A major regeneration project is to take place in north Tottenham.

Haringey Council and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club have made a joint pledge to commit to the scheme which will result in a new Premier League stadium, with a capacity of 56,250 and painted in the team’s colours.

Alongside this will be leisure facilities, homes and shops, improved public spaces, an enhanced environment and additional heritage work.

Parking and highways will also be upgraded and a power and heating scheme will be implemented district-wide.

The local authority is to put £9 million into this initiative, while the London Mayor has committed £18 million and the football club is believed to have invested hundreds of millions of pounds into the scheme.

It is known as the Northumberland Development Project.

Construction sector workloads are set to drop in the immediate future.

This is according to a director of external affairs at the Federation of Master Builders, who said small and medium-sized enterprises and larger contractors are all experiencing a fall in activity at the moment.

House-building activity is still struggling to meet the UK’s projected requirements and the government is spending less money on construction projects, he remarked.

The expert argued members of the public do not have as much disposable income as they used to have, which has negatively affected demand for repair and maintenance projects. They concluded: “All of this adds up to falling workloads and a drop in confidence for construction activity.”

The FMB is the building industry’s largest trade association in the UK.

Mobile CAD Surveys can accommodate either a simple single property floor plan to a complete schedule of buildings with all types of data collection. So if you need any type of Measured Building Survey then please contact us.

We can provide Floor plans,  Elevational drawings, or a Topographical survey and all types of Measured Building Survey with varying levels of detailed work – from simple walls, columns, doors and window surveys, to a fully detailed data set including all 3D information including cill & head heights, stair riser and going details, door heights, ceiling heights, beam details, fitted furniture etc.. As part of our measured surveys, the surveyors can also pick up and highlight other information for example: any electrical and data points, sanitary fittings, incoming mains positions, plant, fire fighting and detection equipment, security equipment, signage and so on.

An accurate  topographical survey or land survey is essential to any project that you are considering and can lessen the possibility of costly mistakes or unforeseen issues later on.  The amount and type of topographical survey data that we collect on site is always based on your specification. However, our experienced land surveyors will use their knowledge of planning and development issues and requirements to provide additional information that might be vital for any future design or planning application. We are also able to gather information from any utility companies which can be added to your topographical survey drawings..

Photogrammetry services:-

• The photographs may be archived for future use.
  
• The photographs may be used either for monitoring or for the generation of data.
  
• The technique is non-intrusive.
  
• The technique is ideal for recording detail of a complex nature (see illustrations below)
  
• A high level of accuracy is achievable.
  
• The use of digital data ensures total flexibility.
  
• The level of detail to be extracted may be determined either by the client or the photogrammetrist.
  
• It is cost-effective.

We can also provide other additional land surveying services that you may require, for example; underground services tracing ( UPR – Underground Penetrating Radar) and 3D laser scanning enable us to provide you with a one-stop-shop for your surveying requirements.

for more information, please visit:-

Mobile CAD Surveys

A construction worker has amazingly survived after shooting a three inch nail into his head.

Jeff Lupak, 45, said he felt no pain after the accident in Bismarck, North Dakota, but was convinced he was going to die.

Even doctors were amazed that he was still alive when he was rushed to hospital where an X-ray showed just how far the nail had penetrated into his skull.

But incredibly the nail had missed all the major arteries and was lodged between his brain’s left and right hemispheres.

Despite feeling no pain Mr Lupak, a father of three, was told the seriousness of his injury.

One doctor told him: ‘Leave it in, it’ll rust and you’ll die of infection. Pull it out and you’ll bleed to death.’

A surgical team led by neurosurgeon Dr Eric Nussbaum at the National Brain Aneurysm Center in St Paul, Minnesota, took more than an hour to remove the nail.

Dr Nussbaum said: ’He was very lucky. I mean this is a potentially fatal injury depending on what structures it hits on the way.’

Mr Lupak was working on a construction site in Bismarck when he asked a colleague to hand him a 16 gauge nail gun.

As he grabbed the gun he heard it go off and felt a stinging sensation in the back of his head.

The co-worker began shouting that Mr Lupak had been shot with the gun – but Mr Lupak said he only felt a slight pressure in the back of his head.

After being taken to a hospital in Bismark he was flown to St Joseph’s Hospital in St Paul where neurosurgeons were waiting to carry out an operation to remove the nail.

His wife Kim was taken to the hospital where she was given an X-ray showing the nail protruding into her husband’s skull.

The operation proved a success and Mr Lupak is recovering in hospital with his only problem moving his left toes and ankle.

Doctors have said he will make a full recovery. Mr Lupak, a construction worker for 28 years, admitted he was lucky to be alive.

