three-bedroom designs are due to be released for sale soon. More information is available at bellway.co.uk CAPTIONS A computer-generated image of Legacy Wharf, Stratford
A new deal has been signed by Interserve with Land Securities Group Plc to continue work on retail centres across the UK. Worth over £15 million, the one-year extension of the contract will see the firm deliver a range of services at four major retail centres. This extension can be extended for a further year and it involves approximately 520 employees providing facilities management, customer service and security services at Landsec’s retail centres in Leeds, Cardiff, London and Oxford. “I am delighted Landsec has once again chosen Interserve to deliver facilities management services. Our team is dedicated to the Landsec account and has an intimate knowledge of the four major retail centres that we provide services to. This illustrates our ability to retain leading UK clients, developing long-term strategic relationships with them as we continue to grow our private sector client base,” said Jeff Flanagan, Managing Director, Interserve Business & Industry. Interserve secured the new contract after its success during the initial three-year partnership, in which the firm supported Landsec in the opening of its Westgate retail centre in Oxford, with one hundred Interserve colleagues now dedicated to providing excellent FM services on site. The construction giant was also selected for its integrated capabilities and expertise in providing best-in-class customer solutions to complex national contracts. Landsec is the largest commercial property development and investment company in the UK.
Clegg Construction has completed a new Students’ Union building at a West Midlands university. The build was carried out by the Nottingham-based company at Aston University in Birmingham, on behalf of Aston Students’ Union as part of a £6.1m design and build contract. The modern new build replaces the 1960s Students’ Union building and is located at the heart of the university campus. The two-storey steel framed building was designed by architects Robothams and has striking full height glazing. There are a range of facilities inside including a café, bar and restaurant, shop, social spaces, prayer room and washing facilities, games area, media room, multi-exhibition and rehearsal space and office space for the union’s student officer team and services. Sustainability is a key factor of the new building which includes district heating, use of sustainable timbers, photovoltaic panels and a strict recycling policy – the building has also achieved an A-rated Energy Performance Certificate. Simon Blackburn, Managing Director of Clegg Construction, said: “This is a fantastic new venue for the Students’ Union and is among the most modern and sustainable of its type in the country.“We were delighted to work with Aston University once again having also completed the new labs for the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies.” Amna Atteeq, Students’ Union president said: “It’s been a pleasure working with Clegg Construction over the last 12 months on the new SU, I know students are going to absolutely love it and it’s going to become a home from home whilst they are studying at Aston. I’m going to be finishing my studies next year and I can’t wait to spend time enjoying the amazing new building.” This was the third project Clegg Construction has completed at Aston University in recent years. It completed the new facility for the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies in November 2017. Prior to that it carried out a £5.2m remodelling of the School of Engineering and Applied Science’s chemical engineering and applied chemistry facilities. Clegg Construction has completed schemes for the University of Birmingham and University of Nottingham and last year the new £10.1m Science Centre for the University of Wolverhampton.
Site remediation works have been completed at Broad Street in Birmingham, allowing for construction to begin on a new £118 million residential tower. When complete, the Broad Street development, which was recently renamed The Mercian, will have 481 apartments exclusively for rent, offering hotel level service and a whole host of on-site amenities including a 24-hour concierge service and smart lifts that register when residents enter the building and are ready and waiting at ground level. It will also provide residents with quality health and wellness zones, including a 200m podium open-air running track on the roof – one of the first in the UK’s housing market. Rhodar completed an £850,000 remediation project at the site, removing redundant structures from the site including well shafts, the remnants of a former abattoir, and a series of Victorian-era basements. Remediation of soils across the 3,000 square metre site was carried out to remove asbestos, heavy metals and hydrocarbon contamination throughout the earthworks, removing all risks and safety hazards. Over a 16-week period, Rhodar’s team delivered an expertly-engineered platform to facilitate further operations allowing the tower construction phase to begin. Over 7,500 cubic metres of soil has been excavated and treated, with 6,500 cubic metres being returned to the site and 1,000 cubic metres of this soil being removed to achieve development levels. Specialist, heavy equipment, including a crusher, a screener, a roller and D5 bulldozer were needed for the next phase of remediation. 120 linear metres of sheet piling was installed to depths of up to nine metres below ground level to facilitate the excavation, processing and re-compaction of site soils during the removal of legacy below ground structures from previous phases of development. A specialist RTG RT21T piling rig was utilised together with concrete cutting equipment to remove difficult to access obstructions at the site boundaries and for the sheet piling to be installed. This will form part of the permanent works for the new residential tower. Construction has now started on-site after developer Moda Living held a ground-breaking ceremony on Tuesday 30 April.
