To prepare for the 2014 Youth Olympics, the Nanjing City called for an International Design Competition to revitalize a scenic waterfront and green belt zone along the Yangtze River. Atkins was awarded the first prize. The challenge of the project was finding a resilient solution to integrate the individual lots, open space and landscape features which stretched along the river for 30 km and covered 11 hectares of land into one comprehensive piece. Atkins’ proposal provokes innovative waterfront planning strategies to reclaim the lost space and provide diverse recreational opportunities. In line with the requirements of the 2014 Youth Olympics and new developments along the south shore of Nanjing, an iconic area in Nanjing’s riverfront comprising and consolidating recreation, tourism, ecology, transit and culture regimens will be completed in the near future. The IMX project site lies within the world-class Hongqiao Transportation Hub, which connects the airport, high speed rail and Shanghai public transit system.

The winning Atkins concept architecturally expresses international trade and creates places and spaces where people exchange goods and ideas, thus creating optimal opportunities for the IMX brand to create wealth. The contract will also see Atkins develop its iconic architectural designs for the IMX exhibition centre and supporting commercial development covering approximately 150,000 square metres.

A rest area, travel plaza, rest stop, or service area is a public facility, located next to a large thoroughfare such as a highway, expressway, or freeway at which.

All buildings within the Atkins masterplan have been designed to meet or exceed China’s three-star Green Building Standard. Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) aspires for the new development to capitalise on the existing greenery and new strong public transport connections to the rest of Singapore. With Atkins’ expertise in sustainable masterplanning and the implementation of a ‘car-lite’ strategy, the attractive living environment will create a strong sense of community.

Bayshore precinct will be an adaptive system that maximises outcomes from the interacting aspects –people living, working, playing in and travelling through the area. It will focus on exploring how communities form around shared spaces, how people interact with them, what choices they have, and how our approach to place-making enables community ownership and a sense of belonging. Fundamental to this vision is placing Bayshore at the forefront of the ‘streets as a destination’ movement.

Where roads were once dedicated to vehicles travelling from one place to another, we see the streets as vibrant public spaces and places to visit in their own right. Other elements key to the Bayshore masterplan include integration of the two MRT stations currently under construction, one of which includes an integrated transport node; integration of open spaces, weaving blue and green networks through the dynamic and diverse community open spaces into the masterplan; and flexibility and adaptability to allow implementation of the masterplan to adjust over time. Funded by the Renew Atlanta Infrastructure Bond, the North Avenue Smart Corridor project is using the latest technology to increase safety and improve multimodal traffic operations in this 2.3-mile stretch of roadway. In a partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Department of Transportation, data is gathered and analyzed to assist both short- and long-term transportation planning to create a safer and more efficient place to live, work, and play. North Avenue connects some of Atlanta’s most important destinations, institutions and companies, including Coca-Cola headquarters, AT&T headquarters, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Department of Transportation, the MARTA North Avenue Station, Ponce City Market, and the Atlanta Beltline. We worked collaboratively to discover and deliver innovative technologies including: •Installation and use of hundreds of internet of things (IoT) sensors at 26 signalized intersections •Urban environment adaptive signal timing system •Vehicle-to-infrastructure communications •Bluetooth travel time and origin destination system •Demonstrating connected automated vehicles •Reconfiguration of existing roadway through restriping to support crash reduction and accept autonomous vehicles The adaptive system technology deployed combines artificial intelligence with traffic theory. The system is designed for urban network traffic flows including pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit.

It responds to real-time events on demand for all mobility types through advanced video detection systems with built-in analytics that detect vehicle types, speed, volumes, queues, and traffic data statistics. The communication from the infrastructure and different mobility users is disseminated to a smart phone app “Travel Safely.” Cyclists and pedestrians are alerted of vehicles approaching too fast or too close to them, drivers receive signal timing data to their phones and cars, and drivers are alerted when they are speeding through a school zone or sharp curve. The “everything connected to everything” concept connects all mobility users to each other and to the infrastructure in the street. The technology also increases safety by prioritizing fire engines and ambulances traveling through the corridor for faster emergency response times.

