In today’s news, we will look into the start of construction on a stunning new flagship London court that will be located in the Square Mile. A construction company based in Mochdre has been nominated for an award because it has encouraged younger people to pursue careers in the construction industry. The entry period for the Art of Building photography competition has just begun. Residents have expressed their frustration since construction on a nearby building has partially obstructed Cardiff‘s popular cycleway.

Construction begins on a new Square Mile court

Original Source: Construction begins on brand new flagship London court in the Square Mile

A state-of-the-art combination court is being built as part of Salisbury Square, a new building on Fleet Street.

Brandon Lewis, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, laid the foundation stones (18 October 2022).

The City of London Law courts will be a contemporary, efficient, and adaptable centre for London’s legal services, with 18 hearing rooms, 10 more than the courts will replace in 2026. It has 8 Crown, 6 Civil, and 4 Magistrates’ courts. This court will focus on fraud, cyber, and economic crime.

It is part of a bigger £105 million investment by HM Courts and Tribunals Service to improve courts and tribunals in England and Wales.

Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis said:

The City of London Law Courts are modern, inventive, and flexible, and housed in purpose-built facilities.

The Salisbury Square development symbolises our status as a premier business, law, and justice centre, ensuring the UK stays attractive to worldwide business and investment.

The court’s foundation stone is the first to be laid under King Charles III and the first to be inscribed with KC in 70 years.

The City of London Corporation created Salisbury Square, a new civic quarter on the Square Mile, to house legal and law enforcement facilities. It will create 400 new jobs and support 2,100 more, boosting the UK’s image as an investment destination. Once complete, it will bring millions to the City of London’s economy thanks to UK legal services’ global appeal.

City of London Policy Chairman Chris Hayward said:

Fraud is the most widespread crime in the UK, costing the economy billions and harming businesses and individuals.

By cracking down on economic crime, we’ll boost the City’s reputation as a world-class commercial hub and protect UK customers from fraud.

The Salisbury Square Development will enable us to adapt to changing policing and justice demands, boost the UK economy, and attract foreign enterprise.

The new building will be easier to reach for attorneys and victims. Facilities will include lifts and broad corridors for wheelchair access, reducing barriers for those with impairments or restricted mobility.

The court will be equipped with all available courtroom equipment, including displays and cameras to send and receive video evidence.

The court complex has a 125-year lifespan – quadruple the planned life of a typical structure – and sustainability is at the centre of its construction. It will have an all-electric heating and cooling system with 300-metre-deep thermal piles to store summer heat for winter. Insulated outside facades reduce winter energy demand and solar shading reduces summer cooling. The new development will utilise materials from demolished buildings.

Designed by Eric Parry Architects, Salisbury Square incorporates a City of London Police headquarters and a commercial structure. The development will revive its historic surroundings with outdoor seating, shops, bars, and restaurants.

A Mochdre-based construction company is up for a big honour

Original Source: Mochdre-based construction company in the running for major award

A Mochdre-based construction company is nominated for inspiring a new generation to join the sector.

Brenig Construction, with locations in North Wales and the North West, is a finalist for the ‘Best Newcomer Award’ at the Careers Wales Valued Partner Awards 2022.

On November 8, DJ and presenter Huw Stephens will reveal the winners in Cardiff.

The fast-growing Mochdre company works with schools and communities where it has active sites and hires and trains apprentices and other workers.

Adam Jones, Brenig’s health and safety and training manager, said it’s nice to be recognised for promoting construction careers, especially for women.

“We’re happy of the difference we’re making, so this nomination is a lovely honour.

“We like to engage with the communities where we work, especially local schools, where we teach about construction professions and career paths.

We’ve done this at several locations, including Llwyn Eirin near Denbigh, where we’re building Denbighshire County Council’s first council estate in almost 40 years.

All the homes are designed to low-energy passivhaus standards employing modern building techniques, which are the future of construction.

When we send students to an active site, they can speak to expert craftsmen and see how the many tasks fit together. Hopefully, this will motivate some of them to pursue a career in construction.

“We also aim to hire as many local companies as possible so the community benefits from pay and training.”

The company wants more women to become quantity surveyors.

Caroline Thomas from Abergele stated, “People used to think women weren’t strong enough to work in construction, but we are, and there are many of chances.”

14% of the construction workforce is female, but that’s growing, and I have friends in the business.

Women can be bricklayers, decorators, plant operators, architects, surveyors, and engineers. I go on site, climb ladders, and am treated the same as men.

“Brenig believes in equal opportunity, and we have female drivers, painters, an architect, and an ecologist.”

