We’re proud to announce Vicki Wilson has just been awarded her IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment) Diploma in Sustainable Business Practice.

The Diploma addresses a wide range of environmental and sustainability issues including environmental and social risk identification, strategies for improving environmental performance and commitment to environmental sustainability.

With studies taking more than six months (including three weeks of residential training) Vicki’s new knowledge and skills will undoubtedly be of benefit to our clients and the environmental and sustainability credentials of their projects.    

Well done, Vicki!

We’re thrilled to be a part of the team creating the beautiful new Music School at the prestigious Wrekin College in Wellington, Shropshire.  

Appointed as M&E Engineers, we are working alongside Arthur M Griffiths & Son Ltd construction, civil engineers Nolan Associates, and BHB Architects. The building has been designed to provide a home for the school’s renowned orchestra, choirs and bands and will be used for a range of musical events from grand productions to intimate recitals.

The Music School is due to open in September 2019.

We were delighted to hear news of an award for another project in which we have been involved.

St. Chad’s is a development in Tilbury, Essex, consisting of 128 homes for affordable and private rent for Thurrock Council. The project has recently won the award for Best Residential Development Over 71 Units at the Inside Housing Development Awards for 2018.

ESC acted as Mechanical & Electrical Engineers for the project, working with Willmott Dixon Housing, and Bell Phillips Architects for Thurrock Council.

St. Chad’s also won the RIBA East Award in 2018.

Congratulations to all involved in this landmark project!

Happy #JollyJumperDay from the team at ESC! We’re proud to have donated £150 to @Bham_Childrens today for the privilege of wearing these natty knits!

Work’s coming on apace at Plot 1A of the Link 9 Distribution & Production development site, situated just off Junction 9 of the M40 near Bicester.

At the end of week 10 on site with the steelwork complete and the cladding installation under way, we’re looking forward to the M&E works beginning on site in the next few days.

The site for developers Albion Land  is due for practical completion in May 2019.

Photos by ESC’s Chris Pearce who was on site to check progress.

We’re pleased to announce that Vicki Wilson, Jessica Lees and Amy Clutterbuck have qualified as Home Quality Mark Assessors.

The Home Quality Mark (HQM) is the new national standard which will allow new-build homes to be assessed and promoted using a simple 5-star rating system.

Designed to provide the occupants with confirmation of the quality of design, construction and running costs of the new property, the HQM will also advise of any impact it may have on their health & wellbeing.

An addition to the BREEAM portfolio of quality and sustainability standards, the HQM assessments will also measure the environmental footprint, flood resilience, overheating and even digital connectivity of the homes.

For further details on how we can assist your new homes be healthier, smarter, more sustainable and achieve the best possible HQM rating, please contact Vicki, Amy or Jess on 0121 214 8998 or email info@escuk.com. 

We’re delighted to announce three new promotions to Director.

Rob Adkins, Dan Horton and James Tickle now join Chris Pearce and Chris Batham-Read on ESC’s board. With a wealth of experience (garnered over too many years to count!) between them, they will continue to ensure ESC remains at the forefront of M&E consulting and providing every benefit that entails to our clients.

We’re also very pleased to to report that Stuart Bayliss, Grant Vasey and Phil Webster have been rewarded for their hard work and commitment with promotion to Associate Director.

Congratulations to all six!

We’re delighted to have welcomed three new faces to the ESC team during September…

Neil Dodd has joined as Electrical Engineer. As an electrical contractor with more than 12 years’ experience, he is well versed in the installation, maintenance, inspection and testing of electrical systems – both in commercial and industrial markets.

Becki Adams is our new Apprentice Administrator/Receptionist. It’s her voice you’ll generally hear answering the phones, and she will be studying for her Level 2 Business Administration qualification whilst assisting the team with administrative duties.

Lastly, Laura Martinez-Fernandez is our new Graduate Mechanical Engineer. With an MSc in industrial engineering and a background in consulting, Laura will also be undertaking her professional qualifications in the coming months.

If you’d like to read more about the members of the team at ESC please click here.

Massive congratulations go to Phil Webster who has just received confirmation of his Associate Membership status of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (ACIBSE) after undergoing their rigorous process of reporting, assessments and interview to qualify.

Well done, Phil!

We’re looking for a Business Administration Apprentice to join the ESC team.

Full details can be found here. We’d love to hear from you if you think this could be the start of your brilliant career!

ESC team members celebrated at the BYPY2018 dinner on 25th May…

A reminder from Vicki Wilson , Associate Director…

As BREEAM New Construction 2018 is now live, I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you there are just 7 working days remaining in which to register any new projects under BREEAM New Construction 2014. Any registrations after 23^rd March will have to be made under BREEAM NC 2018.