Roadway striping was reconfigured to reduce crashes and support the future acceptance of autonomous vehicles. Pedestrians no longer rely on a push-button crosswalk because of combination thermal imaging and video cameras that provide pedestrian and bicycle detection for adaptive control of the traffic signals, Hawk systems, and rectangular rapid flashing beacon systems. The next phase of deployment on North Avenue includes automated vehicle shuttles with transit priority that are connected to the smart infrastructure. North Avenue is serving as a public demonstration and “living lab” for IoT deployment. It is a model of data collection and analytics, connected and autonomous vehicles, and unique partnerships. It fundamentally transforms how the City of Atlanta plans for, designs, and operates its transportation infrastructure going forward.

The expertise and performance on this project has elevated the City’s profile as a leader in transportation innovation. North Avenue Smart Corridor project was selected as a State Award winner for the in the “Building/Technology Systems” category. The Intelligent Transportation Society of Georgia awarded North Avenue as the. “Around a fifth of disabled people report having difficulties related to their impairment or disability in ”.

Atkins is part of a seven-partner consortium who are developing a digital platform that is setting out to improve the rail travel experience for disabled passengers in the UK. The Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB) co-funded programme will facilitate the sharing of disabled customers’ travel requirements with train operating companies (TOCs) and other service providers. TOC Ability aims to enhance passenger experience and has the potential to transform the experience of those users that need it most. Through the creation of a collaborative ‘intelligent accessibility hub’. This digitally-led solution seeks to enable the rail industry to measure and maximise the impact of improvements to customer accessibility, exchanging real-time data about rail journeys between disabled customers and train station staff.

Atkins’ intelligent mobility team is providing project management, functional design and business modelling expertise to support the development and implementation of the new system. By sharing increasingly accurate journey information in real-time between staff and customers, TOC Ability promises to make journeys more seamless and reliable, reducing passenger anxiety and stress and enhancing comfort. The resulting increase in trust in the service is expected to encourage more customers with accessibility needs to travel by rail., Director for intelligent mobility and also chairman to an international charity for people with disabilities, says: “TOC Ability is set to transform future rail services for disabled passengers, who are often the most vulnerable, so they feel confident to travel. By improving ways that passengers and operators communicate and interact, we aim to provide an efficient and improved service experience. TOC Ability is a fundamentally important project for the sector, and very much in line with our vision to put the user at the centre of transportation.' The project, valued at around £1.4 million, will run for a period of 18 months.

Allowing the consortium to scope, develop and pilot the TOC Ability platform. Testing, in a live train station environment across London, will start in Summer 2018, with the project’s Accessibility Panel, a group of people with varying accessibility needs. TOC Ability will also be designed to meet international governance standards for data protection, including compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation Act in respect of sharing sensitive customer data. Atkins is working in collaboration with industry and academic partners as part of the TOC Ability consortium that includes Transport for London, Arriva UK Trains, Goss Consultancy, Enable iD, University of Surrey and Loughborough University. The project’s Industry Advisory Group also includes Network Rail, The Rail Delivery Group, and Office of Rail and Road (ORR), and provides insight and input on strategic direction for the future of rail travel in the UK., Atkins' technical director, said: “TOC Ability has the potential to transform the experience of rail passengers that need it most. By sharing relevant information in real-time between staff and passengers, it promises to make journeys more seamless and reliable, reducing passenger anxiety and stress and enhancing comfort. By increasing accessibility and trust in rail services we are looking to encourage more disabled passengers to make regular journeys and to feel that they are an integral part of our mobility system.” For more information visit the iM Hub:.

Leeds Station is the busiest transport hub in the north of England, currently used by over 100,000 passengers a day and with those numbers expected to more than double over the next 30 years. The new Leeds Integrated Station Masterplan report provides the blueprint for the station’s ambitious transformation into a distinctive gateway hub of international significance, integrating national, regional and local transport services with HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Atkins is leading a consortium of leading global design, engineering and project managing consultants made up of Atkins, Gensler, Bilfinger, GVA, Faithful + Gould, Albion Economics and BAM Construction for the planning and design work for the station. The proposed new front entrance will create a world-class gateway entrance to Leeds, with another entrance connecting to the South Bank and the new city park. The new central concourse will connect HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and existing rail services, with an overbridge structure offering access to all other platforms. The new-look station would provide a seamless interchange for people changing trains, with the increased capacity and high-speed rail services resulting in huge increase in passenger and user numbers for the station. The masterplan also sets out the potential for three million square feet of new commercial development around the station, with 7,000-square meters of complementary leisure and retail space inside, as part of the new common concourse.

