the irish post construction supplement - may 2012

MAY 19, 2012www.irishpost.co.uk

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Olympic legacy – Alasdair Reisner, Civil Engineering ContractorsAssociation Director of External Affairs, on howOlympic contractors are leading the way inhealth and safety

WHEN Sergey Bubka was in his prime, he made aspecialism of raising the bar. This should not beunexpected, given that the Ukrainian was the

world’s leadingpole-vaulter formost of the ’80sand ’90s.

During thatperiod Bubkaset 35 newworld records,each timenudging thebar up slightlyto claim thenew highestvault.

In 2006 whenthe OlympicDeliveryAuthority wasset up itsimilarly

looked to raise the bar, this time for health andsafety. But unlike Bubka, it sought not merely toshade previous records but to smash them.

From the start the ODA said that the health andsafety of those who worked to build the Gameswould be its top priority. The ambition was to havethe safest Games ever — a Games unblighted by theconstruction worker deaths of previous Olympics.

With works still under way, it would be temptingfate to say that this aspiration has been achieved.However with the ‘big build’ already complete, the2012 Games remains on target to hit this goal.

But this is about more than just deaths in thework place.

Reportable injuries have been at levels that are afraction of what would be expected based on thetypical performance of the British constructionindustry.

Averages suggest that there would be around 1,000such incidents for given the amount of work carriedout. In fact the number has been just over 100.

This performance can be put down to thededicated work of the whole Olympic team inStratford and at venues around Britain. Newstandards have been set, with no stone unturned insearch of gold medal health and safety performance.

And the benefits are starting to be felt beyond theOlympic Park. The best practice developed for 2012will be passed on to the wider industry, leading toimproved health and safety across the board.

So it may be that the best performance associatedwith the 2012 Games comes not in track and field,but on safer sites across the country.

Going for goldon safety

Alasdair Reisner.

AS the construction industrycelebrates the successfulcompletion of more than

£1billion worth of Olympic stadiaalone, industry eyes will soonturn to the mammoth task oftransforming the Olympic Park.

Billed as one of Europe’s biggestconstruction projects by the LondonLegacy Development Corporation,around £500million is expected to beinitially spent transforming thePark.

Work will include removal ofsome temporary venues includingthe Basketball Arena, built by BarrConstruction who have helddiscussions with Rio 2016 organisersabout resurrecting the structure forthe next Olympic Games.

New access roads, fit-out work andnew venues including hockey andtennis facilities will all form part ofthe 18-month construction phase.

By spring 2014, the 560-acreOlympic Park will be largelyunrecognisable from the one thatwill host the 2012 Games in just twomonths’ time, albeit iconic buildingssuch as the Olympic Stadium willremain.

Andrew Altman, chief executiveof the London Legacy DevelopmentCorporation, said: “London’sOlympic Legacy was rooted in thecreation of the Queen ElizabethOlympic Park — a place that willbecome one of the most thrivingparts of London. The creation ofthousands of new homes and jobswill bring huge benefits to the area.

“The transformation will take thePark from an Olympic site, to a newpiece of London that’s owned andshaped by the community in andaround it. Above all, the Park willcreate a place of practical benefit for

the surrounding community — aplace to take your childrenswimming at weekends, go to school,walk your dog or go to a festival inthe summer.”

In February the Olympic ParkLegacy Company appointed BamNuttall to two contracts worth £76mof the total work on the North andSouth Parks which will createaround 500 temporary jobs.

The contractor was one of 145companies to register an interest inthe contracts and held offcompetition from other shortlistedfirms including Balfour Beatty,Carillion and Skanska to land thedeals.

Separate contracts have or will belet for other venues and areasincluding the Aquatics Centre, theOlympic Stadium and the creation ofthe South Plaza — a 50 acre publicspace sitting between the Stadium,the ArcelorMittal Orbit and the

Aquatics Centre. Mace has alreadybeen appointed as project managerto work with the OPLC to managethe delivery of post-Gamestransformation work.

Three shortlisted developers arein the running to build the first newneighbourhood on the Park ofaround 800 homes on land situatedbetween the Athletes’ Village andthe VeloPark, of which 30 per centwill be affordable housing.

The developers are: East Thamesand Countryside Properties; BarrattHomes and Le Frak Organisation;and Taylor Wimpey and London &Quadrant.

Land at Chobham Manor will beturned into mixed housing andduplex apartments adjacent to theAthletes’ Village which will beconverted into 2,800 flats after the2012 Games.

It is one of five neighbourhoods tobe built on the Queen ElizabethOlympic Park, with up to 8,000 newhomes due to be built over the nexttwo decades, in addition to EastVillage.

However, the LLDC has already setout tough sustainable demands onhousebuilders and contractors set towin work on redeveloping the site.

The LLDC has already committedto completing homes to zero carbonstandards as well as 15 per centreduction in emissions from actualenergy use by Park occupants overfive years and a 25 per cent reductionin operational emissions over fiveyears in venues and parklands.

ISG has been appointed to managethe preparation, delivery andremoval of all temporary facilitiesand services at the majority ofOlympic venues, while BalfourBeatty won the £50m deal to run

services and facilities at the park forthe next 10 years.

Works to be carried out by BamNuttall include removal of theAthletes Training Centre at EtonManor, conversion of the PressCentre and Broadcast Centre site,internal fit-out of the new Multi-UseArena and creation of the visitorcentre and landscaped events spaceto be known as the South Plaza.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnsonsaid: “Within a year of the close ofthe 2012 Games, the Park will beready to welcome not only anothermajor sporting event, but also thethousands of residents and workerswho will reap the benefits of thisbrand new district of the capital.

