Building Briefs – July 10th

Chris Stewart Group (CSG) has agreed terms with Nucleus Financial Limited for its Greenside office development in Edinburgh’s Blenheim Place.

The deal will see the fintech firm take exclusive occupancy of the 2nd floor and partial occupancy of the 3rd floor office space on a 10 year lease commencing this coming November, and relocating its 180 staff from its current HQ in the city centre.

Greenside, which backs onto Calton Hill, provides 38,000 sq ft of office accommodation arranged over five floors, with Nucleus -an innovative wrap provider set up in 2006 to initiate a sea-change in the investment and pensions market – taking just under half of this at 18,750 sq ft.

CSG is in the process of redeveloping the building. Having originally been built in 1988 as a computer centre for Scottish Equitable, it is set to be replaced with a vibrant new ‘de-furbished’ and modern Grade A, energy efficient office space.

The fit out, by GHI Contracts, has seen back-up generators and chiller plant rooms being stripped out. High ceilings have been created from removing suspended ceilings giving Nucleus an impressive amphitheatre stair linking the two floors for staff presentations and events.

GHI is also undertaking shell and core works to the rest of the building to ‘de-furbish’ and create a state-of-the-art space with the introduction of an enlarged reception area and creation of a staff break out terrace.

Board change at Interserve

Tim Haywood is to step down from the Board of Interserve in September in order to pursue other interests.

Currently group finance director, Tim will remain with the company until November supporting Debbie White, the incoming CEO who joins the company and the Board on 1 September.

The Board is undertaking a process to appoint a new group finance director and a further announcement will be made in due course.

Group chairman Glyn Barker said: “I would like to thank Tim for his significant contribution over the last seven years to Interserve and wish him every success in his future ventures.”

£2m refurb for Pitlochry hotel

A Pitlochry’s hotel is to undergo a £2 million renovation.

The historic hotel – which dates back to 1830 – was damaged by fire on Hogmanay 2016 however, thanks to investment from owners The Castle Collection, the hotel is set to come back bigger and better than ever before.

The extensive project will see the refurbishment and creation of 30 new rooms within the hotel giving a new room count of 140. This includes the creation of impressive new special occasion rooms – all of which will feature spacious new arrangements for guests to enjoy.

A welcoming new layout will lead guests to the contemporary new look rooms which have been undergoing renovation since January 2017 with many of the original features including period fireplaces being re-instated.

Along with changes to the hotel interior, a sophisticated new 150 cover restaurant will be unveiled, creating a new landmark eating venue for the town.

The revamp is due to be complete by the end of the year.

Planning granted for South Ayrshire equestrian centre

South Ayrshire Council has granted planning consent for a state of the art equestrian centre at Milncraig Farm by Coylton.

Designed by architects LMA, the 7,500sq.ft development comprises a 30 x 90m riding arena and 32 stables on the site of the redundant milking parlour and silage pit.

The farm has not been operational for approx. 10 years and this new development will provide a sustainable rural business which hopes to attract visitors from across the country, offering full livery packages, arena hire, cross country, short term stable hire as well as pony trekking.

The indoor riding arena will provide a state of the art facility which will allow horse riding and jumping to take place not only in the summer but in all types of weather throughout the year.

RICS base is first workplace in Scotland to secure fairplace award

The Edinburgh office of RICS has become the first workplace in Scotland to be awarded the prestigious fairplace Award®.

At a time when businesses must demonstrate they are part of wider society, fairplace is a comprehensive accreditation which aligns good ethics with best practice across Finance, Procurement, HR, and Facilities Management as part of core business planning.

RICS moved into 125 Princes Street almost three years ago, from its former split-level offices in an A-listed townhouse in Edinburgh’s Manor Place. The new office was designed to deliver a transformational workspace, bringing staff together in a bespoke, open-plan space that would act as a hub for staff and members while offering facilities for conferences and other events.

The accolade is a second first in Scotland for the Princes Street office, which also earned a gold SKA rating for the sustainable nature of the fit-out. The fairplace Award® is also the third for RICS, with our London and Coventry offices previously receiving the accreditation.

hub South West on the ball with Kilwinnnig Academy’s new sports pitch

Public-private project developers, hub South West, has started work on a new all-weather multi-sport pitch and four-track running lane for the pupils and wider community at Kilwinning Academy.

The first sod has been cut on the site of the old blaes sports pitch at the non-denominational secondary school on Dalry Road, which has a capacity of 1330 pupils.

The project, which is expected to cost £620,000, is scheduled to open on October 9 and will see the formation of an all-weather synthetic grass pitch and athletics track with full LED lighting, spectator’s area, and perimeter fencing.

The new facility will consist of a 98m by 60m area for sports, including an 80m running track and a 9m by 4m long jump pit, as well as the pitches and stands for spectators.

Morgan Sindall uses Minecraft to encourage construction careers

The Scotland office of construction company Morgan Sindall is to use a newly developed computer game, based on the ultra-popular Minecraft platform, in Scottish schools to promote careers in construction.

Developed at Ulster University, players will learn about key aspects of working in the construction sector while creating their own 3D world in the format of the Microsoft-owned game which has sold over 100 million copies worldwide.

BeIMCraft has been created by academics and construction professionals to help young people better understand the processes behind development of the built environment. The game highlights the emerging role of technology in the construction sector and ensures young players consider planning issues, health and safety risks, structural aspects, sustainability and cost when creating their 3D world.

Morgan Sindall has secured a 12 month deal which will provide the company with exclusive rights to the game in Scotland.

BeIMCraft closely aligns with aspects of the building information modelling (BIM) process, which is becoming more widely used in the construction sector to create and manage building projects in a 3D environment. Ulster University experts were recently invited to the European BIM Summit in Barcelona to present the innovative game to industry professionals.