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UK-based construction services firm Kier Group has been awarded three construction frameworks in the UK, on projects with a combined value of more than £5bn.The company has been selected as one of six principle supply chain partners on the four-year £4bn Department of Health Procure22 framework, which commences in October 2016.The group has been also chosen as one of five suppliers on two five-year construction frameworks worth up to £750M at Gatwick Airport. The frameworks cover building and civil engineering projects up to £10M and smaller works for building projects up to £1.5M.Furthermore, it has secured a spot on the two-year £500M University of Cambridge scheme to provide a range of facilities including laboratories, teaching and lecture spaces and sports facilities.Kier Group CEO Haydn Mursell said: “These awards demonstrate the breadth of our offering and the strength of our relationships with clients across a wide range of sectors, including healthcare, aviation and education.“Such awards, which account for approximately half of our UK regional building revenues, enable us to work closely with our clients to deliver on their long-term requirements and they further bolster our strong construction order book.”
US-based logistics and shipping company UPS has announced a $310M project to expand its Centennial Ground hub in Louisville, Kentucky.The expansion will almost triple the size of the company’s facility to 78,000sq m. The move comes in response to increased e-commerce and traditional retail package volume.According to UPS, the project will nearly double its current sorting capacity to 85,000 packages per hour and add additional sorting automation equipment. Lou Rivieccio, president of UPS Ohio Valley District, said: “We are excited to have construction underway. This project is a win for everyone involved. It will benefit our customers, generate jobs, and enhance economic development in Louisville and the surrounding region.“Centennial offers UPS customers the advantage of being at the centre of the world’s largest package delivery company. It is one of UPS’ most important facilities.”The project will be delivered in three phases and is expected to continue through 2020. It will create 300 full and part-time jobs in the region.
Bilt Group’s residential development arm Vivere Group has submitted plans to Salford City Council for a £150M housing development in Manchester, UK.The City View project, designed by architect Fletcher Rae, will include the construction of four blocks rising from eight to 26 storeys in a 56,000sq m site. The development, to be located on a corner plot at the junction of Oldfield Road and the A57 Regent Road, will feature 525 flats — 488 apartments and 37 three-bed townhouses. It will also include an above-ground ‘sky garden’, a gym, a coffee shop, a concierge, 150 car parking spaces and 200 cycle spaces.Fletcher Rae’s joint managing director Andrew Rae said: “The form of the building responds directly to the vision of the site to create a viable and sustainable regeneration development in a strategic location on Regent Road.“The development will link to existing community infrastructure and adjacent developments. This proposal is intended to repair the severed link that exists between these communities and developments and create a much needed activity node for movement between these key places in the city.”If approved, construction work will commence in early 2018.
Skanska has secured an €197M order from Slovakia’s National Highway Authority, NDS, to extend the D1 highway in eastern Slovakia.The scope of the contract will include the construction of a 14.4km section between Budimír and Bidovce, including an additional 1.1km of express road (R2/R4). The section will include 23 bridges, four overpasses, and noise barriers.Construction on the project — funded by the European Regional Development Fund, OP Integrated Infrastructure 2014-20 and the state budget — is set to commence in November 2016 and is scheduled to be complete in December 2019.
Contractor A-one+ is resurfacing over 1.6km of the A1 at Brownieside in Northumberland using cold paving technology — a first for the UK.The company is using a bespoke Wirtgen CR 3200 machine to recycle the underlying layers of the road. The old surface material is churning up with new material within the machine, before laying it down immediately on the road behind. With the new method, 500 to 1,000t of road surface can be laid per hour — a significant increase when compared with the 100t per hour of conventional techniques.Additionally, it reduces the quarried stone used by 75%, the waste taken to landfill by 66%, and requires 70% fewer lorry trips to and from site. Steve Bishop, Highways England’s project manager, said: “This new technology is brilliant news for the thousands of drivers that use motorways and major A roads in the North East, who will benefit from smoother and safer journeys.“The road surface is designed to last for at least 10 years, meaning that we shouldn’t need to go back to carry out further repairs any time soon meaning less disruption for drivers.“This is the first machine of its type in the UK but the process is already successfully used in the USA, France and China. We are always working with our partners to trial new technologies that will help us to minimise disruption to drivers while we carry out essential road maintenance.”Work started at the beginning of August and is now finished.* More on cold paving technology in the UK and beyond here.
