The plans for a new building in the centre of Swansea that will house the city’s major library, archive service, and several other key services have taken a significant step forward. The building will also house other important services. In the meantime, the people in charge of organising the project at Guédelon Castle provided an explanation of how their proficiency in woodworking is proving to be a benefit to the effort being made to restore the roof of the Paris cathedral. In addition, the long-abandoned location of John Madin’s Brutalist design for the former Yorkshire Post HQ in Leeds is the focus of recent proposals for a three-tower complex that have been made public by DLA Architecture. The cost of implementing the new ideas is estimated to be 180 million pounds. In addition to that, Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) has introduced a modular demonstrator unit in Scotland in order to demonstrate how a timber kit-of-parts approach to retrofit could be the way of the future for environmentally friendly workplaces. 

First look at Swansea community hub plans

Original Source: First look at plans for new Swansea city centre community hub

The next stage of design and enabling works will enable the council to transform the old BHS/What! building on Oxford Street into a community hub.

The facility will be transformed in the fall to provide convenient access to council and other services.

Rob Stewart, council leader, called the building’s renovation “exciting.” Kier Construction’s involvement is great.

“They’re one of Britain’s top construction companies with experience of converting buildings.â€� Kier has agreed to hire local staff and apprentices as part of the deal.

“Kier helped us build the Bay Field Hospital for the NHS during the pandemic under tight timelines and was responsible for improvements at YG Gwyr and YGG Tan-y-Lan,” he stated.

The community hub will construct a new library and local services hub in the city centre, near to the planned Castle Square Gardens, which is presently out for consultation.

The relocation of the library, archives, and other public and third-party support services into a single building will benefit the community and the council.

Cllr Stewart said the project will be a good example of sustainable city centre redevelopment, reinvigorating existing structures, and lowering carbon consumption to tackle climate change.

Current Central Library and archive services get 300,000 visits a year — that’s a lot of new footfall that will enhance city centre commerce and jobs on top of the arena and Castle Square, subject to development approval.

Kier Construction regional director Jason Taylor remarked, “We’re excited to partner with Swansea Council on another community-supporting project.” We’ll shortly begin enabling work for the new Swansea Community Hub, which will provide crucial local facilities.

“With a good track record of providing social value with Swansea Council, this project allows Kier to continue its commitment in the area.

During construction, we’ll work with locals, local organisations, and schools to provide jobs, training, and work experience, as well as work with our local supplier chain.

James Colthard, Coreus’ regional director, said, “As the lead consultant on this major regeneration project, Coreus is eager to move into the next phase of design.”

“Congratulations to Kier, with whom we look forward to working to revitalise Swansea’s city centre and spur more growth and investment in the region.”

Austin-Smith:Lord Ltd redesigned the former BHS/What! building for Swansea Council.

The 1950s construction will have an impact appropriate for a public building, with active storefronts to maintain Oxford St. and Princess Way.

Upper floors have huge glazed apertures to exhibit activity and an inviting ethos.

Cladding will improve the building’s appearance. Backlit translucent cladding might attract tourists.

Special care has been taken to ensure that the West Glamorgan Archive Service is a welcome destination for visitors and that its historical records are well-kept.

The project’s vision is to:

create an innovative, flexible, and sustainable community hub to promote community cohesion, self-development and growth, support digital inclusion, improve well-being, and unite and strengthen the city’s diverse community; provide a range of services in a welcoming environment where people can meet and participate in social activities, learning, and support groups; encourage a coordinated approach to supporting the community in f.

More public consultation is planned for the following months.

How mediaeval carpenters rebuilt Notre Dame

Original Source: ‘They said it was impossible’: how medieval carpenters are rebuilding Notre Dame

In 1253, Gilbert Courtenay, a minor nobleman in King Louis IX’s court, left his wife in charge of building the family’s new house, Guédelon Castle.

21st-century craftspeople re-learn and master long-forgotten mediaeval techniques in a wooded clearing in northern Burgundy.

The Guédelon project began 25 years ago as “experimental archaeology.” Instead of digging down, it was erected upward using only mediaeval equipment, methods, and local materials. Unexpectedly, Guédelon is now repairing Notre Dame’s structure and soul.

