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Record-breaking TBM on way to Silvertown Tunnel
The largest tunnel boring machine to be used in the UK has passed factory tests and is being shipped in pieces from Germany to the Silvertown Tunnel project in East London.
The diameter of the TBM measures 11.91m – equivalent of almost three double decker buses – dwarfing other recent tunnelling machines.
First machine pieces have begun to arrive on site from maker Herrenknecht’s works keeping the programme of assembly on track for the TBM launch next Spring.
A joint venture between BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Construction and SK Ecoplant, known as Riverlinx Construction, is delivering 1.4km twin-lane road tunnel under the River Thames, linking North Greenwich and Silvertown.
How TBMs measure up
Silvertown diameter (11.9m); weight 1,800 tonnesCrossrail project (7.1m); 526 tonnesNorthern line extension (6.03m); 310 tonnesThames Tideway project (8.85m); 780 tonnes.Largest HS2 TBM (10.3m); 2,000 tonnesChannel Tunnel (8.8m); 1,100 tonnes
The TBM will set off from the Silvertown launch chamber, piling for which is now completed and is currently being excavated.
It will then be rotated and relaunched from the Greenwich Peninsula, to excavate the second tunnel, completing a total drive of 2.2km.
The ability to turn the TBM around is an important feature of its bespoke design which also incorporates the need for it to navigate its way through the stiff clay layers and boulders in this part of London.
When finished, it will have excavated nearly 600,000 tonnes of material, extracted by barges along the river to keep construction traffic to a minimum during the project.
Juan Jose Bregel, Project Director, Riverlinx CJV: “It gives me and the delivery team an enormous sense of pride to have reached this important milestone for the Silvertown Tunnel project.
“Not only seeing the works really taking shape in preparation for launch at the two main sites at Silvertown and Greenwich but feeling the excitement of what is still to come as the pieces of the TBM arrive to be reassembled and launched in the first quarter of 2022.”
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Peel sets out vast Chatham Docks regen plan
Developer Peel L&P has set out its plans for further major investment in the redevelopment of Chatham Docks Industrial Estate in Kent.
A masterplan released by the developer outlines its new ambition to build 3,600 homes and a 1m sq ft new employment zone at the 90-acre riverside site.
Peel L&P masterplan vision for Chatham Docks. Key: Green – public open space; Green arrows – connectivity; Red and Orange – residential; Blue – employment space
Overall, the scheme has the potential to deliver 1.9m sq ft of floorspace which is similar to the scale of Peel L&P’s MediaCityUK development in Salford Quays.
Peel L&P has been investing in Medway for over a decade at its Chatham Waters development.
Since 2011, Peel L&P has pumped £125m into the redevelopment of the brownfield site, creating around 400 new homes, with a further 550 to be built over the next four years including 237 affordable homes and a new care home.
Waterfront UTC, and Mast & Rigging pub and restaurant. There is a further £500m to be invested over the next four years in Chatham Waters specifically on green community areas and an events zone.
James Whittaker, Executive Director of Development at Peel L&P said: “The vision is for a mixed-use sustainable community with a large employment area focusing on the digital, creative and health sectors along with a mix of homes including affordable homes, family housing, build to rent, open market and elderly living.
“The waterfront is a beautiful place, we have the chance to maximise this and create a community benefit that means all can enjoy the health and wellbeing advantages associated with this.”
Map depicting Chatham Waters and future redevelopment at Chatham Docks Industrial Estate
Completed residential, education and public realm at Peel L&P’s Chatham Waters
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Groundworker suffers burns during poorly planned dig
A contractor and its groundworks subbie have been fined £400,000 after unsafe excavation work left a worker with serious burns to his hand and arm.
High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court heard that, on the 2 August 2018, a groundworker was preparing the ground to install a post to carry an Automatic Number Plate Recognition Camera at Twyford near Reading, Berkshire.
Initially, the worker hand dug then started to use an 110V mechanical electric breaker when he struck a power cable supplying an adjacent British Telecommunications building.
The voltage of the cable was 415v causing the ground worker to receive an electric shock that caused burns to one hand and to his opposite arm.
An HSE investigation found that site plans for buried cables had not been consulted and a cable avoidance tool had not been used to locate buried services in advance of carrying out the work.
In addition, there was a lack of properly trained labour and supervision in place for the excavation works.
The principal contractor on site had failed to plan, manage and monitor the excavation works and also failed to provide adequate supervision for the project.
CLC Contractors Limited of Southampton pleaded guilty to breaching CDM regulations and were fined £400,000.00 and ordered to pay costs of £5,300.00.
Subcontractor Paul Gale, Company Director of PAG Building Services Ltd of Southampton also pleaded guilty to safety breaches
Due to the seriousness of the offence the case was referred to Aylesbury Crown Court where Gale was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment suspended for 24 months and 150 hour of community service. HSE was awarded costs of £7,200.
Speaking after the case, HSE inspector John Caboche said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers in the safe system of working.
“In this instance, readily available buried service records were not consulted, and a cable avoidance tool was not provided to the groundworks team. Utilising these simple steps would have prevented this serious incident.”