Construction work in Bahrain’s North City is set to start, after receiving AED374M ($101M) in funding from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD).The country’s new city, also known as Al Madina Al Shamaliya, will eventually house up to 90,000 people in affordable accommodation. The funding will support the start of the land reclamation and the project’s construction work.The AED2.56bn ($696.9M) second phase of the project will follow and will involve construction of the first 2,694 houses.Bahrain minister of housing Basim Bin Yacob Al Hamer said: "We are hugely appreciative of this funding, which will help us [relieve] some of our chronic housing shortages here in Bahrain with the North City project. “I hope that such economic and social development, such as with our new airport, will be a catalyst for national and regional growth."According to the minister of housing, the development forms part of a broader plan to build 40,000 new homes.ADFD director general Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi said: "The North City project is an important project, which will be an economic boost to Bahrain through new construction and opportunities, as well as easing urgent overcrowding issues.”
A CH2M and Parsons joint venture has won a contract from the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) for its $1.3bn capital improvement programme (CIP).The improvement programme aims at repairing and replacing most of the underground water and wastewater infrastructure in Washington, D.C. and neighbouring jurisdictions.The JV will perform programme management services for the development and implementation of CIP.CH2M global water business group president Peter Nicol said: “CH2M has worked with DC Water for many years on capital improvement projects and most recently has been leading the utility’s Asset Management Program. “Aging underground infrastructure is a national problem and leads to disruptions in service and threatens water quality. We are excited to help DC Water tackle the complicated repair and replacement of its aging underground water and wastewater infrastructure to ensure local communities have access to safe drinking water and sanitation systems.”The CIP programme will involve the planning, design and construction of linear and vertical infrastructure in the water and wastewater service areas such as piping, pumping, storage and other appurtenance structures including hydrants, valves, inflatable dams, diversion structures and manholes.It will also involve the rehabilitation or replacement of small- and large-diameter water mains, the rehabilitation of water, sanitary and storm pumping stations, and the rehabilitation of minor and major sewers and storage facilities.
India’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the prime minister Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of nine projects worth about INR240bn ($3.57bn) to enhance railway network across the country.The projects given the go-ahead include:• a third rail line between Ballarshah, Maharashtra and Kazipet, Telangana. The INR24.03bn ($358.3M), 201km-long line is anticipated to be complete in five years.• a third rail line between Itarsi and Nagpur. The line stretches 280km and will involve a cost of INR28.82bn ($429.8M). It is expected to be complete in five years.• a third rail line between Jhansi and Bina. With an estimated cost of INR22.73bn ($339M), the 152.57km-long line is expected to be complete in four years.• a third rail line between Vijayawada Junction and Gudur Junction. The NR38.75bn ($557.9M), 288km-long line is expected to be complete in six years.• a third rail line between Mathura and Jhansi. The 273.80km-long line, with an expected completion cost of INR43.77bn ($652.7M), is anticipated to be complete in six years.• a fourth rail line, with an estimated cost of INR22.98bn ($342.7M) between Jharsuguda and Bilaspur. The 206km-long line is expected to be complete in five years.• a third rail line between Rajnandgaon-Nagpur (Kalumna). The INR21.93bn ($327M), 228.3km-long line is estimated to be complete in five years.• a third rail line between Kharagpur (Nimpura) and Adityapur in West Singhburn district of Jharkhand with an estimated cost of INR14.83bn ($221M). The 132km-long line is expected to be complete in four years.• an INR25.86bn ($385.6M) second line between New Bongaigaon and Kamakhya. The 176km-long line is expected to be complete in five years.
Spanish construction firm Isolux Corsan has secured a €113M contract from the National Highway Authority of India for the construction of a highway project.Under the contract, Isolux Corsan will widen the 72km section of the Highway NH-74 between Haridwar, in Uttarakhand, and Nagina, in Uttar Pradesh, to four lanes. The scope of the work will include the construction of 12 primary and secondary bridges, a high bypass in Njibabad, a bridge over the train tracks and two steps for elephants.It will also include the construction of five bypasses with a total length of 16km, and the creation of service roads, parking for heavy vehicles and a toll plaza.Isolux Corsan is expected to execute the works within 30 months and will be responsible for the project’s maintenance for four years.
