A founder governor of Wigan’s former university technical college has voiced delight at plans to put it to new good use.

Wigan and Leigh College was chosen by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to take over the Parson’s Walk buildings and extend into it in partnership with the NHS and Edge Hill University, beating a counter-bid to create an extension of Bolton University’s annexe.

Ex-headteacher of Standish High School Geoff Ashton was a trustee of the UTC which closed its doors in the summer of 2019 and had been concerned that the building might remain a white elephant for years to come.

But having been impressed by the Bolton offer, he has now pronounced himself equally so with the winning bid.

 

There is only one regret – that there is no place in the college’s plans for the spectacular vertical farm which is the only one in Britain at present

and the only one in the world to have been incorporated into an educational establishment.

In many other countries this form of controlled environment agriculture is seen as the way forward and from being non-existent in 2010 it is now a £3bn industry globally (the US and Germany showing particular interest) and forecast to be worth £26bn in six years’ time.

The state-of-the-art machinery was paid for by local tycoon Martin Ainscough and so is not part of the premises and at least parts of it now look likely to go to a project called FarmUrban run by PhD scientists in Liverpool in partnership with the city’s university, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Ness Gardens on the Wirral.

 

But even though Wigan looks set to lose this unique and prized possession, the plans otherwise have met with great favour.

As part of the college estate and in the town’s Education Quarter, the new Centre for Advanced Technical Studies – as it will be called – will focus on providing a wider choice of higher education in skill priority areas to Wigan borough residents.

Aspects of the college’s University Centre will be based in the building along with the Government’s new flag-ship T-level qualifications.

The centre will also provide the facilities for skills programmes being developed by the education and skills partnership between Edge Hill University, Wigan Council, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL).

And Mr Ashton said: “I welcome these plans.

“I think it is tremendous for three reasons. For one I am delighted that the building is being brought back to life after so long a period.

“Secondly the model put forward is the one that the trustees put forward two years ago, only with different tenants so I am very pleased they have taken it on board and populated it.

“And thirdly it addresses the needs identified in Wigan Council’s excellent employment and skills strategy that it published last year which talks about upskilling, fulfilling young people’s potential and raising aspirations.”

The strategy shows primary schools performing above the national average but at secondary school level the picture isn’t so rosy with no institutions in the borough declared outstanding and 37 per cent judged by Ofsted to be inadequate or in need of improvement.

As far as Progress 8 scores – the new measure for how schools improve an individual pupil’s performation through their education – are concerned, Wigan languishes 13th from the bottom of a list of English local authority areas.

Mr Ashton points that there is a mixed picture in further education, although he says that pupils have, of course, greater options to choose from among good institutions outside the Wigan area if needs be.

But he says the new UTC project aligns closely to the employment and skills strategy which should markedly improve the borough’s own further educational offer.

On the subject of the vertical farm, he said: “It is a shame that at least some of it looks likely to be leaving the borough when Wigan was the first place in the country to have one and the first in the world to incorporate one into an educational institution.

“But we have been in talks with FarmUrban for two years and the machinery and intellectual property will be going to a good home.

“Maybe we should have a blue plaque put up at the premises as a reminder that it all started here when this concept has really taken off nationally.”

 

Source: Wigan Today

 

 

London South Bank University student wins Construction Services apprentice of the year award

A London South Bank University (LSBU) student has won a prestigious Construction Services Apprentice of the year award at the BAME Apprenticeships Awards 2020.  A second, female engineering LSBU apprentice has also been highly commended.

Romario Cazaubon, who is currently enrolled on a five-year Quantity Surveying degree apprenticeship with Mace Group, took the top prize for Construction Services apprentice.

Dionne Alder, who is enrolled on a Civil Engineering apprenticeship with Southwark Council as her employer, received a ‘highly commended’ from the judges.

Both students are studying part-time on their respective degree courses at LSBU’s School of Architecture and the Built Environment (BEA), while completing their apprenticeships.

LSBU is one of the leading UK universities for apprenticeships with currently around 2000 apprentices enrolled, working for over 650 employers.

LSBU currently offers a variety of apprenticeships with employer sponsors, across a range of sectors – from building services, engineering and chartered planning to nursing, screen skills, management and digital marketing.

Since apprenticeship schemes were first introduced at LSBU four years ago, the University has enrolled over half (51%) of all apprentices from a BAME/multi-ethnic background: 16% black, 27% Asian, and 8% mixed race. Of these applicants, 43% are female, working in typically male-dominated professions, such as building services and engineering, as well as typically female dominated professions such as healthcare (55%).