It is expected that assessments under BREEAM NC 2018 will be more expensive and more difficult to achieve, than under BREEAM NC 2014.

We would, of course, be delighted to register your projects and ensure they are assessed and certified under the 2014 scheme version with its associated registration and certification fees.

Please do call me on 0121 214 8998 to discuss how we are able to assist.

Congratulations go to Phil Webster who now joins the list of ESC’s qualified Low Carbon Energy Assessors (LCEA) – Level 5.

Certified by CIBSE, qualified LCEAs have undertaken additional training so they are able to provide projects with an Energy Performance Certificate as well as providing our clients with tailored advice to help cut the energy costs and carbon emissions of their buildings.

Well done, Phil! 

The BRE have advised the last date they will accept registrations under BREEAM New Construction 2014 will be 23^rd March 2018.

Thereafter, relevant projects will have to be registered under BREEAM NC 2018.

Please do contact the BREEAM team at ESC (tel: 0121 214 8998 or by email) as soon as you are able to register your projects and ensure they are assessed and certified under the current 2014 scheme version, with its associated registration and certification fees.

BREEAM NC 2014: Final registration date – 23^rd March 2018

BREEAM NC 2018: New manual publication & ‘go-live’ for new registrations – 7^th March 2018

We’re very proud to announce we are a part of the team working on the development of a major multi-service centre in Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, for Rushcliffe Borough Council. ESC have have been appointed to provide both Mechanical & Electrical Engineering consulting services as well as BREEAM services for the project. 

Scheduled to open in September 2018, the multi-million pound health centre will also house a library, police station and council services contact point.  

Other team members include @Rushcliffe, @bandkbuild, @BSPConsLtd, @westhart_p, #BelvoirHealthGroup, @WilsonBowden, #CarlDeanAssociates and we very much look forward to working with them to transform Cotgrave’s town centre.   

Full details on the project can be found on the Nottingham Post website via this link. 

We are very proud to announce that one of our BREEAM assessment schemes has been nominated for a BREEAM Project Award!

Fusion Tower Student Accommodation in Bristol has been nominated in the Public Sector Project (Post Construction) category after achieving a score of 81.9% (Excellent rating) under BREEAM 2008: Multi-Residential. 

The BREEAM Awards “recognise the achievement of those involved in the specification, design, construction and management of BREEAM certified buildings.” The award ceremony itself will be taking place on 6^th March at London’s ExCeL Centre. 

We’d like to pass on our congratulations to all of our colleagues in the Fusion Tower team for achieving this prestigious recognition, and especially to Associate Director, Vicki Wilson, who acted as BREEAM Assessor for the project.

Full details of the nominees and the awards can be found here: http://www.breeam.com/awards/shortlists/

The ESC team are getting festive on #JollyJumperDay. And we’re proud to be donating £101 to Birmingham Childrens Hospital for the privilege!

#LocalCharitiesDay #Birmingham #SomeoneTurnTheHeatingOffPlease?🎄🎅 ☃️ 🎁

Engineering Services Consultancy Ltd is not legally obliged to make a slavery and human trafficking statement. However, we have produced a document in order to assure all members of our supply chain that we take issues of and around slavery and trafficking seriously, and will not condone it within our supply chain. 

The statement document may be found in the ‘Our Commitments’ section of our website which may be found here.

Published 2nd August 2017

Congratulations are (again!) due to Stuart Bayliss, Senior Electrical Engineer, who has added another set of initials to his title!

Well done Stu on becoming recognised as an Engineering Technician (EngTech) by the Engineering Council!

Published 19th July 2017

Massive congratulations to our Senior Electrical Engineer, Stuart Bayliss, who is now officially LCIBSE (Licentiate of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers)! 

Well done, Stu! 

Published 19th June 2017

Our heartiest congratulations go to our Associate Director, Vicki, and her new husband, Tom, who were married on Saturday (29^th April).

We wish them all the very best as they begin their new adventure as husband and wife.

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Wilson!

Published 2nd May 2017

Please be advised that the BRE have notified us of various updates to their fees. This will affect all new assessments registered on or after 1st July 2017.

Although many of the fee adjustments are relatively minor, the most dramatic difference can be seen the certification (QA) fees for non-domestic buildings. These fees will now be calculated according to the size of the development:

As ever, please be assured ESC will only ever recharge the BRE’s fees to you at cost.

If you have any questions on the updated fees and the impact it may have on any future registrations, please don’t hesitate to contact Vicki Wilson who will be only too pleased to assist.

A copy of the BRE’s updated fee sheet may be found here.

Published 25th April 2017

ESC are starting 2017 with three new internal promotions.

Congratulations go to Rob Adkins, James Tickle and Dan Horton who have all been promoted.

Rob and James are now Technical Directors of ESC. They joined us in 2002 and 2003 respectively and now have more than 35 years of engineering experience between them!

