Building and Construction News

Scottish sustainable school opens

November 11th, 2009

Scotland`s first wholly sustainable school could provide lessons in developing energy efficient classes for the rest of the country.
The school, located in Acharacle in Adrnamurchan, was visited by the Scottish education secretary Fiona Hyslop. The school accommodates 48 English-speaking and Gaelic-speaking medium primary school pupils, with 14 children in the nursery.
Much of the school is [...]

Balfour Beatty wins £120m project

November 11th, 2009

p>Multi-national engineering firm Balfour Beatty has been selected as the preferred bidder for a £120 million academy project in West Sussex.
West Sussex County Council chose the company to revamp four academies at Littlehampton, Lancing, Midhurst Rother and Shoreham, with a mixture of refurbishing and new building.
Balfour Beatty chief executive Ian Tyler said the company was [...]

Green light for new defence academy

November 3rd, 2009

Approval has been granted for a proposed £13 billion military academy at St Athan - a project being hailed as the biggest single public investment in Wales.
The Defence Technical College (DTC) will come up on a 1,000-acre site at a former air base and construction is expected to begin late next year.
Councillors in the Vale [...]

Schools scheme ‘mismanaged’: Tories

October 19th, 2009

Although local authorities have spent millions as part of the Government’s flagship scheme for school buildings, only 15 schools have been opened in the last five years.
Figures obtained by the Conservative Party through the Freedom of Information Act reveal that local councils across England have spent £170 million in consultation fees relating to the bidding [...]

Trust to tender £80m health schemes

October 19th, 2009

Tenders for construction projects of up to £80 million worth will be sought by Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, it has been announced.
The four-year framework, which has been expected to start from April 2010, will cover individual projects in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and surrounding counties.
Up to six economic operators could be invited to [...]

Carillion closes Durham schools deal

October 19th, 2009

Carillion has sealed a £500 million contract to build nearly 14 new schools and remodel 30 more in Durham under the Building Future Schools programme.
The construction giant will work on 44 secondary and special schools across the county, leading the Inspired Spaces consortium.
The Durham project is part of the UK government’s £55 billion BSF programme.
David [...]

Managers invited to green conference

October 19th, 2009

Healthcare managers responsible for green energy have been invited to attend a sustainable energy conference in Liverpool in October.
The inaugural Green Power Forum (GPF) will take place at the city’s new BT Convention Centre on October 15.
GPF chairman Mark McManus explained that the event aimed to spread the latest knowledge, learning and expertise in renewable, [...]

Bristol office named most eco-friendly

October 19th, 2009

The Environment Agency’s news office in Deanery Road, Bristol, has been named by both the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and Breeam 2006 as the most eco-friendly office in the country.
The development earned the highest BRE score for its environmental credentials and also achieved a score of 85.06% under Breeam 2006 - the most widely used [...]

Laing O’Rourke wins hospital deal

October 19th, 2009

Construction firm Laing O’Rourke has secured a £100 million contract to redevelop the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven.
The North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust chose the builder from among seven bidders for the project, which it says will boost the local economy and help regenerate West Cumbria.
The new facility will include an emergency care centre, [...]

University plans new sports centre

October 19th, 2009

The University of Ulster is building a £7.6 million sports centre in Coleraine with indoor training facilities for soccer, Gaelic games and rugby.
Slated for completion in 2011, the state-of-the-art centre will be the university’s single largest investment on the campus for student support.
Vice-chancellor Professor Richard Barnett said: “Our aim is to create world-class sports facilities [...]