In 2019-2020, out of a total of 1600 LSBU apprentices, 38% degree/higher apprentices were women, with 28% studying for careers in architecture, building services and planning (17% in quantity surveying, 9% in engineering, 6% in architecture and 6% in chartered planning) with 7% in business management.

 

Alison May, Group Director of Apprenticeships at LSBU, said: “It’s very exciting to hear that our Quantity Surveying student Romario Cazaubon has won Construction Apprentice of the Year Award at the BAME Apprenticeships Award 2020. And it’s great news that Civil Engineering undergraduate, Dionne Alder, has been ‘highly commended’ in the same category.

 

“For LSBU, one of our apprentices winning this award is further proof that the University excels at setting up graduates for successful future careers.”

The BAME Apprenticeship Awards 2020 were presented at a virtual ceremony on Wednesday 11 November.

 

 

Morgan Sindall Construction’s Northern Home Counties team has been appointed to deliver two new schools for Buckinghamshire Council as part of a GBP 15 million programme of works that will create over 540 new school places. The company has been appointed to deliver the new GBP 9 million Kingsbrook View Primary Academy, and has started on-site delivering a £5.8 million expansion to Amersham School. Both projects are being delivered under the Southern Construction Framework, a quality-managed collaborative construction framework for public bodies to procure major building works using a two stage open book process to deliver best value.

Situated within the wildlife-friendly Kingsbrook housing development in Aylesbury, Kingsbrook View Primary Academy will be a free school run by the Inspiring Futures Partnership Trust. The project will comprise a new build, two-form entry primary school for 420 pupils and a 52-place nursery. The high-quality, energy efficient building has been designed to enhance the character of the local area and provide a positive contribution to the public realm, and will include a number of landscaping features to help the building complement its surroundings, with planting choices to maximise benefits for wildlife. The new school will also include car parking, including electric charging points; cycle and scooter storage; and external play areas comprising a grass playing pitch, trim trail, multi-use-games-area (MUGA), hard and soft play areas, a wildlife area and forest school.

 

The academy is due to open in September 2021 and its main hall and external sports areas will be available for hire outside of school hours for the benefit of the local community.

Work at Amersham School involves the construction of a double-storey extension featuring a new dining hall, reception area and eight classrooms. An existing science laboratory is also being extended to provide an additional teaching room. External upgrades include a new 27-space car park and external landscaping works.

Work on the science block is due to complete in January 2021, with the rest of the expansion due to be handed over to the school in August in time for the new academic year.

 

Source: Steel Guru

 

 

Introducing our brand new 2021 Connectors for Light Gauge Steel catalogue

Simpson Strong-Tie are all set to provide the steel frame construction industry with performance tested connectors and fixings with the release of our brand new 2021 Connectors for Light Gauge Steel catalogue.

Created for suppliers, architects, engineers, erectors, and contractors alike, the new catalogue makes it easy to specify project-appropriate LGS connector solutions, with robust product pages including detailed features and benefits, technical data and installation advice, as well as associated fasteners and tools.
Light gauge steel (LGS) enables quick construction without the need for heavy tools or equipment. LGS systems offer a range of construction related benefits, with speed of construction, cost effectiveness and safety being the most notable.
Whether you are a manufacturer of LGS load-bearing structures or a manufacturer of light gauge steel facades, Simpson Strong-Tie can provide a suitable connection solution. From steel joist connectors to oversail movement connectors, bridge connectors and ties, to chemical and mechanical anchor systems, our comprehensive range of products will ensure you make the right connection, when you need it.

 

The new catalogue features the ever popular TJC Jack Truss and Rafter Connector, an on-site adjustable angle bracket for connecting angled LGS sections, and the HTT5 Tension Ties, as well as the heavy-duty Quik Drive collated fastening system. Also showcased are some brand new product innovations, including:
•  The LGSSC Splicing Clip, designed to connect the over–sail LGS studs to the primary structure in continuous walling installations.
•  The RCKW Parapet Wall Bracket, designed to resist an over-turning moment at the base of exterior knee-walls and parapets as well as interior partial height walls.
•  X1214 screws have a #3 drill point capable of drilling through 5mm steel and suitable for 450 grade hardened steel.
•  X1224 screws have #5 drill point capable of drilling through 12.5mm steel and suitable for fixing to hot rolled steel sections.
“Our range of ergonomically designed connectors can assist on-site installation and ensure projects are completed on time and to your specification. Whether you need products or design, solving your structural problems is our passion, and the 2021 LGS connectors catalogue makes it easy to find information and project solutions quickly.” Explains Sales Manager @MartinKeithLister.
“You also have the reassurance of knowing that you are specifying a tested product, whether it be a hold down, anchored to the foundation, or an adjustable angle bracket connecting to the light gauge steel, our dedicated technical support team are available daily to help you select your connector and the fixing solution.”
As the market grows for steel framing solutions and buildings built in an offsite environment, our research continues at head office into our upcoming range of Ready products that will revolutionise the future of light gauge steel.
To learn more about how Simpson Strong-Tie can help you develop your light gauge steel project call us on 01827 255 600.
The new catalogue is available now, or you can download the catalogue from the Literature Library on the website.

