News
In this issue
Company News
• Donna Brown awarded Membership of the NRAC
• Phil Booth accredited member of ACIAT
• The Stern Report - Economics of Climate Change
BP North Sea Headquarters, Aberdeen
6 Storey Edinburgh Townhouse
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Covell Matthews Aberdeen
• 9 Albyn Terrace, Aberdeen
• Tel: (01224) 634040 • Fax: (01224) 631649
Covell Matthews Edinburgh
• 6 Manor Place, Edinburgh
• Tel: (0131) 226 3366 • Fax: (0131) 220 1177
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• Open Book Tendering - An Overview
The Hub is Open For Business
• The Hub is Open For Business
Covell Matthews Architects Ltd continue to assist BP in the monitoring of construction and fit out of their North Sea Headquarters at Dyce, Aberdeen.
Construction is due for completion late 2007.
Whitsome Hill steading development, Berwickshire
Our first steading development for Mercat Cross Ltd has now commenced on site, with a contract being let to Richardson Builders.
The design involves the sensitive restoration of the steadings with all new additions being complementary and contemporary in style. We believe the new build element of the project offers a unique style of property in the borders and many of the units have already been pre-sold.
Aberdeen Base Relocation, Acergy UK Limited
Acergy UK Limited has now concluded an Agreement with Stewart Milne Group (SMG) to develop a new campus at Westhill Business Park.
The facility will consist of a three storey 12,400sqm Office building; a 6,900sqm Workshop and Warehouse facility with associated external yard; a Leisure facility; and an Archive building, set in extensively landscaped grounds between the B9119 Aberdeen to Tarland road and Carnie Woods.
Planning Permission for the development was granted by Aberdeenshire Council in October and SMG are due to commence work on site in early December.
Architectural Technologists (ACIAT).
The Institute strives to set standards of competence for the profession, representing the interests of its members to ensure that their skills receive suitable recognition.
The design concept for the fit-out of the core facilities of the office facility has been agreed with Acergy and a CMA Interior Design team is progressing with the details for this area.
• CMA Celebrate 30 Successful Years
CMA Celebrate 30 Successful Years
George Simpson , Hector Morrison, Iain Eason and Jim Taylor were all there at the birth of Covell Matthews Architect Ltd in 1976 when it was established from the renowned International Practice of Covell Matthews Partnership. All are still with Covell Matthews today either as a Director or a Consultant.
Over the last 30 years Covell Matthews has witnessed many changes within in the building industry and as a company has evolved to meet those challenges with innovative and sound values, which has served the company well.
With the recent management structure changes the company is moving into it’s 31st year in safe hands with a clear vision for the present company and what may bring in the future.
Also in 1976, Apple Computer and U2 the band were formed, Jaws the film was originally screened and the Queen sent the first Royal e-mail.
30 years can seem like a long time to most, but that is not how it feels to some of the founding members of Covell Matthews Architects Ltd.
(National Register of Access Consultants).
The NRAC accreditation will provide Donna and Covell Matthews with official recognition which will provide our client's with the highest professional service.
Donna Brown awarded Membership of the NRAC
Covell Matthews in-house Access Auditor Donna Brown has been accepted for Consultant Membership by the NRAC
Phil Booth accredited member of ACIAT
Phil Booth, a Senior Architectural Technologist in our Aberdeen office has recently become an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of
people, hubgrub is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner to not only students and staff, but also the general public.
Also on the first floor is globalhub, providing the ideal place to catch up on world affairs via international news programmes or global publications.
"The Hub is a major milestone for the University. It demonstrates our commitment to providing top-class facilities benefiting from contemporary design all within the central location of King’s College. The Hub will provide students, staff and local community with quality dining facilities, dynamic social areas and professional meeting points"
Stephanie Millar, Sales & Marketing Manager
The University of Aberdeen was delighted at the success of the Hub's opening event on 14th October, which was
broadcast live on Northsound 1.