‘Somebody was looking out for me,’ said the husband and father of three daughters.

Priority School Building Programme expected to be announced in the spring

Architects seeking work on the government’s £2 billion schools building programme must pair up with contractors now or risk losing out.

The Priority School Building Programme (PSBP), originally due in December, is expected to be announced this spring following a deluge of applications from schools wishing to be included.

Richard Cottrell, director at Cottrell & Vermeulen, said: “At the moment the major players are aligning themselves up to deliver within the new goalposts set, such as cost parameters. That will be the challenge: to meet the requirements of the new brief.”

It is expected that the government, which is working to replace the scrapped £55 billion Building Schools for the Future programme, will ask for designs to deliver more capacity for schools, whether they are new-builds or refurbishments, under stricter budgets. As with BSF, the PSBP will include tranches of work on schools.

Keith Rayner, director of education at Bam Construction, said that the necessity to win work was “even greater than in previous years”.

He added: “There are a number of architecture practices with the necessary experience [in terms of the work and procurement], and any firm that wants to be involved should speak to contractors now.”

Chris Harding, head of education at BDP, said: “We’re in discussions with various contractors about how we would answer this new challenge.

“Sometimes with the most heavy constraints you get a shift in how you approach things and we might end up with some very creative work.”

The elevation of the architect over the engineer is to blame for today’s cities being full of unsustainable buildings, Ken Shuttleworth told engineers and students at Imperial College.

Architects are able to get away with their “orgy with glass” because engineers have lost their voice, he said, delivering the Worshipful Company of Paviors’ annual lecture on Tuesday.

The founder of Make urged engineers to “find a new Brunel” who could represent them on television and push an environmental agenda.

“In the 19th century the engineer was king,” he told the audience. “Then architects took over and design became paramount which led to this orgy with glass.

“If the engineer says ‘you can’t have this much glass’ he is sacked and replaced. Engineers need to become more assertive and tell architects what to do.

“Find the best engineer at speaking and put them on TV. Plenty of architects have knighthoods and get on TV. You need a new Brunel to promote engineering,” added Shuttelworth, who spent 30 years at Foster & Partners.

Questioned about the sustainability of Make’s plan to demolish part of the 1980s Broadgate Centre, he said conversion simply wasn’t possible.

Its £340 million replacement was London’s first sustainable office project which tried to reflect the “death of bling”, he added.

“Buildings aren’t built to be monuments. They are commodities that are built to be demolished,” he said.

“London has so many historic buildings and if you can’t knock anything down the city will stagnate. Sense has to prevail. Keep what you can keep and what works and if not, do something better.”

If you need a Measured Building Survey or a number of surveys or a complete schedule of buildings surveyed then we can accomodate you.

We can provide Floor plans,  Elevational drawings, or a Topographical survey and all types of Measured Building Survey with varying levels of detailed work – from simple walls, columns, doors and window surveys, to a fully detailed data set including all 3D information including cill & head heights, stair riser and going details, door heights, ceiling heights, beam details, fitted furniture etc.. As part of our measured surveys, the surveyors can also pick up and highlight other information for example: any electrical and data points, sanitary fittings, incoming mains positions, plant, fire fighting and detection equipment, security equipment, signage and so on.

An accurate  topographical survey or land survey is essential to any project that you are considering and can lessen the possibility of costly mistakes or unforeseen issues later on.  The amount and type of topographical survey data that we collect on site is always based on your specification. However, our experienced land surveyors will use their knowledge of planning and development issues and requirements to provide additional information that might be vital for any future design or planning application. We are also able to gather information from any utility companies which can be added to your topographical survey drawings..

We can also provide other additional land surveying services that you may require, for example; underground services tracing ( UPR – Underground Penetrating Radar) and 3D laser scanning enable us to provide you with a one-stop-shop for your surveying requirements.

for more information, please visit:-

Mobile CAD Surveys

The new Morrisons Regional Distribution Centre at Bridgwater in Somerset that covers nearly 60 acres and provides over 71,000 square metres of warehousing to distribute Morrisons goods to 63 stores in the West and South West of England and South Wales.

DLA Architecture specified over 2.5km of safety barriers to protect people, plant and equipment throughout the site. This specification not only met the approval of the client – Morrisons.

Just over 1.5km of barrier has been installed inside the warehouse and nearly 1km outside. This included nearly 800m of Berry’s Spring Steel Buffers on which a “warehouse rail” is mounted below a standard barrier rail to provide protection to pedestrian walkways from forklift trucks and other warehouse vehicles. The extra lower rail prevents the forks penetrating into the walkway below the standard barrier.