www.strongtie.co.uk

Safe, Sustainable Fibreboard by Sundeala

Independent tests performed by an ISO 17025 compliant laboratory show that Sundeala FR board is 100% free from viable virus within 5 minutes of infection with human coronavirus.

Sundeala fibreboard has helped Britain face its share of national emergencies. Sundeala board was used in the construction of the very first ‘Nightingale Hospital’ comprised of hundreds of Red Cross Huts behind Netley Hospital during the First World War and, in 2020, it has joined the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sundeala FR is an inherently fire-resistant fibreboard comprised of recycled paper fibres and natural metallic minerals.
Studies indicate that coronavirus remains viable on porous surfaces and in the presence of some metallic minerals for far shorter periods than hard, smooth surfaces and that the presence of some metallic minerals has a destructive effect on virus particulates.
Sundeala Ltd approached Indoor Biotechnologies – a global immunodiagnostics and biotechnology company, specialising in the development of innovative products and services in the areas of Immunological and Environmental Sciences. Indoor Biotechnologies formulated a methodology designed to robustly test both the surface and fibres of Sundeala FR to determine how long coronavirus was detectable after the point of infection.
The Test
ISO 17025 compliant methodology was used to test multiple separate samples of Sundeala FR board. Tests were done on multiple days and with multiple sets of samples to ensure the testing was scientifically meaningful.

 

Testing was performed with Human Coronavirus 229E as the closest in behaviour to SARS CoV-2 as well as being the strain proven in previous studies to have the longest persistence on surfaces and be the most difficult to destroy. Virus samples were cultured in cells derived from human lung tissue.
Testing was performed both on the board surface and within the board itself to test the point at which it became safe to touch as well as when it became safe to cut or sand.
The Results
After tests performed at 4 hours and 1 hour showed that no viable virus remained on the board samples, further tests were carried out at 5, 15, and 30-minute time points.
The results were conclusive: within 5 minutes of infection with a large viral load, there was zero viable virus persisting either on the surface or within the Sundeala FR board itself.
The Impact
As the economy struggles for recovery amidst local lockdowns, the construction industry is being called on to navigate the waters of the ‘new normal’ with a new set of safety considerations around reducing the transmission of coronavirus.
A new study from Australia shows that coronavirus can persist on some non-porous surfaces, such as glass and stainless steel, for as long as 28 days, raising serious concern about high-touch surfaces such as metal door plates.
The efficacy of Sundeala FR against potential viral transmission is game changing for public health where Sundeala FR is being used throughout schools, universities and offices as door push-plates, social distancing screens and wall cladding in high-footfall circulation spaces. It also a welcome antidote to the ‘Plastic Pandemic’ that has seen the use of imported virgin plastic escalate on a previously unimaginable scale during Covid-19. Sundeala FR is manufactured in the UK from 100% UK sourced ‘waste’ cellulose fibres that would otherwise end up in landfill.
The need for fast, disruption free and, above all, safe construction has never been more pressing. Sundeala FR is manufactured in the UK and can be delivered on a ‘just in time’ basis to be installed during offsite fabrication, either as 2400 x 1200mm sheets or cut to size as required.
Benefits:
•  100% free from human coronavirus within 5 minutes of infection both on the surface and inside the board itself.
• Fully circular product manufactured from recycled waste materials and able to be endlessly re-manufactured into new board at the end of life.
•  Made from natural cellulose fibres and metallic minerals.
•  Wet-process fibreboard utilising hydrocarbon bonding for strength. Zero use of chemical binders or VOCs in the production process.
•  BS EN 13501-1 Class B Fire Rated: suitable for use as a wall lining in circulation spaces, corridors, and high-risk rooms such as science labs and kitchens.
• 25-year surface warranty
For more information about Sundeala FR, including a copy of the laboratory reports and details on pricing and delivery, please contact Sundeala Ltd on 01756 700501 or
email sales@sundeala.co.uk.

www.sundeala.co.uk