I would like to offer you an exciting case study on the £75m state-of-the-art Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex in County Tyrone, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland. Moulded by the latest healthcare research and initiatives, TODD Architects’ design creates a “natural environment for healing”, using expansive
Shelbourne Motors has appointed local building contractor O’Hare & McGovern to build its new £5m multi-franchise facility in Newry as Renault signs-up to the showpiece development. The Newry based Chartered building company has commenced work on the 50,000 sq ft development that will create 60 new jobs when it’s scheduled
Aramark wants to remind people about the importance of minding their mental wellbeing through the TAKE15 campaign, part of World Mental Health Day. “When I played rugby for Munster and Ireland it was obvious to me how important physical activity is for your mental health. It’s good that we are
Morgan Sindall has delivered the new £4.9 million Pines Primary School in Red Lodge, Suffolk, on behalf of Suffolk County Council. The development includes first-class facilities and places for reception, year one and year two pupils. A pre-school was also built to accommodate two to five year-olds. “The journey from
A bespoke three-bedroom 1820 sq ft house designed by Boon Brown Architects for James Laurence Group is being built on a difficult brownfield residential site in Wandsworth, London. This contemporary detached house is enclosed by private houses, a redundant substation land and a small Peabody Trust garden. Boon Brown’s design
The ShD Logistics Award for New Facility (under 150,000 sq ft) has been won by Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery for its new Global Service Operation Centre (GSOC). A key role in fitting out this facility was played by BITO Storage Systems that offered innovative storage and order picking solutions. “I am
Poets, a landmark housing development in the Swinton area of Salford, will soon make its first wave of properties available for purchase. The first six homes for off-plan sale at the 160-property mixed-tenure development have been announced by Salix Living. The development is part of a wider project to develop
SME house builders are to be given help in navigating the development finance process and accessing the funding they need, following the publication of a new guide by UK Finance and the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The guide offers practical advice on how small house builders should present their
The centre of Durham has welcomed a new, purpose-built student accommodation scheme incorporating a former Victorian hospital, which was successfully completed in anticipation of this year’s intake of students. Sladen Estates, Peveril Securities and Helios Properties completed the high-specification, 362-bed development Rushford Court three weeks ahead of schedule. “We are
Graven Hill is the UK’s most exciting custom build community, designed for those who want a home that is extraordinary. Self-build becomes possible through Graven Hill, who focus on the bespoke and the unique, creating communities that are suited to the needs of the individual, their lifestyle and their taste.
I would like to offer you an exciting case study on the £75m state-of-the-art Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex in County Tyrone, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland. Moulded by the latest healthcare research and initiatives, TODD Architects’ design creates a “natural environment for healing”, using expansive lines of sight and a user-friendly interior layout to maximise the patients’ connection with nature and promote positive, relaxed social interactions. Officially opened in April 2018, and garnering a host of awards since, the 27,000 m² building consists of a series of interlinked pavilions that bring together acute and primary care on a single shared campus. Grouping the departments together helps reduce patient waiting times and the need for a referral and return visit, delivering what a clinician described as ‘a one-stop shop’. Within an overall linear form with a single spine-like “street”, each department is housed in a distinct but connected pavilion, arranged around landscaped courtyards. The design maximises the views – and connections – between the patients, staff and visitors and the stunning County Tyrone landscape, as well as with the richly planted internal courtyards and on-site planting. Internally, the departments dissolve the traditional clinical barriers between staff and patients with break-out areas that offer informal space for relaxed patient-staff conservations. External architecture is a key part in the delivery of this holistic therapeutic environment, from the external design that sits proudly but not overwhelmingly within its context, to the carefully coded colour-based wayfinding and expansive use of glazing to maximise natural light as well as views out of and through the areas. The Campus also goes beyond traditional hospital services, providing community meeting places and group facilities to support out-reach services and engage with patient groups. In addition to award recognition, including best acute healthcare project in Europe in the 2018 EHD awards and Building of the Year – Public at the recent Building and Architect of the Year awards, the post occupancy feedback has been most positive from patients, staff and visitors alike. As the case study hasn’t yet been written, we can focus the article exclusively for your specific interests.
