Building Briefs – February 3rd

Youth employment award for Fife commercial glazing company

A Dalgety Bay-based employer has been named Skills Development Scotland’s (SDS) Youth Employer of the Month.

Avtek Solutions has a 27-strong workforce with seven Modern Apprentices. The company, which provides specialist facade solutions and general commercial glazing, has grown exponentially since it was set up two years ago with just two employees.

Operations director Mark Lawrie said Avtek Solutions was keen to access business support as the company faced a skills shortage in the local area – partly due to the specialist nature of its products.

The company has six manufacturing, fabrication and installation apprentices, a business and administration apprentice and plan to recruit another apprentice shortly.

Avtek Solutions was nominated by SDS employer engagement adviser, June Gallagher.

Work starts on Dumfries Premier Inn extension

Dickie & Moore Ltd has started work to extend the Premier Inn at Solway Gate Dumfries.

The works comprise a 20 bedroom extension and will increase the numbers of bedrooms to 116 with an additional 40 covers created in the breakfast room.

The project is one of a number around the UK for Premier Inn designed by LMA Architects.

Work continues on £11m Rothesay Pavilion restoration

Work is continuing on the £11 million restoration of the Rothesay Pavilion in Argyll and Bute.

The scheme is part of the council’s £30m CHORD project, which is regenerating and developing the economy of its five waterfront towns - Campbeltown, Helensburgh, Oban, Rothesay and Dunoon.

As part of the project, almost 63 tonnes of material stripped out during the first phase of the iconic Art Deco building has been recycled or reused.

The council consulted with Zero Waste Scotland and worked closely with the contractor John Brown (Strone) Ltd to reuse almost all of the material which would normally have been disposed of in a landfill site.

Non-structural building material, such as wood, plaster and broken tiles, has been used to repair fences, build animal enclosures, hen houses or for hard core on farmland. Other wood that could not be used for construction was burned in heating systems.

The restoration of Rothesay Pavilion is funded by the council, Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Government and Coastal Communities Fund.

Glasgow road resurfacing scheme work to start

Scotland TranServ is to begin a £384,000 road resurfacing project in Glasgow.

Work to maintain part of the A725 East Kilbride Expressway will get underway on Friday, 10 February.

Resurfacing will take place on the eastbound carriageway, where the A725 meets the B7012 to High Blantyre.

For safety reasons, the eastbound carriageway will close on Friday at 8pm and re-open on Monday, 13 February.