Abtec Building Technologies (Abtec BT) has upgraded the environmental controls in various buildings at Arthur Mellows Village College, a sixth form secondary school located near Peterborough. As well as reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions, the new controls have provided the school with greater ease of use and operational efficiencies. Serving pupils aged from 11 to 18, Arthur Mellows Village College is a secondary school in Glinton, around 8km north of Peterborough. Although Olympic medal-winning gymnast Louis Smith and footballer Luke Steele (goalkeeper at Nottingham Forest) are among notable alumni, the school is an academy with a specialism in technology. As such, facilities like its Science Department require regular investment. The original project Arthur Mellows Village College relocated its Science Department to a new build in 2009, leaving its previous building to become disused and unfit for purpose. However, the school recently wanted to breathe new life into the old Science Department building and, with a combination of funds from DfE grants, The Wolfson Foundation and its own financial resources, Arthur Mellows Village College set about creating a vision that would be called the McLaren Building. The upgraded facility would house art, science and media studies classrooms. A major aspect of the refurbishment would focus on the upgrading of environmental controls, with Abtec appointed by the project consultant to undertake this work. “In the old science block we were tasked with providing integrated lighting controls, mechanical vents and a BMS plant room based on Tridium technology – totally replacing the old systems,” explains Phil Peer, Project Manager at Abtec. Upon completion of the work, it was clear to see that the McLaren Building, which opened in 2016, had been refurbished to a very high standard. Indeed, the facility exceeds current thermal insulation levels. Housed within the revamped building are five dedicated art classrooms, a kiln room, screen-printing room, two science laboratories, a science preparation room, two media rooms, a media studio, a computer room and two further classrooms. The total cost of refurbishment works and fit out was approximately £1.5 million. Further works Due to the success of the McLaren Building, Abtec has since completed several additional projects at Arthur Mellows Village College, including the introduction of: a BMS in the humanities block; lighting controls in the newly constructed site office block; and lighting controls and BMS in the sports hall. “We also performed BMS works in the main plant room, which was originally served by another system,” says Mr Peer. “Equipment has been installed that interfaces with other plant rooms – it’s all in one place. The college sublets spaces for events, so the BMS had to offer easy adjustment.” Another area that leveraged the expertise of Abtec was the refectory, where extra space was constructed on to the existing block. Abtec provided a solution for controlling the underfloor heating, CO2 mechanical vent, lighting control and plant room controls – all of which were fed from the main plant room. “Throughout the various projects we adopted an agnostic approach, using DALI, which is industry-recognised open technology,” says Mr Peer. “It was important to avoid reliance on any one manufacturer, so if something needs to be replaced, it can be.” The systems installed by Abtec also facilitate the automatic testing of emergency lighting on a monthly basis, a function that saves on labour costs and time – boosting operational efficiency in the process. A common head end sits on a virtual school server, so all data is aggregated back to one place. In addition, a single set of graphics is deployed across all plant rooms to provide the same look and feel. The results All of the newly introduced lighting is based on LED technology, which in combination with the Abtec control systems means a better learning environment for pupils. Furthermore, new heating plant is helping to drive energy efficiency and CO2 reductions in line with Part L of the Building Regulations. “The temperature and lighting is a lot easier to control now, whereas before it was difficult to say the least,” states Gary Wentworth, Site Manager at Arthur Mellows Village College. “We had to go down to the boiler room and locate the right switch, which was not necessarily obvious. Now it’s all centralised on one computer, so we can alter time zones and schedules, and respond to issues quickly; it only takes a couple of minutes. The lighting has daylight harvesting control, which is saving energy as well as ensuring the right light levels for students and staff.” image credit © Paul Bryan (cc-by-sa/2.0)’
