Sherburn Stone upgrades to Mercedes-Benz Axor 32-tonners

Sherburn Stone’s fleet of 26 trucks, most of which are tippers and mixers of various sizes, supply stone, aggregates and various grades of concrete to the construction and civil engineering industry across the north-east. Sherburn Stone has traded up to a pair of new Mercedes-Benz Axor 32-tonners, in response to expanding demand and shifting work patterns that call for higher capacity. Supplied by Gateshead dealer Bell Truck and Van, they have replaced two 26-tonne six-wheelers.

One of the new Axor 3240s is a tipper, its lightweight Aliweld aluminium body giving it a payload comfortably in excess of the 20-tonne ‘benchmark’ for 8x4 operators. The other is a concrete mixer and fitted with an 8m3 Liebherr drum.

“We’ve chosen bigger trucks to cope with increasing calls for heavier work – larger deliveries of stone from our Sherburn Hill quarry and concrete from our own mixing plant,” says Fleet Engineer Billy Fisher.

Mr Fisher continues: “We’ve run Mercedes-Benz trucks before and know them to be tough, reliable performers, with chassis that are well suited to life on quarry roads and construction sites. The deal we secured from Bell Truck and Van was extremely competitive, and the parts prices are excellent value too. We maintain our own trucks in-house and Bells help us to keep things running smoothly by making regular deliveries to our workshops and monitoring our imprest stock levels.

“Last, but not least, our drivers are very happy with their new Axor,” he adds. “The 400hp engines are responsive and flexible, the manual gearboxes that we prefer are simple to operate, and the cabs are comfortable, hard-wearing and easy to clean.”

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Nuclear engineering- part of the curriculum during residential course at the University of Manchester

Nuclear engineering was on the curriculum for a group of 50 teenagers taking part in a four-day residential course at the University of Manchester. Organised by The Smallpeice Trust, in collaboration with the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) and URENCO, the course offered the teenagers the chance to get a hands-on experience, looking at the work being done in the field of nuclear engineering and the career opportunities available.

The four-day summer camp with a difference took place from the 23rd July to 26thJuly. The focus was the practical project to ‘design and make’ a working centrifuge to time and budget, supported by presentations and workshops. Students also learnt aspects of team and project management as well as the physics behind centrifuge separation.

David Edwards, Chief Executive, ECITB commenting on the nuclear engineering course said, “The ECITB is committed to increase the uptake and awareness of careers in all of our sectors in engineering construction amongst young people. We are deeply impressed with the quality of work produced and send congratulations to all who took part. The residential course provided a fantastic platform for young people to learn about the nuclear industry.”

“We weren’t exactly sure exactly what to expect from the course,” said one student who attended. “But we learnt considerably more than we had hoped about nuclear physics and engineering skills.”

David Edwards added, “The course gave the students practical experience of working with others to solve problems. Feedback from the students is highly positive, this is due to the mix of learning and provision of team building activities. Our partnership with The Smallpeice Trust is helping to create engineers of the future.”

The Nuclear Engineering course is run by independent charity, The Smallpeice Trust and is part of a programme of residential courses to help people aged 13 to 18 learn and develop skills in engineering, design, technology and manufacturing. Through running residential courses and STEM enrichment days, The Trust has reached out to 18,175 students across the UK in the past year.

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OLDHAM COLLEGE APPOINTS CONSTRUCTION PARTNER FOR REDEVELOPMENT

Oldham College has appointed Laing O’Rourke as its construction partner to take forward its redevelopment plans which include repair and refurbishment of the current 1960’s built campus across the town and elements of new-build.

Laing O’Rourke’s appointed design team, led by Aedas, will create a masterplan on behalf of the College to address provision across the campus in Oldham for short, medium and long term works.

The design and build contract was procured through the North West Construction Hub following a six week mini competition, which in addition to the benefits of efficiency, cost, quality and early contractor involvement also provides a number of economic benefits for the College and for Oldham.

Laing O’Rourke’s bid was selected because of its commitment to work with the College to provide new apprenticeships, the alignment of the curriculum with industry, work with the local supply chain and support of community related activities. The company also provided some innovative approaches to the College’s capital expenditure programme thus making the best use of the multi-million funds available for the redevelopment.

