Industry News


Aid agency call to construction sector: Challenge yourself and challenge poverty


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eams from across the con- struction industry are already signing up to take part in the


CARE Construction Challenge on Saturday 30 June 2012. So far teams have entered from BAM Nuttall, Network Rail, Kingspan, EnterpriseMouchel, New Civil Engineer, and more. The CARE Construction Cha-


llenge, held in a different scenic location each year, will see teams from the industry completing a marathon distance on foot, bike and kayak – this time around Dorset’s scenic Purbeck Peninsula. Last year’s event in Cannock Chase was won by BAM Nuttall. The chal- lenge is set for the construction industry to take their title in 2012.


CARE and construction Asian tsunami 7th anniversary: On Boxing Day in 2004 the Asian tsunami, triggered by one of the


most powerful earthquakes ever recorded on a seismograph, had a devastating impact on more than a dozen countries. An estimated 250,000 lives were lost and millions were left homeless. CARE was among the leading


humanitarian agencies to respond and has continued to work with affected communities since, to reconstruct homes and livelihoods and promote economic and social development. In summary, CARE reached 1,339,464 people affected by the tsunami in India, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. CARE International UK’s chief


executive Geoffrey Dennis visited Tamil Nadu in South East India where CARE rebuilt houses for families who had lost everything. The project focused on poor fami- lies whose bamboo and wooden houses had been completely destroyed. CARE built robust brick


houses in their place. Geoffrey said: “I was pleased to find, almost seven years on, the houses were still in perfect condition. They’re very well kept and are regularly painted by the local families who live in them. I was also impressed to see how CARE has helped com- munities to become completely self-sufficient by rebuilding liveli- hoods, for example through crab farming and cashew nut production. This is what long term development is all about.” The CARE Construction Cha-


llenge, supported by corporate partner Costain Group PLC, gives workers from every level of con- struction, from design to comple- tion, the opportunity to support some of the most important con- struction projects in the world – rebuilding homes and infrastructure following a devastating emergency.


How to take part Teams of two, three or four will be asked to raise £600 per person to support CARE’s vital work. For further information please visit: www.carechallenge.org.uk/ constructionchallenge


Low carbon performance & excellence in design celebrated at industry awards


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he University of Bradford was crowned Carbon Champion of the Year at the CIBSE Building


Performance Awards 2012. The University carried out a sustained and comprehensive programme of energy efficiency that not only reversed their building’s previous trend of rising energy use and emis- sions, but reduced them by 8 per cent since the start of the pro- gramme in 2005. The University also won the Client of the Year award. Rewarding excellence in sustain-


able and aspirational buildings, the CIBSE Building Performance awards are designed to raise industry stan- dards by recognising those who are designing and managing the UK’s most sustainable and innovative


projects & products. They showcase the best examples of actual low carbon performance in practice, allied to excellence in the design, construction, and operation of build- ings of all types. AECOM was named Consultancy


of the Year, while Imtech Aqua took Contractor of the Year. Norman Disney & Young took the accolade for Refurbishment Project of the Year, for a refurbishment project transforming the Angel Building, an early 1980s building in Islington, North London. Max Fordham took the award for


Public Sector New Build of the Year and also beat off the competition to win the Private Sector New Build of the Year with the Brockholes Visitor


Centre in Preston, while British Land won the Client Energy Management Award. Passive (Energy related) Product


of the Year went to Datum Phase Change for the Racus ceiling tile, while Energy Using Product of the Year went to Monodraught for their Cool-Phase Low Energy Cooling and Ventilation System – a low ene- rgy alternative to air-conditioning. Norland Managed Services was recognised for its contribution to Training for Building Performance and Transport for London won for Building Operation. Norman Disney & Young was awarded Commiss- ioning Project of the Year and the award for Collaborative Working went to Harrods.


Award-winning £29 million Exhibition Road scheme in on time and on budget


opening this February, following the implementation of a £29 million project taking eight years of planning. The completion of the mixed use


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pedestrian and vehicle zone along the major South West London thor- oughfare Exhibition Road, saw con- struction management specialist Schal deliver this landmark project on time and on budget. The company has been a key


player in the capital’s highest profile street regeneration this decade, project managing a development, which has radically changed the


he spectacular transformation of London’s Exhibition Road was marked with an official


appearance of the quarter and will shape the experience of its many millions of visitors that will come each year. The reconceived space runs the


entire half-a-mile length of Exhibition Road, from Hyde Park in the north to South Kensington Undergr-


ound Station in the South, offering easy access to London landmarks including the Royal Albert Hall, the Natural History Museum, the


Science Museum, V&A Museum and Imperial College, London. The new, single-level road surface


does away with kerb stones and tra- ditional street clutter, such as pedes- trian barriers, instead delivering a single ‘shared’ space, divided into


6 www.buildingconstructiondesign.eu


pedestrian, mixed use and drivers’ zones. The three zones are tied together by a repeated bold diam- ond motif in granite, which runs the entire length and width of the project, creating a unique visual identity for the street. Tall, sleek street lighting masts have been designed to complement the grand buildings of Exhibition Road. Black cast iron drainage channel covers run along each side, about four metres out from the respective building lines. Beside the drainage channels, strips of ‘corduroy’ tactile warn blind and partially sighted people that they are moving into or out of vehicle free areas. In July 2011 the ambitious


scheme won the ‘Placemaking’ category in the New London Awards, before it had even been completed. Schal’s innovations included a


phased approach, which simplified the project and reduced the risks. The company developed openness and co-operation among the team, using an NEC option D Target cost contract with a pre-construction services contract to successfully manage the risks.


CIBSE low carbon energy asses-


sor Andrew Gardner took the title of Low Carbon Consultant of the Year; over one year he helped his clients to save around 61 tonnes of Carbon. CIBSE president Andy Ford said:


“The future is a resource and carbon constrained world. CIBSE is placing the enabling of effective perform- ance engineering delivered through our members at the heart of what it does. All the entrants recognised have shown their commitment and skill at creating a sustainable built environment. We are proud to showcase some of the best proj- ects, products and innovations...” The Awards were presented on February 8, in London.


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