The new partnership between Wates Residential and Orbit will bring a further 42 new homes to the London Borough of Bexley. Already creating more than 700 homes in Bexley, the partnership will further contribute to the redevelopments of a site on West Street in Erith. “We are delighted to be able to continue our award-winning work with Orbit, which has already led to more than 700 new homes in Bexley either being built or in the pipeline. We look forward to getting started on the West Street project, which will not only deliver more crucial housing for the area but will also lead to increased employment and training opportunities for local residents,” said Paul Nicholls, Managing Director of Wates Residential. The £9.4 million scheme will see vacant buildings including a former car parts warehouse replaced with a contemporary low-rise design including seven homes for London Affordable Rent, 14 homes for London Living Rent and 21 homes for Shared Ownership sale. The plans also include a car park with electric charging points and large community garden. The development of the site forms part of Orbit’s long-term strategy for delivering high quality new homes in Erith and the wider region, and will contribute towards improvements to the quality of the streetscape and the overall appearance of the local area. “We are pleased to once again be partnering with Wates to deliver much needed affordable housing to local people in Bexley. Wates understands our aim of ‘building thriving communities’ and we look forward to delivering more high quality homes for local families who need them,” added Shina Olalekan, Head of Development at Orbit. As part of the West Street project, Wates Residential and Orbit have also pledged to provide employment and training opportunities for local residents. It follows Orbit and Wates Residential’s successful regeneration of Larner Road into the award-winning Erith Park in Bexley. The contractor has also been appointed to help deliver Orbit’s proposed £95 million regeneration of the Arthur Street housing estate in Bexley, featuring 280 new homes.
As Travelodge continues its expansion across the Midlands, national property and construction consultancy Wakemans has completed work on the budget hotel chain’s latest development in Solihull. Wakemans acted as tenant’s agent on the £10million Solihull Travelodge, which has 82 rooms including SuperRooms, an on-site restaurant called the Bar Café and free car parking. The new Solihull hotel joins the Birmingham Central Bull Ring Travelodge in offering SuperRooms, the company’s increasingly popular room designed around the ‘premium economy’ concept familiar to airline users. This new class of room is the first of its kind in the UK budget hotel market and enhances the comfort factor for business and leisure customers who want the extra choice of a more premium room. In a central location, the Solihull Travelodge is a few minutes’ walk from the railway station and close to local amenities, including two shopping centres and a cinema as well as bars and restaurants. It is also a short drive from Birmingham Airport. Wakemans Divisional Director Nigel Himpson said: “We’re delighted to support Travelodge in implementing its strategic growth plans in the West Midlands. As the region’s economy grows and Solihull, in particular, benefits from rising visitor numbers, this new hotel meets the need for good quality, affordable accommodation.” Travelodge operates 25 hotels across the West Midlands and Wakemans also played a key role in the development of its Dudley Town Centre, West Bromwich and Walsall properties.
