UKTC gain funding from Scottish Enterprise towards £2.5M project

by Breaking News

United Kingdom Testing Centre (UKTC) has received a grant award from Scottish Enterprise of £835,000 towards an expansion project totalling £2.5 million that will extend its premises and create a new furnace capable of testing structures up to 5m high.

In increasing the size of its factory UKTC will create around 20 new jobs taking the team to 38 employees as well as improving its energy efficiency and bringing services in-house that it currently sub-contracts to a European supplier.

Employment and Investment Minister, Tom Arthur’s statement

Employment and Investment Minister Tom Arthur said: “Since 2007, Scotland’s productivity rate has grown by 1.1% a year compared to 0.4% across the UK.

“Our draft budget for 2025-26 aims to build a more productive economy, setting out more than £320 million for our enterprise agencies who are tasked with helping businesses to grow, scale and become more productive.

“In the last financial year alone, Scottish Enterprise marked its best performance on jobs and capital investment. This included securing and safeguarding more than 16,700 jobs and unlocking £1.9 billion of capital investment spend.”

Managing Director of Productivity and Business Growth, Scottish Enterprise, Rona Allison’s statement

Managing Director of Productivity and Business Growth at Scottish Enterprise Rhona Allison said: “UKTC’s expansion highlights what’s possible when a company commits to growth and innovation.

“We know that those businesses that focus on investing and expanding through either new equipment or premises by creating room for further growth in turn create higher value jobs, improve sustainability and profitability in the process.

“This investment helps increase UKTC’s productivity and brings benefits to the construction sector supply chain as well as supporting a safer built environment. The project also highlights how Scottish Enterprise can work with businesses to boost productivity and the economy.”

UKTC’s background

UKTC provides a vital test lab service to passive fire protection product manufacturers in the construction industry with rigorous analysis of building materials from doors to wall panels and building membranes to determine and certify their suitability for use in different applications.  

The company was established as a response to demand for high-quality fire testing services following tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 that was caused by flammable building material and has led to increased scrutiny around the safety of buildings.

Head of Technical, UKTC, Andrew Hutchinson’s statement

Andrew Hutchison, Head of Technical at UKTC said: “The construction industry is facing growing demand for fire testing, which is why we are investing in a new test hall to expand our services for both existing and new customers, while also creating new jobs as we grow.

“The safety of materials used in homes and buildings is critical, and at UKTC, we remain committed to the protection of lives and assets.

“Our planned extension, set to be completed next year, will house a new full-scale fire resistance test furnace. This would not have been possible without the support from Scottish Enterprise. Upgrading our facilities will enable us to continue delivering the highest standards of fire testing in the UK.”

UKTC has secured funding from Scottish Enterprise: Summary

UKTC has obtained a grant award of £835,000 towards an expansion project that will extend its new premises.

Managing Director of Productivity and Business Growth at Scottish Enterprise Rhona Allison said the expansion highlights what’s possible when a company commits to growth and innovation/

Dubai’s Zen Tower reopens two years on from devastating fire after Dh20m revamp

by Middle East - Projects

A Dubai “community” has been reborn as residents return to a tower block devastated by fire two years ago following the completion of a Dh20 million refurbishment project.

An electrical fault in a first floor apartment sparked a blaze which tore through Zen Tower on a baking hot summer’s day in May, 2018.

Thankfully, no lives were lost as wind speeds of 30 miles per hour whipped-up flames across flammable cladding that encased the 68-flat high rise in Dubai Marina.

Residents who founded a new owner’s management association expressed huge relief at finally being able to move back into their homes this week.

Zen Tower near Dubai Marina is ready to receive residents after extensive refurbishment work at a cost of Dh20 million was completed following a fire in May 2018. Reem Mohammed/The National

A Dubai “community” has been reborn as residents return to a tower block devastated by fire two years ago following the completion of a Dh20 million refurbishment project.

An electrical fault in a first floor apartment sparked a blaze which tore through Zen Tower on a baking hot summer’s day in May, 2018.

Thankfully, no lives were lost as wind speeds of 30 miles per hour whipped-up flames across flammable cladding that encased the 68-flat high rise in Dubai Marina.

Residents who founded a new owner’s management association expressed huge relief at finally being able to move back into their homes this week.

“It is our family home, so we are all relieved to be going back at last”, said Sherif Shamel, who will move his young family back into his eighth floor apartment this weekend.

“My children are very happy to be moving home as the youngest was born when we moved into the building in 2012.

“It is a small community, just 15 floors, so it is a better place to live than the huge tower blocks elsewhere in Dubai. Everyone here knows each other.”

As the building was built in 2002, some materials used in the original construction were no longer available.

To retain Zen Tower’s original features, consultants from the National Engineering Bureau and Rose City Contracting Company painstakingly sourced near-matching materials where possible.

Contractors even developed their own paint colour in keeping with the original decor in the corridors and lobby.

“Everyone had strong memories of how the building was, so we have tried our best to restore those,” said Tariq Ali, a construction manager with RCCC.

“Children would play here and parents saw their families grow, so it was almost like restoring a museum to keep their memories alive.”

Initial reports issued by police said the fire worsened as a result of flammable furniture and high winds.

The first five floors of the building, that backs on to the Sheikh Zayed Road Abu Dhabi interchange, were worst hit forcing more than 100 residents to flee their homes.

The building smouldered for several days and water used by Civil Defence crews destroyed much of the electrics and lower floors, including the basement swimming pool and gym.

Of the 68 apartments, 39 were completely rebuilt. Developers reduced the risk of future incidents by inserting a curtain wall to act as a fire break.

Air-conditioning and communication systems have been modernised while cladding cited as an accelerant in the blaze has been completely removed and replaced with a safer alternative at a cost of Dh1 million.

Similar flammable aluminium composite panel cladding used across the country has been blamed as a major factor in scores of tower block fires in recent years.