Building Briefs – April 28th

Hadden builds support partnership for air ambulance

Hadden Construction is celebrating a landmark anniversary by cementing a ground-breaking support partnership with Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA).

The firm is using its 25th anniversary as a launch pad for a two-year commitment to raise cash for the country’s only charity-funded helicopter air ambulance service.

Chairman and founder Scott Hadden explained that the support partnership with the Perth Airport-based life-saving service was their way of “giving back” to benefit communities all across Scotland.

Hadden hopes its suppliers and sub-contractors will show support as it launches a rolling programme of fund-raising activities for SCAA.

Plans are still ongoing but early suggestions include a charity golf day, sponsored walk, quiz night and a major Charity Ball to round off the fundraising and silver anniversary celebrations.

Aberdeenshire Council’s Building Standards team re-appointed as verifiers for maximum term

A recent Scottish Government announcement confirmed all 32 Local Authorities have been re-appointed as building standards verifiers.

The period of time each local authority has been appointed for was dependent on its recent performance.

Aberdeenshire’s Building Standards team has been appointed for the maximum term of six years after being deemed a strong performing authority.

Good and poor performing authorities have been appointed for three years and one year respectively, with any extensions subject to the authority demonstrating improvements.

Aberdeenshire’s re-appointment provides continuity to residents, local businesses, developers and architects, ensuring that local contacts and the service provided within the Building Standards team remains the same.

Team members will continue to ensure that work carried out on both new and existing buildings meets reasonable standards, set out in the building regulations.

This work is carried out through the processing of Building Warrants and site inspections with the aim of securing the health, safety, welfare and convenience of anyone in or about buildings, as well as the conservation of fuel and power and achievement of sustainable development.

Over the past 24 months Aberdeenshire’s Building Standards team has worked hard, undertaking a staff re-structure, office rationalisation, embracing e-building standards beyond the level required and obtaining Customer Service Excellence accreditation.

All of this work helped ensure its re-appointment for the maximum six year term.

The re-appointment period begins on May 1, 2017.

Dumfries Peter Pan house works officially launched

Work is to be officially launched on a £5.7m project to create a National Centre for Children’s Literature and Storytelling in Dumfries.

It will see Moat Brae house which helped to inspire the story of Peter Pan fully restored and transformed over the next 18 months.

The official launch of the works is the latest chapter in the story of bringing the prominent Dumfries building back into use.

The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust reached its fundraising target last month and appointed contractors Balfour Beatty to carry out the works.

It is hoped that once the building is complete it will attract about 40,000 visitors a year and make a significant economic contribution.

New primary schools open in Bishopbriggs and Kirkintilloch

Two new primary schools have been opened in East Dunbartonshire.

Children from the former Auchinairn and Woodhill Primaries have now moved into the new £12.4 million Thomas Muir Primary in Bishopbriggs, with pre-schoolers moving into the adjoining Cleddens Early Learning & Childcare Centre (CEL&CC).

Elsewhere, pupils from the former St. Agatha’s and St. Flannan’s Primaries have relocated to the new £8.7m Holy Trinity Primary in Kirkintilloch.The return to school after the Easter break was full of excitement for nearly 1000 pupils from Bishopbriggs and Kirkintilloch as their new schools opened their doors for the first time.

Each of the new schools feature Wi-Fi throughout, classrooms with LCD touchscreens, open and airy corridors, multi-purpose halls, covered outdoor learning areas, comfortable dining spaces and modern, bright décor.

Both schools and the CEL&CC were delivered through East Dunbartonshire Council’s Primary School Improvement Programme in partnership with hub West Scotland.

Roofing firm tandem with blood bikes

Russell Roof Tiles has officially named a brand-new ‘blood bike’ bought using cash generated after a successful year of fundraising for Dumfries & Galloway Blood Bikes (DGBB).

At the same time, the roof tile manufacturer, which employs 70 staff on an 11-acre site in Halleaths, has announced they are planning to raise even more money for the charity in 2017.

Russell Roof Tiles named the much-needed new bike after Lady Devorgilla, mother of King John of Scots, 1292-1296.

The bike was bought by DGBB after Russells more than doubled their original target donation of £5,000.

The name Lady Devorgilla was carefully chosen in keeping with the charity’s tradition of naming their new bikes after women.

Work starts on V&A Dundee community garden

Construction work has started on a major community garden design project to transform part of Dundee’s waterfront.

Over the past year, people living with – and recovering from – a range of health and wellbeing issues have designed the V&A Dundee Community Garden.

The project highlights how the design process can support wellbeing and will result in a social space everyone can enjoy. It has been supported by the players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Working with professional designers, 20 members of the public have produced plans for a garden that will act as an extension to the first design museum to be built in the UK outside London.

A recent groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of the construction stage. Over the coming months, the 10m x 10m plot within Slessor Gardens – just yards from V&A Dundee on the edge of the Tay – will be totally transformed.

Careys, the subcontractor delivering V&A Dundee’s highly complex curved concrete walls, is supporting the community project by carrying out the construction work.

At the centre of the garden will be a sunken area for people to gather and talk, surrounded by a green ‘living wall’ to provide shelter. Rainwater will be collected by an overhead feature inspired by ferns and at the garden entrance and exit will stand large light features, designed to add an element of fun.

The next stage of the project will see the co-design team and local volunteers fill the garden with a wide range of plants, chosen for their tactile qualities and smell as well as for their visual impact.

Image courtesy of Alan Richardson