Building Briefs – September 7th

New students move in to £11m Aberdeen accommodation

Students have begun moving in to Aberdeen’s first bespoke-built student accommodation premises, following the official opening of Alumno Developments’ 196-bed new property.

With only three weeks until the start of the new academic year, the property at Powis Place is already 70 per cent pre-let. The final touches have now been made to the building’s interior following completion of the build phase by main contractor Kier Construction Scotland during August.

Those include the addition of commissioned artworks from students at the University of Dundee, and a sculpture – titled “A wrapped parcel of books” carved from a piece of Aberdeen granite by renowned Northumbrian artist Fred Watson.

Homes for Students will manage 2 Powis Place on behalf of Alumno.

Comprising a series of two- to nine-bedroom cluster flats, along with studios, the Powis Place development includes onsite management facilities and modern amenities, as well as secure cycle spaces as part of an effort to encourage a reduction in car use.

Alumno’s funding partners at Powis Place are Lothbury Investment Management. The building was designed by Carson & Partners, and members of the project team supporting Alumno Developments also include Fairhurst, Hawthorne Boyle and Turner and Townsend.

Ineos completes work on Grangemouth HQ

Petrochemical giant Ineos has completed work on its new multi-million headquarters in Grangemouth.

The building was designed by Michael Laird Architects and built by BAM Construction.

Chief executive John McNally said the new office is “just one part of a £450 million investment plan being delivered at Grangemouth”.

Viridor wins 10-year South Lanarkshire waste deal

Post-recycling black bag waste from South Lanarkshire Council is set to be transformed in a new partnership with recycling and waste management company Viridor.

Aligned with waste reduction, reuse and recycling the £127 million partnership will divert waste from landfill by recovering renewable energy from residual ‘black-bag’ waste.

South Lanarkshire Council, Scotland’s fifth largest local authority which serves a population of 315,360, has signed a ten year contract (with option for five year extension) with Viridor following a competitive tendering process.

The contract will see around 80,000 tonnes of residual waste processed each year, diverting over 95 per cent of the residual waste from landfill. The contract, which commences on 1st April 2017, will see Viridor will work with South Lanarkshire SME, Wm Hamilton & Sons, who will invest £1m in vehicles and a transfer and logistics hub at Dovesdale Farm, Stonehouse, South Lanarkshire.

52,000 tonnes of residual waste from across the authority will be delivered directly to the Dovesdale site, with a further 26,000 tonnes being received via the council’s Carluke transfer station. From there materials will then be transported to Viridor’s £177m state-of-the-art Dunbar Energy Recovery Facility (ERF), currently under construction and scheduled for completion in December 2017.

Glasgow Fort opens new multi-storey car park

A new multi-storey car park has opened at Glasgow Fort bringing 600 additional free spaces and increasing parking capacity at the centre by more than 30 per cent.

The shopping and leisure destination now has 2,500 free parking spaces for customers to enjoy the longest opening hours of any centre in Scotland.

A new customer guidance system, which indicates where spaces are available, has also been introduced across all car parking at the centre.

Formed over five floors and situated at the north end of the park near Vue cinema, the new structure represents a multi-million investment. Local companies and materials have been used throughout the project, including architect Cooper Cromar and main contractor McLaughlin and Harvey.

The design features swathes of Caithness stone and sustainable timber.

Castlemilk regeneration starting to take shape

CCG Scotland is progressing work on the construction of 130 new affordable homes in Castlemilk for GHA.

The site on Dougrie Drive is located immediately west of the town’s main shopping centre and upon its completion, will offer panoramic views across Glasgow and beyond to the Campsie Fells.

Dougrie Drive will comprise a mix of house types centred on a concept that corresponds to the surrounding area. This includes courtyard cluster houses, terraced houses and a courtyard block surrounded by specially designed landscaping.

The homes are being constructed using CCG OSM’s closed panel timber system which is complete with pre-installed windows and French patio doors. This construction method enabled CCG to erect and fully install the timber system for the first three blocks (8 homes) within a period of just three weeks. A further 5 blocks (22 units) will be fully installed over the autumn period.

CCG expect to be on site until spring 2017.

Argyll and Bute Council completes roads project

Argyll and Bute Council has successfully completed an £80,000 project to replace around 600 metres of the A816 between Kintraw Farm and Salachery (south of Ardfern).

The work is part of the council’s £27 million investment in Argyll and Bute’s road network over the past four years. The successful investment project has seen a mix of resurfacing work, patching, surface dressing and in-situ surface recycling throughout the council area.