Dan has been promoted to Associate Director. He has been with ESC since 2006 and now has more than 21 years’ electrical design experience.

Congratulations, gentlemen! Well deserved!

Published 12th January 2017 

We are delighted to let you know about several recent internal promotions at ESC… 

Vicki Wilson (nee Leigh) has been promoted to become an Associate Director. Vicki joined us in 2011 to establish the environmental and sustainability aspects of our consultancy. She has overseen the growth of the Environmental and Ecological Services Department from it’s beginnings as just herself (!) to the current team of four.

The Environmental team also includes Amy Clutterbuck and Jessica Lees, both of whom joined us as graduate trainees earlier this year. Jess and Amy have just achieved their BREEAM Assessor qualifications and are now promoted to the role of Environmental Consultant.

And last (but not least!) our fourth promotion is Stuart Bayliss. Stuart joined us in 2015 as an experienced electrical supervisor and has now been appointed as Senior Electrical Engineer.

Congratulations to you all on your hard work and well-deserved promotions!

Published 21st December 2016

Following the details we published in March 2016, the update on European Protected Species Licensing Policies has been published. 

Natural England asked for interested parties to comment on four new policies relating to the ways in which EPS Licensing is carried out. They have now collated and published the responses from the public consultation and the report can be found here.

Published 13th December 2016 

We’re proud to announce the attainment of BREEAM Assessor qualifications for our Graduate Environmental Consultants, Amy Clutterbuck and Jessica Lees. 

After months of hard work and in-depth study of the processes and technical issues of BREEAM and some arduous examinations, both are now qualified to assist our clients in achieving their project’s required BREEAM standards.

Congratulations Jess and Amy!

Published 8th December 2016

Congratulations to our Senior Environmental Consultant, Vicki Wilson, who has now added BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit Out Assessor to her list of qualifications!

This BREEAM standard has been designed to benefit investors, landlords and occupiers by future-proofing existing buildings as well as improving their overall performance and appearance. It can be awarded to those buildings undergoing a refurbishment or fit-out project where the environmental performance has been improved… whether these improvements have been made to the structure, core services, local services, interior design or the external envelope.

Please do contact Vicki should you wish to discuss any of the BREEAM and environmental services we are able to offer.

Published 20th September 2017

We’re thrilled to be a part of the fantastic team that will be altering Birmingham’s skyline forever.

Planning permission has just been received for the new BLOC Hotel which, at 26 storeys, will be a landmark development in the City Centre and ESC are delighted to have been appointed as the services engineers for the project.

Read the full story here

Published 9th September 2016

We are thrilled to be a part of the team recognised and given a Regional Award by The Royal Institute of British Architects for Derry Avenue, South Ockendon.

The RIBA East Award 2016 was awarded to the landmark development consisting of 25 flats for elderly residents.

Full details of the £6m, 2440 square metre development, the award and the team can be found on via the RIBA website.

Published 16th May 2016

We’re pleased to announce that we are now a part of the BRE Academy for BREEAM!

As the BRE website explains, “The BRE Academy has a membership programme to encourage lifelong learning and to represent the diverse audience within the built environment. We aim to keep individuals up to date with developments and innovation in the construction industry and the wider built environment.

“This membership is a place where like-minded professionals can interact, learn from each other (and experts at BRE), network for opportunities, and develop within their chosen field.”

We’re proud and privileged to be a part of such a fantastic initiative.

Published 12th May 2016

Natural England has invited interested parties (including planners and developers) to comment on four new policies relating to the way in which European Protected Species (EPS) licensing is carried out.

All EPS are protected under the EU’s Habitats Directive meaning that it’s an offence to capture, kill, injure or even disturb them or their habitats without the correct licenses being obtained from Natural England.

The new policies are proposed to reduce costs to planners & developers in the way that they carry out surveys and trap, move or exclude any wildlife from development sites.  It is believed that the policies will also have a positive impact on the EPS themselves by improving overall populations.

These policies are:

1. To allow greater flexibility on decisions to exclude or relocate EPS from development sites.
2. To allow greater flexibility on the location of newly created habitats that compensate for habitats that will be lost.
3. To allow EPS to have access to temporary habitats that will be developed at a later date.
4. To allow appropriate and relevant surveys to be carried out where the impacts of development can be confidently predicted.

Should you, as an interested party, wish to contribute to the consultation, full details of the new policies and how to respond may be found here. The consultation closed on 7th April 2016.

For further information on any ecological matters we may be able to assist you with, please contact Chris Blackhall directly (chris.blackhall@escuk.com).

Published on 16th March 2016

From 1^st January 2016 the BRE are introducing a new timescale requirement for resubmission of BREEAM assessments, following a QA audit.

