Latest News.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, visits Taylor and Fraser at St John's Hospital.
Date: 23rd April 2009

Alterations to form an Endoscopy Unit and Observation Ward, at St John's Hospital, Livingston, which is a flagship project for NHS Lothian, with a value in excess of £2,500,000 million, was visited by Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish Secretary for Health and Wellbeing in February 2009. During the course of the visit Nicola Sturgeon had the opportunity to meet the staff and inspect the quality of the work.

Taylor and Fraser's Construction Division is uniquely placed to deliver a complex refurbishment of this type where there is a high proportion of engineering services. The works are completed using in-house resouces to meet current healthcare standards.

Inveraray Castle: Inveraray: Argyll
Date: 29th October 2008

A major refurbishment of Inveraray Castle in Argyll is underway on behalf of the 13th Duke of Argyll. There are many interesting and significant aspects of the project, that require to be undertaken with a high degree of care, when working in a historically significant building such as this. The construction of Inverarary Castle dates back to 1746 and took until 1789 to complete, some 43 years later. The current project will be completed within a slightly shorter programme of around one year!

Many rooms within the castle are subject to careful refurbishment in order to bring the accommodation up to modern levels of comfort, convenience and efficiency. Considerable thought has been given in order to meet these goals whilst maintaining the integrity of the building and fabric. The design process is led by GLM Architects, Edinburgh.

A renewable energy biomass boiler-plant, which is part of an integrated mechanical and electrical services installation designed by Edinburgh based consulting engineers Irons Foulner, is due to be installed to serve the castle and estate offices with heating and hot water. This will mean that the estate will place less reliance on fossil fuels such as oil. Argyll Estates will arrange the fuel, which will be locally sourced timber chip.

Taylor and Fraser is uniquely placed to be able to undertake a project of this kind by bringing together core competencies and experience in engineering services and wider principal contracting and building refurbishment capabilities in order to help provide a sustainable environment for Inveraray Castle in the future.

Southern General Hospital: Glasgow: Neo Natal and Foetal Medicine
Date: 9th July 2008

Taylor and Fraser has been awarded the mechanical and electrical services installation, with an order value of £7.2m, which is part of an extension and refurbishment of the Maternity Unit at a reported total construction cost of £28m.

Once completed in October 2009 the building will have a foetal medicine department that will provide specialist diagnostic facilities and treatment for unborn babies. The hospital will also be a national centre for certain specialist services for newborn babies and provide state-of-the-art intensive care services. Other key features will include a labour suite and two obstetric theatres. The existing facilities will be refurbished to provide modern accommodation for day care, assessment and early pregnancy advisory services.

HYPOSTYLE Architects will lead the project design. The extended facilities are expected to allow for an increase in newborn babies to around 5,200 babies each year at the Southern General Maternity Unit.

Consulting Engineers Davie & McCulloch have designed the services including mechanical, electrical and public health. Their design includes nine air-handling units, which distribute conditioned air to all areas. Local re-heat is available via duct-mounted heater batteries. There are three boilers, two of which are dual fuel with the third being gas-fired. The two chillers are on the upper floor and are sited externally. Local cooling is achieved by ceiling mounted chilled beams. A full medical gases installation is being provided and the building management system will be integrated into the Board's existing network. The domestic services and associated plant are included as well and part of this is a specialist water treatment installation.

The electrical installation includes a nurse call, fire alarms and security systems. The main electrical switchboard is housed in a plant room on the first floor. Distribution is via the ceiling voids to a mix of bed head trunking and service beams.

The refurbishment works in the existing building include a VRV system, a new roof mounted air handling unit and ceiling mounted radiant panels.

The extension and refurbishment of the Maternity Unit is one of the first steps in the major redevelopment of the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, with an estimated total construction cost of £842m.

Floors Castle: Kelso, Roxburghe Estates
Date: 2nd July 2008

This interesting project was completed recently in May 2008 with the installation of a 720kW Biomass Boiler, which replaced 4 off Oil Fired Boilers, not only serving the Castle, but also the Garden Centre, incorporating Greenhouses, Restaurant, etc. The Estate hope to add other buildings to the installation in the fullness of time.

The contract involved locating the Biomass boiler within the existing Home Farm Complex, which was connected to existing systems within the Castle and Garden Centre via external underground mains. These were in excess of a kilometre in length. Plate heat exchangers were installed at the end of the new mains, where connections were made to the existing systems. In addition, buffer vessels, system pressurisation and pumping sets were all installed adjacent to the boiler plant.

On the 2nd July 2008 an award ceremony attended by Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney and the Duke of Roxburghe was held at Floors Castle to celebrate the opening of the new biomass renewable energy scheme. John Swinney said: "This is exactly the type of project I want to see in communities across Scotland - innovative renewable energy generation which tackles climate change and promotes sustainable forest management. Biomass can play an important part in the renewables mix, creating good quality rural jobs and promoting sustainable local solutions to global challenges."

University of Edinburgh: Main Library refurbishment: Phase 2
Date: 13th May 2008

Further to the award for the 1st phase of the University of Edinburgh Main Library refurbishment (news 6th July 2007), Taylor and Fraser has been awarded the second phase of work, that is due to be completed early in 2009, with an order value of approximately £750k. The new project predominantly includes connecting to existing services, installed under phase 1, such as heating, ventilation, cooling and automatic controls and extending these services to serve the entrance and café areas which are situated on the ground and lower ground levels which have been refurbished as part of this project.