Shelbourne Motors has appointed local building contractor O’Hare & McGovern to build its new £5m multi-franchise facility in Newry as Renault signs-up to the showpiece development. The Newry based Chartered building company has commenced work on the 50,000 sq ft development that will create 60 new jobs when it’s scheduled to open in summer 2019. The new state-of-the-art facility, designed by Clarman Architects, is a significant investment by the family-owned vehicle retailer in the Newry area as it celebrates its 45th Anniversary. It will include new car showrooms, new car handover bays, lounge-style waiting area with café and a drive-thru service centre with a 28-bay service workshop. The Renault partnership will see Shelbourne Motors become the dedicated dealer of new and used Renault vehicles in the Newry and Mourne area. Kia was the first manufacturer to be confirmed for the site. Caroline Willis, Financial Director of Shelbourne Motors, said; “This is a significant milestone for Shelbourne Motors. We are delighted to partner with one of Northern Ireland’s leading Contractors to carry out the building works on our largest ever single investment.” “We implemented a rigorous procurement process to appoint the best contractor to deliver our vision. O’Hare & McGovern have demonstrated the skills, experience and resources to match our ambitions to build a state-of-the-art facility that reflects the strength and growth of our brand. “It will create 60 new jobs for the Newry area, as well as offer an environment that’s modern and spacious with a host of technologically-advanced features that will provide local customers with an unrivalled sales and after-care experience. “Our long-term relationship with Renault made the manufacturer an obvious fit for this new development and it demonstrates their confidence in our business to incorporate a brand-new dealership into our Newry expansion.” Martin Lennon, Managing Director of O’Hare & McGovern said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have won the contract to build this new state-of-the-art showpiece facility. It strengthens our relationships with Shelbourne Motors which stretches back more than 40 years, and it is also a huge economic boost for the city, and the wider Newry area. “The Ward family are to be commended for committing to such an investment. The benefits will be enormous, especially with the provision of so many new jobs.” Shelbourne Motors was founded by the Ward Family in 1973. It currently employs over 130 staff at its 9-acre Portadown headquarters, where it operates Toyota, Renault, Nissan and Dacia franchises, as well as a Used Car Supermarket, Accident Repair Centre and Valet Centre.
Aramark wants to remind people about the importance of minding their mental wellbeing through the TAKE15 campaign, part of World Mental Health Day. “When I played rugby for Munster and Ireland it was obvious to me how important physical activity is for your mental health. It’s good that we are now being more open about our mental health but, there is still a long way to go. That’s why I’m delighted to be part of Aramark’s Health and Wellness month again this year and I hope that everyone will join in the #TAKE15 campaign,” said Alan Quinlan, Aramark’s Health and Wellness Ambassador. In the workplace, one in six people will experience mental health issues and TAKE15 is Aramark’s annual month-long campaign that aims to address this by encouraging both employers and employees across the UK and Ireland to take short breaks during their working day. “Aramark are encouraging all their clients and customers to take part in their TAKE15 campaign. The goal is to take time out to reconnect with people and look after your own mental health. We are dedicated to helping our teams and customers to make positive changes to their lifestyle so that they improve their wellbeing,” said Frank Gleeson, President Aramark Northern Europe. “Our mission is to enrich and nourish lives and we understand that a healthy workforce is a happier and more productive workforce. When employees take breaks at work, they become less fatigued and have more energy. Short breaks also increase our ability to focus and problem solve, reducing stress levels so it makes sense for everyone to Take 15 minutes to relax and clear their head during the day. We’re thrilled with the level of support from our clients for Take15 – our annual campaign has been growing every year as health and wellbeing becomes embedded in the workplace,” Frank added. Aramark Northern Europe employs over 18,000 people directly and provides food services to hundreds of workplaces across Northern Europe. The company is encouraging employees, clients and customers to take part in a month long TAKE15 campaign. The goal is to get people to take time out away from computers, phones and emails, and to reconnect with their colleagues.
