SPACES Study Day 2018 – extended earlybird deadline

admin

Book your place at the Study Day here.

There is still time to get the early bird rate for the SPACES Study Day with the deadline extended until Thursday 7th June. Prices £75+VAT, for public sector, £100+VAT for members and £150+VAT for non-members.

Information about the day, including draft programme, information on presentations and presenters, and Thursday’s tour of Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) has been added to the website.

After last year’s extremely successful sell out event, this year’s study day theme is ‘Collaboration in the Public Sector’. Throughout the day we will explore the relevance and importance of ‘Collaborative Working’ and how it enables all parties involved on a project to efficiently and effectively deliver client outcomes, including value for money. Supported by key speakers/organisations and case studies, the day will explore the theme from different perspectives.

The SPACES Study Day 2018 will be hosted by Mike Shaw, President of SPACES and Professor Tom Jefferies, Head of Manchester School of Architecture at the Manchester School of Architecture on Friday 15th June.

The Keynote presentation will be given by Robin Tuddenham, Chief Executive Calderdale Council on behalf of SOLACE Society of Local Authority Chief Executives.

There will also be presentations from

Cabinet Office Alex Lubbock, Head of Digital Construction, Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) on Collaboration and Infrastructure.
Ministry of Justice Anna Evans, PETP Construction Programme Director, Ministry of Justice UK, and Bryden Wood Jaimie Johnston, Director and Head of Global Systems on How R&D impacts through platforms across building types

A debate on How School Buildings Perform, will be led by Ann Bodkin, Head of Design and Specification, Education and Skills Funding Agency and Vice-Chair of the CIBSE School Design Group, with a panel including Sarah Morris, Interim Director, Property, Commissioning, Communities and Policy, Derbyshire County Council and former President of SCALA and SPACES, Joe Jack Williams, Researcher, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

The day will be interspersed with workshops from:

Summing up for the Day will be from Andrew Rowe, Vice-President of SPACES.

As well as opportunities to network and discuss with colleagues from both public and private sector and across the UK.

Sponsors for the day are:



 

The day before there will be a tour of Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD), followed by networking and dinner at the Whitworth Gallery.

The cost for tickets are:

Type Early Bird Cost after 7th June
Public Sector (Local Authority/Government) £75.00+VAT £85.00+VAT
Members (non public sector) £100+VAT £150+VAT
Non members (non public sector) £150+VAT £200+VAT
Pre Study Day meal (public sector) £25+VAT £25+VAT
Pre Study Day meal (non public sector) £33.33+VAT £33.33+VAT
Tour Free Free

Tickets for retired members are available on request from the SPACES Manager.

Book your place at the Study Day here.

SPACES Study Day 2018 – Collaboration in the Public Sector

admin

After last year’s extremely successful sell out event, this year’s study day theme is ‘Collaboration in the Public Sector’. Throughout the day we will explore the relevance and importance of ‘Collaborative Working’ and how it enables all parties involved on a project to efficiently and effectively deliver client outcomes, including value for money. Supported by key speakers/organisations and case studies, the day will explore the theme from different perspectives.

The SPACES Study Day 2018 will be hosted by Mike Shaw, President of SPACES and Professor Tom Jefferies, Head of Manchester School of Architecture at the Manchester School of Architecture on Friday 15th June.

There will be presentations from

  • Cabinet Office Alex Lubbock, Head of Digital Construction, Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA)
  • Ministry of Justice Anna Evans, Prison Estate Transformation Programme Construction Programme Director
  • Bryden Wood Jaimie Johnston, Director and Head of Global Systems
  • SOLACE Society of Local Authority Chief Executives
  • Microsoft Teamwork with Microsoft 365, Levente Nagy, Product Marketing Manager for Microsoft 365 Customer Success,
  • Haverstock Designing for the Police: collaborative working and PFI, Claire Barton, Partner and Kate McGechan, Senior Architect
  • BSI BS11000 – The Collaboration British Standard, Kieran Parkinson
  • Faithful+Gould Conservation of historic buildings and the collaboration of the design team, planners and conservation specialists interest groups, Richard Stocking
  • Faulkner Brown The Word, winner of last year’s Civic Building of the Year, Steve McIntyre,
  • MACE The Grenfell replacement school replaced in nine weeks, James Mangat,
  • IES Updates on policy and building performance codes; Part L, BB101, BREEAM and more, Dr. Naghman Khan, Business Development Manager
  • Atkins Discussion around modular construction, James Bourne, Operations Director
  • Rock Townsend Holy Trinity School and Residential project – innovative learning and living solution for the 21st Century city, Mark Gabbey, Partner
  • Pick Everard Gary Buick, Director and Andrew Almond, Partner, Collaborative Projects
  • Willmott Dixon
  • CIBSE Digital Group

There is a debate on the Building Performance Gap, chaired by Ann Bodkin, Head of Design and Specification, Education and Skills Funding Agency and Vice-Chair of the CIBSE School Design Group, with a panel comprising members across each stage of the building process…client, academic, LA, design professional, contractor, school user. 

