Contact | Apr 12 Novus and education
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NOVUS SITE VISIT
BREEAM and funding pose challenges for Birmingham development
these updated demands. Some of these changes include significantly improved biodiversity where One Snow Hill’s hard landscaping attracted zero species compared to Two Snow Hill, which will have soft landscaping attracting six species. As the main tenant occupying seven floors of the building, Wragge & Co also had to be involved to ensure it fitted-out in the most environmentally- friendly way. This was achieved under an agreement known as a “green lease”, which will also extend to all other future tenants of the building. Balfour Beatty continually maintains contractor
Two Snow Hill under construction and as visioned
Following a successful tour in October 2011, Balfour Beatty hosted another visit by Novus members in Birmingham to the Two Snow Hill site in the city centre in February. The visit focused on sustainability and how the team is looking at gaining vital BREEAM points for this office development. The group was welcomed by Alain Gordon-
Seymour, senior engineer at Balfour Beatty, who outlined some of the particular challenges the build has presented, including inheriting the site with all of the concrete work (including huge concrete risers) having already been completed by another company. Balfour Beatty also inherited two tower cranes which had to undergo thorough health and safety re-testing. Careful due diligence in the form of surveys and tests
had to be carried out before and after the transfer of the site.
Of all the challenges, the biggest has been funding and the impact of the recession, which resulted in the project sitting dormant for approximately two years before it transferred to Balfour Beatty. During this time, the BREEAM 2006 criteria that had been agreed in the tender documents and used to build One Snow Hill were updated to the more complex 2008 criteria. However, Balfour Beatty saw this as an opportunity to strive for an even higher BREEAM rating. Building services consultant Cundall was brought
in to assist with the BREEAM strategy. Attention was given to core differences between BREEAM 2006 and 2008 criteria and how Two Snow Hill would meet
Treasure hunt launches Novus in the east
The East of England Branch officially launched its Novus group with a fantastic treasure hunt in Cambridge in March. The Novus committee, Branch representatives, CIOB staff and various members and guests paired off into teams to compete against each other for a fantastic afternoon and evening in the historic city. The participants had to follow a map and
answer questions based on the area, obtain photo evidence of being at certain landmarks and undertaking tasks while also meeting their given time slots for more physical challenges.
Points were awarded by marshalls with points also being deducted for wrong answers and failures to comply with rules. The hunt the was followed by a buffet and
refreshments. Thanks are extended to Hays Recruitment for sponsoring and supporting this event and to the main organisers, who worked tirelessly to make certain that the event was a success.
For more information on Novus in the East of England email
sbriggs@ciob.org.uk
improvements; including construction site impact, plant, sustainably sourced materials and site waste management. In addition, design improvements have been made to acoustics, flood risk, building services and CO2
emissions. The biggest difference is the BREEAM 2008
requirement for a Post-Construction Stage Review. This could mean not knowing the result of the final BREEAM assessment until after completion of the build. There are also more rigorous document checks requiring that everything be proven and recorded. It was emphasised that the resulting improvements should ultimately balance any additional money spent to achieve this higher BREEAM rating. The £46m development is progressing at varying
stages. Seven to eight floors now have their cladding complete and a huge atrium spans the height of the building, with exposed steel design.
Cambridge played host to the Novus treasure hunt
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