The varying styles specified reflect the different risks identified in specific areas and illustrates how the Berry Systems’ range can cope with virtually any requirement with a barrier that has been independently tested to prove its performance to the appropriate level.

There is also a waste recycling centre to deal with all the cardboard and paper waste inevitably generated and the access ramps to this part of the facility.

Morrisons have contracted DHL to run this regional distribution centre and it is now gradually working towards full capacity and is expected to handle over 2 million cases in 2012 from up to 800 vehicle movements per day.

The Blue Light Partnership, comprising Miller Construction and Bilfinger Berger Project Investments, has been named preferred bidder for the £129m Avon and Somerset Police Accommodation PFI Project.

The project comprises the development of four new facilities at Portishead, Bristol Patchway, Keynsham and Bridgwater. The contract also includes responsibility for maintaining the buildings for 25 years.

In addition to supplying project investment, Miller Construction has been appointed principal contractor.

Chris Webster, chief executive, Miller Construction, said: “We are delighted to have received preferred bidder status for the Avon and Somerset Police Accommodation PFI Project. We have a successful track record in the delivery of PPP projects across the UK where our expertise in assisting public partners to finance projects covers a variety of markets.”

The overall project includes a Somerset Operations Base which will be home to a Custody and Crime Investigation Centre, Specialist Operations and an Enquiry Office; a Custody and Crime Investigation Centre and Police Station in Patchway; a Custody and Crime Investigation Centre in Keynsham and a Tri-force Indoor Firearms Training Centre for Avon and Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire police forces, near Portishead.

Construction work is expected to start in summer 2012 with the buildings being open from 2014

Workers at a leading construction firm have voted in favour of strike action in a long-running row over pay and conditions, it was announced last night.

Unite said its members at Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES) backed industrial action by 67 per cent after being re-balloted following a legal challenge to an earlier vote.

Electricians, plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers were among those who voted for strike action which Unite warned could hit high-profile projects and sites such as Crossrail, Grangemouth and Sellafield.

Unite said it had given an undertaking to the courts that it would not call industrial action until after the outcome of a hearing due to be held next Tuesday after another legal challenge from the company.

The union is in dispute with seven firms, claiming they have “torn up” agreements and set new pay and conditions in the industry.

Unite has reported the firms to the Office of Fair Trading, claiming they acted in an anti-competitive way by “driving down” pay and conditions.

A total of 295 Unite members voted in favour of a strike, 145 voted no, with six spoilt papers in a 50 per cent turnout.

The chair of Design Council Cabe has called on the developers of Robin Hood Gardens to carry out a full energy audit of the proposed regeneration.

The assessment should include an energy and carbon analysis, including embodied energy. “As far as I know this has not been carried out to date, which is surprising, given the interest in energy conscious retrofit now emerging,” he said. “It is not too late for a change of heart.”

Finch’s comments come as further details of plans for the £500 million Blackwall Reach project were revealed in an outline application to Tower Hamlets Council. The first phase, which includes a new school and mosque to the north of the estate, will be designed by Aedas.

Developers Swan Housing and Countryside Properties will then hold design competitions for the next three phases, including plans for housing to replace Alison and Peter Smithson’s 1970s buildings.

Last week leading housing architects called on the profession to boycott any competitions for the estate’s replacement.

Work on the Pinnacle tower in the City of London is on hold again because of fresh finance problems.

The building’s on-off development suffered its latest setback last week when builders downed tools because of worries about funding.

Work on the 64-storey tower started up again late last year after earlier being stalled.

Developer Arab Investments resumed work after securing a £500 million debt facility from a group of lenders led by HSBC.

But the deal was reliant on the developer pre-letting a chunk of the tower, which it has not yet done. Arab Investments said it did not know how long the latest delay would last.

Two years ago parts of the tower were redrawn by KPF to include a three-storey viewing platform to feature artefacts loaned by the Museum of London.

UK Green Building Council has written to education secretary Michael Gove asking him not to drop sustainability requirements for schools.

Paul King, chief executive of UKGBC, teamed up with environmental campaigners to respond to plans outlined by Gove which would see the Breeam standard dropped for new-build and refurbished schools. Under the previous government’s Building Schools for the Future programme schools were required to meet a Breeam “very good” standard.

The letter, which was also sent to David Cameron and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, along with five other cabinet ministers, said the proposal was “deeply concerning”.

It said: “Breeam is well understood and widely recognised by the construction industry. Removing it would introduce enormous complexity for non-expert construction clients, arguably increasing bureaucracy and thereby causing delay in the design process and driving up costs.

“Reneging on the commitment would also send a terrible message to the UK industry which frequently builds to Breeam “excellent” standards in commercial developments so they can be occupied by a public sector anchor-tenant.”