Shelagh McNerney, Oldham College’s director of capital programmes and regeneration at Oldham College, says, “The College needs repairs and improvement and with challenging economic and investment conditions, it is essential that we are efficient with every penny as well as visionary about what we can achieve to make the learning environment more inspiring for Oldham’s young people.”

Alun Francis, principal and chief executive of Oldham College, says, “This is a very important point in the redevelopment of the College. Having secured funding for the first phase, we now have a partner on side that shares our vision of what we can achieve within the town. This is not just about bricks and mortar. Oldham needs an ambitious College committed to supporting economic growth, jobs and skills in the broadest sense. We are constantly improving and widening the curriculum to meet the needs of learners and employers, and we need to create an environment for students and staff that supports this.

“Equally important is that we want the capital programme itself to bring jobs and business locally, and our partner will help us achieve this.”

The team from Laing O’Rourke will be based on site at Oldham College for the duration of the project.

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Granite Transformations presents Mosaics On A Mattress

Known for the ease, speed and affordability of its top quality kitchen makeovers, Granite Transformations has now complemented its made-to-measure replacement worktop overlays and cabinet doors with mosaics on a mattress. That’s the description for the quickest and smartest system ever for laying glass mosaic tiles on large surface areas like kitchen walls, alcoves and splashbacks. Developed in association with a sister company, Italian tile maker Trend, it allows genuine handcrafted mosaics to be installed over virtually any surface, even existing tiles, in a fraction of the normal installation times.

Just as ‘the top that fits on top’ can be installed neatly over existing work surfaces, without need for ripping out the old material, the flexible, cushioned base of Granite Transformations’ mosaic mattress can be used over smooth, curved or uneven surfaces and the tiles are pre-grouted for a perfect finish.

Most tiling jobs can be completed within half a day, enabling new worktops, doors, drawer fronts and mosaic splashbacks all to be installed by Granite Transformations’ factory-trained fitters in a couple of days or so, with no debris, disruption or builder’s waste. Also because the underlying cabinet carcases, drawer interiors, even sink units are retained, a new look kitchen can be achieved for around half the cost of complete fitted units.

To assist colour coordination with worktops and door facings, the company’s interior design consultancy has selected the Granite Transformations Collection of a dozen different mosaic colourways, which are designed to tone with popular granite, quartz and recycled glass finishes and woodgrain effects. The tiles are chosen from Trend’s classic 2 x 2cm range of semi-transparent mosaics, produced using the superior fused glass technique and coloured ‘en masse’, so that each piece is tinted throughout and resistant to wear, sunlight, heat, impact and chemicals.

Trend’s inspiring 2 x 2 palette embraces 150 different colours that extend from daffodil yellow to deep purple, although the harmonised Granite Transformations Collection focuses on the ambers, bronze, pewter, black and pearlescent whites that are thoroughly in tune with today’s kitchen décor. The collection features aventurina and enamel streaked Brillante mosaics, iridescent Shining designs and the eco-chic appeal of translucent Feel tiles made from post-consumer recycled glass. Yet beautiful as they are, these Italian glass mosaics are tough, hardwearing, wipe-clean and perfect for the most demanding domestic duties.

These mosaics are mounted on a flexible polyethylene support mattress, measuring 126 x 63cm and containing 1800 individual tiles, which is applied directly to the wall or on top of existing tiles. Based on Trend’s innovative Smart2Go system, this reduces installation times, eliminates waste and produces a highly professional finish that is ready almost immediately. Used as full-height mosaic panels from worktop to ceiling, half-height splashbacks to the underside of wall units, or a simple 100mm upstand running the length of the work surface, these glass mosaics add texture, colour and class to the final kitchen makeover.

As with the measuring up, fabrication and installation of worktops and replacement doors, the tiling work is carried out by a couple of Granite Transformations fitters, so there are no competing trades cluttering up the kitchen, and with the job usually completed in a couple of days, there’s no need to set up a temporary kitchen or eat out at restaurants while the makeover’s being finished.

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Green Building

Do you hear recently about green building?  Below  is a short explanation what green building means and its criteria.

Green building concept

Green building or construction building is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction. This practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort. Green building is also known as a sustainable or high performance building.

