A retired school teacher has revealed herself as the creator of a series of whimsical blackboard artworks uncovered by builders during renovations to a school in Melbourne’s inner-north this week.

Builders at Northcote Primary School were refurbishing the school’s hall earlier this week when they removed large corkboards that had been installed in front of about half a dozen 3-metre blackboards.

Assistant principal Ross Bennie said the workers immediately recognised the potential significance of the art and called him down to the school.

“I was very surprised at the level of detail … the detail was quite old, they’d taken some fairly old drawings or the artist had interpreted them from fairly old nursery rhymes,” he said.

Mr Bennie said some of the artworks had a more “sinister” air to them, including red-eyed rabbits in an Alice and Wonderland-inspired theme and goblins with pointy ears.

“There’s one scene where there’s a number of children sitting around a campfire with pots and things like that and cauldrons,” he said.

“It’s the sort of thing you possibly wouldn’t see reproduced in schools these days.”

Mr Bennie said the school hall, which was built around 1910, had undergone significant renovations over the years and speculated the artworks may have been created by a former teacher in the 1950s.

It turned out he was right.

Retired Northcote teacher Elaine Hobbs came forward shortly after images of the blackboards were published to reveal herself as the artist behind the works.

The series of chalk tableaus were created in 1959. Ms Hobbs said the resurgence of the artworks made her feel “reborn.”

She said she was asked to create the art in 1959 after the headmistress was impressed by the art she had drawn in her classrooms. “I was always illustrating, either on my own blackboard or on other people’s blackboards,” she said.

Ms Hobbs said it took her about two weeks — and many sticks of chalk — to create the artwork in a bid to spruce up the school hall.

“We didn’t have the kind of abbreviated, cutesy style that you see in children’s stories now, they were more detailed,” she said.

The wave of community interest and excitement around her 60-year-old drawings came as a pleasant surprise to her.

“This is like being reborn, taken back to the way things were at that time, yes, it’s woken up a few memories,” she said.

“To think they’re still around, I think it’s wonderful, it’s incredible.”

Mr Bennie said the school was keen to preserve the drawings and find a way to celebrate and display them in the future.

Source: ABC NEWS

Legal & General announces that it has formed a 50:50 partnership with Oxford University to develop homes for University staff and students, together with science and innovation districts in and around Oxford.

As funding and development partner for the University,  Legal & General’s Future Cities business will provide up to £4bn of funding over the next ten years from Legal & General’s shareholder, annuity and LGIM-managed funds. The funding will, subject to planning, deliver a series of projects for the University, including the development of new homes for University staff and students, and the creation of science and innovation districts, with modern workspace and research facilities.

With its world-class university, Oxford is one of the UK’s fastest growing cities[1] and competes among the top technology clusters in the world. The city however lacks affordable residential and commercial space that is essential for the University to continue to attract research graduates, and support spin-out and scale-up businesses.  Accelerating Oxford’s potential by addressing these challenges is the fundamental ambition of the Partnership.

Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said: “My colleagues and I are delighted to have formed this partnership with Legal & General. We look forward to working together to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the University today. We will build much-needed graduate accommodation, subsidized housing for University staff, and new science parks, where academic departments, University spin-outs and commercial partners can work together to create new companies as well as high quality jobs.”

Nigel Wilson, CEO of Legal & General Group, said: “Oxford University is one of the best in the world. It has inspired generations of academics and researchers, and today nurtures outstanding modern businesses with world-leading potential. Our partnership with Oxford University is leading the way in bringing together dynamic cities and patient capital, creating great outcomes for long-term investors and for the cities themselves. Legal & General’s partnership with the University is a terrific example for cities across the globe to follow.”

John Cummins, Managing Director of Legal & General’s Future Cities Business, said: “Universities are a key driver for the growth of cities, acting as a magnet for talent and incubator of growth and innovation.  They have an integral role in shifting the dial for future success. Great universities also need an economic, physical and digital infrastructure to create an ecosystem to attract people and businesses. Any new discovery depends not just on the academics but on the infrastructure supporting them. This partnership is a unique opportunity for two large and long-term UK institutions to work together to address Oxford University’s, and indeed the city’s, future needs, enabling it to continue to be a centre of growth.”

Legal & General’s Future Cities business works with partners, such as Oxford University, to create real assets to help futureproof the local economies of cities.  While it is part of Legal & General Capital (LGC), Legal & General Future Cities through this JV will not only be investing shareholder funds but also creating assets for Legal & General Retirement (LGR) to back pension risk transfer deals and LDI-compatible assets that can form part of LGIM-managed funds.  The Oxford University Partnership illustrates Legal & General’s three-legged asset-centric strategy of asset funding (LGR), asset management (LGIM) and asset creation (LGC).

