February 2010

Lakehouse is exhibiting at CIH South East Exhibition, 2 - 4 March

Join us at the Hilton Brighton Metropole on stand no.122 to find out more about the exciting work we are undertaking in the social housing sector. Hear about our innovative solution for Brent Housing Partnership that is literally breathing new life into an estate adjacent to the busy North Circular Road. Check out our range of award-winning community engagement initiatives. See if we are working in your area - if you are based in London or the south east we won't be far away.

Whilst we are there we will be hosting an informal networking event at the Hotel du Vin, Brighton, on 2 March. Numbers are limited so if you are interested in joining us please contact amanda.lealman@lakehouse.uk.com.

Further information on the exhibition at www.cihseconf.co.uk

Lakehouse short listed for Contractor of the Year Award 2010

Lakehouse has been short listed for the prestigious Contractor of the Year Award in Building Magazine's annual Building Awards 2010.

The awards recognise the industry's top performers and encourage sustained performance and development throughout the sector. The awards ceremony is being held on 22nd April at the Grosvenor House Hotel and is expected to attract over 1,500 senior industry figureheads.

LFEPA awards Lakehouse new BREEAM fire station in Walthamstow

Plans for a new fire station in Walthamstow have moved up a gear since the award of the major rebuilding project to Lakehouse. The £4.9million programme will see Lakehouse demolish Walthamstow's existing fire station and build a new three bay station on the same site.      

Waltham Forest Borough Commander Darren Dovey said: "This is good news for both residents and firefighters in Waltham Forest. The new fire station will help further improve the service we offer to the local community, while providing our firefighters and support staff with modern, up-to-date accommodation and facilities that are fit for the 21st century."

London Fire Brigade now has a diverse fleet of vehicles of various types and sizes, and the extra space that the new station will provide will give London Fire Brigade the ability to engage the community and the flexibility to meet possible future needs.

Lakehouse awarded £1.4million voids contract by Kensington and Chelsea

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has awarded Lakehouse the £1.4million contract to undertake internal and external refurbishment of void basement flats in Elm Park Gardens, SW10. Work will include the design and construction of a domestic sprinkler system to each property.

The 40 week contract is expected to commence in May 2010.

Mayor Boris Johnson opens award winning new fire station in Harold Hill

London's first new additional fire station for over a decade was officially opened by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, on Thursday 11th February.

Lakehouse completed the new build fire station in Harold Hill ahead of programme and under budget. Paul King and Dean Ball, both Lakehouse directors, were delighted to join the Mayor and various dignitories to celebrate the momentous occasion.

The new station has state-of-the-art indoor training facilities and comes fitted with recliner chairs, instead of beds, for firefighters to rest in during the night shift. The station also has technology to recycle rainwater, solar panels, energy saving boilers and motion sensor lighting.

The Mayor was accompanied on a tour of the facilities by Councillor Brian Coleman AM FRSA, Chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, and London Fire Commissioner, Ron Dobson.

On the station, the Mayor said: "To be opening the first fire station built in London in a decade is remarkable enough but throw in the fact that it is the greenest station in the capital and it is truly astonishing. Harold Hill is a superb example of how you can combine both value for money and green ambitions. Not only was it cheaper to build than a traditional station but it will continue to save the London Fire Brigade money for years to come and cause less pollution - a real triumph for everyone in London."

Harold Hill Fire Station has already won a prestigious award for environmental sustainability at the Havering Business Awards.

Lakehouse to transform Bygrove School, Poplar

February marks the start of London Borough of Tower Hamlet's £735K contract to extend and refurbish Bygrove Primary School, Poplar. The redevelopment will include construction of a single storey extension at the front of the school with some refurbishment work to existing classrooms.

The new building will host facilities including a multi-purpose room, therapy/medical room, staff room, and a covered play area for nursery children. Work will comprise of ground improved foundations with concrete reinforced ground beams, beam and block flooring and and load bearing block work walls. The new extension will have both insulated render and timber cladding with composite timber and aluminium double glazed windows.

During the summer Tower Hamlet's Building and Technical Services team consulted key stakeholders and pupils of the school to work towards a design that would accommodate their needs and transform the school. The pupils suggested the use of a green roof and also requested outdoor lights in the playground for winter months. The building has been designed to include solar panels on the roof along with a green roof. This will be able to be viewed by the children using a camera that will be mounted on the roof and linked to the school's IT systems. External lights have also been included in the design of the area around the new extension.

Lakehouse champions 14-16 Diploma at Havering schools event

On 2 February Lakehouse joined the London Borough of Havering, representatives from local schools and over 130 parents, for an event at Langton's Hall, Hornchurch - a stone's throw from Lakehouse's headquarters.

As a member of the Diploma Employer Champions Network, Lakehouse is enthusiastic about promoting the benefits of the 14-16 Diploma to fellow employers and the local community. We have previously assisted in the design and delivery of the Diploma in Newham, Kent and Richmond.

Celestine Ekpenyong, a member of Lakehouse's bid team, was invited as keynote speaker to deliver a presentation outlining the challenges we face to improve business performance and ensuring we have a workforce with the right skills and attitudes. He explained how the partnership of employers and education providers is shaping the employability skills of young people and providing them with a career head start. Another benefit for students who opt to study for the Diploma is the guarantee of at least ten days' work experience. The Diplomas meet employers' needs because through the partnership approach, employers are involved in their development and delivery.

The event provided a good opportunity for Lakehouse to encourage involvement from others to help young people broaden their horizons and increase their employability.

Lakehouse provides internships for three local graduates

Lakehouse has provided three more internships, providing graduates with valuable work experience that could help them get a permanent position, and possibly even a full time paid position with Lakehouse.

One of the new interns, Candice Homewood, has just completed a masters degree in environmental engineering at University College London. She sees internship as a "win-win for employer and graduate. They get to test us out, at no cost, and we use the internship as a springboard for our career." She adds that although her qualifications would allow her to work in the energy industry, her internship means she's set her sights on building, "I'm learning so much about construction now that I'd like to stick with the sector."

Lakehouse is paying its interns' expenses and hopes to offer at least one of them a full time paid job eventually. Jon Brookes, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, was instrumental in getting the latest recruits on board: "Interns are a perfect way to cope with a spike in workload. What's more, if you decide you need to make the post full time, then you have effectively been able to interview someone for several months. It also avoids recruitment agents' fees which can be anything up to 15% of a new starter's annual salary."

Lakehouse advertised for interns using a government website launched in August 2009 (www.graduatetalentpool.bis.gov.uk). It is free, and interns are allowed to continue to claim jobseekers' allowance for up to 13 weeks while on unpaid placement secured through the website. Graduates from 2008 and 2009 are eligible to use the site, where they can search for vacancies without registering.