Building Briefs – October 9th

Clyde Gateway, the urban regeneration company responsible for transforming some 2,000 acres in the East End of Glasgow and South Lanarkshire, has won a coveted award at this year’s British Council for Offices’ national ceremony in London.

The company was presented with the UK wide award for projects up to 2,000m2 for The Albus, designed by JM Architects, which is situated at 110 Brook Street, Glasgow.

The British Council for Offices Awards Programme provides public recognition for top quality design and functionality and a benchmark for excellence in workplaces.

The judging panel praised The Albus as a superb example of a building that has been developed by a client with a clear vision, and a design team and contractor with the skills and expertise to deliver those aspirations.

The success follows an award win earlier this year in the same category for the British Council for Offices’ regional award in which The Albus was ranked best in Scotland.

The Albus was recognised as a sustainable development; delivering not just sound environmental credentials scoring a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ and ‘B’ rated EPC, but also embracing both the social and economic needs of the area.

Joint commission to develop Inverness Railway design plans

A joint commission is to be formed between the Highland Council, HITRANS and Abellio ScotRail to develop design proposals for improvements to Inverness Railway Station.

Architects Nicoll Russell Studios have been commissioned to complete the design work by spring 2016.

Abellio ScotRail plans to invest up to £2 million in the station.

The funding will improve the main entrance and Station Square, refurbish the concourse, expand commercial and retail opportunities and extend the cyclist parking facilities.

In addition, the council and HITRANS are funding design work to create better walking and cycling links for the station.

After proposals are finalised, it is understood the council will partner with HITRANS in a joint bid for the Scottish Stations Fund to contribute towards the cost of delivering the scheme.

The £30m fund is administered by Network Rail on behalf of the Scottish Government to improve the public’s access to railway services.

B-listed Aberdeenshire bridge refurb complete

A major conservation and refurbishment of a B-listed bridge in Aberdeenshire has been completed.

The historic Polhollick Footbridge, near Ballater, has been repaired by contractors.

Localised improvements were carried out to damaged elements of the bridge.

However, the majority of the structure has been retained in line with best conservation practice, including the original galvanised steel suspension ropes.

The bridge has also been repainted white, the signature colour adopted for several suspension bridges over the River Dee.

Aberdeenshire Council approved funding of £300,000 earlier this year for the work, while Historic Environment Scotland awarded £120,000 as part of its Building Repair Grant scheme.

New non-executive director at Havelock Europa

Havelock Europa has appointed Peter Dillon as a non-executive director.

Mr Dillon, 71, is a Chartered Accountant and was finance director of Hargreaves Services plc from 2003 to 2007.

He joined Hargreaves Services in 2003 as finance director and helped to organise the management buy out in 2003 and then the IPO on the AIM market in 2005 at 243p per share. He retired from the board of Hargreaves on 31 December 2007 when the share price was 505p.

Fife Provost opens 66th Premier Inn hotel in Scotland

Provost of Fife, Jim Leishman, joined in the celebrations at Premier Inn St Andrews yesterday as he officially opened the company’s 66th hotel in Scotland.

The three-storey, 65-bedroom hotel cost £7 million and created 25 new full and part-time all year round jobs and four apprenticeships.

Following a partnership with The Springboard Charity, around half of the positions filled have gone to those between the ages of 16-24 and long term unemployed.

Work starts on new homes in Kirkcaldy

Barratt Homes has started work on a new development of 107 properties in Kirkcaldy.

The Langdale View development in Kirkcaldy’s Chapel Level area will see the construction of a range of three and four bedroom family homes.

The new development will bring almost £13.5 million of new investment to the area and the first homes will be released for sale in autumn 2015.

A celebration of achievement for plumbing apprentices

Plumbing apprentices from the Edinburgh and District region were recognised for their achievements at an annual prize giving ceremony organised by the SNIPEF Edinburgh and District Branch last night.

The SNIPEF Edinburgh and District Branch initiated the annual ceremony 14 years ago to recognise those apprentices who excel in their performance at college and are committed to completing their 4-year plumbing industry approved Modern Apprenticeship. Attending the ceremony are three colleges who deliver the plumbing industry apprentice programme, Edinburgh, Borders and Forth Valley Colleges.

The best over-all apprentice in the region, and presented with the prestigious David More Trophy, was Martyn Smith of Forth Valley College.

The runners up are Dean Scott from Borders College and Rory Watt from Edinburgh College.

Edinburgh cycle route officially opened

A new cycle route connecting the Meadows and the east of Edinburgh was officially opened yesterday.

The Meadows to Innocent route forms the first phase of a £1.25m scheme to link the Innocent Path to the Union Canal towpath via the Meadows.

The new section allows cyclists to travel along National Cycle Network Route 1 between North Meadow Walk and the Innocent Path, which follows an old railway route to Duddingston, Brunstane and Musselburgh, without having to dismount at Clerk Street.

It is also an important milestone in the delivery of the council’s QuietRoutes project, a network of cycle routes aiming to cater for new or less confident cyclists.

Dennis Wilson crowned UK’s top construction manager

Dennis Wilson of Lend Lease has won Construction Manager of the Year 2015 for his standout performance on the £48 million National Theatre rebuild and refurbishment. Competing against some of the UK’s most talented construction professionals, he beat 69 other finalists and nine other gold medallists to the coveted trophy.

The Construction Manager of the Year Awards, run by the Chartered Institute of Building for more than 30 years, are unique because they focus on individual managers working within the built environment sector.

The multi-faceted NT Future project on London’s busy South Bank involved plenty of drama - heavy demolition, the remodelling of production and performing spaces, and the reimagining of public areas. But Dennis’s calm leadership ensured that the Grade II* listed icon – and its three theatres - remained fully operational throughout the three year transformation, employing 1,000 staff and welcoming up to 2,500 visitors daily.