Legal & General has invested over £19bn in direct investments to back annuities (pension risk transfer) and shareholder funds.  Legal & General’s Future Cities business has already funded the creation of over 2.5m sqft of commercial space, over a thousand new homes and tens of thousands of jobs, in cities such as Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Salford.  Legal & General’s most recent Future Cities investments include its partnership with Bruntwood to create the UK’s largest property platform dedicated to driving science and technology growth in cities, its partnership with Goldacre to develop and manage data centres, and the regeneration of Bath’s riverside at Bath Quays North.  Legal & General Capital also has investments in the Oxford spinout company, OSI, and in Oxford-based companies specialising in innovative clean energy solutions.

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This is a long-term development and as such we will be bringing forward the housing in phases. For the initial wave we are looking to deliver 1000 subsidised home for university and college staff, 1000 units of graduate accommodation and 1000 market homes.

The Partnership addresses an important issue – how to develop the right infrastructure so a great university thrives in a great city – Oxford currently has affordability issues on a par with London.

 The power of patient, multi-decade capital – we can provide our own shareholders’ capital to develop the right real assets, then use some of those to back de-risked pensions as well as for LGIM funds. This makes the deal commercially sensible for Legal & General as well as economically and socially useful for Oxford and the University.

This partnership is a ground-breaking model for cities across the globe which will help establish them as significant players on the international stage, whilst supporting both national and local economic growth.

 This model could be replicated to other Universities across the UK and the world and be a real game changer for cities

 With its world-class University, Oxford is one of the UK’s fastest growing cities and a global success story competing among the top technology clusters in the world. Home to one of the best qualified populations in the country, with the highest concentration of knowledge workers, Oxford however has significant affordability issues. To ensure that the University continues to attract research graduates and to support University spinout businesses, affordable residential and commercial space is essential and a key component of the partnership’s ambitions.

Cities are growing at unprecedented rates.  By 2050, over 80% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. 

Pupils at the north’s largest primary school are being given an additional day off at the end of the upcoming summer break after an “exceptional school closure” was granted by the Scottish Government.

Smithton Primary youngsters will have their holiday extended to enable staff to shift materials into the newly refurbished facility.

The 45-year-old school is undergoing £3.2 million of improvement works to increase the lifespan of the facility for its 450 pupils.

Due to the ongoing works, staff are unable to be granted access during the school holidays, forcing the implementation of the special procedure to allow for the changeover into the new facility.

The closure is to take place on Tuesday August 20 and has been approved by the Scottish Government.

A Highland Council spokeswoman yesterday said: “This exceptional closure day will allow the school to move to newly refurbished accommodation as part of an extensive on-going refurbishment of the entire school.

“The council apologises for any inconvenience caused as the staff and contractors use this day to prepare the school for the children’s return.

“The school will open as normal after the school summer holiday on Wednesday August 21.”

Staff are expected to use Monday August 19 to sort their classrooms, before using Tuesday’s to in-service day to plan for the year ahead.

In a newsletter issued to parents, head teacher Aileen Mackay advised that the early warning was to allow for childcare measures to be put in place.

She said: “We have just received official confirmation that the Scottish Government has allowed us to have an extra day to get the school ready to receive your children because of the extensive building works happening over the summer period.

“Thank you in advance for being so understanding. We appreciate your patience throughout all the works and trust that we will all be so pleased with the final results.”

One-third of the existing school building was demolished to make way for the new build extension, which offers five new classrooms and a brand new entrance.

Phase one of the project was completed in December last year, with two classes having already relocated to the senior wing of the building, which has undergone refurbishment work.

The full project is still expected to be fully complete by September.

SOURCE: The Press and Journal

A two-storey, 60 module building on Swansea University’s prestigious Bay Campus will be built ‘offsite’, using the latest innovations in modular design and build. Modules will be manufactured in a quality-controlled factory environment in six weeks, with ground works on campus taking place simultaneously. Handover is scheduled for November 2019 – an end-to-end build programme of just 22 weeks.

The building, procured through Fusion 21’s Education and Modular Buildings Framework will accommodate multiple departments and over 1,000 students. It utilises Wernick’s latest modular system – Swiftplan®. As well as ensuring building efficiency, the system allows for greater versatility for the addition of architectural features. The University building takes advantage of this versatility; curtain walling will provide open, sun-drenched areas and rain screen cladding will give it a contemporary feel.

Swiftplan’s® industry-leading non-combustible wall-panelling system will ensure an extra level of safety, and a hybrid natural ventilation system will provide a comfortable environment for occupants. The comprehensive interior fit-out includes folding partitions to create flexible spaces, lecture suites, PC labs and quiet zones.

