Building Briefs – March 6th

South Ayrshire Council has just reopened Troon Links Clubhouse following the complete renovation of the historic building.

A total of £1.9 million was spent by the council on the refurbishment of the clubhouse, which has seen the front of the building completely transformed with new paving, steps and accessible ramps. The roof has also been replaced and there is new glazing throughout.

The changes continue inside the facility, with an extended cafe and restaurant as well as relaxing lounge areas, modern changing facilities and a fully accessible golf pro shop.

The new facilities are already proving a hit with golfers and the wider community who are popping into the cafe for a bite to eat; the renovations also mean there is more scope for locals and visitors to use the clubhouse for private functions.

The work underlines the council’s commitment to Golf in South Ayrshire with £3.5m spent on this project, Girvan Clubhouse and the new Golf Clubhouse at Belleisle Park.

The clubhouse works were project managed by the council’s Professional Design Services team with the construction work undertaken by Ayrshire firm, James Frew Limited.

Highland Council to consider extra £1m spend on roads

A paper going to a Highland Council meeting on Thursday will propose a £1 million spend of additional capital monies on roads infrastructure.

Last month the Scottish Government announced an additional Capital Grant for Highland Council of £2.046m for 2017/18 and a paper to council will ask members to consider whether to allocate £1m of this to roads.

The 2017 Strategic Timber Transport Fund (STTF), managed by Forestry Commission Scotland, is to offer £7.85m nationally of co-funding support to projects that strengthen public roads and reduce disruption by timber haulage.

Highland Council said it is well placed to attract this match funding and would make every effort to secure this potential additional investment.

The council approved an additional £24.520m in December 2015 for roads, bridges and piers to be included in the Capital Plan, together with an additional provision of £1.6m for minor flood works over 10 years.

Breaking ground as Invergarven School takes shape

South Ayrshire Council is preparing to begin work on a project to build a new Invergarven School.

Built in 1870 Invergarven is a special school for primary and secondary children and young people with complex additional support needs. With the original building on Henrietta Street having reached the end of its natural life, the school is moving to a new site.

The £3.7 million facility will be project managed by the Council Professional Design Service and built in the grounds of Girvan Academy, delivering spaces for learning and teaching including a sensory room, life skills kitchen, multi-use hall, hydrotherapy pool and external areas that support outdoor learning.

The new school will increase capacity by around a third with 20 children and young people able to be taught at any one time (up from 15 at the old school).

Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2017 and is expected to be completed by April 2018.

Esh Border Construction opens new Borders school

The new Leader Valley School was officially opened by the Lord-Lieutenant for Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale, The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry KBE last week after the project was completed by main contractor Esh Border Construction.

Convener of Scottish Borders Council, Councillor Graham Garvie, welcomed invited guests to the ceremony before asking the Lord-Lieutenant to unveil a commemorative plaque.

Guests were then given the opportunity to hear more about the design process and enjoy a tour of the building.

Designed by the council’s in-house architects, the new school has been built to provide a flexible and adaptable space which centres around three small classrooms, all with direct access to a safe outdoor space.

An additional activity area provides opportunities for practical experiences and arts/crafts while several smaller rooms can be used for meetings, therapy and tuition.

A sensory/soft play space has been fitted out with equipment for specialised therapy while an additional breakout space can support the development of life skills and independent learning. This takes place in a café style area which also contains a kitchen workspace and eating space.

All these areas have been created to provide optimum teaching and learning conditions while the décor and soft furnishings have been carefully planned to suit pupils’ needs.

The school also has a welcoming reception area, appropriate ancillary accommodation for hygiene, administration and storage while the secure large outdoor space will be landscaped to provide a safe play and multi-sensory experience in attractive surroundings. Parking for staff is available onsite and there is a safe area for pupil drop off and collection.

Awards launched to celebrate good practice in design and construction health and safety

A new nationwide search for excellence in construction and design was announced last week as the Association for Project Safety (APS) launched its 10th annual National CDM and Student Designer Awards.

The awards celebrate inspirational good practice in the construction health and safety sector and are a benchmark of excellence aimed at highlighting how good design and health and safety practices can help reduce deaths, injury and ill-health, both physical and mental.

There are two competitions: for professionals working in the Construction Health and Safety sector; and students on a construction related design course. Entries are now open with the submission deadline midnight on June 6.