The Department for Education is considering the future of Breeam standards as part of the recommendations made in the James Review.

Architects can expect much work in east London after Boris Johnson announced 10,000 new homes will be built on the Greenwich Peninsula.

The mayor revealed the ambition following an agreement with secretary of state Eric Pickles and the Homes and Communities Agency to facilitate the next phase of development, which includes 1,350 homes by the end of 2015 delivered by developer Lend Lease.

Johnson said: “This latest phase of regeneration will seal its future as a thriving, well-connected new district, combining vibrant new residential areas and fantastic leisure facilities.”

Progress on a number of other key sites in the capital was also announced, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Tower Hamlets. Housing association Family Mosaic won a competition for the project where 180 homes are planned following the demolition of the hospital. Family Mosaic’s team beat a bid from developer Igloo and Ash Sakula which would have retained the building.

And in Southwark an Ojeu competition will be launched to find a developer for the Newington site in Elephant & Castle, which will include a 43-storey tower and 470 homes.

The news follows last week’s announcement that a new road tunnel between Greenwich Peninsula and Silvertown in the Royal Docks will be built.

Numbers of female architects working for UK practices has fallen 7% since 2009.

The RIBA Future Trends Survey reported 21% of architectural staff in December 2011 were female, compared to 28% in January 2009.

Architects also reported a decrease in confidence over future workloads for December 2011.

The RIBA’s monthly workload index for last month stands at -11, down from -4 in November.

Practices in the south-east of England and in London showed the most optimism about future demand for services, while those in Northern Ireland are the most pessimistic.

The private housing sector shows the most promise for future workloads but public sector and community work remains under pressure.

Adrian Dobson, RIBA director of practice, said: “Our respondents and practices continue to report intense fee competition, restrictions in bank lending and uncertainty over the general economic outlook as their main challenges.

“Of ongoing concern is the disproportionate impact of the recession on employment levels for women working in architecture. The RIBA remains committed to addressing these inequalities through initiatives including the Architects for Change and Women in Architecture groups”

The number of architects in GB on the dole has fallen to the lowest level since July 2011.

According to figures released today the number of architects receiving jobseekers allowance in December 2011 was 905, compared to a 12-month high of 1,035 in August 2011.

The figures show that overall 2011 was a better year for architects than 2010, which ended with 1,010 architects claiming a jobseekers allowance.

The latest data from the Office of National Statistics shows that the number of architects in full-time employment is 25,000, with another 17,000 in full-time self-employment. Overall, there are 45,000 architects working in the UK.

The long drawn out saga of Liverpool’s plans to build a new stadium are back on again with the Premiership club’s US owners believed to be looking at plans first drawn up nine years ago.

Their owners, Fenway Sports Group has been working with specialist Manchester practice AFL on a brand new ground for the club in the city’s Stanley Park next door to the club’s current Anfield home.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the news will mean that futuristic designs (pictured) unveiled by US firm HKS in 2006 will now be scrapped for good. The £400 million plans were already in limbo after the previous Liverpool board said they were too expensive.

AFL, which declined to comment, first drew up plans for a new stadium in the early 2000s. These were put forward for planning in 2003 and given the all-clear a year later.

The new plans are dependent on the club raising the £300 million required to build the 60,000-seat ground, with at least half of this required before construction can begin.

Hire a Surveying Kit

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Training for the above kit

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The South Pipe and Wall Inspection Camera is supplied in an industrial class case. The system comes in its own storage box with a built-in LCD screen to review, monitor and record video footage in real-time. Video footage can be recorded directly onto a USB memory stick allowing for video footage to be both viewed, stored and played back. With a Video out facility recodings can also be made directly to a media player or other recording device. Its 20 meter cable the camera can be used to view areas that are difficult to access.

The LCD screen, camera and DVR can be powered either from the 12v rechargeable battery or from a UK plug adaptor. The inspection camera is mounted on a spring and connects to a fibreglass cable. Once connected, the user can view the images in colour on the built-in LCD screen.

NavCom’s SF-3040 pole-mount StarFire/RTK GNSS Survey Receiver provides RTK-level accuracy up to 40 km away from the base station or decimeter-level position accuracy, anywhere in the world, anytime. Powered by the Sapphire™ Engine, the SF-3040 provides 66 channel tracking, including multi-constellation support for GPS, GLONASS, and SBAS including StarFire.

The SF-3040 supports Ultra RTK™, which allows RTK accuracy (0.5cm +1ppm) at up to 40km from the base station. Combined with NavCom’s industry-exclusive RTK Extend™, users can work farther away from base stations and maintain RTK-level accuracy even during radio outages for up to 15 minutes.