Work Health and Safety Ministers in Australia met on 22 March 2024 to discuss the draft amendments to the model WHS Regulations to give effect to the engineered stone ban. It was agreed that "the ban applies to engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs and that engineered stone be defined in the model WHS Regulations as an artificial product that contains at least 1% crystalline silica as a weight/weight concentration; is created by combining natural stone materials with other chemical constituents (such as water, resins, or pigments); and becomes hardened. 

Exclusions to the regulations are:

• Concrete and cement products 
• Bricks, pavers, and other similar blocks
• Ceramic wall and floor tiles
• Sintered stone
• Porcelain products 
• Roof tiles
• Grout, mortar, and render and plasterboard

Finished engineered stone products, such as garden ornaments and sinks which do not require processing or modification would be excluded from the ban. 

During the transitional period, WHS ministers agreed that "work involving the supply, installation or processing of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024 are to be exempt from the prohibition if the work is carried out under, or for the purposes of, a contract entered into on or before 31 December 2023."

To find out more, visit Safe Work Australia 

The Civic Trust Awards recently celebrated its 65th Anniversary with an awards ceremony held at The Concorde Conference Centre, Altrincham. More than 320 projects were entered from across the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and USA, reflecting the schemes continuing international reach. Following an extensive assessment process, 140 projects were recognised as Regional Finalists and from these, 68 were presented with National/International Awards or were Highly Commended by the Civic Trust Awards, Pro-Tem Awards, AABC Conservation Awards and Selwyn Goldsmith Awards for Universal Design. 

An awards ceremony, which took place on 22 March saw 350 architects, council leaders and built environment professionals from all over the world come together to celebrate the outstanding achievements of those who have contributed to our communities through their work in architecture, urban design, planning, public realm and public art.

The 2024 winners included:

• 20-23 Greville Street, Camden, Greater London by Groupwork
• Clifford's Tower, York, Yorkshire by Hugh Broughton Architects & Martin Ashley Architects
• Croft 3, Isle of Mull, Scotland by fardaa
• Gainsborough's House, Babergh, Eastern by ZMMA
• Hay Castle, Powys, Wales by MICA Architects
• Hope Street, Southampton, South West by Snug Architects
• REWE Green Farming, Wiesbaden, Germany by ACME
• Hardwick Old Hall, Chesterfield, East Midlands by Donald Insall Associates
• Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, Shropshire, West Midlands by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

A further six highly coveted Special Awards were given to schemes which have demonstrated truly outstanding work in a specific field. All projects of National/International award-winning standard were considered for each of the Special Awards by National Judging Panel members who determined the individual winners.

• National Panel Special Award: Selected by National Judging Panel Members as the exemplar scheme from the year’s award-winning projects – New Temple Complex by James Gorst Architects for The White Eagle Lodge.
• Special Award for Sustainability: Presented to an exemplar project, that demonstrates excellent sustainability credentials in terms of overall design parameters, material selection, construction methods and long-term energy consumption. Sponsored by Derwent London – New Temple Complex by James Gorst Architects for The White Eagle Lodge
• Special Award for Reuse & Adaptation: Presented to an exceptional scheme that would otherwise be left to decay or be demolished to address present-day needs. The scheme should benefit the community and its users by maintaining its cultural heritage or restoring a culturally significant site, ensuring its viability for new uses and modern functions. Sponsored by EPR Architects – Tower Hamlets Town Hall by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris for London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
• Special Award for Education: Presented to an exemplar education building which inspires creativity, independence, and a love of learning. Designed to nurture the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of students and to meet and exceed the needs of staff. Sponsored by BlueLight Management – Alfreton Park School by Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture for Derbyshire County Council
• Special Award for Community Impact & Engagement: Presented to an exceptional scheme that has demonstrated how successful community engagement can help deliver the highest standards of design whilst meeting the needs of local people – Roundhouse Works by Paddy Dillon Architects with Reed Watts Architects for Roundhouse Trust
• Michael Middleton Special Award: Presented as a memorial and tribute to Michael Middleton CBE, who established the Civic Trust Awards in 1959, to an outstanding restoration project or new build within a conservation area – Bokšto Skveras by Studio Seilern Architects and UAB Archinova for Baltisches Haus

A new report from Historic England presented at the Wellbeing and Heritage conference at Delapré Abbey, Northampton on 20 March has revealed that the heritage boost to wellbeing is valued of £29bn in the UK each year. 