Since the start of the roads capital programme almost 400 miles of roads have been upgraded, with an overall improvement of 3 per cent; one of the fastest improving road networks in Scotland.

Almost 90 per cent of Argyll and Bute’s ‘A’ class roads are now in good or fair condition.

CPOs of derelict Moray buildings edge closer

Moray Council has contacted the owners of vacant or derelict buildings with a view to issuing compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to those which have an adverse impact on their surroundings.

Members of the council’s planning and regulatory services committee were told yesterday that 18 properties and areas of land had been identified as having an impact on the amenity of their neighbourhoods and inhibiting economic growth.

The buildings included dwellings, factory premises and industrial and commercial properties across Moray.

The issue was first highlighted in a report to the committee last year when an approach was set out to help bring land and buildings back into use and reduce their adverse impact.

Councillors will be given periodic updates on progress in relation to the properties which have already been identified.

New council housing delivered in West Lothian

McTaggart Construction has developed five new council homes near Linlithgow in West Lothian.

The contractor built the new bungalows designed for tenants with mobility issues adjacent to the Community Centre in Bridgend, the first council homes to be built in the area since 1969.

The project is part of West Lothian Council’s £100 million investment to build 1,000 new local authority homes across the region and tenants recently moved into the new housing at Auldhill. Existing housing tenants are given priority in terms of transferring into the council’s new build homes.

McLaughlin & Harvey welcomes its 2016 trainees

Six new trainees started their career this week with McLaughlin & Harvey.

The firm’s trainee scheme is open to anyone that is looking to attend University, but also to practice their chosen subject in the workplace. Learning and earning in tandem.

This year it has taken on Quantity Surveying and Civil Engineering trainees. A typical working week for trainees would consist of four days on-site, and one day at University. After five years they will graduate in their chosen field having gained five years’ worth of industry experience.

Last year, McLaughlin & Harvey took on nine trainees who have now entered their second year studying Civil Engineering, Quantity Surveying and Construction Management.

New £162m City of Glasgow College campus opens to students

Glasgow’s newest college campus has opened for classes - bringing a £162 million new facility to city students.

City of Glasgow College’s City campus will also benefit non-students with a fine dining restaurant and food shops open to the public.

The 619,000 square foot City campus has changed the city centre skyline and bosses claim it will change how people learn.

Housing associations work together to transform derelict Ruchazie site

A partnership between two housing associations has marked the next stage in the regeneration of a Glasgow community.

Cube Housing Association, part of Wheatley Group, and Ruchazie Housing Association joined forces to build 60 new homes on derelict land in Ruchazie.

As well as providing more affordable homes for people in the city, the development is another step in the regeneration of low Ruchazie - which had been blighted with derelict land for years.

The new development, in Milncroft Road and Bankend Street, is a mix of homes for social rent, mid-market rent and shared equity.

The land had lain empty for 12 years after tenements on the site were demolished.

A total of 16 of the new homes are Cube social rented homes and 14 for Ruchazie Housing Association. Another 20 are for mid-market rent, owned by Cube and managed by Lowther Homes, Cube’s partner in Wheatley Group.

There are also ten shared equity homes in the development.

The £6.5 million development includes £1.2m from the Scottish Government’s Greener Homes Innovation Scheme as well as £1.4m grant assistance from Glasgow City Council. The homes were built by Cruden Buildings and Renewals.

Dumfries and Galloway Council to progress with flood protection schemes

Dumfries and Galloway Council is set to approve plans to progress flood protection schemes across the region.

The Scottish Government has granted over £1.5 million towards various projects at Whitesands, Langholm and Newton Stewart.

Plans include repairing the Riverside road wall at Newton Stewart by increasing the height of the wall and carrying out improvements to the Sparling Footbridge to raise it above peak flood levels.

Councillors will also be asked to agreed an estimated £100,000 of funding to deliver a temporary flooding solution for Carsphairn.

The council approved the Local Flood Risk Management Plan earlier this year along with details of the various flood protection schemes.

Work begins on £100,000 West Lothian grass pitch project

Work to install a new £100,000 grass football pitch in West Lothian has started.

The council is delivering the facility at the underused blaise pitch adjacent to St John’s Primary School.

The scheme is being developed in addition to the recent provision of a full-size 3G synthetic surface pitch behind Fauldhouse Partnership Centre.

Further plans are in place to build a full size grass pitch for the Eastfield Road Park blaise pitch.