The UK Construction Blog

E.ON has announced that its Robin Rigg offshore wind farm is up and running.

The final turbines have completed testing in the Solway Firth and are now capable of producing enough renewable electricity for 117,000 homes.  At 180MW, the scheme is one of the largest currently operating in UK waters.

Michael Lewis, European Renewables Managing Director for E.ON, said: “We’re delighted that the wind farm is up and running. It’s been a really exciting time for us, and particularly the team that has worked so hard to get to this point.

“Not only does Robin Rigg represent a significant contribution to the Government’s renewable energy targets, it is also a significant asset within our own portfolio and we’re incredibly proud of that.

“We can now look forward to building bigger schemes, like the London Array, the Humber Gateway and our Round 3 project off the coast of Hastings, using the knowledge that we’ve gained by building Robin Rigg.”

The scheme will be E.ON’s third offshore wind farm in the UK after Blyth – the country’s first offshore wind farm – and Scroby Sands. E.ON is also a partner in the London Array, which will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when built.

A new construction awareness group called Working Well Together North East has been launched in a bid to raise knowledge of health and safety issues.

In 2008-09, a total of 53 workers died from construction-related injuries – the equivalent of one death a week.

The team is holding an event to try and cut the number of serious and fatal incidents and builders, roofers, scaffolders, painters, joiners and electricians can attend along with anyone else who works in the industry.

There will also be a free exhibition at the gathering in Wynward Park, Billingham on Wednesday April 28th and distributors and suppliers will be there offering ideas and solutions.

Recently, a new tool was created to help businesses reduce the risk of employees suffering from musculoskeletal disorders of upper limbs.

Packing on a production line or using hand tools regularly are thought to be causes of these ailments and more than half a million Brits are affected by the condition every year.

The 72-story Pinnacle tower in London’s business center, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) Associates, will feature the highest viewing platform in London, when it opens in 2013.

Also known as the Bishopsgate Tower and the Helter-Skelter, the Pinnacle skyscraper, spiraling 288 meters upward from its base, will form the apex of an emerging cluster of tall buildings in the center of London’s financial district. The Pinnacle will feature the highest viewing deck in the UK and the fourth highest in Europe, accessible to the public.

Pinnacle will feature reopening of a ground-level pedestrian passageway and will link a number of public spaces along Bishopsgate and St. Mary Axe, in an attempt to make substantial contribution to the public realm.

The tower, neighboring Norman Foster’s Swiss Re building, features a triple-level restaurant at 263m, a five-floor-high public mezzanine level and a cascade of open-air terraces starting on the 44th floor.

KPF has incorporated sustainable systems to the tower’s design. The aerodynamic shape of Pinnacle helps in enhancing the performance of the ventilated façade, which is made of two layers of clear glass. These two glass layers are an inner, sealed skin and an outer, un-insulated ‘snakeskin’ layer made of repetitively sized, overlapping rectangular glass panels. The breaches between the panels permit air flow into the cavity and also allow operable windows to ventilate the offices. The outer layer of glass offers protection against the wind. The Pinnacle will contain more solar paneling than any other building in the UK.

The twisting design of its roof, and the curling patterns in the facade, are inspired by various organic forms in nature such as armadillos, mushrooms, and seashells.

Upon completion, the scheme is expected to take the title of the tallest office building in London, which is now enjoyed by 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf. When topped out at the end of 2012, Pinnacle will become the second tallest building in the UK, after the 310m Shard London Bridge, which is due for completion in May 2012.

Platform railway arch restaurant opens with Sampson Associates interiors and Substrakt website

Platform, a new restaurant and bar in London Bridge, is poised to unveil interiors by Sampson Associates and a website by Birmingham-based consultancy Substrakt.

Homeowners will be increasing the amount of DIY they carry out this year, according to research from Santander.

The firm noted more than a third of Brits are planning home improvements and almost three-quarters of those quizzed said they will do it themselves rather than get a professional in.

Media 10, the company behind the Ideal Homes Show, remarked it has seen an “explosion in DIY” and it said people get many of their ideas from television programmes and magazines.

Rob Nathan is from the firm and he claimed: “Consumer confidence seems to be back and they are buying more and spending more on redecorating their homes and putting stuff into their homes rather than just moving.”

Location, Location, Location’s Phil Spencer commented in a recent interview with the Daily Telegraph that an extension can add “no-nonsense” space whether through creating an extra bedroom, office, garage, kitchen or utility room.

He stated taking pleasure in the home should be the issue when renovating rather than trying to make some cash.

An Australian developer has signed an agreement for the plot of land that neighbours London’s Olympic Village in the east of the city.

Lend Lease has made the deal, which could be worth as much as £2 million, the London Evening Standard reports.

The joint venture contract is split by 50 per cent with London & Continental Railways, who owns the land and has issued a contract award notification as part of the binding framework.

Hotels, shops and offices are expected to appear on the 600,000 sq m site which is situated next to accommodation for the 2,800 athletes who will be competing in the international competition.

Both firms have worked together since the first stages of the Olympic project in 2007.

Recently, the Public Accounts Committee revealed that budgets for the construction work are very tight, adding that of the original contingency fund of £2.75 billion, only £194 million remains uncommitted.