The research entitled Heritage Capital and Wellbeing: Examining the Relationship Between Heritage Density and Life Satisfaction, was funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) through its Culture and Heritage Capital Programme (CHC) and demonstrates that the presence of nearby historic places benefits residents’ quality of life – in a similar way that green spaces do. This report is one of a series of research projects Historic England is delivering as part of the CHC programme.

Findings from the report demonstrate that: "there is a positive, statistically significant relationship between the density of heritage assets near one’s residence and self-reported life satisfaction. A doubling of the density of heritage assets within a 1km radius is associated with a 0.025 rise in life satisfaction scores. This analysis robustly demonstrates that living in close proximity to historic assets holds a modest yet meaningful link to wellbeing.

The research employs a non-market methodology that explores the relationship between individual life satisfaction using data from the Understanding Society Survey, and levels of heritage density using data from the National List for England (NHLE). Heritage density is measured as the concentration of designated heritage assets within a 1km radius around a population-weighted centroid. Designated heritage is a proxy of the existing cultural heritage of a place. The final sample used in the analysis covers 25,111 individuals across 10,396 Lower Super Output Areas in England from 2017-2019. A cross-sectional regression model is used to examine the statistical relationship between life satisfaction and cultural heritage density. The relationship evidenced is between the existence of cultural heritage and life satisfaction, not between designation and life satisfaction."

Exploring the findings, the report shows: "that there is a positive, statistically significant relationship between the density of heritage assets near one’s residence and self-reported life satisfaction. A doubling of the density of heritage assets within a 1km radius is associated with a 0.025 rise in life satisfaction scores. This analysis robustly demonstrates that living in close proximity to historic assets holds a modest yet meaningful link to wellbeing."

The monetary value was determined following the HM Treasury Green Book guidance on wellbeing using the WELLBY approach (Wellbeing-adjusted Life Year) and "is defined as a change in life satisfaction of 1 point on a scale of 0 to 10, affecting one person for one year. The analysis shows that a 1 unit increase in heritage density is associated with an increase in life satisfaction that is equivalent to £15.84. On average across England, individual life satisfaction gains from proximity to heritage are valued at approximately £515. This figure indicates the positive wellbeing value that living near cultural heritage assets provides. At the national level, the overall wellbeing value of residing in close proximity to heritage is estimated to be worth £29 billion per annum in England. These findings can also be disaggregated by Local Authority area and by Constituency to demonstrate the wellbeing benefits of access and proximity to local heritage."

To read the report in its entirety, visit Historic England's website or download here.

All Souls Church in Marylebone, London has celebrated its bicentenary with a new roof from Welsh Slate as part of a large scale refurbishment of the John Nash designed Grade I listed church.

This is known to be the only surviving church by Georgian and Regency era architect John Nash and sits in the Harley Street Conservation Area and was built in 1824. In 1940, it was damaged by bombing and the roof was renewed during the post-war rebuild. As a result, it is estimated that Welsh slates that were most recently replaced were likely to be about 75 years old.

It has been reroofed with Penrhyn Heather Blue slates and these were installed over 240m2 of the main nave roof, which has a pitch of 28°, using thick copper nails, and the flat roofs of the aisles, half of which had been covered in copper after the Second World War, were laid with 16 tonnes of lead by roofing contractors Lead Roof Solutions for the main contractor, Quinn London. 

