More jobs for London; licensing; and a new tower for Greater Manchester

Alimak Hoists at London Residential High-Rise Project

Six Alimak Hek construction hoists are at work on two of the three South Quay Plaza buildings, a 200-m-tall residential development just south of Canary Wharf in London on the Isle of Dogs. Designed by Foster + Partners, South Quay Plaza is being developed by The Berkeley Group, and KONE is providing the vertical-transportation package (ELEVATOR WORLD, March 2018). The hoists include a 100-mpm, 2-X-5-m Scando 650 SL FC-S and two TM Mammoth models, each with a capacity of 5500 kg. The contract includes design, installation, service and maintenance of the hoists through 2020. This is the fifth project in the London Docklands area to use Alimak Hek equipment. 

PDERS Wins Big London Maintenance Contract

Lift and escalator service company PDERS, part of the Otis subsidiary Express Lift Co. (formerly ELA Group), has secured a new service contract from Paradigm Housing Group. PDERS will maintain 87 passenger and 136 accessibility units, including stairlifts and through-to-floor lifts, in London and The Midlands under a three-year contract. PDERS will work with sister company Foster & Cross, another unit of Express Lift Co., to provide an integrated service for residents across Paradigm Housing Group’s property portfolio.

Sarah Dixon, managing director of Express Lift Co., commented:

“Paradigm Housing Group has appointed us due to our experience within social housing and our Digital Service Transformation, which enables us to provide proactive and personalized customer service to make sure that residents move easily within their buildings.”

 Lift engineers at PDERS and Foster & Cross will use customized iPhone apps to quickly access spare-parts lists, and understand and source parts numbers to restore lifts to service as soon as possible. Designed to improve the customer experience, the apps also enable them to know where their lift engineer is.

Two-Tower “Culinary Quarter” Approved for West London

U.K. architecture firm Scott Brownrigg has gained approval for two mixed-use towers that will transform a west London borough into a “Culinary Quarter,” Global Construction Review reported in March. The towers, occupying a 7,500-m2 site in Acton, will house restaurants, shops and “innovation suites” for tasting, researching and developing food. There will also be 40 serviced offices and 376 residential rental units. The taller tower, at 114 m, will have 36 stories, while the other will stand 82 m and hold 26 floors. Developer Dephna said the goal of the project is to attract small food producers, including internet-based outlets, that cannot afford an entire restaurant. Darren Comber, chief executive of Scott Brownrigg, said the development will not only be a new tourist destination, but will also supply much-needed residential units. Referring to the project’s aesthetics, he said, “The elegant, high-quality design of the towers will make a positive contribution on the skyline of London.”

CABE Applies for Engineering Council License

The Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) announced it will apply to become a licensed member of the Engineering Council following a membership vote. CABE said the status would pave the way for its members (including those across the U.S.) to be formally eligible for Chartered Engineer status on equal terms with other engineering professional bodies.

The decision follows four years of development and consultation and includes plans to offer the Chartered Engineer (CEng) qualification. Dr. Gavin Dunn, CEO of CABE, explained: “This clear mandate for change puts CABE within touching distance of the industry top table and gives recognition of building engineering as a defined engineering discipline in its own right, both in the U.K. and internationally.” It will enable the association to maintain the existing title “Chartered Building Engineer” and also enable members to pursue the additional “CEng” qualification if they wish.

EW U.K. Correspondent David Cooper explained that the Engineering Council registers engineers in the U.K. The professional engineering institutes have an arrangement in which some are licensed to register engineers on behalf of the Engineering Council subject to the rigorous UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence conditions. As CABE has not previously been an approved body and with a 40% growth in membership over the past five years (with notable increases in student and international members), it has made gaining that status a goal. Organizations currently licensed in such a way include the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Design Unveiled for Residential Tower in Greater Manchester

Simpson Haugh Architects has submitted a proposal for Clippers Quay, a 34-story tower on the waterfront in the Salford area of Manchester, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) reported in March. The plan, created for Forshaw Land & Property Group, would replace a low-rise 1980s office development across the water from Media City U.K. Simpson Haugh said the structure would be taller than Salford Quays’ current tallest building, the Blue Tower, and also taller than a 94-m-tall office block designed by Sheppard Robson that won approval in 2016 but is not yet under construction.

Clippers Quay, earmarked for a 0.17-ha triangular site, would deliver 216 new homes plus ground-floor commercial space and a rooftop terrace. Documents submitted in support of the application said the building would have a glass façade that would reflect the adjacent water and sky. “Each surface will catch the light in a different manner and ensure a constantly changing appearance in response to the time of day, weather conditions and the viewers’ perspective,” a planning statement from consultant Lichfields said.

Orona Approves Financials, Confirms Merger

Spanish manufacturer Orona approved its 2017 financial statements and confirmed the merger between Orona S. Coop. and Electra Vitoria S. Coop. in April. Orona said the decision culminates a collaboration that goes back to 2005, when Corporación Mondragon’s Elevation Division was founded. Attendees also agreed to promote the Orona UE Project, which it said “aims to strengthen the company as the only lift operator in Europe capable of competing with the top four global companies currently leading the industry.”

Triggered by the merger, the project is aimed at extending the values of Orona’s cooperative experience to the European level and growing the cooperative’s size. Increases of both human-resources and equipment, based on its commercial network and technological capacities, are expected. As compared to the previous year, 2017 saw the following growth for the company:

• EUR705 million (US$851.4 million) in revenues (+8.13%)
• EUR408 million (US$492.8 million) in revenues aimed at international market (58% of the total) (+6.81%)
• Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization: EUR124 million (US$149.8 million) (+10%)
• Dispatched units: 13,998 (+10.5%)
• Employees: 4,982 (+4.58%)