Industry News ONS figures show no recovery in private sector construction T


he latest ONS construction fig- ures show that construction output has continued to fall in


January. The figure for January 2012 shows that output in this month was 12 per cent lower than for December 2011 and for the three month period ending January 2012, output was 11 per cent down compared to the previ- ous three months.


Commenting on the figures, Noble


Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association said: “Overall, we are not particularly surprised that construction output has continued to decline, due to the effect of the public sector cuts. However, what is extremely disconcerting is that while public sector construction activity has fallen 12 per cent in the


three months to January compared to the previous three months, private sector construction has fared almost as badly, falling 10 per cent over the same period. “The government has made much


play on private sector construction leading the recovery, as the public sector cuts begin to bite. Unfortunately from the ONS data, this recovery is


not happening and even commercial activity, usually the largest private con- struction sector, is showing a fall of 11 per cent. “With this evidence, it is imperative


that the Chancellor uses his budget speech later this month to provide an urgent boost to kick start construction activity, so as to get the economic recovery back on track.”


Pick Everard heads architectural design of new £6.5 million development for Derby College


Funding for the development has


been boosted with the award of £1.9 million from the Skills Funding Agency, plus a £4 million contribution from Derby College, following the disposal of a former college site and an area of surrounding farmland. The latest round of college develop-


P


ick Everard is leading the design and construction of a new £6.5 million development for Derby


College, providing its Broomfield Hall campus with a Learning and Support Building and new sports hall. Located four miles north east of


Derby, overlooking the scenic Derwent Valley, Broomfield Hall is the county’s centre specialising in land-based studies, including agriculture, horticul- ture, conservation and animal care, on a working estate of 200 acres. The new development is aiming for BREEAM Excellent rating and is part of a major transformation of the campus, with which Pick Everard has been closely involved. Several buildings


will be demolished, making way for the Learning and Support Building, which will include a library and resource centre, classrooms and other student services, including a food court. The first phase, the construction of the Learning and Support building, is set to begin at the end of May with com- pletion in January 2013. The second phase, the sports hall,


starts in mid November with com- pletion by June 2013 and includes a fitness suite, which, together with two new playing fields adjacent to the site, will not only expand the pro- vision of courses and facilities for students but will also benefit the local Erewash community.


ment is a continuation of Pick Everard’s established partnership with Derby College and follows completion of two major schemes previously designed at Broomfield Hall. A £1 million, timber framed, energy-efficient classroom and laboratory block was completed to a tight schedule last May and the first phase of a new Equine Centre opened last December, with the launch of the indoor arena. The second phase of the Equine


Centre is due for completion in May and includes two classrooms. A further two agricultural buildings are also planned for Top Farm, adjacent to the site. Derby College commented: “Pick


Everard engaged with us from the start and fully understood our vision for the Broomfield Campus. It is important for us that our investment on the site creates the right impact, whilst respecting and linking in with


the existing buildings. The project team added value by suggesting inno- vative solutions which contributed to a design of high quality... the enthusiasm of the team members is refreshing.” Paul Rothera, project director at


Pick Everard commented: “We’re delighted to continue our on-going relationship with Derby College on the transformation of the Broomfield Hall site. The campus remains open throughout the year. Having the best facilities for staff, students and the community is essential. The new development is sustainably designed to set a benchmark, delivering high- est quality facilities for students and the local community for many years to come.” Pick Everard is currently working


on a number of major school, college and university projects across the UK including Northampton, Dudley and Bristol Colleges and Manchester and Aberystwyth universities. The practice has renowned expertise in educational construction and an award-winning project history includ- ing Stephenson College, Madani High School, Derby High School and Leicester Grammar School.


NIA welcomes cash boost for Green Deal training


of £3.5 million of new funding to help the training of Green Deal assessors and insulation installers, ahead of the launch of the Green Deal later this year. Neil Marshall, chief executive of the


T


suppliers how to grasp the potential of green construction at a special FLASH+ conference at the Arora Hotel in Crawley, 1 May 2012. They will share the latest thinking on maximising building performance and


T


op government and industry leaders will


builders, facilities managers and


NIA commented: “We have been working closely with government on


he National Insulation Assoc- iation (NIA) has welcomed the announcement by government


announcement


plans to significantly ramp up Solid Wall Insulation (SWI) volumes under the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and identified the need for support for skills and training at an early stage. “We therefore welcome the that DECC and


Construction Skills will be making £2.5 million available for installer train- ing and we look forward to working


Perfect performance can energise construction profits tell architects,


how performance itself will become central to future contracts. The latest policies governing public


sector procurement will be explained and delegates will take away strate- gies to manage change in their busi- nesses to help teams embrace new business opportunities. A series of four workshops have been timetabled


so delegates can attend two sessions of interest to them. Passivhaus Trust’s Nick Grant will share cutting edge approaches to manage site opera- tions, construction sequencing and service penetrations, while another workshop will explore technologies and techniques for testing the per- formance of the building fabric. A third


with them in the coming weeks to agree the most effective method of deploying the funds.” Marshall went on to say that NIA


members were also actively looking to provide Green Deal Assessor serv- ices and therefore the £1 million announced for assessor training could be very helpful in speeding up the training process.


session will focus on tuning and com- missioning building systems where Jim Ure from ABS Consulting will tell you how to avoid the pitfalls. Zack Gill from Willmott Dixon’s Re-Thinking group, will identify user issues and the impact occupants have on the reality of achieving high performance.


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