The H-shaped structure will sit alongside a range of pioneering buildings on the campus, including the UK’s first energy positive office – the ‘Active Office’, conceived and designed by SPECIFIC Innovation & Knowledge Centre and delivered by Wernick in 2018. Like the Active Office, manufacture of the new teaching facility will take place at the Wernick Buildings factory in Port Talbot – right across the water from the Bay Campus.

While the principal driver of a modular solution is time, the method presents a range of environmental benefits too. For example, up to 90% fewer vehicles arrive on site and less waste for landfill is produced at each stage of the build. Concrete and plaster use is significantly reduced as are CO2 emissions from on-site generators.

Wernick’s modular buildings promise 60+ years design life while offering the flexibility to relocate or re-configure the building if required. Flexibility, plus accelerated build-times, make modular buildings a perfect fit for the higher education sector – colleges and universities can respond to an influx of students or refurbishment work elsewhere on campus – all while causing minimal disruption to surrounding areas.

Stuart Wilkie, Managing Director at Wernick Buildings commented:

“We are delighted our local University has once again selected Wernick to deliver their new teaching accommodation. Higher education institutions such as Swansea University are leading the way – embracing modern methods of construction and all that modular buildings have to offer.”

Ian Macpherson, Associate Director – Estates & Facilities Management at Swansea University said:

“We are very pleased to have appointed leading modular building supplier Wernick to deliver this new teaching accommodation at our Bay Campus.

“The new facility will provide additional teaching and learning environments to accommodate our growing student population, as well as offering flexible space to support a range of non-teaching activities and events to enhance the student experience here at Swansea.”

Mark Powney – June 5th 2019

Mark Powney

Mark is a passionate Welshman from Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.

With over 15 years experience, he considers digital publishing, digital engagement, recruitment marketing and advertising (all media), digital video production, creative design and more recently social media development as his core knowledge and where a lot of his experience lays.

He has very strong business ethics, built on transparency and trust and equally as important, he enjoys close working relationships with all clients.

SOURCE: Business News Wales

CITB has agreed £1.2m funding for two offsite construction projects that will increase the skills capacity for this expanding sector in education, for school leavers and among industry trainers

As a result of this investment, industry and education will have free access to a range of standardised, innovative and blended learning materials. Trainers in education and industry will be able to upskill themselves in offsite construction and manufacturing, alongside an outreach programme for secondary schools to show a new generation the career opportunities involved.

The offsite construction projects are being led by the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC), and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).

Research has shown that offsite or modular construction can increase productivity and reduce timescales and build costs compared with traditional methods, with nearly half of employers expecting to use offsite techniques within the next five years.

The projects will be pioneering a collaborative approach involving employers, providers, contractors and leading innovation organisations that will bring new, free, innovative training materials to industry.

CSIC will help establish an offsite construction competency framework, while both projects will draw from existing training materials and industry knowledge to create the new content, mapping it to current training and qualifications.

Teaching support and upskilling programmes for offsite trainers will be developed, with sessions taking place across the country to upskill trainers in key offsite roles and functions.

Steve Radley, CITB strategy and policy director, said: “Offsite construction creates a range of exciting new skills needs and opportunities, including in assembly, digital technologies and installation.

“We’re looking to build these into training at both entry level and also to enable upskilling within the industry, because getting this right can mean a more multi-skilled, diverse and productive workforce.”

Rohan Bush, CSIC head of public partnerships and future workforce, commented: “It is time to think differently about construction, because carrying on as we are is simply not an option – our industry needs to modernise.

“Offsite construction can efficiently deliver a high quality, mass-customisable product that is technically advanced, offering social, environmental and economic benefits. It can speed up the construction process, lower the impact of adverse weather conditions on projects, and reduce costs while also improving safety. But to ensure that offsite becomes mainstream, we need a workforce with the necessary skills – and that’s where these projects come in.”

The MTC’s Ian Buckingham, construction skills manager, said that developing offsite construction capability is a key priority to address poor productivity in the sector and also to meet Government housing targets.

Buckingham added: “The primary purpose of this project is to develop the capability and capacity of the construction industry training network. This will be achieved through the development of a common and consistent set of training materials that are freely available for trainers, and through the upskilling of existing and new trainers.

“The MTC is at the forefront of emerging technologies, productivity and efficiency and we are very pleased to provide the construction training sector with the support it will need to drive construction forward.”

Materials developed will be for use in classroom, virtual or immersive, and practical experience environments.

On completion of the project, to ensure there is the widest access to these training materials partnerships have been formed with the National Open College Network (NOCN); Structural Timber Association; Laing O’Rourke; Transport for London (TfL); the Construction Wales Innovation Centre; Class Of Your Own; Ministry of Building Innovation and Education; City of Glasgow College; and Edinburgh Napier University’s Institute for Sustainable Construction.

Through their networks resources will be available to major contractors, their supply chains and more than 600 education and training providers in England, Wales and Scotland.

SOURCE: PBC Today