Capita Symonds shortlisted for Building Award

Great news - we've been shortlisted for the Project/Construction Management Firm of the Year at the Building awards!

Find out more on Building's website

Capita Symonds - Gold Sponsor of BSEC 09

Capita Symonds is a Gold Sponsor of BSEC 09 – the key annual conference and exhibition in the school design sector – in Manchester on 11-12 February.

Capita Symonds also has three speaking slots on the high-level conference programme:

• CABE Design Review Panel (11 Feb - 14:15) - Richard Woods, Senior Associate Director, Capita Architecture
• Procurement and the LEP Panel Discussion (12 Feb - 13:05) - James Cowlishaw, Director of Education Projects, Capita Symonds
• New Build – Shuttleworth College (Lancs BSF) case study (12 Feb - 14:50) - Richard Dinsdale, Design Director (Regions), Capita Symonds

Come and visit us at Stand 546 on 11-12 February.

Find out more about Capita Symonds at BESC
Go to the BSEC website

Kilimanjaro: Post 3

The bags are nearly packed and I think I have remembered all I need to take with me.

I recently heard that some celebrities are going up Kilimanjaro in February for Comic Relief. These include Chris Moyles, Denise Van Outen and Gary Barlow. Alesha Dixon is also going and I’ve warned my wife that if I bump into Alesha, I might not be in a hurry to come home! She understands ;)

The next update I will be sending will, hopefully, be from Moshi in Tanzania and maybe I will try and send some photos.

The fund raising is still going well and the total is just about to go over £1000. Thanks to all who have contributed.

Neil

http://www.justgiving.com/2009kilimanjaro

See photos of Kilimanjaro on Flickr

Kilimanjaro: Post 2

Well, two weeks from today I’ll be in the air on my way to Tanzania. I’ve had all my jabs, picked up my anti-malaria drugs and my visa has arrived.

The company I’m going with has supplied me with a holdall and the packing is well under way.

The fundraising has continued with a very helpful email from Jonathan Goring to all the Capita Symonds staff that raised my sponsorship from under £200 to over £750 including off-line contributions. I would still like to raise over £1000 so I would appreciate any further donations at:

http://www.justgiving.com/2009kilimanjaro

I have also been in contact with a few people who have climbed Kilimanjaro with varying degrees of success and their comments have been very useful and entertaining.

Capita Symonds guys have also provided me with a Capita Symonds flag for me to take but unfortunately it was supplied with a 1 metre pole. I have removed it as I would like to actually be allowed onto the plane!

Cheers

Neil

The peak of Neil's careers

Neil Atkinson, Associate Director (Geotechnics and Instrumentation), based in Capita Symonds' Salford office will shortly be undertaking the challenge of his lifetime by attempting to climb Africa's hightest mountain - Kilimanjaro.

Neil will be keeping us updated with his journey via our blog (first post below). So come back regularly to see how he gets on.

Neil will be raising money for Capita's nominted charity MacMillan Cancer support - go to http://www.justgiving.com/2009kilimanjaro to sponsor him.

Some interesting facts about Kilimanjaro

• The highest point on Kilimanjaro is Uhuru Peak, on the volcano Kibo 5,895 metres (19,341 ft).
• The summit was first reached by the Marangu army scout Yohanas Kinyala Lauwo, German Hans Meyer and Austrian Ludwig Purtscheller, on October 6, 1889.
• Due to Kilimanjaro's equatorial location and high elevation, almost every climate type on earth is represented, including a year-round snow-topped summit.
• The summit of Kilimanjaro is covered by a GSM mobile phone network, and was previously the highest point in the world with mobile phone service.

Find out more about Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro: Post 1

On 2nd February 2009 I’ll be flying out to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro which at 5895 metres is the highest point on the African Continent and the Worlds tallest free standing mountain.

I have been climbing for over 25 years and I’ve always wanted to climb Kilimanjaro.

Each year a large number of people fail to get to the top (some even die!) mainly due to acute mountain sickness (AMS). This is usually due to a lack of acclimatisation. As well as having been at altitude a number of times including the Alps, Bolivia and the Himalayas, I have chosen a route that will allow plenty of time for acclimatisation.

I have also increased my running schedule to 30 miles per week and not using the lift at Emerson House, Salford. We sit on the 10th floor!

I’m also raising money for MacMillan Cancer support, so please sponsor me at http://www.justgiving.com/2009kilimanjaro

Thanks

Neil

Acoustics team provides expertise for The O2 Dublin

The new O2 arena in Dublin has officially opened.

Capita Symonds’ acoustics team – led by Associate Director Daryl Prasad – provided acoustic engineering services on the project which involved the redevelopment, refurbishment and renaming of the historic Point Theatre.

The new 14,000-seat venue was completed by owners Live Nation and Irish property developer Harry Crosbie as part of a deal with Telefonica O2 Ireland, and will host shows by acts such as Coldplay, Bob Dylan and Boyzone within the first six months of opening.

The Capita Symonds team has ensured that the roof of The O2 has the most up to date acoustics design in Europe. Daryl Prasad explains: “The challenge was to transform an existing warehouse-like space into a world class venue with unparalleled acoustics. To ensure good sightlines long spans were required. As such the external shell needed to be relatively lightweight, contradicting traditional auditoria design which would have been far too heavy! What’s more, as the refurbishment took place amongst new residential developments, we had to make a significant effort to ensure that the sound insulation of the auditorium is sufficient for the neighbours.”