Local singer Sandi Thom received a huge welcome as she entertained over 800 students, staff and locals in the completely refurbished building.
The Hub’s ground floor is home to shoppinghub and the popular tiki internet café, where customers can enjoy organic and Fairtrade coffee. Shoppinghub provides a range of retail options including Endsleigh Insurance, shophub, hairhub – the University’s first hair salon - and BookEnds. Shoppinghub will soon be joined by high street sandwich giant Subway. A suite of meeting and quiet rooms are also available on the ground floor, which can be hired via the University’s Conference & Event Office. Tel (01224) 272664
The first floor hubgrub area provides a vast selection of food offers ranging from traditionalgrub, to orientalgrub and grab-itgrub. Capable of seating 450
The Stern Report - Economics of Climate Change
Open Book Tendering - An Overview
“Everyone at Covell Matthews would like to wish you a Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year”
Design workshops and collaborative meetings are currently ongoing between the CMA team and designated Acergy staff, to formulate a new Workplace Strategy following analysis of the Space Utilisation Study of the current facilities. Detailed design of the main office floorplates for each of the Departments will commence once this strategy has been agreed.
A computer generated animation of the office interior is also being progressed in-house by CMA in collaboration with our Interior Design team.
Design monitoring of the overall site and of all the Developers building work packages continues via a Web based Project Management system.
As architects we have a considerable responsibility for causing climate change and a significant opportunity to develop the form and structure of a low carbon economy. As examples; buildings account for around half of the UK's carbon dioxide emission; cement, a most commonly used material, manufacture accounts for 5% of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions.
In summary all countries around the world must make every effort to avoid the worst impacts of climate change by acting now. The estimated cost is 1% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). If we don't act then the estimated damage to the GDP will be in the region of 5 - 20% per annum.
Climate change may occur from the Earths internal processes, external forces such as variations in sunlight intensity and most recently by human activities. Increased emissions from industrial processes and engine exhausts are deemed to be responsible for the rise in the average surface temperature, commonly referred to as Global Warming.
The cost of stabilising the climate is significant but manageable and requires annual emissions be reduced to more than 80% below current levels. Emissions trading, technology co-operation, deforestation reduction and adaptation require international frameworks to aid each countries contribution.
Possible policies may include:
i. Building Regulations should mandate on site renewable energy systems in all new developments.
ii. Adopt the Merton Rule as Planning Policy by using onsite renewable energy to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 10%. http://themertonrule.org
iii. Future Treasury spending on grants for the retrofit household sector.
iv. Allow anyone to sell electricity back to the mains at a fair and reasonable rate.
v. Lower tax rates (Ecotax) on ecologically sustainable construction materials.
Perhaps the greatest issue is public awareness.
In response to this growing concern a Banchory based group are looking at the feasibility of developing a Centre for Alternative Technology in Aberdeenshire. Former Shell Director Mark Hope leads the group as it aims to raise awareness to the wide range of options available to homeowners and developers alike. Although still in the inception stages the concept has been very well received.
The core facilities will include:
• A spacious Reception with an open feature stair linking all three floors.
• Restaurant and Dining facilities and a suite of corporate Meeting Rooms are accessed off the ground floor heart area.
• A Deli-bar on the first floor level.
• Information Management and Training Rooms on the second floor level.
• A Management Board Room overlooking a reflecting pool, which will also have direct access off the second floor heart and is located to provide south-west views towards the Grampian mountains.
On 31st March this year I stood down as a Director of Covell Matthews and took on the role of Consultant. Little did I realise that I would as a result see less of my wife, the golf course and all the outstanding DIY jobs awaiting my attention.
No – my professional life has become ever more demanding, challenging and rewarding through my ‘consulting’ on a number of fascinating high profile projects.
From early 2004 I have played a part in assisting BP to develop the brief, appoint the developer and now monitor the construction and fit out of BP’s North Sea Headquarters at Dyce, Aberdeen.