Balfour Beatty has won a $196M contract from Property Group Partners to build the North Block phase of its Capitol Crossing development in Washington, D.C.The North Block phase will involve the construction of two 12-storey, mixed-use office buildings to be connected by a glass bridge.It will include 6,500sq m of retail space in addition to 1,100 parking spaces and 440 bicycle spaces.Leon Blondin, president of Balfour Beatty’s Mid-Atlantic division, said: “We’re honored to be their construction partner in building this truly historic development in the downtown core that will reconnect long-divided Capitol Hill to the East End. “Having already managed the preconstruction, utility relocation and platform construction phases, it’s very gratifying to continue our work to take this project vertical and deliver its first two mixed-use buildings.” Work will first commence on the building located at 200 Massachusetts Avenue, followed by the second building at 250 Massachusetts Avenue. The project will create 350 construction jobs.The 204,000sq m Capitol Crossing development, expected to become the first Eco-District in the city, will comprise 5 mixed-use buildings sprawling over a seven-acre site.
Turkey’s Tekfen Construction has signed a $2.1bn pre-agreement with the government of Qatar for the construction of the Al Khor Expressway project.The scope of work will include the construction of a 34km-long highway in the Middle Eastern country, featuring 10 lanes. It will also involve the construction of viaducts, road junctions, overpasses and underpasses. Turkish minister of transport, maritime affairs and communications Ahmet Arsalan said: "The Al Khor Expressway project will be a great example of collaboration between Qatar and Turkey."Qatar is going to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup and introduce great projects through its 2030 National Vision. Turkish contractors have immense knowledge, experience, and workforce in order to accomplish these projects."The project is expected to be delivered within three years.
The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) has broken ground on its new stadium in Los Angeles.The new facility, to be located on the Los Angeles Sports Arena former site, will be known as Banc of California Stadium, following a naming-rights deal with the bank.The 22,000-seat stadium — designed by architectural firm Gensler — will be a soccer-specific venue, but will also host community and cultural events. LAFC’s lead managing owner Larry Berg said: “After years of planning and hard work we are set to make history here in the heart of the city. Banc of California Stadium will allow for greater sports viewing and live entertainment experiences to take place in Los Angeles than ever before.”Expected to be complete in 2018, the stadium is projected to bring over $350M in private investment to South Los Angeles.Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said: “Los Angeles is the sports and entertainment capital of the world, and today we open a new chapter in our rich history with the world’s most popular game. “The construction of this new stadium in Exposition Park will create thousands of good-paying jobs — and when their new home is built, our team will bring soccer fans from everywhere into the heart of our city.”
Construction firm Robertson Group has been selected as the main contractor by UK-based Henry Boot Developments for the new £333M Aberdeen exhibition and conference centre.The project, to be located on the 130-acre former Rowett Research Institute site adjacent to Aberdeen International Airport, is being developed by Henry Boot Developments — the Henry Boot PLC propriety development subsidiary — in collaboration with Aberdeen City Council.The overall scheme will include a 12,500-capacity performance venue, extensive covered exhibition halls, a four-star 200-bed hotel to be operated under the Hilton Hotels brand together with an energy centre and 2,500 parking spaces.The initial phase of the development will offer over 74,000sq m of space and includes a development agreement for another 150-bed hotel, to be operated under the Aloft brand.Robertson Group will be responsible for site preparation works, including ground and infrastructure works, as well as the construction of the new arena and conference centre and one of the three on-site hotels.Nick Harris from Henry Boot Developments said: “Following the sod cutting last month, I am very pleased that we are now in a position to appoint Robertson Group as the contractor to deliver this vital project and I am looking forward to working with them over the next three years.“We understand how important the new world-class Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre is to the economy in Aberdeen and the North East and are pleased to be appointing Robertson Group which has close historical and current links to the area.”Construction work is set to commence this month and is expected to be complete in the first half of 2019. The project will create 600 new jobs, including a number of new apprenticeships.
A joint venture of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and George Kent (Malaysia) has secured a work package for the Mass Rapid Transit Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya (SSP) Line in Malaysia.The work package, known as Package SSP- SY-204, has been awarded by Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp) and is valued at MYR1.01bn ($250M).Under the contract, the joint venture will be responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning of track works, maintenance vehicles and work trains. MRT Corp CEO Shahril Mokhtar said: “CCCC comes with very good technical know-how having handled many infrastructure projects, including railway construction. “Its joint venture with Malaysian company George Kent, which now has a strong presence in the railway industry in Malaysia, allows the MRT Project to benefit from the experience of these two very strong companies.”
