Building Briefs – October 30th

Dragon’s Den style project gets youngsters fired up in Edinburgh

Teenage entrepreneurs have taken part in a new Dragon’s Den style initiative, with a difference, aimed at propelling their leadership skills to new levels.

The Crags Young Leaders Programme has kicked off in Edinburgh offering a unique chance for youngsters to get involved in a nine month programme providing them with real world industry experience thanks to CALA Homes.

12 bright young sparks, fought off fierce competition for a place on the programme and were teamed up with business experts from the UK’s most upmarket home builder at the launch event.

However, it’s not just the young people who will benefit from the first of its kind project as it will also act as a development experience for the CALA executives from across the UK, who had no idea what the challenge would entail until the day of the workshop.

The innovative project, designed to put both the young people and CALA leaders through their paces was devised by Richard Knight, founder and director of Maasai Camel Ltd, a leadership and organisation development consultancy.

Thousands sign petition to save iconic Glasgow Royal Concert Hall steps

Thousands of people have signed a petition to save the iconic steps at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall.

The steps at the top of the city centre’s Buchanan Street are facing demolition under plans to replace them with a glass atrium.

Members of the public have reacted angrily to the proposals, which come as part of the major Buchanan Galleries redevelopment.

An online petition named “Save the Steps” has now been signed by almost 3700 people.

Those against the plans cite the steps’ significance to city life. They are used by thousands of people to sit on as they eat lunch, by buskers and for political protests.

Pier protection works at Banff Bridge begin this week

The first phase of pier base protection works began on Banff Bridge this week and the work is expected to last until Friday.

It will see the installation of four masonry cutwaters to the upstream face of the intermediate supports (piers). The bridge has six piers in total and the remaining two cutwaters are expected to be installed in December.

The works are being done whilst the bridge is still open to traffic. A single lane system is in operation using three-way traffic lights, but this is restricted to off peak times (between 9am and 3.30pm) to minimise disruption.

A77 Hansel Village southbound resurfacing works

Users of the southbound A77 at Hansel Village are set to benefit from essential road improvements which will get underway from Friday 7 November.

Works will be carried out by Scotland TranServ on behalf of Transport Scotland and will see just over one kilometre of the carriageway upgraded, delivering long-term benefits to drivers along the southbound A77 from Underwood Road to Rosemount Farm.

£300k for Forth Bridge Project

£300k has been announced for a new project to digitally map and scan every detail of the three bridges over the Forth, for future generations.

The bridges will be digitally mapped with laser technology used previously by the Scottish Ten initiative.

The project is due to start 2015 and will be carried out by the Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualisation (CDDV), which is a collaboration between heritage specialists at Historic Scotland and experts in 3D visualisation at The Glasgow School of Art’s Digital Design Studio.

Regulator seeks assurance over Muirhouse development and subsidiary plans

The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) has placed Muirhouse Housing Association under a ‘medium’ level of engagement over its failure to provide assurances about its development and subsidiary plans.

SHR’s updated Regulation Plan for Muirhouse notes that the association plans to grow considerably through new development in the next three years. Muirhouse also has plans to develop a large number of mid market rent housing for the first time and has established a subsidiary to manage the mid-market rent properties.

Given these issues, SHR has sought assurances from Muirhouse about its business and its plans to manage the risks involved with its development programme.

Muirhouse was registered as a social landlord in 1992. It owns and manages 448 houses in north west Edinburgh. It has charitable status and employs around 8 people. Its turnover for the year ended 31 March 2014 was just over £1.8 million.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed kitchen sold at auction

A collection of objects designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, including a dessert fork, a spoon, a pair of chairs and an entire fitted kitchen, has been sold for more than £150,000 at auction.

The chairs alone, which were designed in 1903 for Miss Cranston’s Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow, fetched £109,250 at Lyon & Turnbull’s sale of Decorative Arts in Edinburgh yesterday.

The fine ebonised oak “ladderback” chairs cost only 17 shillings and six pence each when the famous tea rooms’ owner, Miss Kate Cranston, ordered them more than a century ago.

A 15cm long electroplated preserves spoon once used in Miss Cranston’s tearooms sold for £688, while a dessert fork designed by Mackintosh for his friend Fra Newbery, the former director of the Glasgow School of Art, fetched £5,750.

The fitted kitchen, including a range of cupboards and worktops, was sold for £35,250, more than a century after it was commissioned by a retired judge for his home in Killearn, Stirlingshire.

Renfrewshire apprentices to build Malawi school

Apprentice joiners, plumbers, bricklayers, painters, plasterers and gardeners from Renfrewshire Council are to take part in a two-week trip to build a school in Malawi.

The team of over 30 Renfrewshire Council trade workers and apprentices have volunteered to take part in the project, which is being run in partnership with the charity Classrooms for Malawi.

Council volunteers will travel to the tiny William village, a remote area with around 600 children but no education provisions.

The plan is to build a new, three-classroom school, as well as undertaking additional projects such as a toilet block, a kitchen and home improvements.

The education department in Malawi has committed to recruiting a teacher for the school once built. The local community plan to build a teacher’s house.

The trip will be funded through charity fundraising and donations and is part of the council’s Employee Volunteering Scheme.