A major transformation project will bring two new buildings to a school in Slough. Wates Construction has commenced work on the site of Langley Grammar for the 63,300 sq ft facilities, which will include space for 200 more students. “We’re pleased to be starting the important task of building these long-awaited, new facilities for Langley Grammar School. At Wates, we understand how learning environments have a direct impact upon the development of young people and attainment levels and we bring our appreciation to every stage of the process. We will be drawing on our vast experience as a trusted contractor for the education sector here in Slough to ensure the quality delivery of this new school building,” said Alec Jackman, Business Unit Director, Wates Construction Southern Home Counties. Delivered across three phases, the project includes the construction of a three-storey teaching block and provision of temporary accommodation for the school’s dining facility, library and administration offices. Once the new building is completed, the original one will be demolished. The third phase will then commence with the construction of a two-storey front-of-house building, providing the school with administration offices, dining room, hall, library, a small number of classrooms and a dance studio. The scheme is being delivered on behalf of the DfE as part of the Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP2) to rebuild or refurbish school buildings across the country. “It is fantastic to see work starting on our new buildings, which have been so long in the planning. The project will deliver first class facilities for our students for many years to come. This is the biggest construction project in the school’s history and will transform the site into an attractive campus environment. We have developed a strong and positive relationship with Wates during the design stage and look forward to that continuing as the new buildings take shape,” added John Constable, Headteacher at Langley Grammar School. The new facilities are expected to be complete by July 2021.
Kier has been confirmed by the Ministry of Justice as the main contractor for the construction of a new prison at Wellingborough, in Northamptonshire. Scheduled to start next month, work on the 1,680-place category C resettlement development is due to be completed by autumn 2021. The new prison will be built on the same site as the former HMP Wellingborough, which closed in 2012. A price of £253 million (excluding VAT) for its design and construction has now been agreed with Kier, announced the minister. “I am committed to the building of up to 10,000 modern and decent prison places to replace old, expensive and unsuitable accommodation, and the start of work at Wellingborough is an important step forward. Providing offenders with decent conditions and regimes is absolutely key to turning their lives around and ultimately keeping the public safe,” commented Prisons minister Rory Stewart. The development at Wellingborough is part of the government’s Prison Estate Transformation Programme. Also part of the programme are another new facilitt at the former Glen Parva & Young Offender Institution (YOI) in Leicestershire and a new house block at HMP Stocken, in Rutland. “We’re very proud to have been appointed to deliver the new resettlement prison at Wellingborough and look forward to working closely with the MoJ and using our experience in new-build prison programmes to deliver first-class rehabilitation facilities,” added Mark Pengelly, executive director of Kier Major Projects.
Bluestone National Park Resort today announces the opening date for its £7 million Dome – a groundbreaking ‘giant umbrella’ William McNamara CEO and Founder of Bluestone said: “This is the first of its kind in the UK which will create an additional 55 jobs and boost the local economy by more than £21m over 10 years”. Created with the help of a multitude of Welsh companies in line with Bluestone’s track record of supporting local suppliers and strengthening the Welsh economy. Serendome will open to guests at the family resort in Pembrokeshire, Wales on July 19th, 2019; representing a significant investment in the future of Wales’ tourism. The 7,000sqm area beneath the Dome, which measures 116m high and 77m wide, encompasses a massive playground for Free Range Fun for Bluestone’s guests. It will be a hub for entertainment; and at its heart will boast a 400-seat Amphitheatre, a live music and performance venue in a unique setting. Serendome will include exciting new activities for guests, including the impressive SkyWalk – a vertical adventure course like no other, built over seven towers and featuring 24 climbing stations. The build, which started in March 2018 has involved a number of contractors, overseen by the Bluestone Projects team. The umbrella itself is made from EFTE, a unique material used in some of the world’s most ambitious architectural projects. Liz Weedon, Head of Projects at Bluestone said: “Successful projects are delivered by great teams of people working together effectively and collaborating. “More than 300 people have been involved in the making of the Serendome from the architect to the bricklayers – each playing a vital role in the building of this innovative structure. William McNamara, added: “The biggest challenge has been to create a structure this size that isn’t actually a building. When you are under the Dome, it is an extraordinary place and like nothing else anyone has created before. We hope that Serendome proves to be another exciting draw for the thousands of visitors who stay with us and experience Pembrokeshire every year.” Roger Casey Associates Limited, Consulting Civil and Structural Engineers, said: “It’s been exciting working on such a unique project and great to have had the opportunity to work alongside other local companies.” William McNamara added: ”It has been a great privilege to have worked on this ground-breaking project with many multi-talented individuals. Our Bluestone guests are in for a real treat!”