US-based Jacobs Engineering has won a contract to design and provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for Pfizer’s new $350M biotechnology centre in China.Jacobs will be responsible for the development of the entire site design, which includes central utility buildings, a quality laboratory, administration offices, and a warehouse.Jacobs’ senior vice president of life sciences Robert Norfleet said: “This is an exciting opportunity for our Life Sciences business. We have a long history of helping Pfizer grow and expand its global manufacturing capabilities.“We look forward to partnering with Pfizer once again to develop this state-of-the-art biotechnology center in China.”The project for the biopharmaceutical company is anticipated to be finished in 2018.
Construction firm Balfour Beatty has won a contract to develop a student housing project in Vauxhall, London.The £42M project for Urbanest, a developer and operator of student housing in central London, will involve the construction of 454 apartments. The 33-storey building will include personal and communal study areas, lounges and a cycle store.The development will feature photovoltaic panels and a green roof to reduce carbon emissions and fuel consumption. It will also include a combined heat and power (CHP) unit to recycle heat and energy within the development.Balfour Beatty’s regional managing director John Keaveney said: “We are looking forward to continuing our longstanding relationship with Urbanest.“To date we’ve delivered over 2,500 units of student accommodation for Urbanest and over 20,000 beds for private sector customers and academic institutes as well as significant investment into a number of schemes.“Vauxhall Square is an important part of London’s development by incorporating the local student population into the local community and we’re pleased to be a part of the wider project.”Construction on the project is scheduled to start imminently and is expected to be complete in mid-2018.
Wates Construction has won a £63.5M contract to construct a food and health research centre at Norwich Research Park in the UK.
French tyre manufacturer Michelin Group has started construction on its new €450M plant in central Mexico.The 142,000sq m plant — which represents the group's 69th worldwide and 21st in North America — will be located across 98ha in the Parque Industrial León-Bajio. The plant will have the capacity to produce 4-5M tyres annually. Michelin Group CEO Jean-Dominique Senard said: "Michelin's customers for passenger-vehicle tires are demanding more and more of our innovative, high-tech tyres to meet the performance requirements of the growing market in North America."This plant will improve our capacity to meet those demands, as a key element of Michelin's 'Service to the Customer' initiative in North America and worldwide."Construction work on the facility is anticipated to commence immediately, with completion currently scheduled for late 2018. The project is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs in the region.
Shriram EPC subsidiary Shriram EPC FZE, Sharjah, has won a $230M contract from UAE-based company Moon Iron And Steel for a ‘mini mill’ project in Sohar, Oman.The scope of the contract will include the construction of the balance of plant (BoP) for the mill, which will have a capacity of 1.2 metric tonnes per annum.Shriram EPC managing director and chief executive T. Shivaraman said: “The order win demonstrates the operating excellence of our team.“Given the slowdown in the steel and metals business in India with capacity expansions on hold, this overseas order will enable us to maintain and strengthen our position in this sector.“It will also give us a strong base to expand our business in the Middle East market.”The contract has been awarded by Moon Iron and Steel, an Oman-based company with investments from Gulf Investment Corporation, Oman Development fund and Sultan's Special Forces Pension fund.Work on the project is expected to be complete within 32 months.
Australian construction firm Lendlease has secured an AED960M ($261.3M) contract from Dubai-based developer Damac to build the Aykon London One tower at Nine Elms, London.The development will feature 450 new homes, office and retail space, and amenity space across two interlinking towers.It will also include a roof garden, a children’s play area, an indoor swimming pool, a jacuzzi, advanced gymnasium, a residents’ lounge, and 922sq m of communal gardens. The entire project is estimated to cost AED3.1bn.Damac Group chairman Hussain Sajwani said: “Aykon London One is a landmark project and our first major international development outside of the Middle East. “We have great confidence in the London marketplace and this project is already proving to be highly desirable to customers and investors from within the UK as well as other parts of the world.”Lendlease Europe managing director of construction Neil Martin said: “We are excited that Damac Group has chosen Lendlease to deliver its flagship project in the UK.“Our strategy of taking a selective approach to bidding is paying off, and is allowing us to focus on prestigious projects such as this one. We are looking forward to building a strong relationship with the Damac team.”The 50-storey scheme has been designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, with interiors done by Versace Home.
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