Aside from being a key national landmark and integrated transport interchange boosting regional connectivity, the remodeled Leeds Station, featuring high-speed rail, has a pivotal role to play as an economic and regeneration driver for the city and wider region. The improvements will boost the economy of the city center, enhancing the Leed’s role as a hub for innovation, supporting delivery of the plans for an innovation district which will create a 21st century science park around the universities and Leeds General Infirmary. Though the region has seen an active military presence since the 1940s, there is no nearby national veterans’ cemetery to serve the burial needs of the many thousands of active duty and retired veterans who call the area home. The closest national cemetery is located at Ft. Logan in Denver, which is approaching capacity and has a limited projected life. That will change with the construction of the Pikes Peak National Cemetery, which is expected to serve more than 95,000 veterans, their spouses, and eligible children for the next 100 years.

Atkins, along with prime architect AES Group, provided comprehensive design services for the new, 374-acre cemetery in the southern portion of Colorado Springs. The initial 65-acre phase will feature 13,000 gravesites and accommodate both casketed and cremated remains.

In addition to gravesites, the cemetery will include the following features: • Main entrance area • Administration building • Maintenance building • Honor guard building • Flag pole assembly area • Memorial walkway • Committal shelters • Public information center with electronic gravesite locator • Infrastructure features such as roads, landscaping, utilities, and irrigation Green building principles and renewable energy initiatives are being incorporated, and the completed Phase 1 of the project will be LEED silver certified and will meet all federal energy and sustainability mandates. To protect future development of the cemetery, Atkins is also providing channel stabilization and restoration along the Corral Tributary to prevent erosion. Atkins prepared the plans, specifications, and estimates for the rehabilitation and replacement of expansion joints and hinges, and deck repair for the 11 bridges that comprise the second-level roadway.

This project covered 2.6 miles of bridge structures and more than 650,000 square feet of surface area. The rehabilitation consisted of repairing the 49 expansion joints and application of polyester concrete overlay.

Expansion joint repair included bearing pad replacement, expansion joint seal replacement, and hinge seat repair. Polyester concrete overlay was applied to protect high steel already exposed and to correct drainage. Because LAX is one of the busiest airports in the nation, Atkins recognized the importance of efficient traffic control planning. In addition to coordinating with various stakeholders to maintain adequate levels of service, special attention had to be paid to timing lane closures and detours optimally to produce favorable traffic patterns. Atkins coordinated with numerous stakeholders, including landside operations, ground transportation, parking operations, LAX police, emergency services, and the airlines, to successfully develop traffic control, lane closure, and detour schemes for each construction phase to ensure minimal traffic delay. Engineering News-Record California awarded the project its -Airport/Transit Category. The project included converting existing domestic gates into eight new international gates capable of supporting wide body aircraft.

As a subconsultant to the prime architect, Atkins provided gate planning services for the airport parking layout, and civil engineering services for a new sterile corridor which directs passengers from the converted gates at the airport’s Satellite D into an underground tunnel connected to existing international infrastructure at Terminal 3. The major civil construction items include pavement removal and replacement for the tunnel construction and 15 additional fuel pits required at D Gates, excavation and backfill for the tunnel, utility line relocations, and a new contaminated drainage system including oil water separator and related structures. The gate planning effort was a momentous challenge as the project’s success hinged on being able to park the Airbus A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world, at gates originally intended for aircraft one-third its size. The Atkins Aviation Planning team conducted a robust gate planning analysis of the airport’s gates D-19 through D-26, to convert them from domestic, narrow body aircraft operations to international, wide body aircraft operations. The approach maximized the potential for wide body gate utilization, enabling the airport to accommodate an A380 with a dual jet bridge configuration; one for each aircraft deck.