“The fantastic new sportingvenues are only one part of theunfolding legacy story. The Park willhelp drive the growth London needsto steer it out of recession and on tolong term prosperity.”

Overseeing future transformation projects on the London 2012 site

London’s Olympic Legacywas rooted in the creationof the Queen ElizabethOlympic Park — a placethat will become one ofthe most thriving parts ofLondon. The creation ofthousands of new homesand jobs will bring hugebenefits to the area

“

The transformation willtake the Park from anOlympic site, to a newpiece of London that’sowned and shaped by thecommunity in and aroundit. Above all, the Park willcreate a place of practicalbenefit for thesurrounding community

“

The Irish Post CONSTRUCTION SPECIAL May 19, 2012 | 3

We don’t do half measures. We’re at home on the big stage.Ellmer Construction.

it’s all still to play for

Bidding to set up home at the StadiumTHE future tenant of the OlympicStadium will not be decided this monthafter the London Legacy DevelopmentCorporation announced it is extendingthe bidding process by two months.

West Ham FC re-entered the race tobecome the anchor tenant at thestadium after the Games and a decisionhad been due on May 21.

However the LLDC has confirmedthat date will be pushed back for eightweeks to allow more time to “address anumber of issues” with the Invitationto Tender process.

West Ham had begun aprocurement process for acontractor to beappointed to deliverits proposed£100mconversionof thestadiumlastyear,onlyforthe bid tocollapse in the face of legalwranglings with rivalLondon clubs TottenhamHotspur and Leyton Orient.

However, the club re-entered the race in May, withSpurs now committed todeveloping a new £420mstadium at NorthumberlandPark.

Issues that arose in the ITTstage included governing bodyapprovals, technicalimprovements to the Stadiumand the opportunity to bid forthe right to exploit the Stadiumnaming rights.

LLDC chief executive

Andrew Altman said: “Thefundamentals have not changed and itremains our intention to signconstruction contracts for convertingthe Stadium at the end of October, withthe intention of re-opening in 2014 as

previously announced.“This is a significantpublic asset and a 99 year

lease, and it is right thatwe take the time now toget the best possibleoutcome for theStadium.”

More than 240 businesses won contracts to work on construction of the Olympic Stadium.

More than 5,250 people worked on the Olympic Stadium over three years.

4 skeletons were discovered and removed from a prehistoric settlement discovered on the site of the

Aquatics Centre.

33 buildings were demolished on the

Olympic Stadium site and more than

800,000 tonnes of soil were removed

before construction began.

It took 10 weeks to build the 4,500tonne steel structure of the International

Broadcast Centre, which is 275 metres

long, 104 metres wide and 21 metres tall.

10,000 tonnes of steel is contained in

the Olympic Stadium.

52 is the number of overhead electricity

pylons removed from the Olympic site over

two years.

350,000 nails were

hammered into 56 kilometres

of timber to form the

Velodrome’s race track made

from sustainably-sourced

Siberian pine.

Building by numbers

FUTURE TENANT? West Hamcaptain Kevin Nolan.


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We are business and tax advisors and recognise that our clientsrequire more than just annual compliance. We understand the manychallenges that businesses face, particularly within the constructionindustry. We work closely with our clients to ensure that theyovercome these challenges and achieve their goals.

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Evans Mockler are a long established and dynamic firm of CharteredCertified Accountants and Registered Auditors. We specialise in boththe construction industry and the property sector and a largeproportion of our clients are first and second generation Irish.

We are business and tax advisors and recognise that our clientsrequire more than just annual compliance. We understand the manychallenges that businesses face, particularly within the constructionindustry. We work closely with our clients to ensure that theyovercome these challenges and achieve their goals.

Kindly contact Martin Mockler, Mike Evans or Simon Toghill on020 8449 9632 if you would like to discuss our range of services andto find out how Evans Mockler can help you build your business.

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THE Government’s push to legislate forelectricity market reform has been hailedby the nuclear industry, however fears overnew nuclear in Britain continue to grow.

The main bidders for the massive HinkleyPoint C main civils package in Somerset,worth more than £1billion, are due to findwithin the next month which firm will win theprized deal, with French firms Bouygues andVinci bidding with Laing O’Rourke andBalfour Beatty respectively.

The consortium behind nuclear developerHorizon, E.ON and RWE npower, pulled outlast month, leaving billions in constructionwork under threat.

However, the Nuclear Industry Associationsaid the announcement in the Queen’s Speechlast week, that EMR legislation will beintroduced in the forthcoming Parliament,would give certainty to investors.

Several consortia, including Chineseinvestors, are believed to be weighing up bidsfor the venture which has options to buildreactors at Wylfa in Wales and Oldbury inGloucestershire.

NIA chairman Keith Parker said: “Thepotential for new nuclear is huge with massiveinvestments being made in areas that are relianton nuclear power, and the potential for 5,000 jobsat the peak of construction at each site.

“Each new nuclear site is the equivalent ofbuilding the whole Olympics project, and thisis a project which the UK cannot do without ifwe want to achieve our carbon targets andmeet the electricity demand.”

Prized Hinkley Point Ccontract to be announced

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The Danny Sullivan Group is a dynamic building andcivil engineering company providing skilled labour toboth the public and private sector of the constructionindustry.

The management team are dedicated to providing ourclients with a safe, skilled and professional workforceunderpinned with quality workmanship. Our employeesare trained with the skills to comply with both client andlegislative requirements.