The new venue has a spectacular effect on the Dublin skyline with its translucent polycarbonate cladding extending two storeys upwards above the original building. It features a built-in lighting system programmed for all the colours of the rainbow to gives an effect that contrasts with the stone and brick of the original railway depot that was built on the site in 1878.

The original Point Rail Depot was eventually converted into a theatre a century later. Work then began in 2006 on redeveloping the building in its entirety, creating a concert venue which would attract premier acts to Ireland’s capital.

All but the existing kelp stone perimeter wall was demolished, doubling capacity as well as greatly enhancing both front and back of house facilities, including a 50 tonne rigging capacity and a VIP and sponsors’ lounge. The excellent sightlines have been achieved with the aid of complex geometry modelling to provide a unique, amphitheatre-style, column-free auditorium despite a roof span of over 50 metres. The auditorium will therefore be flexible, able to alternate between concert and theatre modes, with adaptable seating configurations and a complex seating bowl geometry.

About the new O2:

• One of the first acts to play live to a paying audience at the Point Depot in 1988 was The Pogues
• U2 recorded the No. 1 hit single “Desire” in the Point in 1988.
• Construction of the redevelopment of The O2 commenced on 1st Sept 2007
• At the height of the renovation of The O2 500 people were employed on the site
• The roof of The O2 has the most up to date acoustics design in Europe. Audiences will be treated to acoustics never before witnessed in an Irish venue
• Shows that were previously not possible in the venue – such as Cirque Du Soleil - can now be staged.
• A total of over 5,000 tons of steel, 13,000 meters of duct work, 7,000 meters of pipe work and 270 kilometers of cables were used to construct the new venue
• There are 3,500 light fittings in the venue
• The O2 will form the centre point of The Point Village, which currently under construction

Find out more about Capita Symond's Acoustics expertise

Capita Symonds Capita Symonds wins place on Crossrail framework

Capita Symonds has been named as one of the 12 firms who have secured Design Framework Agreements.

See the full announcement on the Crossrail website

Sound Advice from Capita Symonds' Acoustics Team

Negative sounding financial phraseology has dominated media reports for some months now, as reports of a global credit crunch have followed on from over-ambitious bank lending in the US sub-prime property market. The ripples are now being felt further afield, with initial talk of belt tightening now leading to gloomier fears of economic recession. For stadium and arena managers, it seems that investment plans will be under greater scrutiny than ever.

But for the paying public, attention to detail when it comes to the audible experience at their favourite venue can no longer come second best – especially when the ticket cost for entertainment represents a larger percentage of their remaining disposable income. What’s more, there is the increasingly tempting option of saving on a ticket price and staying at home, perhaps with a cheaper takeaway meal, enjoying the sophisticated sonic delights of 5.1 home cinema sound on a widescreen high definition plasma TV display – why bother with muddy sound when you can catch the game on your sofa instead?

So doing nothing to compete with this attractive alternative is not an option. Budget restraints may force a compromise, but it’s clear that many venues in Europe, for instance, do need to catch up with their North American counterparts and overcome some of the structural and legislative factors that have held back their development in this area. At the ‘top end’ of the market, among Premiership football clubs for example, this work has already seen results. But for other facilities, such as those in the ‘middle market’, there is plenty of ground to make up. For them, one big question is how to achieve this?

Reaching the limit

Daryl Prasad, Associate Director at Capita Symonds Acoustics, believes market emphasis has moved to improved quality of sound and a switch towards improved technology that’s better able to direct sound within a venue. “The old days of managers being simply able to exponentially increase sound volume levels are gone – environmental considerations and local authority limits on acoustic emissions in the area surrounding a venue have changed that.”

He adds that the emphasis on quality and directional sound is being achieved by methods including the use of large phase arrays that angle sound so that it’s projected onto an audience and does not create ‘spillage’ beyond a boundary. These phase arrays can also be used for in-house systems to avoid creating unwanted reflections and echoes that can typically cloud and muddy the sound quality. Cardioid, and super cardioid, sub-woofers are another method of ensuring that low frequency energy is directional and have proved especially useful at music festivals such as the recent Glastonbury event in the UK, to prevent spillage.

Daryl Prasad, who’s spent 10 years in consulting and acoustics, including previous spells with Arup Acoustics and BDP Acoustics, points out that new EU health and safety regulations relating to occupational noise came into effect for the music and entertainment sectors in the UK this April.

The EU Directive (2003/10/EC) on which the Control of Noise at Work Regulations are based allowed these sectors a two-year transitional period. Arenas and stadiums hosting concerts should check that staff are not being exposed to sound volumes beyond the stated high noise levels – namely 85 decibels (daily or weekly average exposure) – without providing hearing protection and hearing protection zones.

Clearly, then, entertainment sound control is an important issue both for venues and consumers. Capita Symonds’ team of acoustic consultants provide a full range of services relating to entertainment noise. As specialists in sound, noise monitoring, acoustics and IT solutions they have worked on venues including Chelsea FC, Hong Kong Stadium, Eircom Park, The Point in Dublin and the new Wembley national stadium.

For further information on the services which Capita Symonds Acoustics can provide, please contact Daryl Prasad or visit our website

Christmas Countdown

Feeling festive?

To get you into the spirit we've launched the Capita Symonds Christmas Countdown Calendar(that's a mouthfull!). Each day we'll have a handy hint or some festive fun all the way up to the big day itself - so visit daily!

http://www.xmas-countdown.com/