Building Briefs – March 15th

The £50 million Levenmouth Learning Campus was officially opened during a ceremony attended by distinguished guests last week.

The site is home to the new Levenmouth Academy and Fife College Levenmouth Campus.

Delivered by BAM Construction, the building uses a combination of natural lighting and ventilation, this helps with reducing both the use of mechanical systems and the school’s carbon footprint. Using high frequency and LED lighting along with a biomass boiler as the primary heat source are cost effective, lowering the overall running costs of the school.

The school has been built to an open and flexible design which has proven effective and popular at Dunfermline, Auchmuty and Viewforth High Schools where similar design has been used.

The new Fife College Campus is located on the same site as the new Levenmouth Academy, and opened its doors to students in August 2016. The campus has been built with the capacity for 350 full-time and 200 part-time learners and its approach to development has been based on the economic priorities of Fife.

Costain secures multi-million pound Project Controls Framework Agreement from EDF Energy

Costain has won a new multi-million pound framework agreement from EDF Energy Nuclear Generation to provide a project controls managed service to portfolios and programmes of work across all of EDF Energy’s eight UK nuclear power stations for an initial three year term.

The Nuclear Generation division of EDF Energy is a new client for Costain.

As part of this work Costain will develop people capability in core project control skills and provide specialist support to EDF Energy’s Central Technical Organisation to improve project performance and deliver cost efficiencies.

Trunk roads worth £1.38bn

The valuable contribution that the trunk road network brings to Scotland has been highlighted by transport minister Humza Yousaf at a conference on transport and infrastructure in Edinburgh this morning.

Mr Yousaf referenced a new report from The Transport Research Laboratory which shows that the strategic network contributes around £1.38 billion (aGVA) to the Scottish economy each year through a variety of sectors including freight and public transport.

The research also highlights that the trunk roads support more than 31,000 jobs in Scotland – including those in construction and maintenance.

The wider benefits for society are also brought to the fore and the report underlines that the network enhances connectivity, particularly for rural and remote communities where the major roads help improve access to education, employment and healthcare.

Seddons Plant & Engineers shortlisted for supplier award

Seddons Plant & Engineers Ltd has been shortlisted as one of only three suppliers across the whole of the Plant, Tool and Equipment Hire industry for the prestigious accolade of Supplier of the Year.

Hire Association Europe (HAE), the trade body representing Plant, Tool and Equipment Hire with a membership base of 900 companies across the UK, Europe and worldwide, has announced that Seddons Plant & Engineers is one of three industry leading companies in the running for the highly contested Supplier of the Year award.

The winner will be announced at the glittering HAE Hire Awards of Excellence ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on April 22.

Independently judged by industry experts, the Hire Awards of Excellence acknowledge the success of construction hirers and suppliers and are said to be the most sought after accolade within the Plant, Tool and Equipment Hire industries.

Shepherd and Hardies to sponsor Sean Dillon testimonial match

Shepherd Chartered Surveyors and Hardies Property & Construction consultants, both long-established firms with origins in Dundee which merged at the end of last year, are sponsoring the testimonial match for Dundee United club captain Sean Dillon when The Tangerines take on the Jambos at Tannadice on March 21 in honour of the Irishman’s decade of service at the club.

Stars from the past will turn out for the game, including Dundee United 2010 Scottish Cup final heroes Craig Conway and Garry Kenneth, along with Jon Daly, Nicky Weaver, Noel Hunt and Lee Wilkie while Hearts will feature Rudi Skacel, Scott Severin, Andy Webster and others.

John Bennett, former senior partner at Shepherd and former director at Dundee United, said: “Shepherd has a long and valued association with Dundee and it is because of this that we jumped at the opportunity to lend our support to this testimonial; the first testimonial that Dundee United have hosted for many years.

“And in addition to its long and valued association with Dundee, our partner firm Hardies has a long association with Hearts, mostly recently with the ongoing construction of a new main stand at Tynecastle, so it made perfect sense for Shepherd to be the shirt sponsor for Dundee United and for Hardies to sponsor the Hearts shirts for the special testimonial match.”

Helping to promote the testimonial are Hearts director of football Craig Levein, the ex-United manager who originally signed Dillon for the club ten years ago, and broadcaster Lorraine Kelly, an avid Sean Dillon and Dundee United fan.

Tickets will cost £10 for adults, £5 for concessions, and £2 for any additional children accompanied by an adult.