As a company we are fully committed to the MajorContractors Group (MCG) strategy and hold ConstructionSkills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards as well asNational Vocational Qualifications (NVQs).

Our skilled quality workforce can help your businessachieve economic and quality targets.

TEAM WORK

Together We Achieve The Extraordinary

22 Barretts Green Road, London NW10 7AETel: 020 8961 1900 / Fax: 020 8961 1965

www.dannysullivan.co.uk

The Danny Sullivan Group is a dynamic building andcivil engineering company providing skilled labour toboth the public and private sector of the constructionindustry.

The management team are dedicated to providing ourclients with a safe, skilled and professional workforceunderpinned with quality workmanship. Our employeesare trained with the skills to comply with both client andlegislative requirements.

As a company we are fully committed to the MajorContractors Group (MCG) strategy and hold ConstructionSkills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards as well asNational Vocational Qualifications (NVQs).

Our skilled quality workforce can help your businessachieve economic and quality targets.

TEAM WORK

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22 Barretts Green Road, London NW10 7AETel: 020 8961 1900 / Fax: 020 8961 1965

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BUILDING & CIVIL ENGINEERING



CROSSRAILCrossrail has appointed propertyadvisers including Savills Commercial,Knight Frank and Drivers JonasDeloitte as it looks for developmentadvice for a series of 12 sites includingPaddington Triangle, Liverpool Streetstation and Fisher Street worksite.

More than 2.5million square feet ofoffice, retail and residential space areplanned by Crossrail above new centralLondon stations and the client recentlywon approval fromWestminster CityCouncil for 500,000 sqft development aboveTottenham CourtRoad.

Meanwhile, anannouncement on thewinning contractorfor the £200millionTottenham CourtRoad main station isdue in the next monthwith Lend Lease andLaing O’Rourkeamong the bidders.The final stationaward will be the£200million BondStreet contract dueearly in 2013 withfurther fit-out andtunnelling packagesto come.

HOUSINGThe Government has said it hopes tobuild more than 100,000 homes by 2015as part of its attempts to relinquishGovernment-owned land to developers.

Housing minister Grant Shapps saidhe wanted to extend the ‘Build Now, PayLater’ scheme to encourage developersto build more housing.

The Government has announcedsites in Northampton, Bath, Newcastleand Hull as being among the latest to be

released and sold to make way for newhomes and will announce furtherbrownfield sites in the coming year.

HIGH PROFILE CONTRACTSIn commercial news, the £750millionmixed-use development at the formerMiddlesex Hospital site in London isdue to be decided this year, while the£500million Bank Station upgrade and£600million Mersey Gateway Bridge areamong the eye-catching schemes

awaiting preferredbidders.

The £400millionRoyal LiverpoolHospital revamp and£300million post-Olympic Games parktransformationcontracts will also behotly-contested.

Contractors are alsoputting in place supplychains for iconicprojects recentlyawarded including the£100million SeaContainers Houseproject in London, wonby the Byrne Group,while Sir RobertMcAlpine was chosenby the US Embassy tobuild its £650millionnew home in Battersea.

Key construction schemes tolook out for in 2012 include…

Supply chains andability to manoeuvrequickly are crucial

HAVING the right supply chain inplace and having your leaders at thefrontline are crucial for newcompanies entering the Britishmarket looking for work.

That’s the advice from EnterpriseIreland’s senior market adviser forconstruction, John Hunt, who saidopportunities are cropping up indifferent sectors and Irish contractorsare winning work on high-profileprojects.

“You have to have your leaders at thefront as decisions have to be madequickly. It is those companies that areable to manoeuvre quickly and changetactics that end up being successful[when bidding for work].

“Your supply chain and how that willbe delivered if you are new to the marketis very important and it will be a mixthat will be right for that particular job.

“If it’s a hotel site then it is notuncommon for companies to movesupply chains across Europe whereaswith local authorities you would beasked to employ local people, so itdepends on the nature of the project.”

Mr Hunt pointed to John Sisk’sappointment to The Shard’s £40million

fit-out deal in hotels, and companiesincluding John Paul Construction andSiac Construction winning civil work asproof that Irish contractors couldsuccessfully compete in the Britishmarket.

He added that main contractorscoming in from Ireland have performedparticularly well in two areas: TheOlympics and high-end residential orhotel schemes.

“You look at Sisk on the Shangri-Lathat’s one of London’s most high profilejobs and Bennett Construction is alsowinning three and four-star hotel jobs.

“Irish companies would be highlycapable in high end residential and hotelwork because of the recent hotelexperience in Ireland and have hadsuccess on the Olympics.”

But with margins shrinking, and theexpense of establishing themselves inBritain and potential travel costs, is itfeasible for new Irish companies to winwork at sensibly priced bids?

Mr Hunt said: “It’s about beinginnovative in terms of your approach.It’s tight in the UK but it’s a hell of a lottighter in Ireland. There is work to bewon here but experienced clients willknow not to take a silly price for work.”

EnterpriseIreland’sJohn Hunt.

Laing O’Rourke are among the bidders for theTottenham Court Road development.


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PRIVATE sector constructionis not growing at enough of apace to prevent public sectorcuts hitting the constructionindustry, a leading industrytrade body has warned.

The Construction ProductsAssociation’s state of tradesurvey for 2012 Q1 showed thatconditions are likely to worsenduring 2012 as the full extent ofpublic sector cuts becomes clear.