Iain Eason
My life as a
Covell Matthews
Consultant
• Iain Eason - My life as a Covell Matthews Consultant
• Andrew Mowat Becomes A Fellow
Andrew Mowat Becomes a Fellow
Also
It has recently come to our attention that the SMC Group has bought over an architectural practice in England called Covell Matthews Cambridge.
They have chosen to rename themselves SMC Covell Matthews Architects Ltd. This seems to have caused some confusion with clients and consultants and even a couple of professional bodies being under the false impression we have been consumed by the SMC Group.
For the avoidance of doubt we simply wish to clarify that we are the original Covell Matthews Architects Ltd and we have no link to the SMC Group of Companies.
Elliott House, Edinburgh
Last month we submitted on behalf of our client Hanover Property Unit Trust a planning application for the conversion of a 1970’s office building, Elliott House, on Hillside Crescent into 34 luxury apartments.
This quality of residential site rarely becomes available in Edinburgh and promises to be one of the premier residential developments to come onto the market next year.
Crown Office Procurator Fiscals Service, Edinburgh
In January we will commence on site with the latest phase of the refurbishment of the COPFS offices on Chambers Street.
The building will remain occupied during the works which will have major implications for the manner in which the works are procured.
Garrion Bridge Residential, Clyde Valley
We are delighted we have been instructed to submit a planning application for an exclusive high quality development of seven large houses at Garrion Bridge in the Clyde Valley.
This project offers the opportunity of publishing a visionary master plan for the future expansion of the village. The application will be submitted in December.
Tyneholm Stables / Pencaitland Nursing Home, Edinburgh
This project involves a major extension and alterations to this sensitive Category B-Listed building and the application followed extensive pre-consultation discussions with the planning department, highways, Landscape and Historic Scotland to arrive at the final submission.
We are delighted that this ambitious proposal for this sensitive site has been approved and allows the design of the nursing home to address the incoming 2007 Care Commission regulations.
Fellowship is the highest grade of Institute membership. Andrew built on his Masters in Construction Law & Arbitration qualification, and successfully passed the peer interview.
The CIArb is a registered charity with more than 11,000 members in over 100 countries and an international network of 31 Branches. Recognised as the professional home for all dispute resolvers, the Institute provides the highest educational standards and is an international resource centre for practitioners, policy makers, academics and those in business concerned with the cost effective and early settlement of disputes.
The CIArb are currently working with partners in Africa, China, the Middle East and Russia to raise international standards and contribute towards good governance.
In October this year Andrew Mowat, a CMA company associate, along with twenty other professionals worldwide became a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb).
An Brief Overview
New Real Time Operating Centre (RTOC) for Shell Exploration & Production in Europe
Steve Moffat of AVC Media Enterprises Ltd planned and designed the complex IT system comprising 45 PC's, 32 LCD displays and 3 Control systems, uniquely designed to allow maximum flexibility and control over how the data is used and managed. A newly designed FTP site allows the client to make any updates instantly providing long-term functionality.
Andrew Mowat, Project Manager for Covell Matthews Architects stated that the 'RTOC works has been demanding with various challenges due to the complex interconnections of IT infrastructures. We are looking forward to handing over the project on programme and under budget'
'It is going to be an outstanding tool for our Senior Well Engineers. It can be used at a number of different levels,: to speed up the well planning process, to enable 24-hour monitoring by highly experienced staff, and to allow onshore and offshore to communicate more effectively on a daily basis, in terms of making informed drilling decisions based on shared visual information.'
EPE Well Engineering Manager, Graham Robinson
Shell’s state of the art Real Time Operations Centre (RTOC) is currently under construction at their Tullos site. The RTOC is one part of a global network of hubs and satellites that use pioneering visualisation technology to "drill the right well and drill the well right", significantly reducing cost and increasing efficiency.
The RTOC project team
However, the current boom is forcing a change to conventional tendering, focusing more on negotiation and partnering-based arrangements.