Paris’ 13th-century cathedral, a world heritage landmark, was destroyed by fire in April 2019, destroying its intricate roof structure known as La Forêt. Many believed it couldn’t be rebuilt as-is.

Frédéric Épaud, a mediaeval wood specialist, says the roof frame was exceptionally sophisticated for the 12th and 13th centuries.

“After the fire, many said it would need thousands of trees, and we didn’t have enough of the right ones.” The wood would have to be dried for years, and nobody knew how to make beams like in the Middle Ages. They said no.

Guédelon had done it for years, so we knew it was possible.

Several companies vying for Notre Dame work have hired Guédelon-trained carpenters, and more are anticipated to head to the Burgundy clearing 200km down the autoroute du Soleil from Paris.

It may be quicker and cheaper to turn wooden beams from a sawmill, especially with French president Emmanuel Macron’s commitment to reopening the cathedral in 2024, but no one at Guédelon thinks that should be done.

Stéphane Boudy has worked at the mediaeval site since 1999. He was a baker and an electrician before finding his calling at Guédelon. He describes how hand-hewing each beam from a single tree preserves the green wood’s “heart.”

We’ve cut, squared, and hewed wood by hand for 25 years. ” We’ve done it for 25 years. People from outside came to learn how to do it. If this place didn’t exist, experts may have argued it would be impossible to recreate Notre Dame’s roof. We proved it.

It’s not nostalgia. Why Notre Dame’s roof lasted 800 years. He says sawmill wood lacks heart.

Maryline Martin co-founded the Guédelon project, which attracts 300,000 paying visitors annually and was featured in a 2014 BBC documentary, Secrets of the Castle. She says the chateau’s blacksmith will create the axes for Notre Dame and its carpenters will educate others to work on the church.

“We’re proud that many Guédelon graduates will restore Notre Dame. We’re a private company lost in our wilderness that gets no governmental funding. Some state research groups thought we were a theme park, she explains.

“After 25 years, we’re the only ones who can understand and accomplish what’s needed, and they realise we haven’t sold our soul to the devil.” Why would we go to Paris to work on Notre Dame? Here, we’ll continue 13th-century work. “

Florian Renucci, Guédélon site manager and philosopher-turned-master mason, will teach Notre Dame workers.

After Notre Dame burned, we heard repeatedly that the roof couldn’t be rebuilt. No wood, no savoir-faire — modernizers’ argument. He argues that we have proved it’s possible and that we can do it.

Épaud is on the scientific committees at Guédelon and Notre Dame, as well as the CNRS, France’s national research organisation. Going back to build the future isn’t nostalgia, he explains.

“I’ve studied the 13th-century technique for years. If we respect the tree’s internal shape, the beams will survive 800 years. ” Guédelon is the only place in France and Europe where they erect wooden roofs. Whoever doubted it didn’t know Guédelon. “

adding, “But don’t rush.” Macron’s 2024 deadline for the cathedral is stupid. We’re not in a hurry and have the money to build a cathedral properly. If we rush, we may make mistakes or overlook something. Sadly, Macron doesn’t get it.

DLA unveiled a three-tower proposal for the Yorkshire Post site

Original Source: DLA reveals new three-tower plan for former Yorkshire Post site

In 2015, Sheppard Robson received planning clearance for a mixed-use proposal with 50,000m2 of offices, 200 dwellings, bars, restaurants, and recreational facilities on a brownfield site. The Yorkshire Post was dismantled the previous year.

Developer Urbanite’s latest plan for Wellington Street includes two student housing towers. The 42-story building will be the city’s tallest. The proposal includes a third residential tower.

Leeds City Council’s plans panel saw the 87,064m2 mixed-use development earlier this year.

The 32-story building on the northern end of the site will feature 1,125 student beds, spa facilities, and 2,000m2 of ancillary space. Cluster flats and studios will fill the buildings.

This 25-story riverside skyscraper will have 350 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. The design comprises a new public area, Headline Square, a micro-forest, and the reinvention of the landmark Yorkshire Post tower as public art.

Sue Sparling, director of DLA Architecture, stated the design was inspired by “the site’s historical uses, from woollen mill to paper mill’ and that the concept “embraced the local qualities of the surrounding conservation area through form, materials, and tone to produce a landmark scheme”.