However, rail and energycontinue to buck the trend aswork continues on Europe’slargest construction projectCrossrail and the renewablesindustry continues to grow afterthe Government confirmed ithas granted consent for a 76-turbine, Pen Y Cymoedd windfarm between Neath andAberdare in South Wales.

Major civil projects continueto provide a boost to industryafter the Prime Ministerrepeated his message last weekthat infrastructure is a key partof Britain returning to growth.

Tunnelling work has nowbegun on the £14.8billionCrossrail project, while money-spinning schemes such as a new£300million Peel Ports deep-water container terminal at the

Port of Liverpool are among theschemes being pursued on themarket.

However, the cutbacks inpublic sector spending are beingkeenly felt and hopes are stillbeing pinned on theGovernment’s £2billion PrioritySchools Building Programme(PSPB), which has sufferedmajor delays.

Contractors have warned thatthey need to have a greaterforward pipeline, particularlywith regard to the PSBP, whichwas originally due to beannounced late in 2011.

Education Funding Agencychief executive Peter Lauenerand director of capital MikeGreen were urged by contractorsat a Building Future Educationconference in London to ensureto speed up the programme.

The market is seen as amongthe most competitive with topcontractors such as BalfourBeatty, Laing O’Rourke andInterserve chasing work anddeveloping standardised schoolconcepts to meet Government’sdrive to find efficiencies inschool building.

Bam Construct director ofdesign and marketing Chris

Gilmour said: “There is a hugeamount of discussion aboutstandardised schools but everyschool is different.

“Every major contractor hasput a version of a standardisedschool together but no solutionsatisfies all criteria. So we haveto be careful about how wedefine the word ‘standardised’.

“We are now seeing otherteams coming into the industryand trying to design schools andnot having the experience todeliver within tight budgets.”

However the CharteredInstitute of Housing (CIH) said itwas imperative to keep housingas a top priority for Government.

CIH chief executive Grainia

Long said: “It is imperative thathousing takes centre stage inhelping stimulate the economy.

“Investing in house building hasa positive multiplier effect oncommunities and on employersand can be delivered quickly. Itbrings employment and expandsto benefit more than just those thehomes are built to serve.”

One Irish building and civilengineering contractor hasmanaged to double its turnover inthe past five years to more than£100million, having worked withsome of the biggest housebuildersin Britain.

O’Halloran and O’Brien citeshighways, concrete frames andremediation and regeneration as

its areas of expertise, alongsidehousing where it has worked withbig names such as Barratt Homes,Willmott Dixon and Galliford Try.

Director Tom Lacey said thatalthough margins are down, thecompany, which employs around600 staff, remainS reasonablyupbeat about housing prospects.

“It’s tight but the market isreasonably buoyant in terms ofsales and we are actively trying toexpand our client base as well asmonitoring our existing clients,”he said.

“You are having to run faster totry and stop going backwards nowbut we are trying to expand and aswe do our labour needs willincrease as well.”

Education Funding Agency directorof capital Mike Green.

Rail and energy buck trends of cutsin the public sector

Education Funding Agency chiefexecutive Peter Lauener.

GO AHEAD: Consent has been given for a 76-turbine wind farm between Neath and Aberdare in South Wales.

DIGGING DEEP:Tunnelling work has nowbegun on the £14.8billionCrossrail project



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Irish building the FROM its London base, Irishlabour contracting firmDanny Sullivan & Sons has setits mark on some of thebiggest construction schemesBritain has ever seen, worthbillions of pounds.

The company, established in1986, is providing skilledworkers to some of thebiggest construction sites inEurope including toconstruction teams on theOlympic Park; the M25 andrecent £500millionredevelopment of Kings Crossstation.

Contractors such as BalfourBeatty, Carillion andVolkerFitzpatrick have allemployed the company, whoensure all workers are fullycertified and offer on-siteassessment and training inareas including constructionoperations, formwork andsteel fixing.

A spokesperson said:“When carrying out a civilcontract near a railenvironment, Danny Sullivan& Sons can provide keypersonnel across the twotypes of contract, carryingout a complex project aseasily as possible for the maincontractor.

“Many of our clients havepreferred teams from DannySullivan & Sons and manyclients re-employ keypersonnel, a practiceindicative of our goodworking procedures.

The company has alsoengaged with localGovernment agencies thatprovide sponsored training,such as Skills Match UK, as itseeks to find the best peoplefor the job.

BY ROBERT MULHERN

STANDING at 1,017 feetthe Shard is London’stallest building. It’s not

only the tallest in Britain, butWestern Europe as well.When it comes to skyscrapers,engineering brilliance isrewarded by height.

And to stand tall you need toget millions of things right.

In the case of the Shard inLondon Bridge, you need tobreak new ground, lay megafoundations, implement newmethods and push boundariesfurther into the sky than anyonehas before in Britain.

When it gets so tall that peoplestand back and marvel, which iswhat most Londoners have beendoing since the structureappeared on the city’s skyline;you know the project iscapturing imaginations before iteven opens.

With this building there ismuch to admire and more tocelebrate. Before we get intomind-boggling figures it isimportant to highlight the roleplayed by Irish contractors,designers and architects in therealisation of Western Europe’stallest skyscraper. Take ByrneGroup, the Irish firm responsiblefor completing all the concretework on the Shard.

They poured over a millionhours without a single accident.The company, owned by PatsyByrne from Kerry, was alsoinvolved in a pioneering project,which involved sealing off floors

under construction with anexternal box-unit, which washydraulically raised duringconstruction.