The roof, which is hipped at the south-west end and incorporates a timber louvred structure for ventilation, is also fitted with several conservation rooflights which sit flush with the slates. To improve ventilation, the Welsh slates were counter-battened to raise the roof level, and to incorporate this, secret gutters were used at the abutments and around the rooflights. A slate and a half were employed on all abutments, and ridges and hips were finished with a lead roll and wing detail.

The first phase, to the external fabric, required a temporary roof and full scaffolding reaching to the top of the spire which now has ability to light up in any colour to suit the seasons and festivities. The scaffolding had to be engineered in great detail as the church occupies 100% of its ownership footprint.

Specifiers Matthew Lloyd Architects, who specialise in historic and heritage buildings and are a conservation-accredited practice, have specified Welsh Slate on numerous occasions for a variety of church and secular buildings.

Director Alex Sherratt explained that during All Souls’ quinquennial inspection in 2019 it was identified that the slate roof and remaining areas of copper roof had numerous defects and were near the end of their serviceable lives. In addition, there were a number of stonework and other issues which required attention. The client, the parochial church council, therefore decided to carry out a single conservation project on the entire external building fabric, to leave it in the best condition possible for its bicentenary in 2024.

Alex said: “Welsh Slate was the natural choice, as the church would always have been roofed in Welsh Slate from its original construction in 1824. Re-roofing the nave in Welsh Slate was possibly the most significant element of the project, as it prevents problems with ongoing water ingress, and contributes greatly to the longevity of the roof, and the church as a whole.  

"The church is an iconic building, occupying a key position on Regent Street, and is highly visible from the surrounding streets, therefore the aesthetic qualities of Welsh Slate were a major consideration. The roof at All Souls is overlooked from BBC Broadcasting House and is often used as the backdrop for filming current affairs programmes from the studios and rooftop terraces.

“One of the driving factors behind the project was the need to extend the lifespan of the building as far as possible by using appropriately durable materials. The 100+ years of useful life offered by Welsh Slate was an important factor in the selection of Welsh Slate for a roofing material at All Souls. The fact that the material is 100% natural and has a low carbon footprint were also important considerations in the specification of Welsh Slate.”

Phase Two of the refurbishment of the church will focus on the building's interior.

Sheffield University's Faculty of Social Sciences has undergone a large scale transformation with the introduction of a mini campus called The Wave – uniting facilities that were previous spread across 18 separate buildings. Designed by HLM Architects with a budget of £65m, the nucleus of the project is The Drum – a circular lecture block comprising three levels with lecture theatres inside, surrounded by mezzanines with tables and chairs for study or socialising and topped with a glass roof to let the light flood in.

The Drum is fully clad in 500 sheets of LX Hausys' HIMACS solid surfacing in Alpine White S028, which was sourced from Latham Timber. More than 1,300 individual pieces were then thermoformed  by fabricators 3G Joinery & Shopfitting in Leeds to complete the design.

Amy Hipwell, Interior Designer at HLM Architects, explains why they selected HIMACS for the project: “There were a number of key considerations when choosing the material that would clad the Drum within the atrium of The Wave building. The material needed to be durable and low maintenance with the ability to be curved and appear seamless. The Drum is a central feature of the atrium and is not only visible from every area within the building but it’s also accessible from every level.

“The concept for the interior focused on well-being and the use of natural materials. The chosen material for the Drum needed to contrast against these softer finishes. Due to the amount of daylight through the atrium roof, it was important that the colour wouldn’t be affected over time. It became clear that solid surfacing was the right material, as it would stand the test of time and still look impressive in years to come.”

There's just a couple of weeks left to enter the largest multi-trade skills competition in the UK for construction trainees and apprentices. SkillBuild is delivered by CITB and is open to apprentices and full-time learners in the UK – and tutors and employers can enter on behalf of apprentices and students, too. The completion includes trade sponsors including Albion Stone and is supported by organisations such as the Natural Stone Industry Training Group (NSITG).

