Building Briefs – February 20th

Global professional consultancy WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff has been appointed by EDF Energy to its technical support alliance to support its fleet of wind farms, gas storage sites, coal and gas power stations across the UK.

A dedicated team will provide engineering consultancy services on pressure systems management, rotating plant, electrical systems, quality services, performance and reliability management, gas storage and renewables sites.

WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff is one of five suppliers supporting EDF Energy under a Technical Service Agreement.

Consultation to be held on East Kilbride road plan

Plans to upgrade Greenhills Road and Strathaven Road in East Kilbride are to be put on display at a public consultation.

The proposed £23 million dual carriageway project will see two sections of road widened and upgrades to existing junctions and improved infrastructure for buses.

With funding from City Deal the project proposes improvements from High Common Road to the Torrance Roundabout on the A726 Strathaven Road and on Greenhills Road from Torrance Roundabout to Auldhouse Road.

The project will improve accessibility to both new and existing industrial, business and residential land and provide infrastructure for direct access to employment areas in the southern part of East Kilbride.

The project will also enhance the cycling and walking infrastructure in the area and provide links to existing routes.

The consultation event will take place on Wednesday 22 February in the Gallery Rooms at Calderglen Country Park and will feature an exhibition of the plans.

There will be opportunities to attend during the day and in the evening with the exhibition open from 10.30am to 2.30pm and again from 4pm to 8pm.

Scottish Water to begin Inverness maintenance work

Scottish Water is set to begin maintenance work in Inverness.

Contractors working on behalf of the utility company will start carrying out upkeep work to apparatus on Green Drive and Ness Walk from today.

In order to deliver the scheme safely, temporary traffic restriction orders will be in place for the closure of;

• a section of the U4016 Green Drive, Inverness

• a section of the U4624 Ness Walk - Ardross Terrace - Ardross Street, Inverness.

The closure at Green Drive will be in force until 6pm on February 21.

In addition, the Ness Walk closure will be in effect at 9.30am on Monday to 3.30pm that same day.

Turner & Townsend joins forces with AMCL

Consultant Turner & Townsend is joining forces with asset management specialist AMCL.

AMCL is headquartered in the UK and works globally advising asset-dependent businesses on how to maximise returns.

AMCL’s team of 45 specialist consultants will now work in tandem with Turner & Townsend’s capital programme delivery experts.

Together they will offer an end-to-end service to clients across all stages of the asset lifecycle – from acquisition and planning through to delivery and operation.

The two companies previously worked together in a joint venture to produce a strategic asset management plan for the USA’s largest public power generator, the New York Power Authority.

Founded in 1997, AMCL has worked for Network Rail for more than a decade and has successfully delivered projects for Scottish & Southern Electric, Transport for London and Crossrail.

European construction output sees falls and rises

Output in the construction sector across the Eurozone fell by 0.2% in December compared to November but grew by 0.6% across the 28 countries of the EU (EU28), including a 2.2% rise in the UK.

The figures from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, show year-on-year growth in both areas, with production up by 3.2% in the Euro area and by 1.6% in the EU28.

Average production in the construction for the year 2016, compared with 2015, increased by 1.6% in the Euro area and by 1.3% in the EU28.

The monthly decrease of 0.2% in the Eurozone area in December 2016, compared with November, was due to building construction falling by 0.5%, while civil engineering rose by 0.8%.

In the EU28, the increase of 0.6% was due to civil engineering rising by 1.2% and building construction by 0.2%.

Among member states with data available, the largest decreases were recorded in Romania (-4.3%), Slovakia (-3.1%) and Bulgaria (-2.1%), and the highest increases in Sweden (+4.7%), Poland (+2.5%), the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom (both +2.2%).

In terms of the annual comparison, the increase of 3.2% in production in construction in the euro area in December 2016, compared with December 2015, is due to civil engineering rising by 6.5% and building construction by 2.5%.

In the EU28, the increase of 1.6% is due to building construction rising by 2.3%, while civil engineering fell by 0.5%. The highest increases were recorded in Sweden (+11.2%), the Netherlands (+10.4%) and Slovenia (+9.1%), and the largest decreases in Romania (-26.7%), Slovakia (-18.5%) and Hungary (-14.9%).