When the builders went up,the box went with them.

“Working at those heights, wewouldn’t afford for a single nailto fall over the edge,” said projectdirector Don Houston fromByrne Group.

The Donegal man is a veteranof major construction projectsand has been employed in theindustry since 1975.

He was one of a first waveinvolved in the rebuild ofKuwait after the Gulf War in1991. In Britain he has worked ona host of projects includingHeathrow Terminal 3. But henever thought he’d be operatingat an altitude where planes fly.

“In Britain, no one had everworked at a height of more than44 stories,” he said. “Working atthat level and over one of thebusiest rail networks in Europe,well, the safety requirementswere massive.

“That’s why we spent a yeardesigning and building apurpose built screen. The systemwas hydraulically driven. Whenwe went up, the box went withus. That part of the project waspioneering.”

Working at an altitude, whereit is possible to see the North Seaon a clear day, created lots ofproblems and some of themwere exaggerated by the weather.

Michael Byrne from ByrneGroup arrived at the site onemorning to discover the top

hidden by cloud. Up in the skyconcrete and constructionworkers often endured bitingcold as they maintained theirsteady rhythm — one floor aweek, every week, no excuses.

“Some of the guys had to wearcustomised balaclavas up there,”joked Houston. “The sight ofthat may have raised somesecurity concerns. But they hadto do it with a wind chill of

minus two degrees over floor 60.”Houston nursed the project

along. Byrne’s were working arevolutionary sub-form core upthe middle of the structure,jacking it up inch by inch. Oncethe concrete set, they just jackedit up some more. The flow wasconstant and inches quicklyturned into metres.

By the time they got to floor72, they’d gone higher than any

other contractor in Britain andhad made engineering history indoing so.

Houston was there that daybeside a tight team littered withIrish workers, which nowincludes his son Johnny.

For the Donegal man thatmoment was the highlight of theproject to date.

“No one had ever done a slipform that high,” he said. “It wasa seminal day in the project.

Houston said nobody was usedto working at those heights. Noteven the fearless metal workerswho were capturedmanoeuvering beams into placehigh above the city by a passingphotographer in March — apicture that was carried by themainstream media and poredover by the public.

Yet the brave work completedat the top disguises the heavy toiland methodical planning thattook place down at the bottom.Back when the Shard was ahumble 21 stories high, over 700truckloads of concrete weredeposited at the London Bridgesite during a highly pressurised36-hour operation.

That part of the job was alogistical nightmare. As well astens of thousands of commuterscoming into London Bridgeevery day — something thatconstantly needed to beconsidered — there is also a busstation on the doorstep and GuysHospital is situated across theroad from the main access gate.

At the peak of the concretepour, trucks were arriving onto

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In Britain, noone had everworked at aheight of morethan 44stories,working atthat level andover one ofthe busiest railnetworks inEurope, well,the safetyrequirementswere massiveDon Houston

“

Providingthe skillsfor the bigprojects

ON THE RIGHT TRACK: DannySullivan & Sons providing skilledworkers.

IN PROFILE: DannySullivan & Sons







pride of Londonthe site at two-minute intervals.Lorry deliveries were controlledusing a buffer zone a few milesaway. Vehicles were held andthen dispatched also at two-minute intervals.

The whole operation wasscheduled for a weekend whenthere was less traffic and lessdemand from other sites in thecapital.

Byrne’s brought the concretefrom four different plants toreduce risk and maintain theflow of material. If one plantfailed, the other three couldmake up the shortfall.

At the delivery point, threeconcrete pumps were installedcapable of pumping 150 cubicmetres of concrete an hour.

At around 5,500 cubic metres,the concrete pour, which createdthe raft foundation to supportthe Shard, was among thelargest ever undertaken on aBritish building.

On a project like this, everynumber is impressive, from the250,000 man-hours without asingle accident to the £50millionprice tag that has recently beenapplied to penthouse apartmentssituated between floors 45 and 62.

Few could ever hope to ownone, but the beauty of such astructure is that it will beenjoyed by millions of people onthe ground in years to come;tourists, locals and connoisseursof the building trade alike. Inyears to come, people will sayIrish contractors played theirpart. Others will rightly say theyled the way.

DETAILS of the 10 luxuriousShard apartments due to go onthe market for millions ofpounds have not yet beenunveiled, but sources close tothe developers say thestandards of comfort will beuncompromised.

The two-story apartment onfloors 64 and 65 will be as largeas a six or seven-bedroomhouse. The dining hall can alsodouble as a reception room.The apartments will have 360-degree views with roomsarranged around the concretecore which contains lifts, a firestairwell and other services.

The building’s brain willcontrol blinds built into thewindows, coming down onsunny days to reduce glare.

The owners of theapartments, three two-storeyduplexes and seven singlestorey laterals will occupyfloors 53 to 65, with the toppenthouse duplex at 735 feet,making it the highest dwellingbetween London and Russia’sUral mountains.

Owners will have access tothe five-star Shangri-La’sfacilities, including itsswimming pool on the 52ndfloor and dedicated high speedlifts.

Developer Sellar PropertyGroup and agents KnightFrank, will not market theapartments until the middle ofthe summer. Interestedpurchasers are expected tocome from the Middle East,Russia and other former Sovietstates.

The apartments will accountfor just 62,000 square feet of the1.2million square foot building,which will have three floors ofrestaurants, 27 of offices and 19of hotel rooms. At the top therewill be public viewinggalleries.

