Construction Engineering News – What Happened In May 18
In this post, a round up of the latest construction engineering news from our team and our client base. Find out what happened in the market in May and more about our latest BIM forum for industry professionals.
The last month was a busy one for Energi People, as well as many of our clients in the construction engineering industry. In fact we’ve been so busy that we didn’t get time to update you on our BIM forum, which was held at the end of April.
Our BIM recruitment team host biannual forums for specialists in this sector, where BIM professionals share best practice and their expertise. We had approximately 20 attendees at April’s event, including representatives from the Waterman Group, BDP, Expedition Engineering, Heyne Tillett Steel, Thornton Tomasetti and CampbellReith.
Our next BIM forum will be held in London in the autumn, if you would like to get on the guest list contact Jamie Jenkins ([email protected]). As well as being a great event to learn from other BIM professionals, there’s also a social and networking aspect that our attendees find very beneficial.
In other news…
Highways engineering news
The operations and maintenance contract for the M40 has been awarded to French engineering company Egis. It is hoped that this will safeguard the jobs of approximately 95 former Carillion employees. Egis is already familiar with the M40 as it previously had the contract between 1997 and 2007.
Rail engineering news
Consulting engineer Ramboll continues to grow its rail engineering portfolio with the acquisition of specialist UK rail signalling firm DEG Signal Ltd. Providing consultancy and design services, DEG Signal’s clients include Transport for London, Network Rail, Thales, Ansaldo, Amey and Siemens.
Energy engineering news
Planning consent has been granted for SSE’s Strathy South Wind Farm in Sutherland, in the Highlands. The proposed wind farm comprises 39 turbines with a renewable energy generation capacity of up to 133MW. The project also includes a peat restoration and management plan: restoring areas inside and outside of the wind farm’s boundary, which have been badly degraded by commercial forestry.
SSE’s Strathy North Wind Farm, completed in 2016, brought contracts to local companies and employment. It is expected that the new wind farm will also bring similar economic benefits.
UAE MEP news
Reid Donovan is the new chairman the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) in the UAE. Donovan is the regional director of MEP consultancy ChapmanBDSP, who worked on a number of landmark projects in the UAE. On his appointment he said:
“My key goals are to keep the committee highly organised through regular continued professional development seminars and then going a little leftfield with the subject matter to ensure our members are engaged and that we capture a slightly wider audience with future events. We are planning a number of talks and a behind-the-scenes tour of an iconic building followed by an insight to the way the building is managed and maintained.”
Our International team leader, James Mowat is a regular attendee at MEP events including a conference in Dubai last month. Several of our clients were on the panel discussing the importance of championing an integrated design approach for projects in the Middle East. They included Reid Donovan; Billy Jolly, MEP Director/Arcadis; Georges Basmaji, Director, Buildings & Places-Middle East/AECOM; and Gavin Appleby, Managing Director & CEO/EFECO UAE. The panel was chaired by Hassan Younes, Technical Director & Partner/Griffin Consultants.
RICS Awards 2018
The winners of the regional RICS Awards were announced last month. As Energi People work with many clients in London and the South East, we were particularly interested in the projects that had been shortlisted in these regions.
The top awards for London were:
- Project of the Year – Woodberry Down, Finsbury Park / Berkeley Homes, Hawkins Brown
- Building Conservation – 14 Fournier Street, Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets / Julian Harrap Architects LLP, Fullers Builders
- Commercial – White Collar Factory, Old Street/ AECOM, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Multiplex
- Community Benefit – Nordoff Robbins, Highgate / Mott MacDonald, van Heyningen and Haward Architects, Osborne
- Design through Innovation – The Bridge Theatre, Tower Bridge / Bristow Johnson & Partners, Haworth Tompkins, Rise Contracts
- Infrastructure – Ruskin Square MSCP, Croydon / AECOM, Potter Church & Holmes Architects, Lendlease
- Regeneration – Woodberry Down, Finsbury Park / Berkeley Homes, Hawkins Brown
- Residential – Royal Albert Wharf, Newham / Galliford Try Partnerships, RMA
- Tourism & Leisure – The Royal Academy of Music Theatre and New Recital Hall, Marylebone / Equals Consulting, Ian Ritchie Architects, Geoffrey Osborne Ltd
In the South East the RICS Awards went to:
- Project of the Year – Command of the Oceans, Chatham / Baynes and Mitchell Architects, WW Martin Ltd
- Building Conservation – Canterbury Cathedral Great South Window / Purcell, Canterbury Cathedral Works Department, Canterbury Cathedral Stained Glass Studios
- Commercial – Great Tew Estate Office, Oxfordshire / Great Tew and Bantham Estates LLP, JND Building Services Ltd
- Community Benefit – RNLI Selsey Lifeboat Station, West Sussex / Studio Four Architects Ltd, Reside Construction
- Design through Innovation – Wilmcote House, Portsmouth / ECD Architects, Keepmoat (Engie)
- Regeneration – Wilmcote House, Portsmouth / ECD Architects, Keepmoat (Engie)
- Residential – The Old Byres, East Sussex / Enhabit, POW Architects
- Tourism & Leisure – Command of the Oceans, Chatham / Baynes and Mitchell Architects, WW Martin Ltd
If you’re looking for inspiration then a visit to any one of these projects is a great idea.
If you have a story you would like to share with our network (candidates and construction engineering clients), please send me an email – [email protected] – and we will endeavour to include it in next month’s round up.