Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
UK Construction News Archive for April 2007
30/04/2007
The Glasgow office of global multi-disciplinary consultancy Halcrow has secured a major commission for the massive regeneration project which is expected to transform the east end of Glasgow and part of South Lanarkshire. Halcrow has been appointed by the Clyde Gateway Regeneration Initiative to le
30/04/2007
Devanha Ltd, a partnership of North-east housing associations, has submitted a planning application for an environmentally-friendly urban village on the site of the former Donside Paper Mill, in the Tillydrone area of Aberdeen. At 25-acres, the £50 million 320-home village is the largest affordable
30/04/2007
New and refurbished homes across the UK will soon feature the next generation of environmentally friendly and energy efficient building materials developed by construction technologists GRP LTD. The Paisley-based company is opening up its first southern manufacturing plant after taking over a rival
30/04/2007
Phil Russell, FMB’s national Health & Safety representative, has been awarded an MBE for services to Health & Safety in the Construction Industry. Phil, who founded his Tyne & Wear refurbishment business, Russell Building Services in 1977, has been an FMB member for 25 years. For the last ten years
30/04/2007
Cumbernauld-based Strategic Team Group, one of the UK's fastest growing suppliers of building and property solutions, has closed the door on the last property - as its £1/2m project to assist Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing in achieving the Government's 'decent homes' standard has finally been comple
30/04/2007
Master craftsmanship is alive and well in West Yorkshire if the recent phenomenal success of one local company is anything to go by. Pudsey-based traditional and fibrous plasterers Ornate Interiors has won the prestigious 2006 Plaisterers Trophy for its stunning decorative work to a brand new priva
30/04/2007
The Building Consultancy arm of Knight Frank’s Aberdeen office has been awarded a £560,000 contract to design and refurbish an ex-church building in the city into an office and meeting facility, incorporating a café and shop. The former church at 14-20 John Street, which was used latterly as a gym,
30/04/2007
Alan McKeown had a driving ambition to becoming a construction worker and nothing was going to stand in his way. Alan (18), former pupils of Hillhead High School in Glasgow’s West End, left school at Xmas 2004 and joined the Pre-Vocational Construction Course at the National Construction College Sc
27/04/2007
When Glasgow Caledonian University decided to renovate its Continuing Professional Development Centre it turned to Clark Contracts, one of Scotland’s major regional contractors, to undertake the £1m plus contract. Following an ambitious alteration and refurbishment project costing over £1m, the two
27/04/2007
New from Aico is the Firecap CFS100 series of recessed fan and vent sleeves, designed to restore the fire rating of ceilings penetrated by recessed ceiling fans and ventilation ducts. When a hole is made in a ceiling for a polymeric fan or vent, it compromises the fire safety rating of that ceiling
27/04/2007
A large, eco-friendly timber building frame has arrived at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), for the organisation’s new multi-million pound educational facility. The Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE) will be a small university campus teaching all kinds of subjects – from w
27/04/2007
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has welcomed publication of Sir Michael Lyons’s Independent Review into Local Government which sets out a compelling case for ‘place-shaping’ to improve the well-being of a place and the people who live there. The RTPI now wants to see a far wider debate on
27/04/2007
Sales of building materials at builders’ merchants throughout the country fell by 3.3% for the three months December 2006 to February 2007, when compared to the same three month period in 2005/06, according to figures just released by the Builders Merchants Federation. When compared with the immedi
27/04/2007
The effective management of risk on construction sites is central to providing a safe and healthy workplace. Failing to carry out risk assessments and draw up method statements, or carrying them out inadequately, can have serious consequences for employers, employees and the general public and can
27/04/2007
Grand Designs Live, the exhibition based on the popular talkbackTHAMES series for Channel Four, has announced that the Energy Saving Trust will be the headline sponsor for its 2007 event. The Energy Saving Trust is an independent non-profit organisation promoting energy saving. Working closely with
27/04/2007
A new package of ‘green’ qualifications is being offered by Business Link, throughout the South East, to help companies train specialist staff to make the most of the opportunities being created by the increased interest in environmental issues. The course titles, which will all result in NVQ level
26/04/2007
Robertson Capital Projects has reached financial close with Dundee City Council on a £100 million schools PPP project. The deal has been closed as part of the Discovery Education consortium that includes Sir Robert McAlpine, Robertson Construction Tayside, Robertson Construction Central, Robertson
26/04/2007
Members of the public are being invited to have their say on proposals to double the size of Buchanan Galleries, one of Glasgow’s most popular shopping destinations. Owners of Buchanan Galleries, Henderson Global Investors and Land Securities, are hosting a public consultation in the malls of the c
26/04/2007
When the architects and designers set out their plans for Corinthian Quay apartments at Granton Harbour, they studied the naval history of the harbour and interpreted this through contemporary architecture. Their mission was to create a stunning and proud building to capture the essence of the harbo
26/04/2007
The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) has announced the shortlist for the prestigious RIAI Silver Medals for Conservation and Restoration. The medals are awarded to architects or architectural practices for projects of exceptional merit completed within the period 1999/2000/2001.