The Shard Fact FileLocation: Southwark, London

Construction started: March2009

Estimated completion: July2012

Cost: £450 million

Height: 309.6 m (1,017 ft)

Floor count: 95 (Includingplant floors), 72 (habitable)

Floor area: 1,200,000 sq ft(110,000 m2)

Main contractor: Mace

Architect: Renzo Piano

Developer: Sellar PropertyGroup

It’s the highlife in a Shardapartment

VISION: Architect Renzon Pianooverlooks a model of the Shard.

ROOM WITH A VIEW:Workers on the Shard.



WORKING TOGETHERBUILDING NEW FUTURES

Building Contractors& Civil Engineers

www.ohob.co.uk020 8337 5527

Celebrating

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in business

THE construction industry isstepping up its game ahead ofthe launch of the Green Deal,which the Government hopeswill create 65,000 jobs by 2015.

The Government’s flagshipenergy efficiency scheme is dueto launch in October but hasbeen beset by criticism anddelays with secondarylegislation still not laid beforeParliament.

However, the ConstructionProducts Association’s GreenDeal project team, inconjunction with the EnergyEfficiency Partnership forHomes, has produced a guide tohighlight how companies canget involved in the scheme.

The ‘Green DealOpportunities for Industry’Guide explains how the schemewill operate and offers advicefor operators as well as casestudies of companies working insimilar fields.

The move follows theestablishment of the EnergyEfficiency Partnership forBuildings group, which aims tocreate a network of Green Deal

providers, financiers, productand service suppliers.

EEPB chairman Dr DavidStrong said: “Our priorityworking groups will be lookingat how we overcome marketbarriers and unlockopportunities from Green Dealand Energy CompanyObligation, especially forSMEs.”

Local authorities inBirmingham and the North-Eastare among the first to commit tothe Green Deal throughcommunity groups.

Newcastle City Council isleading procurement of adelivery partner to establish andrun an energy efficiencyimprovement scheme for apartnership of local authoritiesin the North-East, following thelaunch of the £1.2billionBirmingham Energy Saversscheme.

Meanwhile, industry haswelcomed the proposals tolegislate for the GreenInvestment Bank in the Queen’sSpeech.

Association for Consultancyand Engineering head of policyMichael Hall told The Irish Postit was likely to see investmentin additional infrastructurethat wouldn’t find fullinvestment from the privatesector.

“It’s a good initiative that wesupport but would like to see gofurther, although we recognisethat it can’t be a full-scale bank

Green deal

The constructionsector is suffering atthe moment but itcould play a key role ingetting the UK’seconomy back on track— with energyefficiency and greeninfrastructure centralto economic recovery

“

Government scheme hopes to create 65,000 jobs


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straight away.“What we need to see is new and

innovative ways of getting private sectorinvestment in infrastructure and I thinkthe Green Investment Bank will be animportant part of that.”

UK Green Building Council chiefexecutive Paul King said the GIB was a‘welcome example of the Government

intervening’ but warned there was morework to be done for the Government toshow “renewed leadership on greenissues”.

He said: “The construction sector issuffering at the moment but it could playa key role in getting the UK’s economyback on track — with energy efficiencyand green infrastructure central to

economic recovery.“Unfortunately, deregulation is not a

miracle cure — in fact we probably needgreater intervention from Government —for example bringing in incentives likereduced Stamp Duty to encouragehouseholds to take up the Green Deal,and helping the commercial sector cutenergy use.”

will bring jobs Mixing businessand charitySKYDIVING, marathonrunning and bringing the RyderCup to England are all part ofan Irish construction recruiter’sdrive for charity.

Ardent Tide chiefexecutive DermotO’Grady said thecompany is hopingto bag a couple ofIrish rugby stars toact as captains for a‘mini Ryder Cup’ onSeptember 28, totake place at thesame time as thefamous golftournament.

The event is expected to raisemoney for The Ireland Fund ofGreat Britain — The ForgottenIrish Campaign.

The company, based inCricklewood, provides clientswith self-employed workers for afee, while retaining legal and taxliabilities, so - scheme basisrather than permanently on theirbooks.

It has also signed a deal tosponsor the London seniorhurling club championship nextseason and committed to payingfor an ECG for each of its

workers to prevent sudden adultdeath syndrome.

Mr O’Grady, who also sits onthe board of constructionindustry charity The LighthouseClub, said holding charity events

was a good way forArdent Tide to helpintroduce clients fromvarious sectors within theindustry, while makingmoney for good causes.

He said: “It helps us toraise the profile a bit andwe have organisedseminars to help educateclients on certain topics,but the hope would be thatyou would introducepeople so that they can do

some business with each other.“So you could introduce a

groundwork contractor to aformwork contractor or a maincontractor to a sub-contractor.We try to add value for ourclients wherever we can.”

The company has foundemployment for workers intrades across the boardincluding labourers, plasterersand steelwork manufacturersand has almost 3,000 workers onits books at present from allsorts of backgrounds.