Morgan Sindall has delivered the new £4.9 million Pines Primary School in Red Lodge, Suffolk, on behalf of Suffolk County Council. The development includes first-class facilities and places for reception, year one and year two pupils. A pre-school was also built to accommodate two to five year-olds. “The journey from concept to completion is a rewarding experience. It is even more pleasing when you recognise the extent to which that project will impact the local community,” said Saul Humphrey, managing director of Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure in the East region. “We are incredibly proud to hand over the completed building, at the start of the new academic year to the Pines’ first cohort of pupils. We are confident that the new facilities will not only support the Red Lodge community with its immediate requirements, but create a legacy that will be of benefit for generations to come,” he added. The ribbon cutting ceremony that marked the official opening of the new school was attended by children’s author Tony Mitton. Head teacher at the Pines, Kerry Darby, said: “We are delighted with the outcome of our new school. The Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure team has seamlessly managed the project from start to finish, to ensure that we were able to open for the beginning of the new academic year. The completed state-of-the-art building has surpassed our expectations and is allowing us to deliver an enriching and engaging curriculum for all our current and future ‘Pines Pioneers’.” “We are proud to open what we believe will become an outstanding educational facility and are honoured to be joined by members of the Red Lodge and Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure communities for our special opening ceremony,” Kerry continued. Project partners on the scheme included design and property consultants Concertus.
A bespoke three-bedroom 1820 sq ft house designed by Boon Brown Architects for James Laurence Group is being built on a difficult brownfield residential site in Wandsworth, London. This contemporary detached house is enclosed by private houses, a redundant substation land and a small Peabody Trust garden. Boon Brown’s design uses simple materials and strong forms to create an original new building that sits composedly within the mix of traditional character and modern utility housing. “The site posed many obstacles to residential development. In addition to being situated in the Park Town Conservation Area, it is adjacent to the Queens Arms pub which is included in Wandsworth Borough Council’s local list of unlisted buildings of architectural or historical interest. The site is also situated within Flood Zone 3 – at risk from a Thames tidal breach requiring flood defence at a level up to 1.8m above pavement level,” explained Craig Jones, Director of BBA. The house includes a three-storey part subterranean courtyard dwelling with bedroom accommodation on the upper ground floor to facilitate flood mitigation. A distinct architectural response to the context, the angular shape and form of the house is directly influenced by the necessity to protect surrounding daylight amenity and prevent overlooking in nearby houses. The strong modern palette uses a grey multi facing brick as the main material, allowing the house to be distinctive without being overbearing. The single elevation onto the highway is narrow and restricted, so the design uses a screen wall as a singular flat component, whose white facing brick stands off against the grey brick of the main structure. A block of glazed cladding lightens the façade, as well as introducing gentle diffused light into the upper floor. Furthermore, the secure elevated courtyard can be entered from pavement level and it contains storage for cycles and bins, as well as the stepped approach up to the main entrance on the upper ground floor. The upper ground floor houses the bedrooms and two bathrooms around a central light well. An internal staircase leads down to the living room and kitchen / diner, each side of a glazed courtyard. The central courtyard and light well offer an elegant solution to maximising the daylight available to the habitable rooms, as well as creating natural ventilation and precious outdoor amenity space. A second internal staircase descends to the basement media room, which will be constructed as a contiguous reinforced concrete box with waterproof walls. Boon Brown’s tailor-made design not only maximises the development opportunity and overcomes the challenges imposed by the location, but succeeds in creating a modern, spacious and welcoming one-off family home.