26/04/2007
With the Code for Sustainable Homes now mandatory for homes built with funding from the Housing Corporation or on English Partnerships land, NHBC has launched a course designed to help builders and developers come to grips with it. Whilst many in the industry have become familiar with the EcoHomes
26/04/2007
With over 700 exhibitors already committed and 71% of previous exhibitors back on board, Interbuild 2007 is on track to be the biggest it has been in recent years. Henkel, JCB, JJ Smith, Manrose, Eleco, Gartec, Stewart Milne, Potton and British Gypsum are just some of the big name brands already co
26/04/2007
HSS Hire has been awarded a major contract to supply tools and equipment to Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE). The announcement follows a lengthy tender process and builds on a deal struck with NIE a year ago to supply emergency generators in the event of power cuts caused by bad weather. NIE own
26/04/2007
One of the UK’s largest tool and equipment hire chain is opening a major new depot in Scotland. HSS Hire is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is marking the milestone by relocating its Paisley branch to the Baltic Business Park, which is seen as an ideal location to service the multi-b
25/04/2007
Global multidisciplinary engineering consultancy Halcrow has offered employees an insight into the mind of Scottish futurologist, Ian Yeoman. Ian Yeoman, scenario planner for VisitScotland, joined Halcrow employees at their Glasgow office at City Park to discuss the future of tourism and how it wil
25/04/2007
Timber door and window frames are making a comeback as more architects and designers specify wood for new-builds and refurbishment projects. Phil Martindale, founder and Managing Director of Martindales, explained: "We are in a demand-driven world, and while people are becoming more and more consci
25/04/2007
Knight Frank has been instructed as sole marketing agent for Halladale Muir’s impressive new 70-acre Aberdeen Gateway business park, Aberdeen South, which will provide over 45 acres of new business space. The new high quality business park is located at Moss-side, Cove, just off the A90, in close p
25/04/2007
Cardonald College student, Tracy Henderson (29) from Castlemilk, has scooped the first ever Trades House of Glasgow Modern Apprentice of the Year Award for her apprenticeship in Joinery which was served at North View Housing Association. Tracy was selected from hundreds of candidates throughout Gla
25/04/2007
The resurrection of the University of Cambridge School of Architecture continues apace with the topping out of a new £1.4 million studio extension to the rear of the main Scroope Terrace building on Trumpington Street in central Cambridge. Designed by Prickwillow-based Mole Architects and Cambridge
25/04/2007
Mactaggart & Mickel, the family-owned housebuilder, is the only private housebuilder to have been presented with a coveted Considerate Constructors Scheme Bronze Award during this year’s Scottish awards. The company was recognised for the proactive, considerate work undertaken at its Barony Gate si
25/04/2007
ConstructionSkills has announced the roll out of its innovative Programme Led Apprenticeships (PLA) scheme following a successful two-year pilot, with a target of 3,000 apprentice placements by the end of 2008. Originally designed to help thousands of young people on full-time college courses, the
25/04/2007
A pair of deals agreed by two of the key developers of Edinburgh’s waterfront and a local housing association will deliver more than 120 affordable homes to the area. Forth Property Developments Limited, the property division of Forth Ports PLC, has completed a significant deal with Port of Leith H
25/04/2007
To coincide with the reopening of the Royal Festival Hall and Architecture Week in June 2007, the V&A and RIBA are to present a display revealing how this world class concert venue, originally built in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain, has been redesigned to meet the demands of the next 50 ye
25/04/2007
According to a new Engineering and Machinery Alliance (EAMA) survey of over 100 SME manufacturers, investment in UK mechanical engineering is now on the rise. After eight years of decline, during which the sector’s spend halved, 83% of firms in the EAMA survey said that they were investing as much
24/04/2007
Cumbernauld-based Strategic Team Group, one of the UK's fastest growing suppliers of building and property solutions, has been awarded a contract worth in excess of £2 million to undertake a state of the art mixed use retail and residential scheme. The project will involve the construction of a mix
24/04/2007