The new timescale requires assessments which did not achieve certification on the first submission to the BRE to be resubmitted within six months of the date of QA feedback from the BRE (on the first assessment submission).

Resubmissions after this time will incur an additional, full certification fee. The fee will be charged at cost in accordance with the BRE fee schedule current at the date of resubmission for the relevant scheme.

Please do feel free to contact the BREEAM team at ESC on 0121 214 8998 or via email if you require any clarification or further detail.

Published 4th December 2015

We believe our ISO9001 registered status reflects our commitment to ensuring our clients receive the best service possible.

That’s why we’re delighted to let you know that our ISO9001:2008 processes have just been audited by QMS International and… we passed with absolutely no corrective actions required!

Congratulations are due to Vicki Wilson who is now a qualified BREEAM AP (Accredited Professional)!

The BREEAM AP qualification is only granted to suitably experienced construction professionals who can prove their knowledge of environmental design and associated design process enabling the delivery of buildings that meet BREEAM certification requirements.

BREEAM AP’s provide the design team with expert advice on built environment sustainability, environmental design and environmental assessment as well as facilitating the team’s efforts to successfully schedule activities, set priorities and negotiation of the trade-offs required to achieve the targeted BREEAM rating during the formal assessment of the design.

In recognition of the significant contribution a BREEAM AP can make to the design process, extra credits are given in some BREEAM schemes for appointing and using an AP.

Congratulations, Vicki!

We are delighted to announce that Vicki has today received confirmation of her Associate Membership of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (AIEMA).

This has been achieved following a period of intense study as well as an Associate Entry Exam through which Vicki has demonstrated her understanding of environmental issues including law and policies, reporting and the application of environmental management & assessment tools.

Congratulations, Vicki! 

We’re happy to let you know that we have just received the results of our ISO14001:2004 annual accreditation audit and we’ve passed “with no corrective actions or observations identified”!

The ISO14001:2004 is designed to give a framework for an effective environmental management system. It provides assurance that the environmental impact of a business is being monitored, measured and – wherever possible – improved.

As you know we take our environmental responsibilities extremely seriously at ESC and so we’re proud of our ongoing commitment to this standard and all that it demonstrates.

Please be aware that the last date to register any projects under BREEAM Refurbishment 2008 or 2014 will be 16th February 2015. Thereafter all refurbishment projects will have to be registered under BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit Out 2014.

Please don’t hesitate to call Vicki Wilson on 0121 214 8998 should you require any help or advice with BREEAM registration and what it means for your project.

Published 21 January 2015

We’re thrilled to announce that our Associate Director, Vicki Wilson, is now certified to undertake BREEAM Communities Asessments.

This is an assessment method used to measure and certify the social, environmental and economic sustainability of large scale developments by integrating sustainable design criteria throughout the masterplanning process.

Congratulations, Vicki, on all your hard work in achieving the qualification!

For more informationon the assessment standard please see: http://www.breeam.org/filelibrary/BREEAM%20Communities/Introduction_to_BREEAM_Communities.pdf

**UPDATE**  **Photos of the successful event can be found here**

On Tuesday December 2^nd The Jam House will be host to the Property for Kids ‘SnowBall 2014’.

Tickets cost just £5 per person plus a gift (see below) with all proceeds going to Property for Kids for allocation to charity.

Doors open at 7.30pm.

OHIO opens the night at 8pm followed by Hot Property. OHIO will close with a singalong finale.

We expect this to be a popular event so book tickets now by contacting jilly@barques.co.uk

The aim of the SnowBall is to have fun and catch up with friends and colleagues, but also to help disadvantaged children around Christmas time.

Please bring along a Christmas gift for a child up to the value of £10, otherwise there will be a fine on the door for those Christmas scrooges! Please wrap girls gifts in pink and boys in blue and write the age range of the gift somewhere discreet. We will then distribute these gifts to a wide variety of community groups in the West Midlands.

We’re pleased to announce our ISO9001 audit success for this year!

The audit was carried out by QMS International and examined our ISO9001:2008 processes. We were delighted to pass with flying colours (no corrective actions or observations having been identified!).

The accreditation sets out the criteria for a quality management system and is implemented by over one million companies and organizations in over 170 countries.

ISO9001:2008 is based on a number of quality management principles especially the drive to continually improve our processes giving the best possible focus, service and outcome for our clients as well as developing our people in their knowledge and experience.

ESC is now on Twitter. We’ll be using the platform to give you our new and to keep ourselves up to date on information provided by those we follow.

Follow us @escuk1

And don’t forget you can find us on Facebook and LinkedIn too.

The BRENDAs 2014 were, as ever, a roaring success! The Birmingham Real Estate Novel Development Awards are now legendary events.  

All the news (or at least all the news that’s fit to print) on the big winners of the 10th Annual BRENDA awards can be found by clicking here.