Green policy to look out for in 2012Feed-in Tariffs:After the fiasco that was theGovernment’s battle in the courts toslash the FiT rates or return, solargroups have accused theGovernment of destroying theindustry with further cuts due in July.However, solar power remains animportant solution to planningrequirements, and hundreds ofbusinesses wrote to the PrimeMinister asking he intervene to stopfurther cuts.Green Investment Bank:The Government expects to obtainstate aid approval for the GIB byautumn and will have £3bn to spendinitially though the industry wants itto have full borrowing and lendingpowers.Wind projects are expected to be

among the first to receive investment,but business secretary Vince Cablehas already committed the first£80m investment in the small scalewaste infrastructure sector.Zero Carbon Homes: Not due to be required until 2016,followed by commercial buildings in2019, zero carbon housing has beenone of many controversial greenissues in the Government’s term to-date.After being accused of wateringdown the term ‘zero carbon’, it hasalso been accused of adding pressureto housebuilders who will have tomeet clients’ demands on strictergreen targets on schemes in theshort-term.Green Deal:Due to be launched in October 2012,

some industry groups have said thescheme will not see mass take upuntil 2014 with fears over a lack ofconsumer awareness.However, it has potential to create65,000 jobs by 2015 and enoughwork to see SME builders through therecession. Questions still remain overhow the scheme will operate though,and whether construction firms willlose out to energy companiesand retailers, asGovernment isstill consultingon how thescheme willoperatethroughsecondarylegislation.

Dermot O’GradyArdent Tide chiefexecutive.

IN PROFILE: Ardent Tide

BusinessSecretaryVince Cable.



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Excavation Support Systems Due North…

AN Irish contractor has landed a place on a prestigious new build

housing framework afteropening its first office in Britainto target the North-West ofEngland for work.

Manley Construction hassuccessfully tendered for a placeon the North-West social housingconsortium Procure Plus’s£130million, four-yearframework which will awardcontracts to 34 companies tomaintain 195,000 propertiesacross the region.

The Co. Meath-basedcontractor is listed alongsidesome of the biggest contractorsin Britain on the Procure Plusframework with Kier andWillmott Dixon among those to

win places.The framework aims to bring

25 per cent efficiencies forRegistered Providers on newbuild social housing projectsthrough procurement in volumeand collaborative purchasing.

Despite being an establishedpresence in Ireland, with aturnover of around £7.5million,the family-owned business hasnow moved to Britain for thefirst time within the past year.

Head of British operations IanCaldwell said: “We carried out aUK market appraisal anddecided to set up in Manchester

as there is a good communitynetwork but also good transportlinks like the M6.

“Things have slowed down inIreland but we’re still building.We won’t be frightened abouthaving a go at anything here.We’ll be looking at housing and Ihave good experience inhealthcare as well. We’re activelylooking at getting on sometender lists which would beanother big step for us.”

The contractor, which wasestablished 25 years ago, is afamily-owned businessoriginating from Co. Meath, buthas invested in a new office nearManchester Airport.

It says it wants to target workin healthcare, education, leisure,commercial and residentialdevelopment sectors.

Manley’s experience to datehas included large-scale schemessuch as the development of StAnne’s Golf Club in Dublin Bayand a 70,000 sq ft retail scheme inAthlone.

Manley Construction alsoboasts the outspokenbusinessman Ben Dunne as aclient, having won a fit-out jobon his Switch Island, Liverpoolgym where works includedinternal refurbishments andextensive M&E installation.

As for employingsubcontractors, Mr Caldwell saidthat local firms would be used as

We decided to set up inManchester as there isa good communitynetwork but also goodtransport links like theM6. Things haveslowed down in Irelandbut we’re still building.We won’t be frightenedabout having a go atanything here

“

Co. Meath company Manley Constructionopens first British office in Manchester

HEAD OF BRITISH OPERATIONS:Ian Caldwell.



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well as Irish firms, with clients,including Mr Dunne, oftenseeking to employ specialistsubcontractors they have workedwith on previous projects.

“It is very competitive inManchester but it’s competitiveeverywhere in Britain at themoment. It’s not going to be easy[to break into the market] but weare up for the challenge,” he said.

Manley Construction UKmanaging director GabrielManley added that the North-West has a “world-classconstruction supply chain”which the company intends totap into and use as a springboardfor its growth.

AS health and safety hascome to the forefront of the21st century constructionindustry, excavation supportgroup MGF have found maincontractors seeking theiradvice more and more.

The company which is in its31st year, has eight regionaloffices across Britian andspecialises in the supply ofexcavation support equipmentto the construction industryas well as temporary worksdesign services.

Some of the biggestcontractors in Britishconstruction includingBalfour Beatty and MorganSindall have come to thegroup which employs morethan 260 people for supporton new schemes.

Marketing manager JennyHodgkiss said: “Health andsafety is at the forefront ofwhat we do. We manufactureour own products so we listen

to our customer’s feedback tocome up with innovative newproducts.

“The popularity of ourtemporary works designservice has increaseddramatically where we wouldgather information from ourcustomers and prepare adesign based on a range ofequipment and we specifywhat equipment they need.”

The company is alsolooking to promote bestpractice within industryincluding through itsengineering and designdirector Steve Hesketh whoacts as chairman of theShoring Technology InterestGroup and is working withthe HSE to agree and publishbest practice guides forindustry.

Among the products it hasfound in demand is the MGFStairsafe as contractors seekalternatives to ladders for usein access to confined spacesunder concerted health andsafety efforts.

IN PROFILE: MGF

Health and safetyis at the forefront

OFFICE for National Statisticsfigures released this week showa massive decrease of 10.9 percent in public housing output for2012 Q1.

The figures were in contrast toprivate housing, which wasboosted by 1.3 per cent.

However, director at Irishcontractor O’Halloran O’BrienTom Lacey says although thehousing market is ‘reasonablybouyant’, social housinginvestment was needed.

He added that zero carbonreforms planned in 2016 are yetto be fully reflected on theground, but that housebuildersare keeping focussed onplanning reform.