The long awaited £10m community facility in Penicuik officially has officially opened its doors. The new Penicuik Centre features a competition standard swimming pool with movable floor, new larger library with expanded IT area, dance studio, leisure centre with sixty fitness station ToneZone suite
24/04/2007
Mactaggart & Mickel, the family-owned housebuilder, is the only private housebuilder to have been presented with a coveted Considerate Constructors Scheme Bronze Award during this year’s Scottish awards. The company was recognised for the proactive, considerate work undertaken at its Barony Gate si
24/04/2007
Miller Construction is set to start work on the £30 million Meridian Gate project in Cardiff, for Imperial Properties. This 250,000 sq ft mixed-use development will create prime hotel and residential space in the heart of the city, located between the major highways and the main rail line between C
24/04/2007
A pair of deals agreed by two of the key developers of Edinburgh’s waterfront and a local housing association will deliver more than 120 affordable homes to the area. Forth Property Developments Limited, the property division of Forth Ports PLC, has completed a significant deal with Port of Leith H
24/04/2007
A new Morrisons supermarket building in Erskine has been completed and handed over on schedule for its summer opening. Dawn Construction, one of Scotland’s leading independent construction and property developers, built the 40,000 sq.m, development, with a mezzanine level of 500 sq.m, within the Br
24/04/2007
Knight Frank will be one of the first property consultancies in Scotland to launch a new in-house commercial interior design and space planning service, offering clients a co-ordinated and bespoke property development package. Knight Frank is leading the way with a new service which will provide cl
24/04/2007
The AEA is pleased to announce that Ecosyl Products Ltd will sponsor this year’s Scotgrass event, to be held at the SAC Dairy Research Unit, Crichton Royal, Dumfries on Tuesday 15 May. Event organiser Duncan Russell, on behalf of the AEA said: “We are very pleased to have the premier silage additiv
23/04/2007
Road users will be delighted to hear of the launch of a new company that’s set to smooth over the rough patches in their lives. Rosyth-based Nu-Phalt Scotland uses innovative infrared technology that offers a much faster, environmentally-friendly, safer, cheaper and longer lasting way to repair pot
23/04/2007
CIRIA, the UK's leading provider of construction industry improvement guidance, is heading a consortium including BRE Scotland (Building Research Establishment), University of Dundee, Glasgow Caledonian University and Building Software Limited to deliver the new Scottish Construction Innovation and
23/04/2007
Ayr Central has signed a deal with River Island, which will see the high street fashion retailer open its doors at Ayr's £75 million shopping centre in June 2007. River Island will take 12,000 sq ft at the award-winning 300,000 sq ft centre on a 15 year lease, vacating the Kyle Centre in Ayr to tak
23/04/2007
Strategic Team Group (STG), one of the UK's fastest growing suppliers of building and property solutions, has celebrated the successful completion of an unusual refurbishment and renovations contract with Chinese restaurant, Beijing Dragon. Taking just five weeks from start to finish the project in
23/04/2007
Excalibur, a 4,000 tonne piling barge, has left the construction site of the new Upper Forth Crossing at Kincardine in Scotland, marking the project’s continued progress. The huge rig has been preparing the marine foundations of the bridge, which is being built by Morgan VINCI, a joint venture betw
23/04/2007
Miller Construction has been awarded an £82 million contract by Hammerson to create a major retail and leisure development at Union Square, in the heart of Aberdeen City Centre. The works will transform the central area of the city as construction gets underway on the nine hectare site. Hammerson
23/04/2007
Knight Frank has been appointed to design and project manage the construction of a new £6 million Headquarters facility for Hydril UK Ltd, at Altens East Industrial Estate in Aberdeen. Knight Frank’s Building Consultancy department in Aberdeen submitted a detailed planning application to Aberdeen C
23/04/2007
With over 700 exhibitors already committed and 71% of previous exhibitors back on board, Interbuild 2007 is on track to be the biggest it has been in recent years. Henkel, JCB, JJ Smith, Manrose, Eleco, Gartec, Stewart Milne, Potton and British Gypsum are just some of the big name brands already c
05/04/2007
The second annual survey of new home buyers has shown that 76% of purchasers are satisfied with the overall quality of their home and 77% would recommend their builder to a friend. The latest results for those recommending their builder to a friend show a 2% improvement on last year’s survey. The