Recession will be good for building design and is likely to spawn some great and best-value architectural creations, says Michael Thirkettle, chief executive of McBains Cooper.

Mr Thirkettle was speaking after Prince Charles’ speech at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), where, 20 years ago, the Prince of Wales hijacked proceedings with an all-out assault on British building architecture and design in his famous “monstrous carbuncles” outburst.

“One thing that a recession is doing that no end of royal table thumping could do is to focus the creativity, engineering nous and budgeting of the people planning and designing the next generation of buildings in the UK,” said Michael Thirkettle.

London-based McBains Cooper has regional headquarters in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Oxford, Windsor, Lima (Peru) and Mexico City, with associate offices in Belfast and Dublin.

“Money is tight, so the architects are thinking harder than ever about the design, they’re staying friends with the engineers, and neither are going off on one making self-indulgent statements about design features that some may see as brave, but others may see as stupid,” he added.

“The key is that they have seen what happens when they design to a budget and do it without passion: we end up with the concrete jungles of the 1960s; equally, they have seen what can happen if they go completely out of control: showpiece building projects going way over budget, way over-the-top – and being massively criticised”.

The smart ones know that they have to create perpetually startling designs, laced with practicality.

“The fact is that while in the recent past many designers have considered going over budget to be a divine right of architects, the truth is that if they get it wrong in the current and near future climate, then the job may well simply stop when the money runs out should a less well disciplined project manager be responsible for the budget”.

McBains Cooper has offices in London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Oxford, Windsor, Lima (Peru) and Mexico City, with associate offices in Belfast and Dublin.

Membership for the scheme comes free when buying new safety nets from Huck Nets.

Installers that register for the scheme are provided with a range of benefits: Free annual testing of nets purchased to EN1263-1 standard, throughout the life of the net; Free repair and net maintenance training; 50 per cent off the cost of repairing nets; Nets manufactured to meet exact sizes, at no extra cost; All nets purchased will have a 1 year guarantee for fair wear and tear; Nets will be replaced unless damaged by misuse.

Huck Nets’ safety nets are manufactured and tested to conform to safety standard EN-1263-1.

Richard Connolly, managing director, Huck Nets, said: “It is not just about manufacturing and supplying nets but making sure that every net we supply is tested to the highest standards, installed correctly and looked after properly”, “Our ‘Approved Safety Net Installer’ scheme is designed to provide purchasers of our safety nets with preferential access to all the solutions and services that we offer, and by doing so provides recognisable benefits to both the installer and the end user”.

“Safety is our priority and we are proud to be associated with saving lives”.

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Britain’s economy emerged from an 18-month recession at the end of last year in better shape than previously thought, although analysts still anticipate a treacherous path to sustainable growth.

But the better than forecast growth may provide some cheer to the Labour government, facing possible defeat in an election expected on May 6 and banking on an economic recovery to help improve its popularity after the worst downturn on record.

The Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday gross domestic product grew 0.4 percent in the last three months of 2009, above forecasts for an unrevised reading of 0.3 percent growth and the first quarter of growth since the start of 2008.

“Looking ahead, the first quarter looks uncertain,” said Philip Shaw, chief economist at Investec. “But we are still penciling in a positive GDP figure.

“It remains the case that the economy is fragile and still requires a large degree of policy accommodation to enable it to gain traction.”

Sterling rose on the surprisingly strong data but markets still expect monetary policy to remain extremely loose for some time to come and the government warned against complacency given weakness in the euro zone, Britain’s biggest trading partner.

“While it is welcome to see an upward revision, recent data in the EU and elsewhere has highlighted that there are still risks and uncertainties to this recovery,” said a Treasury spokesman.

While Britain was stuck in recession for longer than some of its European neighbors, the return to growth on the continent has proved to be patchy.

Separate data showed Britain’s current account deficit narrowed sharply in the fourth quarter to 1.684 billion pounds ($2.53 billion) from 5.912 billion pounds, the lowest since the first quarter of 2008, after earnings on investment abroad hit their highest since records began in 1964.

UNCERTAIN OUTLOOK

Year-on-year, GDP contracted by 3.1 percent, less than the 3.3 percent previously reported and much less sharply from the 5.3 percent drop in the third quarter.

The statistics office said the upward revision to the GDP data was due to a combination of higher services, construction and agriculture output.

The peak to trough fall in output during the recession remained at 6.2 percent, the biggest since comparable records began.

Much of the growth in the final quarter of last year came from public spending and the inventory cycle, both of which are unlikely to be supportive for much longer.

While Labour does not plan to start cutting government spending to reduce a record budget deficit until 2011, the opposition Conservatives — who could be in government come May — have said they would get to work this year.

The opposition also want to go further than halving the deficit — currently nearly 12 percent of gross domestic product — over four years as Labour has pledged.

“The risks of a double dip (recession) are fairly modest,” said Ross Walker, an economist at RBS. “But there are still some significant headwinds.”

The Bank of England, which slashed interest rates to a record low of 0.5 percent and spent 200 billion pounds of newly-created money on assets to support the economy, has said the future path of monetary policy will partly depend on the nature of any fiscal tightening.