Engineering News-Record Southwest Region awarded the project its -Aviation/Transit Category. Specific services included assisting various county departments, including the sheriff’s department, all public works departments and animal control, with preparing documentation to capture force account labor and equipment costs for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and/or Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). We also advised the county on federal reimbursement procedures, programmatic eligibility debris removal operations and performed damage assessments of several county facilities. Federal coordination tasks included advising the county on FEMA Public Assistance and FHWA Emergency Relief program requirements; providing FEMA and FHWA with audit-ready documentation required to prepare FEMA Project Worksheets and FHWA detailed damage inspection reports; and participating in disaster recovery meetings. We were able to recover funds in some areas that the county had overlooked, and provided accurate guidance to ensure they did not submit any claims that would jeopardize their future funding.

Our team mobilized within 24 hours of a request for support and within the incident period. We deployed additional staff as new needs were identified, worked expeditiously and demobilized staff as soon as assigned tasks were complete. Our debris specialists, reporting specialists and PA Program specialists helped provide grants management, programmatic guidance, technical assistance, training and closeout assistance.

As the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) hired additional internal staff to support public assistance, we developed and delivered customized training to quickly build knowledge and capacity within SCEMD. Ultimately, this allowed the state to become more self-sufficient by utilizing their own internal resources. Our team also prepared and conducted additional training for Project Worksheet reviews and delivered refresher training to the SCEMD Regional Emergency Managers. Atkins worked directly with several of the state’s severely impacted communities that applied for assistance, including the Town of Nichols, City of Columbia, Hilton Head Island, Charleston County, Lexington County, and the state Office of the Adjutant General and Department of Health and Environmental Control. We provided applicant guidance on such projects as the City of Columbia’s canal repair, estimated at $40 million. On June 1, 2016, the Lexington County Director of Public Safety awarded Atkins with a Coin of Excellence, in recognition of us expediting the county’s recovery and maximizing their federal reimbursement. Working in partnership with All Hazards Consulting, we led the technical development of the Best Practices Tools for Evacuation Plans project, developed under the direction of the Regional Catastrophic Planning Team (RCPT) for New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and the New York City Office of Emergency Management.

The completed project provides emergency managers with an overview of practical evacuation planning and implementation strategies currently used by state, regional and local governments throughout the U.S. This included three main project components: a spreadsheet highlighting basic information on approximately 100 evacuation best practices, brief summaries of 12 best practice examples including relevant tools to support implementation, and a project bibliography. The project catalogued a range of relevant findings, case studies, and tools. We developed a best practices matrix with 117 examples drawing from a range of transportation modes.

We performed facilities engineering analyses at five severely damaged school campuses for the Charlotte County School Board. Our cost estimators used field inspection data to provide a picture of total repair cost versus replacement costs for each surveyed building. More than 30 structures on 4 campuses were deemed to exceed FEMA’s “50 Percent Rule,” which allows for full building replacement. In addition to providing specialists in school reconstruction, structural engineering, environmental hazards, law and urban planning, we assisted the school board with FEMA Project Worksheet preparation to ensure maximum reimbursement under the Public Assistance program. Our negotiations helped to declare five of the seven school campuses totally destroyed and therefore eligible for complete restoration through the program.

We also prepared cost estimates for projects that were submitted for FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding. As part of the pilot program and in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other public and private entities, we developed, implemented and evaluated the program for selected residents in coastal counties. Our team evaluated new and innovative strategies to improve the construction, delivery and maintenance of temporary emergency housing as expeditiously as possible. We helped install approximately 6,000 modular homes for use by residents who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina and were living in FEMA-provided travel trailers.

We worked to transition selected residents into alternative housing rapidly and efficiently, and to transition a portion of units from temporary to permanent housing. As program manager, we assisted the state with oversight of operations until all housing units were installed on individual lots or in designated multifamily sites. This included oversight of other state contractors’ activities and coordination with numerous state agencies, nonprofit organizations and other groups identified by the state. We documented and evaluated processes and procedures used in this trial program and prepared a final report to share findings and best practices related to the use of alternative emergency housing and delivery methods during future disasters. We established a project management and tracking system that was used to monitor the status of PA projects (by applicant or issue) and manage the deployment of technical personnel in the field. We mobilized a multidisciplinary team of emergency managers, engineers and PA program specialists within 48 hours of contract award. The nearly 100 staff Atkins provided for this complex recovery project performed duties as project officers, public assistance coordinators, debris specialists, appeals specialists, engineers and a deputy public assistance officer.