Green Building Criteria

Insulation and Building

Many new buildings are being insulated with recycled materials, such as old blue jeans or blown-in fiberglass. Proper insulation now goes a long way toward saving on energy bills later. Walls can be made of steel and concrete, rather than more expensive and volatile treated wood. Many cities have lumber yards and “re-stores” where you can buy recycled or left over building materials that are strong, cheap, and often antique or authentically vintage.

Appliances

Look for low flow shower heads and low flush or composting toilets. Consider energy saving washers and dryers, or put a line in your yard to hang wet clothes on sunny days Make sure your HVAC unit is sealed and clean, and look for gas stoves and instantaneous, or tankless, water heaters.

Flooring

Rather than use expensive hardwoods that endanger the land and deplete forests, many real estate builders have found inexpensive and beautiful alternatives in bamboo (which is technically not a wood but a grass, and yet one of the hardest and most easily replenished flooring materials) and cork (also easily replenished). Concrete, too, can be a sturdy and inexpensive alternative, as can old fashioned linoleum, which is actually made from linen and other natural fibers.

Paint and Other Materials

Many paint manufacturers are looking for green alternatives to oil and latex; one such option is the use of milk-based paints (which upon application smell like milk instead of harsh chemicals, and which don’t have any carcinogenic ingredients.) Recycled glass is now being made into kitchen and bath tiles, and countertops are being made with recycled materials that look even more beautiful and unique than mined granite.

Solar Energy

Solar energy doesn’t just mean expensive panels that sit on your roof (though that’s one kind, called active solar energy). Considering a solar home can mean investing in thick-paned, glazed windows or in more complicated photovoltaic cells. Though solar tends to be an expensive investment, upfront, the rewards show up every month in your energy bills.

Landscaping

Look for Xeriscaped yards and common areas with plants that require little watering. Consider getting rain barrels (many cities sell them through their water and energy programs) or converting your outdoor water system to “graywater” (which involves using recycled water from dishwashers and washing machines to water your lawn or wash your car). Looks for trees that are native to your area, and plant them so they shield your windows from too much sun during hotter days.

Neighborhood

While a lot of green building means being aware of what is going into your home, you might also want to check out your neighborhood. Are there recycling programs or community gardens? Public transportation? Bike paths so you can have the option of avoiding traffic? Are there shops and restaurants close to you, to encourage walking?

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FLÄKT WOODS FANS INSTALLED AS THE MAIN VENTILATION FOR THE HINDHEAD TUNNEL

The main ventilation for the cross passage sections of the twin bore A3 Hindhead project has been supplied by Fläkt Woods.

They installed a ventilation in the form of 43 of their 1120mm diameter JMTS horizontally mounted smoke vent category: 250 degrees C for 2 hour type jetfans to be mounted within the road tunnels, as well as 34 JM type axial fans.

The project has completed the dual carriageway link between London and Portsmouth and removed a major source of congestion, particularly around the A3/A287 traffic signal controlled crossroads. A new road is 4 miles (6.5km) long and includes the 1.2miles (1.8km) twin bored tunnels under the Devil's Punch Bowl Site of Special Scientific Interest.

It is, in fact, Britain’s most ambitious tunnelling project since the Channel Tunnel. It’s actually a pair of record-breaking, 1.3 mile, 70mph road tunnels — one north bound, one south bound — underneath one of southern England’s prettiest beauty spots.

Ventilation in tunnels is required for normal and emergency operation. During normal operation, its purpose is to provide a clean air environment and to maintain reasonable temperatures during congested conditions. During emergency operation, ventilation is needed to influence the flow of smoke and combustion products so as to create a safer environment for tunnel users to escape and for emergency services to intervene.

In an emergency, the smoke is controlled by creating sufficient air velocity to drive it away from the fire. During emergency operation, smoke management is achieved by removal of air, for example by the extraction of air and smoke. Contaminated air is replaced by clean or smoke-free air, which is drawn in through the portals.

Within the tunnel; the cross passage ventilation system draws fresh air into the cross passage via an open motorised fire damper at one end and extracted via a fan and motorised fire damper arrangement at the opposite end. Regardless of the mechanical ventilation equipment, naturally induced airflows are present in the tunnels to a varying extent.

The project includes the closure of the existing A3 around the Devil's Punch Bowl, bringing considerable environmental benefits to an internationally prized area. The centre of Hindhead will be free from the daily gridlock that blights the area, with the result that the project will bring benefits to road users, local residents, and the highly prized environment.

