Building Briefs - November 3rd

• Major delivery taken for River Ness Hydro Project

The generator will use the Archimedes Screws to harness the energy of the water flowing down the River Ness.

• New build Glasgow nursery schools embed green technologies

Four brand-new Early Years establishments currently under construction at Govanhill, Broomhill, Carntyne and Tollcross Park will incorporate innovative green technologies in their design to help mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, Glasgow City Council has unveiled.

Air source heat pumps and supporting infrastructure will enable all four of the new nursery schools to receive their warmth and hot water from electricity - a low carbon source of energy, whilst Govanhill and Broomhill Nursery Schools will also have Smart grey water systems installed to mitigate localised flood risk by maximising underground rainwater storage capacity ahead of a storm event.

The inclusion of sustainable technology in the new-builds - deliverable through match-funding from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP), will support Glasgow’s Climate Emergency Plan and the council’s desire to achieve net zero carbon in the city by 2030. Longer term, incorporating this type of green technology will also contribute towards meeting the national Net Zero Carbon target by 2045.

• Housing development near Mary Queen of Scots’ historic prison sold out

Buyers have purchased the final homes at a property development near Lochleven Castle known for harbouring the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots.

Dundas Estates’ Pace Hill development, in the village of Milnathort in Perth and Kinross, has sold out.

Perfect for first time buyers and families looking for a larger home the site offers a diverse mix of two to five-bedroom properties.

The Livingston-based developer launched new properties at the 77 home development earlier this year to meet the growing demands to live in the highly sought after area.

• Falkirk High to become Scotland’s first net zero carbon station

ScotRail has unveiled plans to make Falkirk High Scotland’s first net zero carbon station.

Falkirk High station has been selected to become Scotland’s first net zero carbon station as part of ScotRail’s plans to help decarbonise Scotland’s Railway by 2035.

Through a decarbonisation study, the train operator set out to find stations which had the scope and activity to become carbon neutral, with Falkirk High – which sits on ScotRail’s flagship route between Edinburgh and Glasgow - being identified as the ideal location.

Financed by its annual Sustainability Innovation Fund, ScotRail plans to achieve the carbon neutral goal at Falkirk High by installing a large four-bay solar-pv carport and smart LED lighting in the car park and walkway. Improving the insulation to the station building will also help offset the station’s remaining Co2 emissions.

• Borders Design Awards launched following three-year break

The search is on for the best designed buildings, extensions and conversions in the Borders following the launch of the Scottish Borders Design Awards 2022.

Following a three-year break in the awards, entries are being accepted for projects completed between 1 January 2018 and 31 August 2021. Entry is free and either the owner or designer can make applications to the award scheme.

The purpose of the awards, managed by Scottish Borders Council, is to promote and celebrate good building design in the area and to strengthen links between builders, architects, planners and other professionals in the industry.

The awards were launched by Councillor Simon Mountford, executive member for enhancing the built environment and natural heritage, and John Fordyce of The Borders Distillery in Hawick, a 2018 Design Award winner.

Submissions should be made no later than Monday 13 December 2021. Further details and an application form can be found online at www.scotborders.gov.uk/designawards.

• Joint Virtual Meetings launched by NHBC to help improve construction quality management

NHBC has announced the roll-out of Joint Virtual Meetings. It represents the second stage in the evolution of NHBC’s technical risk management strategy, following a successful pilot.

On new sites, Joint Virtual Meetings (JVMs) will be delivered virtually via MS Teams or another appropriate platform, to enable NHBC to work collaboratively with its builder customers without the need to be in one physical location together.

These meetings will improve communication between NHBC and the builder customer at key points in a project, allowing all those who attend to obtain a greater understanding of the project and its requirements.

JVMs will be more effective and collaborative, allowing a wider group of people to attend and facilitate the resolution of any design issues quickly together rather than via conditions or emails.

There will be three types of meetings including: Pre-start at the onset of each project; Inflight once the project has commenced - the timing and required attendees of which will be specific to each project and Consultation for complex sites that have planning approval but that are not yet registered with NHBC. Pre-start and Inflight meetings will be introduced from 1 November and Consultation meetings from 1 January 2022.

• Travis Perkins announces SBTI accreditation alongside move to 100% renewable electricity

Building materials supplier Travis Perkins has formally been accredited by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) who have recognised Travis Perkins’ commitments to reduce its total greenhouse gas emissions.

The SBTi has formally recognised Travis Perkins’ plans to reduce its scope 1 and 2 emissions by 80% before 2035 from a 2020 base year. The SBTi have also accredited the Group’s plans to reduce its total scope 3 emissions by 63% within the same timeframe. This means SBTi has determined that all targets are in line with a 1.5°C trajectory.

Travis Perkins has committed to investing in its buildings to continually improve energy efficiency, using low carbon, renewable energy systems where possible, while also installing energy saving solutions such as utilising LED lighting, solar panels and electric vehicle charging points across the Group’s estate. Measures have also been put in place to optimise the group’s 4,000-strong transport fleet by utilising fleet management systems, transitioning to alternative fuels and adopting low carbon technology.

Travis Perkins will also work with suppliers and customers to reduce supply chain emissions, in particular in-use emissions from products sold and the embodied carbon in products, as part of the broader Scope 3 emissions commitment.

Alongside this SBTi accreditation, the group has also moved to a 100% renewable electricity tariff for all of its UK based operations. The tariff, supplied by Drax, will see all Travis Perkins businesses in the UK supplied with 100% renewable source electricity across the total UK portfolio of almost 1,700 stores, branches and offices nationwide.

The renewable sources used to generate this electricity would typically consist of a mixture of biomass, wind and solar power, and over the four-year duration of the contract, this would save an estimated 54,600 tonnes of carbon compared to current levels; enough to power 80,000 homes.