The ShD Logistics Award for New Facility (under 150,000 sq ft) has been won by Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery for its new Global Service Operation Centre (GSOC). A key role in fitting out this facility was played by BITO Storage Systems that offered innovative storage and order picking solutions. “I am very pleased to congratulate Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery and all the materials handling partners involved in this exciting project. I am particularly proud of the role played by BITO’s broad capabilities and experience in helping the project deliver Siemens’ goals for its new facility,” said Edward Hutchison, managing director of BITO Storage Systems. In order to promote health & safety, deliver reduced cycle times and costs, while expanding service capabilities, the company invested in the new GSOC, located next to its overhaul facility at its Teal Park site in Lincoln. The future-proof centre was delivered on time and on budget and is now facilitating growth without needing to increase headcount. The centre ensures stock availability and the same- or next day response to help Siemens’ customers minimise downtime. The storage and order picking solution provided by BITO included an impressive three-level high engine rack. Its bespoke design using BITO’s standard beams and uprights, enables engines weighing up to 6-tonnes, and stored on 1-tonne pallets to be located on the first beam level, as well as ground level. In addition to its pallet racking, live storage and plastic containers, a further innovative part of BITO’s solution was the first UK installation of its LEO Locative driverless internal transport system to separate vehicle and human work areas, while providing swift and safe transfer of items between Goods In, storage areas and the packaging stations. Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery designs, manufactures and services small industrial gas turbines, with an installed fleet of over 3,500 units across 90 countries. 1500 of these remain operational with key customers in the oil and gas industry, industrial customers, hospitals and paper mills.
Poets, a landmark housing development in the Swinton area of Salford, will soon make its first wave of properties available for purchase. The first six homes for off-plan sale at the 160-property mixed-tenure development have been announced by Salix Living. The development is part of a wider project to develop the Poets Estate, also known as Beechfarm, and is the first of Salix Homes since becoming a stand-alone registered housing provider in 2015. As part of the ambitious redevelopment scheme, 146 properties are being demolished that had suffered historical structural damage with 160 brand new homes being built – 40 of which will be made available for outright sale, with the remaining 120 being homes for social housing. “This is a very exciting time for Salix Homes, and we’re very proud to announce our very first properties for sale and play a major role in providing much needed housing in the area. By transforming the Poets Estate, we are helping to make Swinton an even more attractive place to live and work. Poets is just the start for us, and by 2020, we aim to have 400 new homes either developed or in development,” said Jonathan Drake, service director for Salix Living. Throughout the development process, the residents on the estate have been involved to ensure there was minimum disruption to the community. Those affected by the demolition of existing properties on the estate were temporarily rehoused nearby, and are being given priority to move back into the new-build properties. A range of two and three bedroom properties will be available with prices starting at £144,995 for a two-bedroom home and £159,995 for a three-bedroom property, with four-bedroom homes available to buy in the later phases of the development. The homes all feature integrated appliances in the kitchen, Porcelanosa tilling in the bathrooms plus off-street parking, turfed garden areas and a timber garden shed. Interested buyers are urged to get in touch to register their interest in anticipation of the homes being in high demand. For further details, click on this link: https://poets-swinton.co.uk/.
SME house builders are to be given help in navigating the development finance process and accessing the funding they need, following the publication of a new guide by UK Finance and the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The guide offers practical advice on how small house builders should present their finance applications to lenders to improve their chances of success, as well as listing the alternative options available if an application is turned down. It also offers SME house builders advice on how to make the most of the diverse range of finance options available to them including challenger banks, private equity, crowd funding, finance brokers and Government-supported funds. It follows the announcement of several schemes to increase funding for SME house builders, such as the Housing Delivery Fund and the Housing Growth Partnership, which have been backed by the finance industry in partnership with Homes England. The guide, which will be available on both the FMB and UK Finance websites, was launched today at the FMB’s Eastern Business Conference in Chelmsford, Essex. Stephen Pegge, Managing Director of Commercial Finance, UK Finance, said: “The range of finance options available to SME house builders is now greater than ever, from traditional high street lenders to challenger banks and government-supported schemes. But too often, SMEs are deterred from applying for finance because they are unsure about where to look or whether they’ll be successful. “This guide is designed to help smaller housebuilders navigate this diverse landscape and find the right form of finance for them. Through close cooperation between UK Finance, the FMB and the Government, we are determined to help SME builders grow their business and build the homes the country needs.” Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “Over the past decade, for many SME house builders, development finance has been difficult to access. Although there have been improvements in this picture in recent years, nearly half of SME house builders still view lack of access to finance as a major constraint on their ability to build new homes. We will continue to work with the Government and UK Finance to identify ways to improve this situation by enabling lenders to lend more to this sector. “However, it is also the case that the process of obtaining development finance can be complex and difficult to navigate, especially for new entrants or those without recent experience of the market. It is important that SME builders and developers understand what to expect when seeking development finance, the options available and the process they will go through. That is what this guide is designed to achieve and we are really pleased to have joined forces with UK Finance to develop some practical advice for builders. We believe it will open doors and play a part in helping more new homes get built.” Small Business Minister Kelly Tolhurst said: “Smaller house builders in particular face challenges accessing the finance they need and this new guide provides useful, practical information on the available options that will help them build the homes the country needs. “As part of our modern Industrial Strategy, the Government is working with the construction sector to boost skills and foster modern building techniques to help the sector reach its full potential.”