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Keltbray wins two more tunnel HS2 shafts
Keltbray has secured a £12m extension to its current C1 Shaft contract for the HS2 Align joint venture.
The deal builds on awards for the first two ventilation shafts on the project in August at Chalfont St Peter and Chalfont St Giles.
Taken together the two double sets of shaft excavation jobs are worth over £26m.
The next two ventilation shafts along HS2’s 10 mile tunnel drives through the Chiltern Hills are located at Amersham and Little Missenden.
Excavation of the shaft in Amersham will be to a depth of 55m.
Keltbray’s works include internal shaft construction works to build slip-formed concrete cores and lining walls, reinforced concrete works at the base of the shafts, to create a collar structure to enable the TBMs to pass through the base of the shaft.
£100m landmark Portsmouth Uni project approved
The University of Portsmouth has gained planning for its £100m Victoria Park major teaching building.
The 12-storey Victoria Park Academic Building project is being tendered on a single-stage design and build basis with the University hoping to make an award in February to start work in Spring 2022.
BAM, Bowmer & Kirkland, Kier, Morgan Sindall, Vinci and Wates are understood to be in the bidding for the project.
Designs by architect Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and MEP consultant Buro Happold have been developed to RIBA Design Stage 4. These are targeting a top BREEAM rating of ‘Outstanding’.
Photovoltaic panels cover the angled roof, producing renewable power and a high performing façade will manage heat and light.
Park Room – view into social learning landings
Once complete in 2024, the building will house the Faculty of Business & Law and part of the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences.
Accommodation will also include a ground floor café and event space and restaurant on the top floor with roof terrace.
New academic building facilities
250-seat and 500-seat lecture theatresTwo 150-seat flat classroomsCourt room, laboratories and a video production suiteGround floor events and exhibition spaceOffices and meeting roomsRoof terrace and sky restaurant
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JCB workers get £750 Christmas bonus
JCB workers are being given a £750 Christmas bonus.
The bonus will be paid to more than 6,000 employees – including agency staff with over 12 months’ service – working at JCB’s 11 plants in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Wrexham.
JCB CEO Graeme Macdonald said: “This year we will produce a record number of machines and this bonus rewards a tremendous team effort. We are still facing severe challenges caused by unprecedented supply chain disruption which is impacting on production, and we expect this to continue for the first six months of next year.”
Toby Bell, 27, is a Business Degree Apprentice at JCB’s World HQ in Rocester, Staffs, and this is his first JCB Christmas bonus.
He said: “It’s a big motivator to get rewarded like this and a real boost. It’s really kind of JCB to give us a Christmas bonus and to be recognised for the hard work everyone has put in this year.”
Early Careers Scheme Leader Holly Broadhurst, 27, of Leek, said: “This has come as a really fantastic surprise. It’s tremendous that everyone’s hard work and dedication has been rewarded.”
Backhoe Loader Team Leader Kevin Pickles, 40, of Mickleover, near Derby, added: “It’s brilliant. Everyone is buzzing in the factory today. It’s going to give my two kids, Freddie, five and Amelia, two, a great Christmas.”
Backhoe Loader Production Support Specialist Kait Williams, 21, of Church Leigh, near Uttoxeter, added “It’s brilliant news. This bonus is going to give everyone a great Christmas.”
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New skills centre in Birmingham to train workforce of the future
University College Birmingham has unveiled plans for a new sustainable construction skills centre as part of the regeneration of the iconic James Cond print works in the city’s Jewellery Quarter.
The new Engineering and Sustainable Construction Centre will offer state-of-the-art courses and facilities specifically designed to train the workforce of the future. Tilbury Douglas is working on the scheme with the university.
The new centre will specialise in courses including sustainable construction methods, manufacturing technologies, renewable energy, robotics and cyber and digital skills.
Michael Harkin, Vice-Chancellor and Principal at University College Birmingham, said: “The recent COP26 climate change conference included high emphasis on low carbon sustainable buildings with highly ecological specifications, and there is great need of new talent in this field, with hundreds of thousands of new workers expected to be required in the next few years.
“Our exciting new courses are centred around sustainable construction and design, plus developing advanced skills in engineering and construction, and are very different to those offered by other local providers.
“It is an offering that we will continue to develop from Level 2 and T-levels through to degree courses and apprenticeships, working closely with local employers to fill skills gaps and offer training in priority areas for the West Midlands.
“First and foremost, it is firmly about supporting young people and the long-term unemployed to gain industry-relevant skills and support them into work, further study and to gain critical skills to access high value jobs that meet local and regional needs.”
Colin Hamilton, Strategic Account Director at Tilbury Douglas Construction, said: “Tilbury Douglas is delighted to be working in partnership with University College Birmingham on the development of the new sustainable construction courses.
“As an employer, it is vital that our employees can access robust, fit-for-purpose qualifications that will address the skills shortage and provide our future and existing workforce with the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to demonstrate competency in their roles.
“We are passionate about recruiting and developing our own talent for the future, while ensuring we remain committed to sustainably delivering vital infrastructure to communities across the UK. This collaboration will help us to achieve this.”