Nikki Lawrence, CEO of Careers Wales, congratulated Brenig Construction.

This event allows us to honour businesses for giving local students relevant experiences and work-related knowledge.

Working with schools to give career guidance inspires and motivates Wales’ future workforce.

Mark Parry and Howard Vaughan founded Brenig Construction Group after meeting as 6-year-olds in Glan Conwy.

A drink-driver from Colwyn Bay must pay over £1,000 in Llandudno.

Town council launches new Llanrwst initiative

Both civil engineers, they worked at Dawnus Construction before founding Brenig in 2012.

The company employs more than 70 people and has a £60m order book.

Old Colwyn, Llanrwst, and Denbigh are their first passivhaus developments in Wales.

They have projects in North Wales, Middlewich, Crewe, and Winsford, Cheshire.

In 2018, they moved into new headquarters in Mochdre and worked closely with Cartrefi Conwy and Bamber Homes.

Their portfolio comprises civil engineering, groundwork, maintenance, social housing, commercial housing, and plant hire.

Art of Building photo competition opens

Original Source: Art of Building photography competition opens

The CIOB’s Art of Building photography competition is now open.

The Art of Building is the largest annual built-environment competition. It’s free to visit and attracts thousands of photographers.

Two winners receive £1,500. See last year’s winners.

Saul Townsend, CIOB’s head of content and communications, said, “Many people think of buildings as functional constructions, but we intend to shift that attitude.”

Any photo can be great.

Even a typical office window can appear magnificent in the correct light and position. Anything may be a great photo.

Photos from the competition are used to create pop-up art exhibits on construction site barriers around the world.

Townsend continued, “The competition highlights the innovation of the built environment industry, the passion of its workers, and the influence their work has on end users.”

We spend most of our days in or near buildings, be it our homes, businesses, or social areas, so good subject matter should be easy to come by for everyone, especially since the images can be taken on mobile devices and you don’t need to be a professional photographer.

“The thousands of images we receive each year provide us wonderful insight into what the public considers art. Since the tournament is free, we hope many people enter to win.

Elections

Deadline is November 27. A panel of judges selects 12 for voting. The public chooses a winner.

Public Choice winner will be chosen in January. A second photo will win Judges’ Choice.

Last year, 100+ countries entered. They included Indian, Russian, Japanese, Dutch, and US buildings.

Rahaman Hossain won the Public Choice prize for a photo of a woman gathering water at Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, India.

Mikhail Proskalov received the Judges’ Choice for a photo of St. Petersburg’s 462 m Lakhta Centre. Drone captured it.

Cardiff’s busiest cycleway is largely blocked by construction

Original Source: Outrage as building work partially obstructs one of Cardiff’s busiest cycleways

Construction on an adjacent building has partially blocked a popular cycleway, angering residents. Social media users termed the partially blocked Taffs Mead Embankment underpass “ugly” and “hazardous.”

Unite Students is re-cladding the Pendyris Street Bakery building. The construction site has made the Taffs Mead Embankment underpass narrower for walkers and bikes. It follows prior construction in the underpass to enlarge the city centre ramp.

“This building site is partially blocking one of Cardiff’s main walking and cycling routes,” one local wrote online. Grangetown Community Action posted: “This is terrible, with insufficient room for pedestrians to cross and a bike congestion on a busy street. Wasn’t this better planned?”

Ash Lister, Grangetown councillor: “We’ve requested a meeting with police. It’s for cladding the old bakery’s student housing. We’ll have time frames tomorrow and have requested an assessment of access/active travel.”

Unite Students apologise for any disruption caused by the Pendyris Street renovation. We received permission from Cardiff Council to temporarily close a section of the shared pedestrian and cycling route for vital maintenance.

“This ensures the safety of residents, personnel, contractors, and the public throughout construction.” Officers will inspect the site after a local councillor asked about public access over the weekend.

Summary of today’s construction news

Overall, we discussed the beginning of construction of a new London Court in the Square Mile. Based in Mochdre, Brenig Construction, with offices in both North and West Wales, has been nominated for the “Best Newcomer Award” at the upcoming Careers Wales Valued Partner Awards 2022, this is for inspiring young people to pursue their career in the construction industry. The Art of Building is the annual competition that sees the most innovative constructed environments. This is CIOB’s photography competition and it is now open. The Pendyris Street Bakery is getting a new exterior thanks to the efforts of the student group Unite Students. Due to the construction, the underpass at Taffs Mead Embankment is now less spacious for pedestrians and cyclists and that angered the residents living nearby.