Urbanite has partnered with Prescient Capital to build 6,500 student bedrooms over the next three to five years.

Next year’s construction will end in 2027.

The Demonstration unit shows timber’s retrofit possibilities.

Original Source: Demonstrator unit showcases timber potential for office retrofit

Ecosystems Technologies, an expert in innovative mass timber manufacturing, designed a fully functional prototype to encourage modular adoption.

ThreeSixty Architecture has built a physical unit and an open source free guide to help organisations copy and modify the design for different types and sizes of buildings. The first offices commissioned using the design are expected to be inhabited later this year.

BE-ST is the former Construction Scotland Innovation Centre.

The work is part of Transport Scotland’s NearHome programme, which was created in response to post-Covid employment trends. The project aims to give firms the means to convert underutilised facilities into out-of-town office alternatives to reduce commuting trips.

Scottish firms can visit the NearHome demonstrator unit to see how the timber-focused design will assist future sustainable workplace policies. BE-ST stated the concept may be applied to a variety of circumstances, not just offices, from solitary pods to new builds or repurposing vacant structures.

BE-head ST’s of digital programmes says NearHome might transform how we remodel non-domestic structures. We know a one-size-fits-all strategy won’t work for the many building types in Scotland, but the modular design offers a flexible, sustainable solution that can be changed case-by-case.

While we first focused on workplaces, the kit’s versatility has proved it can be utilised for other reasons. We’re happy to see the toolkit design come to life with the physical prototype and hope it can inform and encourage decision makers to consider it for future projects.

The project builds on BE-concentration ST’s on modular and offsite construction technologies, using indigenous engineered timber.

Matt Stevenson, creator of Ecosystems Technologies, said, “There are many ways homegrown timber might be used more broadly in construction, and our retrofit design is a perfect example that businesses and other organisations can readily adopt as the built environment transitions to zero carbon.” The first commercial orders for the kit-of-parts are underway, and demand is growing.

“Scottish timber is a magnificent regenerative, low-carbon resource, and collaboration, research, and digital technology can expand its usage in the built environment.” NearHome’s reusable kit highlights the added benefit of a circular method, allowing captured carbon to stay in the cycle as long as possible.

Patrick Harvie, Scotland’s minister for zero carbon buildings and active travel, said the new BE-ST unit marks a milestone for NearHome. Covid-19 changed work environments and habits. It also hampered well-being, social isolation, collaboration, and networking. NearHome Support for workplace innovation and COVID rehabilitation. The project helps establish safe, hygienic, connected work environments and gives individuals more flexibility to work locally. It’s also boosting Scotland’s construction industry by better using Scottish timber.

“Not every home is ideal for home work.” Working from excellent venues closer to home may give greater flexibility and work-life balance, reduce automobile reliance and transport emissions, and create local economic possibilities—all part of the Scottish government’s objective to support the development of 20-minute neighbourhoods.

Summary of today’s construction news

The council will be allowed to repurpose the former BHS and What! building on Oxford Street into a community hub after the next stage of design and the necessary works have been completed. The leader of the council, Rob Stewart, referred to the building’s reconstruction as “exciting,” and he praised the significant engagement of Kier Construction.

For the moment, the Guédelon project was initially conceived of as “experimental archaeology” and kicked off 25 years ago. Instead of digging down, it was constructed vertically, using only tools and methods from the middle ages as well as local resources. Unexpectedly, Guédelon is currently working to restore both the physical and spiritual aspects of Notre Dame.

In addition to that, the most recent proposal for Wellington Street by developer Urbanite proposes the construction of two student housing towers. The building, with 42 stories, will be the tallest structure in the city. The plan calls for the construction of a third residential tower. The 32-story structure on the northernmost part of the property will include a total of 1,125 student bedrooms, in addition to spa amenities and ancillary space measuring 2,000 square metres. The buildings will be filled with studios and apartments in clusters.

Moreover, BE-ST is the new name for what was once known as the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre. BE-ST has launched a modular demonstrator unit in Scotland to showcase how a timber kit-of-parts approach to refit could be the future of sustainable workplaces.