Our work on the Mississippi Gulf Coast created a unique relationship with both MEMA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This relationship provided for unprecedented cooperation between FEMA and the state in support of FEMA PA applicants. Our provided expertise won credibility with FEMA, and it gave the state a strong position from which they were able to help steer recovery efforts in a way that reflected their goals and values. Through the success of our training efforts, we were able to fill most PA program positions with MEMA employees. Our team assisted MEMA’s PA staff with the management and administration of their public assistance program, which included prioritizing disaster field activities, supporting staff with reports and technical data, repairing and/or reviewing PA Project Worksheets (PW), resolving special considerations, and interpreting and implementing complex scopes of work. Atkins has supported Mississippi through five consecutive contracts, from declaration through closeout, and yielding a comprehensive understanding of the FEMA PA Program and its stakeholders.

We introduced new methods to the state for guiding applicants to successful outcomes with requests for PA funding, and have provided them with the tools to manage future disasters more effectively. As state and federal authorities mobilized to clean up and rebuild, we provided public assistance support to the Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA). We mobilized a team of public assistance and debris experts within 48 hours and began working with AEMA and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) representatives immediately to organize and deploy teams to assist local applicants with debris issues and FEMA Public Assistance grants. The project was later modified to include support for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) which included advising local grant applicants and providing technical assistance with the benefit-cost analysis process.

At the one-year anniversary of the event, we had assisted AEMA with submitting 369 HMGP Community Safe Room applications, of which 198 were approved and funded. This represented more than $27 million in HMGP funding and approximately 35 percent of total HMGP funds obligated for the disaster event. AEMA was also awarded 2,497 Residential Safe Room units in 198 applications for a total of $9.8 million. With our assistance, AEMA far exceeded expected timelines for the submission and funding of HMGP applications. Our team of professionals was instrumental in helping to obligate more than $184 million in FEMA public assistance funds to the state of Alabama and its applicants ($229 million in public assistance and hazard mitigation grant program funds combined). Historically, water would flow slowly through this iconic “river of grass” from Lake Okeechobee, one of the biggest freshwater lakes in the country, through freshwater swamps, sloughs, and tree islands into the estuarine areas of Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay, and the southwest Florida coast. Beginning in the 1800s, however, water was diverted from its natural flow into and through the Everglades for flood control, agricultural, and habitation purposes.

By the mid-20th century, about 50 percent of the Everglades were lost, destroying the area’s ecosystem while potentially diminishing freshwater supplies for nearby residents through saltwater intrusion. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), approved by the U.S. Congress in 2000, is a 30-year, $12 billion ecosystem restoration plan that hopes to achieve sustainability for the natural system in south Florida. Headed by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and its non-federal lead sponsor, the South Florida Water Management District, the overall program involves, as much as possible, restoring habitats and natural flowways, improving water quality, and ensuring clean and reliable water supplies for both human and natural environments.

As a managing partner of the Everglades Partners Joint Venture, Atkins provided full-service, on-site program/project management support for CERP. The scope of work included developing plans for monitoring and assessment of all CERP projects, project controls, meeting logistics support, design support, construction administration, technical writing and publication support, and management of a small-business subcontracting plan. Due to the great uncertainty regarding how the planned projects could restore Everglades ecosystem ecological functions, the U.S. Congress proposed including adaptive management—a “learn while doing” approach, as a part of the guiding framework for the projects included in CERP. Adaptive management is substantially different from traditional project management approaches. Atkins took the leadership role in developing a project implementation plan and master implementation sequencing plan, as well as preparing guidance for project managers.

These innovative tools proved essential for critical scheduling and processing needed for project completion. Once complete, the restoration of the Everglades will improve 2.4 million acres of south Florida’s ecosystem, improve water deliveries south to Florida and Biscayne Bays and the southwest Florida coast, and reduce saltwater intrusion that has been accelerated by sea level rise and the removal of water from the surficial aquifer. San Jacinto Marsh is a 350-acre tidal wetland located at the confluence of the Houston Shipping Channel and San Jacinto River. It is also the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive victory that won Texas independence from Mexico in 1836. The marsh is part of the larger San Jacinto Battleground complex, which is a designated National Historic Landmark that receives an estimated 250,000 visitors annually. One of the few functioning tidal wetlands among this industry-heavy area of Houston, San Jacinto has faced a barrage of modern-day battles associated with coastal erosion and sinking land surfaces.