Factors such as the number and size of projects, the uncertainty as to material and equipment prices, the lack of qualified and skilled resources and the increasingly challenging periods for bid preparation are causing employers and contractors to be more transparent with each other as to the costs they are likely to incur on a particular project.
This openness leads towards "open book" tendering, which allows legitimate parties to have access to the project cost information.
Two-stage tendering enables a more collaborative approach to be adopted by clients and their contractors while still delivering value for money, with the main benefit of speed of programme; however this inevitably comes at a price.
An overview of two-stage tendering
Stage 1 - the objective is to competitively appoint, on the basis of limited information, a preferred contractor for further negotiation. This is typically based on deliverables including a construction programme and method statement, detailed preliminaries pricing, and overheads and profit.
Stage 2 - negotiation between the employer and the preferred contractor relying upon competition between sub-contractors for work packages.
Advantages
• Reduced project contract time
• Promotes a specific focus of design on issues of buildability and economic construction.
• Second-stage tender gives a more accurate project cost estimate.
Disadvantages
• Can be used to mask the inadequacy of design development on a project.
• Costs of second-stage tenders tend to be higher because of negotiation premiums and the inclusion of additional risk transfer allowances.
Summary
The use of two-stage tendering does not eliminate many sources of scope change or alter the contractual provisions for dealing with change – as a result, these risks are not eliminated.
Where employers need lump-sum cost commitment from their contractor and they have the time, single-stage tendering continues to be a viable route for obtaining good-quality bids.
However, in an increasingly time-driven and consolidated tender market and with a greater transfer of design responsibility to the supply chain, many clients find themselves having little option but to go down the two-stage route.
Whether the two-stage route adds value will depend more on the quality of the design information and post-contract relationships than on the basis on which the contract was bought.
An article about 2 stage tendering by Building Magazine can be downloaded here
Introduction
Until recently employers have favoured single-stage tendering, an agreed schedule for an agreed price.
that exciting stage where the 3 dimensional form can be experienced. Indeed the folded ‘ski slope’ atrium roof is now very noticeable from the flight path to Aberdeen Airport.
The approach to the building is along a tree-lined avenue to the dramatic 3 storey street incorporating reception, touch down facilities, the cafe area and the restaurant leading to the garden terrace. 2 upper floors of offices are open to the Atrium with 7 fingers of office floor plates leading off the central core.
Over the last few months there has been a concentrated effort by the BP team on design and production drawing reviews and over the next year the emphasis will change to monitoring the CAT A and CAT B fit out of the building.
I have found it to be a most rewarding project to be part of such a highly skilled and focussed Developer / Client Team.
Meantime, at my old stomping ground of Huddersfield and with our long standing client WD Ltd, we have plans afoot for a major £20 million extension to our 2002 Kingsgate Shopping Centre and an application for Planning Consent will be lodged shortly.
The building, which is being developed by Akelar Developments Ltd, is heading for a watertight stage by Christmas and is, with the envelope well advanced, now at
WD Ltd has recently purchased Royal Quays Outlet Centre at Newcastle and Andy McNair and I are working together to help create a new vision for the centre to increase its market penetration.
With all this travelling both north and south, it is good to have a new project in the centre of Edinburgh where Tom Kay and I are now working on the
refurbishment of the A-listed Procurator Fiscal’s office in Chamber Street. The project includes significant services upgrades, new toilets and fabric improvements and requires to be undertaken with the building fully operational at all times. No easy task.
Not surprisingly my golf handicap continues to rise!
Iain Eason
CMA are presently on site with an extremely unusual 6 storey town house in the centre of Edinburgh.
This project for a small in-fill site between two tenements received planning permission earlier this year and we are looking forward to it progressing.
This month Planning Permission was granted by East Lothian Council for our Tyneholm Stables / Pencaitland Nursing Home project.
An animation of the RTOC can be found here
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