St. Johns's Hospital: Livingstone: West Lothian (Endoscopy Ward).
Date: 7th May 2008

Lothian Health Board has appointed Taylor and Fraser to undertake the alterations and extension at St. John's hospital at Howden, Livingstone, in West Lothian. The £2.5m project, led by Architect Anderson Bayne, is due to be completed within a 36-week programme.

The works must be carefully co-ordinated with the design team and staff due to the requirement for the hospital to remain fully operational at all times. Within the environment of a live hospital Taylor and Fraser, as principal contractor, will undertake the demolition of the existing Endoscopy department and the subsequent construction of a new single story extension, which is a £2.5m investment into the healthcare facilities at St. John's Hospital. A refurbishment of the existing facilities will take place that includes both new mechanical and electrical systems, as designed by EDP Consulting Engineers. The project encompasses a complete range of all trades activities from floors through to ceilings including final decoration and fit out.

Taylor and Fraser have unique resources and capabilities for undertaking projects where a high proportion of the overall work is in mechanical and electrical engineering services often within a refurbishment environment. These projects may be in healthcare, education including university establishments, offices, hotel, leisure and utilities.

University of Aberdeen: Matthew Hay Centre - College of Life Sciences and Medicine.

Date: 13th November 2007

We are delighted to be involved in the new £16.5m state of the art teaching centre for the 21st centaury which is being created at the Forester hill complex, Aberdeen. The project is a shared vision between University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian which is aimed to promote the outstanding work in healthcare, education and research. The project will be deliverd by Mansell, Aberdeen.

As part of a £1.1m order, Taylor and Fraser will install a range of mechanical services including (underfloor) heating, cooling, and air conditioning as designed by Consulting Engineers K. J. Tait.

The extensive facilities, over 5 floors, include an IT suite running the most up to date training applications and a range of innovative simulators, and a 220 seat lecture theatre space. There will be a green planted roof with terrace. The new facility is due to open in 2009.

University of Edinburgh: Main Library refurbishment.
Date: 6th July 2007

Taylor and Fraser have been appointed by Interserve Projects Limited to undertake the mechanical services installations, which have been designed by Consulting Engineers RSP Consulting Engineers LLP. The services include heating, ventilation, chilled beams, automatic controls (BMS) and commissioning. The mechanical services element is worth in excess of £2m. The project is due to be completed in Spring 2008.

The Library project is part of an extensive programme of work currently underway at the University of Edinburgh to meet the objectives of the 2005 to 2015 Estate Strategy. 

New Secure Accommodation at Montrose.

Date: 19th June 2007

Rossie Secure Accommodation at Montrose is undertaking a redevelopment of its facilities. Taylor and Fraser has been appointed by Henry Bros. Scotland to supply and install the mechanical services installation at a cost of approximately £1.5m. The main project comprises of a new secure / close support facility with associated administrative and plant facilities and includes a link to the existing school which is also being upgraded at this time.The services have been designed by Consulting Engineers Davie and McCulloch, Glasgow. The new facilities are due to open in 2008.

This project is one of a number of secure facilities that Taylor and Fraser has been closly involved with in recent years such as the Kibble in Paisley and Daldorch House in Ayrshire.

ISH Exhibition: Frankfurt : Germany.

Date: 16th March 2007

During March four delegates from Taylor and Fraser attended the world's leading trade fair, held bi-annually at Messe Frankfurt, to see first hand the latest technologies and equipment being introduced on the international stage. The exhibition, spanning 26 floor spaces, provided a fabulous insight  to building and energy technology / re-newable energies installation technology, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, among other interesting areas. Expect to see some of these new technologies and products featuring on our projects soon.

Taylor and Fraser to commence Theatre operations!
Date: 15th February 2007

Dumfries and Galloway Health Board have appointed Taylor and Fraser to undertake the refurbishment of operating theatres at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary. The project, which is in excess of £2m, includes the complete upgrading of five operating theatres, whilst simultaneously replacing ventilation and chiller plant. A substantial amount of work is to be carried out whilst the operating theatres remain largely in operation. A pre fabricated plant room will be installed, to minimise disruption. The works has been designed by

Consulting Engineers, NIFES, Glasgow.

Chips in favour at new University Campus!
Date: 13th February 2007

Taylor and Fraser is playing its role in the new construction of the new Queen Margaret University Campus, at a reported build cost of £45m, to carry out the new boiler fit out works, etc. This includes a new biomass wood chip fired boiler rated at 1800 kw and two gas boilers rated at 2400 kw each together with associated pipe work, controls, pumps, etc. The works have been designed by Consulting Engineers K J Tait and associates, Edinburgh.

Visionary new development for Sabhal Mor Ostaig in Skye.
Date: 12th February 2007

Sabhal Mor Ostaig, the National Gaelic Centre situated on the Isle of Skye is set for £7.1m development, with Taylor and Fraser performing both mechanical and electrical installations at around £1m. The centre, currently under construction by UBC Group, will provide for the development of a critical mass of activity in the Gaelic Arts, Culture, and Heritage and will act as an "incubator" for new businesses. Consulting Engineers DSSR, Glasgow, has produced the outline design brief. Taylor and Fraser has designed the mechanical and electrical services elements in conjunction with their Consulting Engineers Davie & McCulloch, Glasgow.