The marsh scored a big win by being selected as the recipient site for beneficially-used dredge material from a nearby dock expansion project at the Barbours Cut Terminal deepwater port. In turn, the community also reaped the benefit of the dock expansion, which was slated to provide additional jobs and revenue to the region.

We served as the dredging engineer of record and our team successfully designed and completed the project within an accelerated schedule of 20 months, transporting 475,000 cubic yards of dredged material nearly 10 miles from Barbours Cut to San Jacinto Marsh. The dredge fill helped restore 150 acres of intertidal marsh habitat, to mimic the conditions of the battlefield in 1836. By restoring the marsh to its historically-accurate condition, an intertidal habitat was created that promotes growth of native marsh grasses and withstands varying water elevations and salinity levels. To ensure the dredged sediment consolidates successfully with existing material at San Jacinto, we will monitor the restoration site for two years. The Western Dredging Association, which covers the North, Central and South America regions, awarded the project their 2017 Environmental Excellence Award for Navigation Dredging. The Two Rivers Mall, also known as the Two Rivers Lifestyle Centre takes up 11 acres of a 102-acre mixed use development. Comprising of 66,000m 2 of gross lettable area (GLA) of mall and 20,000m2 of office space in the two commercial towers.

It derives its name from the Giichi and Ruiruaka rivers flowing through it and as such has been sustainably designed to provide a backdrop where visitors enjoy the natural environment combined with a recreational, cultural and retail experience. Two Rivers will be the largest mall in sub Saharan Africa outside of South Africa with over 200 outlets on two levels with high end international brands to enhance the local retail experience. The ultimate design intent is for people to gather and connect by creating spaces within the complex for both intimate outings as well as large multicultural events.

This project has been classified as a Vision 2030 Flagship Project by government. Its positive impact on the economy will be realised by providing employment opportunities for approximately 10,000 Kenyans. Built over 60 years ago, the Nairobi hospital has provided quality private health care to residents of Kenya and the neighbouring countries.

To meet growing demand, the client sought to expand the hospital by increasing the bed capacity from 350 to 750. To this end they needed to create adequate space for the proposed development by removing a number of small buildings that housed functions that would be replaced by the increased bed capacity while catering for further expansion of the hospital. The first consideration was the construction of a 12 storey building to house the displaced functions from the school of nursing including demonstration rooms, students’ accommodation to doctors’ offices, laundry equipment among others. Two subsidiary buildings to house steam boilers and the power centre were also constructed. Howard Humphreys – now an Atkins company - was commissioned as part of the consultant’s design team to design and supervise all civil & structural, mechanical and electrical engineering services on the project.

In our design, the needs of the patient are the critical consideration alongside the unique and sensitive requirements of hospital operations. Our solutions for uninterrupted power supply and distribution, lighting, ventilation, medical gases, water purification plant for bulk water supply, fire detection, communication and security systems addressed the challenges of replacing existing critical operating facilities without disruption. In its contribution to the regions business community Nairobi hospital’s new laundry is now the largest and is currently providing services to nearby hospitals and hotels thereby generating additional income. The hospital will also be able to accommodate more in and outpatients while influencing the quality of Kenya’s medical professionals through its increased admission of nursing students and best of its class training facilities. The Kenya Electricity Generating Company Limited (KenGen), produces electricity from the power plants at the Greater Olkaria Geothermal Field, located in the Rift Valley of Kenya within Hell’s Gate National Park and approximately 132 km north-west of Nairobi by road. The Olkaria I and Olkaria II Power Plants contribute close to 20 percent of the Kenyan power supply to the grid network, the other sources being hydro, wind and thermal. KenGen assessed that there would be sufficient geothermal resource available to support the operation of an additional 280MWe of generation with half of that capacity being located in two additional units in a prior plant and the other half in a separate power plant designated as Olkaria IV.

Atkins in partnership with the client and the lead consultant Sinclair Knight Merz provided concept design, steam field civil engineering design and construction supervision services for the two plants. Atkins led the construction of 2 new substations, expansion of 3 existing substations and construction of transmission lines around the power stations and two lines connecting to the existing Suswa Substation approximately 30 kilometers away. The innovative design and development of a highly integrated steam gathering system from the production wells to power the power plant turbines ensures the plant is sustainable, reliable and efficient. The injection of 280 MW of geothermal power into the Kenyan national grid has led to increased grid stability, a reduction in use of fossil based generation and a decrease in the cost of electricity for local customers.