Not only has the tunnel come in ahead of time and slightly below its £371 million budget, it is expected to shave up to half an hour off the time it takes to get from London to Portsmouth and the South Coast.

The 737,000 cubic metres of earth which has been dug out to make the tunnel has stayed on site to create embankments and to bury the present A3. The existing road around the Devil’s Punch Bowl has disappeared completely. It’s all National Trust land and, very soon, the public will have access to a 1,500-acre canyon without having to navigate an overcrowded road carrying 30,000 vehicles per day.

The tunnels feature cross-passages every 100m and state-of–the-art safety and communications systems, including high quality lighting and ventilation, CCTV surveillance and radio-interrupt systems to convey quick appropriate information to tunnel users.

Commenting on the contract, Olivier Auguy of Fläkt Woods said: “One of the first things you see when you enter the tunnel is Flakt Woods fans. The Hindhead contract follows closely on the heels of the Blackwall Tunnel contract, and reinforces our position as the foremost provider of specialist products for emergency high temperature smoke control. No other Company possess the in-house expertise, and the third party certified endorsements that we have”

“We have recently enhanced this by becoming the first fan manufacturer in the world to be able to apply CE marking for the JM HT fan range for 200°C, 300°C and 400°C temperature categories, ensuring that Fläkt Woods has one of the most comprehensive ranges of products available in the Single European Market.”

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Set for BREEAM Excellent Status- Bespoke Medical Student Accommodation Project

In Truro for Plymouth University on the Royal Cornwall Hospital campus, BAM Construction is currently delivering a £7m bespoke medical student residential accommodation project. The UK’s leading provider of timber system building solutions, Stewart Milne Timber Systems, has been appointed to supply and erect the timber frame systems for the project, which will accommodate doctors, student doctors and medical staff.

Stewart Milne Timber Systems is providing a semi-closed panel build system for the development, which is contributing to the project achieving an Excellent environmental performance from the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). Following the demolition of the four existing accommodation blocks from the 1960s, the new build development comprises seven blocks of four storey units, arranged as a series of self contained four and five bedroom flats.

The design of the development was driven by the desire to avoid an institutional feel or appearance, so the blocks have been arranged informally around a central landscaped area. Materials such as timber frame with Siberian Larch rain screen cladding and a low pitched standing seam zinc roof have been selected to complement the woodland surroundings and to offer an identity distinct from that of the hospital. The 232 bedrooms will benefit from modern facilities while retaining a ‘domestic’ feel in keeping with the surroundings.

With speed of build and performance levels key aspects of the project, Stewart Milne Timber Systems is utilising offsite construction in order to achieve the necessary requirements. A semi closed pre-insulated panel has been specified to provide the required U- Value, and a pre-fabricated cassette floor is helping to meet the tight build programme. Stewart Milne Timber Systems is also fitting the acoustic floor system and the stairs, which has streamlined the supply chain process and helped to further speed up the process for the client.

Alex Goodfellow, Group Managing Director, Timber Systems, commented: “Sustainability has been fundamental to this project: Plymouth University is an award-winning ‘green’ university; BAM is listed in Britain’s Greenest Companies; and a main aim for the development was to achieve BREEAM Excellent status. We have experience of successfully completing large schemes to BREEAM Excellent and Outstanding levels, so we understand completely what is required to reach this standard.

“As timber frame projects were relatively new to this division of BAM, partnership was crucial and we worked closely with the team from a very early stage. We engaged with the design team from the outset and were in continuous dialogue with BAM to endure a final design in line with the overall programme timetable. We believe that such close working and attention to detail at the front end of the project is time well spent and ensures that the project runs smoothly thereafter.”

Paul McCluskey, Design Co-ordinator for BAM Construction, said: “One of the key factors in Stewart Milne Timber Systems being selected to provide the timber system solution was that they had experience of working on large scale projects to meet the BREEAM Excellent rating. Along with the company’s excellent reputation in the industry and the cost benefits they could provide through their ‘one stop shop’ approach, Stewart Milne Timber Systems was the ideal choice for this project. We are very happy with how the development is progressing so far.”

Timber frame was ideal for this project due to its environmental credentials and energy-efficient precision build. Plus, due to the level of offsite construction involved with timber frame, it is one of the best materials for delivering large scale projects fast and effectively, as it

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