Building Briefs – August 27th

New surveyor appointed at Lambert Smith Hampton

Lambert Smith Hampton has welcomed a new surveyor to its Glasgow team.

Gordon McGregor joins the firm from Montagu Evans where he was a graduate surveyor in retail and office agency, specialising in city centre offices. Prior to this, Gordon spent one year with British Waterways in an asset management role and is a graduate of the University of Glasgow with a Masters in Real Estate and Regeneration.

Gordon will now work alongside LSH’s director of office advisory, Aasia Mohammad, across Glasgow city centre and the West and Central region of Scotland.

CIOB launches new open online course on sustainability

The Chartered Institute of Building Academy is launching a new massive open online course (MOOC) on sustainable development.

This follows the success of the first ever construction-focused MOOC which the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) ran last year, attracting more than 3000 construction professionals in over 100 countries.

The five-week interactive course, which opens next month, has been developed in partnership with London South Bank University, UK. The course is free and open to anyone working in the built environment sector globally. It has been designed specifically for those working in the industry, and anyone working in or studying construction and the wider built environment will find it useful as it focuses on what is arguably one of the most important issues facing construction today – sustainability within construction and development.

Each week, leadership skills and critical thinking around sustainability issues will be developed as course participants reflect on interactive exercises and explore situations that are relatable to their everyday roles.

The topics are brought to life through social learning, questionnaires, videos, articles and quizzes. Participants will also have the opportunity to interact with each other and the course leader, tutors and contributors will be available online to answer questions and join discussions.

By the end of the course, participants should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the complexities of sustainability from generic and project specific perspectives and the obligations of stakeholders. They should also be able to evaluate the economic and social considerations of sustainability and their implications on construction processes and practices.

New strategic water main improves security of supply for 85,000 people in North Ayrshire

More than 85,000 people in parts of North Ayrshire are benefiting from improved security of their water supply, and a reduction in the risk of burst mains, after Scottish Water completed the installation of a new £24 million strategic water main.

The construction of a 7.3 mile-long water main south of Drybridge, near Dreghorn, to the west of Eglinton Country Park will benefit customers in Irvine, Kilwinning, Stevenston, Dreghorn, Drybridge and parts of Saltcoats for decades to come.

The new main was installed on mainly rural land from just south of Drybridge near Olympic Business Park beside the B730 to near the old Volvo vehicle plant adjacent to the A78.

It follows a route that goes under the River Irvine and the A71, runs between Springside and Dreghorn, to the east of Bourtreehill, under the Annick Water, skirts past the north and east of Perceton and Girdle Toll, and goes through the south of Eglinton Country Park.

The new main will replace an old concrete main whose route goes through more built-up areas, including the north east of Irvine and parts of Bourtreehill, Broomlands and Dreghorn, and will be decommissioned in due course

The new plastic main will be less susceptible to bursts. The route of the new main will also improve accessibility for Scottish Water to undertake maintenance work and, should the need arise, any repair work.

The project, carried out for Scottish Water by alliance partners Caledonia Water Alliance (CWA), was part of the utility’s ongoing £120m investment in its water mains infrastructure which will benefit almost 220,000 people in much of Ayrshire and part of East Renfrewshire.

New Cube homes to assist continuing transformation of Glasgow community

The regeneration of a Glasgow community has taken another step forward with the opening of 70 smart new Cube Housing Association homes.

The new homes in Liddesdale Road, Milton, include 20 amenity flats, which are specifically designed for older tenants.

Cube, which is part of Wheatley Group, is increasing the supply of much-needed affordable housing in the area – and the new homes are helping people live independently for longer.

Tenants Ronnie and Carole McFall moved in last month – and Ronnie says the layout and spacious interior is ideal for Carol, who sometimes uses a wheelchair.

Ronnie and Carole were welcomed into their new homes last week by Councillor Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, as well as tenants and staff from Cube and Wheatley Group, as well as local elected members and representatives from the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, and contractors, City Building.

The £7.5 million development, which includes Scottish Government grant funding of £3.6m, is a mix of one, two and three-bedroom flats and terraced houses.

As part of the contract with Cube, contractors City Building have created jobs and training opportunities for the local community.

The 70 new homes in Liddesdale Road are the first new-build social housing in Milton since Cube built new homes – also in Liddesdale Road – in 2001.

Cube’s partners in Wheatley Group, GHA, are well underway on building 54 homes in nearby Cathay Street, with another 49 GHA homes planned on Scaraway Street.

20-year wait over as £1m community hall opens in Castlemilk

The Netherholm community in Castlemilk has celebrated its long-awaited showpiece hall as a brand new £1 million hub designed to bring the community together finally opened its doors this month.

Campaigners fought tirelessly for nearly 20 years to create the community facility – refusing to give up and never allowing setbacks to knock them off course.

And then in 2016 it was revealed the campaigners had successfully won funding of almost £1m from the Big Lottery Fund Scotland.

Two years later the doors have now swung open following an official launch by former Lord Provost and local councillor Sadie Docherty who has been a long-standing supporter of the campaign.

The new facility constructed by Cruden, sits alongside 22 new homes built by Thenue Housing which the Area Association is affiliated to. Because the funding was successfully obtained, the new hall cost Thenue tenants nothing.

The hall will host community events and also contains an information technology suite to deliver learning opportunities for local people. Thenue will run its recently-announced digital learning initiative known as ‘Clic’ from there aimed at giving people digital skills.

There will also be a strong focus on activities for children and families while offering something for everyone whether they are young or old.

The official opening also allowed the community to pay tribute to local campaigner Yvonne McShea who died in 2013. Yvonne was a former chair of Thenue Housing and was an early supporter of community-based housing in Castlemilk.

The information technology suite has been named in her honour – an idea which came from her fellow campaigners and which stands as a lasting legacy to her drive and commitment. Members of Yvonne’s family were present at the opening.