“We have planned for a shift insocial housing but the otherlegislation we are watching is onplanning and how funding willpan out as a result,” he said.

O’Halloran O’Brien hasworked with some of the biggesthousebuilders in Britainincluding Persimmon, BerkeleyHomes and Taylor Wimpey.

It works in highways, concreteframes and remediation andregeneration as well as housing.

The contractor employed morethan 800 people at its busiestperiod in 2011, but employs around600 staff and has doubled turnoverfrom £50m five years ago.

Social investment neededIN PROFILE:O’Halloran O’Brien

CLIENT: Businessman Ben Dunne.



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SCOTLAND’S aim to be100 per cent renewableis likely to see further

movement into the countryfrom Irish contractors in theshort-term, according toexperts.

Companies with experience inoffshore wind are likely to floodto Scotland, creating work forcivil engineering contractors inthe process both for the turbinesand access roads and excavationworks, as well as design andbuild contracts formanufacturing hubs.

Although the ScottishGovernment has ruled out newnuclear, First Minister AlexSalmond has pointed to wind,wave and tidal power as futureenergy sources.

“In Scotland most of the bigwins are coming aroundtransport infrastructure andwind farms,” said EnterpriseIreland’s senior market adviserfor construction John Hunt.

“The Scottish Government isaiming to be 100 per centrenewable by 2025 and there willbe opportunities in civilengineering as a result for thelikes of Sisk, Redbridge, JohnPaul and Siak Construction.”

Europe’s largest on-shorewind farm is based at Whiteleewhere infrastructure contractswent to Galliford Try subsidiaryMorrison Construction andBalfour Kilpatrick (now BalfourBeatty Engineering Services).

John Paul constructioncompleted the £10.5 million A9Crubenmore Dual Carriageway

Northern Extension inSeptember, while Northern Irishfirm Lagan Construction hasexperience in wind farms andhas an established office inScotland to target work.

The contractor was appointedby City of Edinburgh Council tobuild £11.5million of flooddefences along the Water ofLeith in a job due for completionlater this year and has workedon wind farms including GriffinWind Farm in Perthshire.

Sources told The Irish Postthat there is competitionbetween Irish contractorsmoving into the British marketand Scottish contractors.

One source said: “There is aconcern that a lot of contractshave gone to Irish and foreigncompanies in the past few yearsat a time when Scottishcompanies have suffered frompublic spending cuts.”

Independent infrastructurecompany, the Scottish Future’sTrust, has also said it expectsIrish builders to come to Scotlandto bid for work as it supports a£9billion portfolio of work.

However, some contractorshave begun to operateseamlessly between Scotland andIreland, including GrahamConstruction, which nowoperates on a turnover of morethan £200million throughwinning work on both sides ofthe Irish Sea.

As well as winning regularcontracts in Scotland, thecontractor was one of thosenamed on the estimated

£600million A5 WesternTransport Corridor scheme inNorthern Ireland and crucialcivil projects including the N52Tullamore Bypass.

The contractor is alsoexpected to bid for wind farmwork in Scotland, having alreadyworked on wind projects inIreland such as the BinMountain Wind Farm in Co.Tyrone and the MullananaltWind Farm in Co. Monaghan.

Despite the interest from Irishcontractors in the Scottishmarket, however, figuresreleased this month showedmore than a 100 per centincrease in firms going bust inthe year to March 2012 comparedwith the year to 2010.

Scottish Building Federationchief executive Michael Levackinsisted that the evidencepointed to trading conditions inScotland getting worse.

Wind power making

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AS contractors try to cut down on waste to findsavings, one company is recycling its waste intomaterial to be used on new construction sites.

O’Donovan Waste Disposal is a family-runbusiness that has been involved in constructiongoing back as far as the 1930s.

It is currently a supplier on Europe’s biggestconstruction project Crossrail, while contractorsto have employed the company includ industryheavyweights such as Costain, J Murphy and BamNuttall.

The company operates recycling plants such asthe one at Tottenham in London where it producesrecycled aggregates including crushed brick andconcrete, while it aims to achieve 99 per centdiversion from landfill as well as producing fuelfor power stations.

High-profile private clients such as Tesco andM&S are among the bigger clients, while thecompany also provides refuse services toindividual households.

Managing director Jacqueline O’Donovan said:“Our turnover has decreased since 2008 like mostpeople, but our gross profit margin is up. Wehaven’t made redundancies, a lot of easternEuropean workers have gone home so we’ve justbattened down the hatches a bit.

“Our drivers have been fully trained, we havefitted side view mirrors to our vehicles and we’recommitted to safety and accreditation.”

IN PROFILE: O’Donovan Waste Disposal

Making themost of theunwanted

waves

WIND farms have found an unlikely foe inbillionaire tycoon Donald Trump who evenattended a Holyrood hearing in front of aScottish parliamentary committeeassessing wind farms last month.

Mr Trump wants to build a £1billion golfcourse development in Aberdeenshire buthas criticised wind farms and said hereceived an assurance that a proposed 11-turbine offshore wind farm near his golfcourse would not be built if his

development went ahead.Plans for the wind farm off Aberdeen

Bay were submitted to Marine Scotlandlast summer and a planning decision isexpected this year.

However, in a letter to first minister AlexSalmond this month, Mr Trump said:“Scotland can never become independentunder your leadership because thousandsof industrial wind turbines will destroyyour tourism sector.”

Billionaire says turbines will destroy tourism

FOR TURBINES: Scotland’sFirst Minister Alex Salmond.

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the irish post construction supplement - may 2012

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