The centre of Durham has welcomed a new, purpose-built student accommodation scheme incorporating a former Victorian hospital, which was successfully completed in anticipation of this year’s intake of students. Sladen Estates, Peveril Securities and Helios Properties completed the high-specification, 362-bed development Rushford Court three weeks ahead of schedule. “We are delighted to have completed this stunning development ahead of schedule for Unite Students. This is a significant scheme for Durham on a site with a great deal of local heritage and we are exceptionally happy with the finished development,” said Chief executive at Sladen Estates, Nick Sladen. The development saw the extensive restoration and modernisation of the original 1850’s Durham County Hospital Harding building, which now houses a range of studio apartments and amenities including: a gym, cinema room, co-study areas and communal entertainment space. Two, modern, purpose-built accommodation wings have replaced the redundant 1970’s buildings on the hospital site. “We have revitalised a gateway site to the city whilst also providing much needed student accommodation to relieve some of the pressure on the local housing stock,” Nick added. The development is owned and operated by Unite Students, the UK’s largest and most established manager and developer of purpose-built student accommodation which operates more than 50,000 beds across the country. “We have seen excellent take up so far which is testament to the quality of services on offer and there is no doubt that Rushford Court offers the best accommodation available in Durham. From our first glimpse of the site and the proposed scheme we knew it would attract a great deal of positive attention, and the finished scheme has realised an even better vision than the plans displayed,” said Matt Painter of Unite Students.
Graven Hill is the UK’s most exciting custom build community, designed for those who want a home that is extraordinary. Self-build becomes possible through Graven Hill, who focus on the bespoke and the unique, creating communities that are suited to the needs of the individual, their lifestyle and their taste. The minister of housing, Kit Malthouse MP, paid Graven Hill at visit on the 18th of September to get a first hand look at how the largest self-build community in the country is progressing. “It has been marvellous to be here and wonderful to see the energy at Graven Hill. This is an infectious, ambitious project providing the housing needed for growth and success of the town.” “We are extremely proud of this development; we’re creating a place to live, delivering the homes that people need and helping them to see their grand designs become a reality,” commented Cllr Barry Wood from Cherwell District Council, which hosted the visit, showcasing the exciting and innovative Garden Town project. Standing proudly as pioneers of self and custom build, Graven Hill enable individuals to design inspiring homes on pre-prepared plots that offer the chance for the house of dreams to be created across a range of budgets. Each house can be as imaginative as the buyer chooses and fit their requirements perfectly. Up to 1,900 unique homes will be build over a ten year period, surrounded by open, green spaces inclusive of woodland, allotments and a network of footpaths and cycleways. Alongside planning consent for the new builds, a new primary school will be created, a new pre-school nursery and a new community centre. The Garden Town project will also feature cafes, shops and a local pub. “The development could revolutionize the future of home building,” concluded Managing Director of the Graven Hill, Karen Curtin.