05/04/2007
NHBC, the UK's leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes has launched its Home Information Packs (HIPs) provision service to the industry. The new Home Information Packs (HIP) will become mandatory on July 1 this year for all homes which are bought and sold, new or old, in England and W
05/04/2007
Secured Environments is a new risk management scheme being launched on 12 April to promote good security practice in organisations by focusing on strategy, process and people. ACPO Crime Prevention Initiatives in partnership with Perpetuity, one of the country’s leading crime and security consultan
04/04/2007
Addressing Northern Ireland’s construction industry skills shortages is essential to deliver future infrastructure objectives, according to a major survey commissioned by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). In a survey of over 500 local construction companies, undertaken for CITB by Pr
04/04/2007
A leading law firm is warning construction firms that they must ensure eastern European workers are given adequate training in health and safety legislation or face serious punishment. Mace & Jones partner and construction industry specialist Ken Salmon said the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is
04/04/2007
CIRIA, the UK's leading provider of construction industry improvement guidance, is heading a consortium including BRE Scotland (Building Research Establishment), University of Dundee, Glasgow Caledonian University and Building Software Limited to deliver the new Scottish Construction Innovation and
03/04/2007
The Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) is proud to announce the launch of a world first - a Bathroom Industry-led Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme. The BMA has been working on its labelling scheme for commercial and domestic bathroom products since the release of the DCLG and Defra Water Eff
03/04/2007
The Clarion Quay housing scheme at North Wall Quay, Dublin has been awarded the Silver Medal for Housing by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) at the National Housing Conference. Architects Gerry Cahill, Michael McGarry and Derek Tynan from Urban Projects were presented with th
03/04/2007
Restaurant design at its most challenging was the order of the day for the top team behind the transformation of Michael Deane’s restaurant in Howard Street, Belfast. The famous Ulster chef – who has enjoyed Michelin Star status for eleven successive years, the longest of any NI chef - wanted a tr
03/04/2007
One of Ireland’s leading engineering, environmental, surveying, planning and project management consultancies has called for more women to enter formerly male-dominated professions. White Young Green (WYG), the multi-disciplinary consultant to the built, social and natural environment, said today t
03/04/2007
A rise in the number of homes being built saw activity within Northern Ireland’s construction industry jump in the last quarter, a leading report reveals. The RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Construction Market Survey for quarter one 2007 shows that total workloads within the local
03/04/2007
Product sales’ volumes for the construction industry have shown their best quarter in more than two years according to the Ernst and Young/Construction Products Association Activity Barometer. Boosted by a strong light side performance, the first quarter records a score of 74, firmly above the 50
03/04/2007
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheal Martin has officially opened Graham’s new office in Dublin at a ceremony in the City Centre. Graham, the UK & Ireland Construction, Asset Management & Investment projects firm, is headquartered in Dromore, Co Down and with offices in England, Sc
03/04/2007
The Construction Skills Network report 2007, recently published by ConstructionSkills, reveals that Northern Ireland (NI) will experience a strong demand for new recruits into the construction industry over the next five years. This high demand, in particular for recruits with trade, and craft skil
03/04/2007
A major overhaul of regulations to improve workers’ health and reduce accidents on site has been highlighted at a seminar hosted by the Construction Employers Federation. The aim of the new Construction Design and Management (CDM) regulations, which take effect in Northern Ireland this spring, is
03/04/2007
David McKinney of Matrics in Northern Ireland, the arm of RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) for students and under-35s, has received a UK-wide award for outstanding contribution to the organisation. He was selected from amongst the 27 Matrics chairmen to win the accolade, which is pre