The reduction in the cost of power leads to lower power bills and cost of goods and services, promoting increases in economic activity in the country. Howard Humphreys (now an Atkins company) was appointed by Britam to provide civil/structural design and construction supervision for a commercial building that would not only reflect the stature and image of the client but also contribute in shaping Nairobi’s changing skyline. The client’s desire was to have a sustainable building that will stand the test of time, a timeless piece.

The proposed development incorporates the design and construction of a 31-storey office tower that stands 200m tall. It begins at the base as a square that rotates progressively till the 30th floor at 45 degrees, resulting in varying floor sizes. The building center core will end at 34th floor level to support a 60m high conical steel spire mast that will carry feature fins. A 15-storey Parkade building that will hold approximately 1000 cars is also constructed in the adjacent to cater for the parking needs with a data center to be housed on the top floor. The two buildings are separated by an open atrium.

At the time of completion, the BRITAM Tower was amongst the highest building structures in Africa at a height of 200m above ground including the 60m spire sitting above the main building. Our team of engineers created the Paired-Column Semisubmersible to make it safer and more financially viable to develop fields in harsh deepwater environments, such as offshore Western Australia and the Gulf of Mexico.

By adding one additional column per corner to the traditional semisubmersible, platform motions can be significantly reduced. The Paired-Column Semisubmersible is the previously missing piece from a complete portfolio of deepwater platform concepts – a dry tree semi that can support drilling. This new technology brings many advantages to deepwater developments: • Support of either wet and/or dry trees • Reduced vertical motions that allow conventional off-the-shelf riser tensioning equipment due to low riser stroke • Full quayside integration • Conventional structural components • Efficient deck structure and hull deck interface • De-coupling of wide column spacing (stability) vs. Narrow column spacing (deck support) • SCR friendly due to low surge motions and hang-off nearer to the platform centre • Damage tolerance Thoroughly engineered, model tested, qualified and approved in principle by DNV for the Gulf of Mexico’s most severe metocean environment – Central Region. Read more about the background, design and characteristics of the PC Semi in.

Reacting to past catastrophic utility failures, the State of Utah needed to identify, inventory, assess, and determine replacement costs for the underground utility systems within the state’s higher education campus and other state facilities. We were hired to create a GIS database populated with maps, element assessment, and associated information about the utility systems to address this need. We began with pre-planning at each of the 20 campuses involved—collecting data in the form of paper plan sheets, PDF, CAD and GIS files to create a centralized GIS database.

Systems included in the project were potable water, irrigation water (to vacuum breakers), sanitary sewer, storm water, electrical, gas, and utility tunnels. We then populated the database with a full utility assessment including remaining service life—allowing us to estimate the cost of asset replacement.

A summary report and maps to assist in capital planning were the final components of the project, but our goal was to support future potential. The GIS model is a living database—allowing for each institution to upgrade the quality and depth of information contained in the database over time. The final product data is also being submitted to Faithful & Gould (F+G,) our sister Atkins company; they will compile and input the data into the State’s capital-planning software solution—enabling the state and its agencies to see a holistic view of the capital needs of both building and utility infrastructure assets and develop a strategic replacement plan based on criticality.

Ultimately, the State of Utah could use the tool for much more than capital planning. Potential applications include predictive system modeling, design support, maintenance operations, master planning, utility optimizations, and integration into the curriculum.

LSU’s Office of Facility Services worked with us to review and verify all available data sources, consolidating them into a new GIS model—a living database that will allow LSU to upgrade the quality and depth of information over time and as the budget allows. As a first step, we reviewed all available as-built drawings (paper, CAD and PDF), and existing GIS layers to extract necessary information. Key utility data sets developed included: domestic and fire water, chilled water, hot water, storm water, wastewater/sanitary sewer, natural gas, steam, communications, compressed air, electric, and various utility providers with assets passing through campus. As predetermined campus geographic work areas were finished, we provided the new GIS model to aid our survey teams with field investigations, supplementing the data with record drawing reviews to verify subsurface utility engineering (SUE) locations and capture related utility information. Upon completion of the field investigations, we integrated the survey data with the GIS database to produce a campus-wide utility GIS. Finally, we provided LSU with three days of instructor-led training, focusing on the elements of the model, workflows to maintain the database, and administration of the GIS system. A system that will forecast when renovations/replacements are needed, aids survey teams with field investigations, is used in day-to-day operations and maintenance, and also serves as a decision-making tool on infrastructure improvements for future growth consistent with the campus master plan.