APS is calling on professionals and students to put their best work forward for consideration. Professionals working in the Construction Health and Safety sector can enter their work into nine different categories including: Health & Safety; Project of the Year; Principal Designer of the year; Client of the year; Principal Contractor of the year; BIM H&S Project of the year, Consultancy of the year and Health and Innovation. Submissions are welcome from non-members as well as APS members.

WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff helps restore Lews Castle to former glory

A 19th century Scottish Castle, which has been closed for over 25 years, has opened today after millions of pounds worth of renovations, all overseen by WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff.

The global professional services consultancy was assigned in 2010 to manage the renovation of Lews Castle in Stornoway which was first built in 1847 for famous Scottish trader Sir James Matheson.

Led by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the local authority for the Outer Hebrides, the £19.5 million project which has restored the castle to create a new museum, archive and hospitality venue, was opened today by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in a special ceremony unveiling a plaque to mark the official opening.

As well as devising the project programme, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff managed the procurement of designers and contractors, coordinated the work of the design team and devised a communication and governance structure for the project.

The project received funding from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland, the Scottish Government, the European Regional Development Fund, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Gaelic language organisation Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

The restoration and regeneration of Lews Castle and the associated museum and archive development is the largest cultural project ever delivered by the Comhairle. The Outer Hebrides are already a magnet for visitors and this innovative project will undoubtedly attract new visitors and generate employment throughout the islands.

‘Massive jump’ in Scotland’s wind power output

Wind turbines in Scotland provided enough electricity last month to supply the electrical needs of 162% of Scottish households (3.9 million homes) –an increase of 43% compared to that of February 2016.

A total of 1,331,420MWh of electricity was supplied to the National Grid over the period, while Scotland’s total electricity consumption (i.e. including homes, business and industry) for February was 1,984,765MWh.

Wind power therefore generated the equivalent of 67% of Scotland’s entire electricity needs for the month.

On four separate days (Thursday 2nd, Monday 13th, Monday 20th, and Sunday 26th) wind turbines generated output equivalent to more that Scotland’s total power needs for each entire day – equivalent to 118%, 110%, 127% and 128% of each day’s demand, respectively.

WWF Scotland, which published the statistics today, urged politicians to build upon the progress that has been made in using renewables to generate electricity and maximise the benefits to Scotland of the transition to a renewable future.

Ground investigations to start on A9 section closest to Inverness

Ground investigations on a section of the A9 between Tomatin and Moy will begin on March 13 and are expected to take three weeks.

Although most of the work will not be carried out on the existing road, traffic management measures will be in place to allow work beside the carriageway to be carried out safely.

Melrose’s Roman museum expansion supported

Scottish Borders Council has approved a £2 million project to expand a museum telling the story of a Roman outpost.

The scheme would see the Trimontium Museum in Melrose’s Ormiston Institute more than double in size.

The Trimontium Trust is seeking support from a range of organisations to take the project forward.

Scottish Borders Council is to provide a capital contribution of £60,000 and officer time worth £63,000.

Work starts on vehicle parts plant at Fort William smelter

Work has started to develop an advanced auto-components plant at the Fort William aluminium smelter site in the Highlands.

GFG Alliance companies, Liberty British Aluminium and SIMEC Lochaber Power, have started developing the site as part of a £120 million first phase investment in the area, which will create a mix of up to 600 new direct and indirect jobs.

The overall investment scheme aims to create 1,000 direct and 1,000 indirect jobs, as well as adding £1 billion to the local economy.

Renewables workforce to decline over next 12 months - survey

New research has revealed nearly 17% of the Scottish renewable energy sector’s workforce will be lost over the next 12 months.

The survey, carried out by Scottish Renewables, reveals companies are anticipating one sixth of the sector’s workforce will be let go due to changes and closures of various support schemes.

The Employment Trends and Business Confidence survey also revealed more than four in ten (41%) of respondents felt either quite or very negative about the future of the sector. The same figure said they felt ‘neutral’ about the coming year.

However, more respondents felt positive about the future of their own businesses over the next 12 months than felt negatively. Some 47% said they felt either very positive or quite positive, while 32% felt either very negative or quite negative. A fifth (20%) said they felt neutral.

Demolition work to begin on Bridgeton redevelopment scheme

Demolition work is to begin as part of a redevelopment project in Bridgeton, Glasgow.

The former Church House building on Boden Street will be levelled as part of an industrial re-development by Clyde Gateway. The works are expected to last up to three weeks.