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Wates confirmed winner of £450m car battery gigafactory
Wates and Turner & Townsend have been appointed by client Envision AESC to lead the design and project manage construction of its £450m car battery gigafactory in Sunderland.
The factory will be built at the 50-acre International Advanced Manufacturing Park and will form part of a £1bn partnership with Nissan UK and Sunderland City Council to create an electric vehicle (EV) hub to deliver the next generation of electric vehicle production.
Wates will develop an adaptable design that provides the infrastructure to support battery production by 2024. The contractor will work alongside Turner & Townsend who will act as the project manager and cost manager.
Planning permission was granted in October for the gigafactory, which represents an initial 9GWh plant with potential future-phase investment by Envision AESC of £1.8bn.
This will generate up to 25GWh and create 4,500 new high-value green jobs in the region by 2030, with potential on site for up to 35GWh. This commitment will power Nissan’s new vehicles in the first phase and support the continued localisation of vehicle parts and components with advanced technology.
As part of the design process, Wates is already engaging with local supply chain partners, seeking their input on areas ranging from clean utilities to fire protection services.
Chris Caygill, Managing Director of the Envision AESC battery plant, said: “Envision AESC is pleased to be working with both Wates Group and Turner & Townsend as key partners in this next stage of our UK gigafactory development.
“Each brings unique strengths to the project that will help deliver a world-class battery manufacturing facility essential to helping the UK automotive industry transition to a fully electrified future.
“We pride ourselves particularly on the safety record of our batteries, which continually achieve zero critical incidents in new product and process designs. Together with smart, digitally integrated clean energy generation, storage and use in our battery plants, we are supporting the global transition towards net zero carbon energy targets.”
Paul Chandler, Executive Managing Director of Wates Construction Group, said: “At Wates, we are constantly looking for a better way, using innovation, adaptability, and collaboration to help us take on the challenge of making our sector more sustainable.
“This project, to design the Envision battery gigafactory, will be a vanguard for that, representing a huge opportunity to accelerate Envision and the UK Government’s net zero ambitions.
“Not only that, but the project is also an essential piece of the puzzle in the Government’s levelling up agenda, and we’re incredibly proud to be laying the foundations for sustainable growth in the region.
“There is enormous potential to bring about real change, creating a legacy for Sunderland and the Northeast, through the creation of new green jobs and inward investment.”
Greystar JV targets London for £1.8bn build to rent homes push
Property investor Greystar Real Estate has teamed up with a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority to develop build to rent housing in London and its commuter towns.
The JV plans to spend £1.8bn on a pipeline of new-build projects, starting with a project in London’s Battersea district where it hopes to build 14,000 sq m of residential and commercial space at Lombard Street.
Both investors are targeting London, following a similar deal in 2015 in the Netherlands, which created a portfolio of more than 6,000 homes for students and young professionals.
To springboard into the London market, the JV has also confirmed it will buy private rental business Fizzy Living from Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing.
This will see its take over management of nearly 1,000 occupied homes and take on 30 Fizzy Living staff, at a portfolio valuation of £400m.
The Fizzy Living assets are well-located and close to public transport in Canning Town, Lewisham, Epsom, Stepney Green, Poplar, Walthamstow, Hayes and Silvertown. Greystar will start capital improvements and other operational enhancements.
Mark Allnutt, senior managing director – Europe, Greystar, said:“Demographic trends and a severe structural undersupply of housing is driving demand for high quality rental homes in the UK, so this remains a high conviction investment strategy for Greystar.
“We have a highly successful relationship with ADIA in the Netherlands and now have a unique opportunity to create a rental housing portfolio of substantial scale in London and its surrounding commuter towns.
“The Fizzy transaction provides us with day one access to eight operational assets and a host of new team members that we are pleased to welcome to Greystar.
“In addition, we will grow the portfolio through our newly formed partnership with ADIA from the ground up.”
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Renaker submits plan for Manchester tower quartet
Manchester developer and builder Renaker has submitted plans for its next major high-rise scheme in the city estimated to have a £750m development value.
The Trinity Islands scheme consists of four towers from 39 to 60 storeys, as well as bringing significant public realm improvements.
The Deansgate scheme designed by SimpsonHaugh would create nearly 2,000 flats, varying from one, two and three bedrooms, and underlines growing confidence in the Manchester high-rise flats market.
Consultant WSP is supporting both the M&E and structural design of Trin ity Islands.
Renaker bought the site from rival developer Allied London back in 2018, which then had planning for five high-rise buildings, including one at 67 stories that was due to be Manchester’s tallest block of flats.
The site, which consists of two parcels of land. It is bounded by the River Irwell to the north and west, Liverpool Road to the east and Water Street and Regent Street to the south.
The new Trinity Islands scheme will consist of two pairs of towers, with designs that seek to give each pair their own visual identity.
On site C, the buildings are conceived as diamond forms with a crystalline facade, while site D will emphasise the taller height of the buildings with curved facades.
Towers planned for site D
Towers planned at site C of Trinity Islands