Regional Qualifiers will take place in 19 locations across the UK and during these one-day events apprentices and trainees will complete a set task relevant to their trade. On completion of the task,  marks are collated and the eight highest-scoring competitors in each specialist skill go through to the next round – the SkillBuild National Final.

The deadline for applications is 1 April 2024. Register now by following this link.

The Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, has left Edinburgh Castle during a ceremony attended by First Minister Humza Yousaf and arrived at its new home, Perth Museum, which is due to open at the end of this month.

This marks the first time in more than 700 years that the Stone has returned to Perthshire and it will be a central attraction of the new museum housed in the former Perth City Hall. This Edwardian building was saved from demolition by Historic England in 2012 and in 2019, work began on a £27 million redevelopment project to transform the building into a museum.

It is expected that demand to see the Stone will be high and free tickets to view it on the Museum's opening weekend, (30-31 March) will be released online at 10am on 22 March. Visitors will be taken on a 10-minute immersive, journey through the Stone’s long and mysterious history, before seeing the Stone. 

Burlington Stone in Kirkby-in-Furness has recently become the first quarry in the UK to trial new live air monitoring equipment as part of an initiative by the Minerals Product Association (MPA) in conjunction with Trolex Engineering.

The quarry's broad range of minerals, products and applications made it an ideal choice for the trial. These wearable monitors continuously assesses the quantity of fine particles in the air, providing live as-it-happens data to managers in the factory.
 
While dust and RCS (respirable crystalline silica) monitoring is a legislative requirement, samples are currently sent away for analysis however these monitors can deliver results instantly and identify any spikes throughout the day. However, these monitors are not designed to replace the regulatory requirement of sampling, but to help managers know in real-time the air quality, meaning action can quickly be taken to address any problems.
 
Pete Walker, HSEQ manager at Burlington, which is part of the Holker group, explained:  “We create everything here, from roofing slates to gravestones, kitchen worktops to aggregate for roads and driveways, so we are cutting and breaking stone in every which way possible, and the stone we quarry has around 40% silica.”

“I can identify the hotspots immediately,” Pete continued. “There is a safety level and the regulatory sample might show that the activity produced a sample that was under that over the eight-hour period. However, under those current tests we wouldn’t know if one particular aspect of that activity is more risky during a different stage of the process or different time of the day.”
 
“The data was absolutely invaluable to us,” he said. “It certainly opened my eyes: it helped us to see, for example, that in part of the factory we have 10 employees all doing the same activity, using the same tools, at the same time, but because of their different techniques we found a substantial difference in total dust particles from one end of the factory to the other.

“We are able to use these monitors to better and more quickly understand a new machine or new process, so we could monitor that in live time and get a real understanding without having to wait for the laboratory analysis.

“We are the first to kickstart the trial because, although we are not one of the major national quarrying companies, we do every element of quarrying and a wide variety of downstream added-value processes here which is extremely rare. We also got involved because we want to be part of what the industry is leading on.”

As a result of the three-week trial that took place in January, Burlington has already identified some improvements and their findings will now be analysed and shared with the MPA and Trolex and the rest of the industry.

Neolith has today announced the launch of two new products inspired by natural landscapes and materials including marble and volcanic rock. Calacatta Roma is representative of Italian Carrara marble with ochre and grey veining on a white background, while Cappadocia Sunset is inspired by Turkish rock formations caused by volcanic eruptions.

Both Calacatta Roma and Cappadocia Sunset will form part of Neolith's The New Classtone and Fusion collections which interpret marble and natural stone, respectively, and offer NeolEAT technology to hamper bacteria growth on countertops. The products, created from natural, raw materials contain no added quartz to their formulation and can also be recycled at the end of their usable life.

Calacatta Roma and Cappadocia Sunset are now available through Neolith's own international distribution centres, as well as its global network of distributors. The new models will be available to all channels within the UK & Ireland including A&D, kitchen and bathroom showrooms, and housebuilders.