Building Briefs – May 12th

The diversion of the Green Burn that runs through the site of the new Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre has been completed.

The diversion work, which was carried out by Robertson Construction, was necessary as the original burn ran through the centre of the footprint of the new AECC building. The diversion also allows Aberdeen City Council and its development partner Henry Boot Developments to maximise the use of the rest of the site, including creating a public parkland.

A mammal ledge will allow otters – who often use the Green Burn as a travelling route – to safely move through the culverts.

The new Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre is expected to contribute an additional 4.5 million visitors, £113 million of visitor spend and £63m net GVA to the Scottish economy. It will also result in the creation of 352 full-time-equivalent permanent positions by year 10 of operations. The new AECC will provide four times the exhibition space available at the current facility, and increase the maximum capacity to 12,500 in the arena.

Freyssinet wins Lord Cullen Trophy for safety on Glasgow Underground project

Freyssinet was awarded the prestigious Lord Cullen Trophy for Safety Performance at the annual Scottish Chamber of Safety Awards, held at the Scotland Works, Health & Safety Scotland Exhibition in Glasgow.

The trophy, given in recognition of an outstanding contribution to improving health, safety and environmental issues, was awarded to Freyssinet in acknowledgement of its commitment and innovative approach to health and safety on SPT’s Glasgow Underground improvement scheme.

In a joint venture between Freyssinet UK and Major Project Repair BU, work started on the project in April 2015, incorporating annulus grouting, concrete lining repairs and water sealing, carried out during night-time closures.

Due to the complex nature of the working environment, Freyssinet has developed a number of innovative methods to ensure the safety of its employees and other subcontractors, and of the general public. These have included an overhead conveyor, designed and installed with help from Amber Industries, which has been used to transport grout materials into the tunnel and has substantially reduced manual handling, and a bespoke drilling rig, developed in conjunction with Sept Tools, which has reduced the amount of working at height required and exposure to harmful levels of vibration and dust.

Freyssinet’s winning entry demonstrated the six principles of HSE’s Helping GB Work Well strategy - acting together, tackling ill health, managing risk well, supporting small employers, keeping pace with change and sharing success of good practice.

Freyssinet project manager Christophe Zapirain gave a short presentation on the winning entry at the awards ceremony, before being presented with trophy, which will be displayed at Freyssinet’s head office in Telford, Shropshire for the next 12 months.

Dundee factory to make way for homes

Hiddleston & Feist Architects have brought forward plans to demolish a vacant factory building on Fairmuir Road, Dundee, to create two detached and six semi-detached houses.

The Baltic Works will be replaced by new homes arranged to form a clearly defined street frontage with living spaces positioned on the upper floor to maximise views.

Acies Civil and Structural Ltd acquired by environmental consultancy RSK Group

Environmental consultancy RSK Group has acquired property and construction consultancy Acies Civil and Structural Ltd for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition sees the Acies business, including around 20 employees across three UK sites - Edinburgh, London and Runcorn - transfer to RSK.

Acies will become a part of RSK’s geotechnical and engineering division under its existing leadership team Mike Rudd, Neil Clarkson and Lyndsay Waymont.

The Acies brand will also be retained and the business will continue to operate as Acies Civil and Structural Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of RSK.

Council to install traffic calming measures in Inverness

A road maintenance project is set to begin in the Lochardil area of Inverness.

The council will start installing traffic calming measures in the region from Monday, 15 may.

Features include siting a raised junction where Balnakyle and Laggan road meets and another one at the junction of Ashie Road and Green Drive. A new coloured surface will also be installed along Burn Road and Lodge Road to define a clear footway, while a raised junction table will be developed on both Burn Road and Lodge Road.

Once these works are finished, the council will extend a nearby 20mph zone to include this area.

The scheme is expected to be complete by Friday, 16 June.