As well as opportunities to network and discuss with colleagues from both public and private sector and across the UK. 

Confirmed sponsors for the day are: Atkins, Bryden Wood, Faithful+Gould, IES, Mace, Pick Everard and Willmott Dixon. 

The day before there will be a tour of a local building, followed by networking and dinner at the Whitworth Gallery.

The costs for tickets are:

Type Early Bird Cost after 28th May
Public Sector (Local Authority/Government) £75.00+VAT £85.00+VAT
Members (non public sector) £100+VAT £150+VAT
Non members (non public sector) £150+VAT £200+VAT
Pre Study Day meal (public sector) £25+VAT £25+VAT
Pre Study Day meal (non public sector) £33.33+VAT £33.33+VAT
Tour Free Free

Tickets for retired members are available on request from the SPACES Manager.

Please book your tickets here. Further information here.

SSE wins £130m damages claim against contractor over hydroelectric scheme tunnel collapse

admin

Perth-based energy giant Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE), which was seeking £130 million in damages from engineering contractor, Hochtief Solutions AG, following the collapse of a tunnel at a Fort Augustus hydro-electric scheme in 2009, has won its appeal.

By a majority of two-to-one, the Inner House of the Court of Session allowed a reclaiming motion by Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) Generation against a Commercial Court ruling that Hochtief Solutions AG was not liable for the collapse at the Glendoe scheme in 2009, although the commercial judge at that stage had awarded £1 million to SSE to reflect the period during which the electricity generation scheme was out of operation.

The Glendoe scheme was constructed between 2006 and 2008. It began operating in January 2009, but just seven months later it ceased to generate electricity. SSE discovered that rock material had fallen into the tunnel leading to a complete blockage. Having lost substantial amounts of revenue while the scheme was out of commission, SSE asked Hochtief to carry out the remedial works, but a dispute arose about whether the collapse was as a result of a defect in the design or in the construction.

In its defence, Hochtief contended that it had completed the works in accordance with the contract, and that SSE had assumed the risk of the collapse at takeover.

The collapse occurred in a part of the tunnel that lay in a geological area known as the Conagleann Fault Zone (CFZ); a tear in the ground caused by an ancient earthquake and is an area in which rock conditions for tunnelling could be anticipated to be difficult. The engineering geologists had been aware of this before construction began and had expected to find poor rock conditions there, but found none – so they saw no reason to reinforce the tunnel perimeter in that section. However, the collapse was found to be caused by insufficient support.

Having heard the evidence of a number of experts in tunnelling construction, the commercial judge held that Hochtief was not liable, having been satisfied that the company exercised “reasonable skill and care”. SSE appealed, and Lord Menzies and Lord Glennie disagreed on the question of whether the collapse of the tunnel was due to a defect which existed at takeover, with Lord Glennie concluding that the defence of having used reasonable skill and care to ensure that the design complied with the works information was not available to the contractor.

Lord Glennie wrote: “I consider that the collapse of the tunnel was indeed due to a defect existing at takeover. Further, I consider that that defect was not due to the contractor’s design of the works but rather to the implementation of that design.”

Via Scottish Construction News

Appeal Court dismisses council’s damages claim against architects over failed social housing development

admin

Midlothian Council, who raised an action for £12 million in damages over the loss of a social housing development claiming that a firm of architects appointed as lead consultant had “assumed responsibility” for the other contractors’ negligence has had its claim dismissed following an appeal.

Judges heard that the pursuers Midlothian Council had raised the action against Bracewell Stirling Architects (first defenders), Raeburn Drilling & Geotechnical Ltd (second defenders) and RPS Planning & Development Ltd (third defenders) in respect of the loss of the development of 64 social homes at a site in Gorebridge, Midlothian, which were rendered uninhabitable as a result of the ingress of carbon dioxide from disused mine workings.

The Inner House of the Court of Session upheld a decision of a commercial judge, who ruled that the imposition of liability on Bracewell Stirling for a breach of contract by any of the other consultants or contractors, regardless of their contractual relationship with the architects and even if they were appointed before the architects had become involved, would be a “striking departure from ordinary legal principle”.

Read the in-depth article on Scottish Construction Now

Construction apprenticeship starts reaches record high

admin

“Construction apprenticeship starts in Great Britain are at a record high, according to figures released by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

Since 2012 the figure of those joining a construction apprenticeship has continued to rise steadily each year from 17,528 in 2012 to 26,195 in 2017, a rise of 49%. This is the highest figure since the present way of recording apprenticeships began in 2003.

Recent figures for England show apprenticeship starts have dropped by a quarter across the whole economy during August to November 2017, from 155,600 to 114,380. Construction apprenticeships saw a marginal decline of just 150 starts, from 10,900 to 10,750. The figures suggest that construction has bucked the overall trend in apprenticeships following the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy.”

[via Building Specifier]
Read the CITB press release