In the fall of 2016, the WSSC finished construction on the latest expansion, marking the completion of the $30 million project, and the completion of their goal. For us, it’s a decisive moment in Atkin’s long and fruitful partnership with the WSSC. Since 1996 the WSSC has called on our expertise to make significant changes and improvements to the plant. The original biological nutrient removal (BNR) project incorporated new and expanded facilities, from preliminary treatment through tertiary filtration. During that project, as part of the client’s team, we evaluated various technologies and construction approaches which reduced the expected $80 million construction cost by $30 million. The 2011 enhanced nutrient removal (ENR) upgrade and expansion project pushed the limits of current standards in wastewater engineering—allowing us to create a cutting-edge design that could be retrofitted into the existing plant while keeping it fully operational. We added a fifth aeration tank, increasing the plant capacity to 26-mgd to allow for planned growth in the region, and converted activated sludge facilities to a flexible MLE or 4-four stage Bardenpho™ process; this will allow the plant to reduce supplemental carbon usage during warmer temperatures, or lower flow to achieve ENR.

Additional work included: two new 400 HP turbo blowers, one new 150-foot-diameter secondary clarifier and extension of RAS facilities, seven new deep bed denitrification filters (for a total of 20), a new methanol storage and feed facility, and an expanded solids-handling facility with new centrifuge dewatering unit. The design innovations vital to this project will ensure wastewater is treated responsibly, efficiently and safely—protecting the environment, conforming to State legislation, preserving the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and providing for the growing community of Montgomery County.

The ENR project began construction in September 2011 and was completed in the fall of 2016. In an ongoing problem, Yucca Valley’s 10,000 septic systems have been leaking contaminants—including nitrates, pharmaceuticals, and salts—endangering the town’s scarce groundwater.

These systems discharge 180 tons of nitrogen into the ground year-after-year. That’s enough nitrogen to fertilize 3,760 football fields. The community is under a state order to remove septic tanks by 2025 to protect groundwater. To address this problem, the Hi-Desert Water District utilized our engineering services to design a brand-new wastewater collection and treatment system. This project is the first of three phases to convert the existing septic systems to a public sewer system—protecting groundwater and allowing the Yucca Valley community to grow.

The first step will convert approximately 5,000 properties necessitating 77 miles of sewer mains and three sewer pump stations. At the beginning of the design process, we reviewed all planning assumptions and flow projections, and developed a comprehensive model of the future collection system to meet the needs of Yucca Valley. The proposed collection system is a new system in the community (there were no previous flow projections to use) requiring our design team to rely on our work in other desert communities. The design team focused on reviewing design criteria, evaluating existing water use, and determining when buildout of the community would occur. Our detailed analysis of existing infrastructure and project specifications resulted in significant cost savings to the district and residents. The Phase I system is currently under construction, and we look forward to working with the Hi-Desert Water District as they roll out subsequent phases in the coming years. We have captured laser scanning data from a main plant area and an inaccessible plant room at Dungeness B to support optimisation of an upcoming outage.

This data is being utilised through a simple desktop application to allow walkthroughs of the plant areas and creation of animated construction sequences for visualisation of the outage plan linked to the outage schedule itself. A further aim of the project is to utilise Augmented Reality (AR) to visualise the planning data and critical path movements. The outputs will enable interactive visualisation of the outage plan which can be used to trial different potential scenarios using a timeline based editor, and offer a collaborative tool for discussions with the whole team. Operators will be able to see what a sequence of work and the interactions with the surrounding plant should look like, and highlight any issues before the work. Access to one of the scanned areas is also limited to outages only, therefore providing visualisation of these areas allows operators the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the area prior to arriving on site, thus improving the efficiency of the tasks and removing the requirement for in situ planning. The overall targeted outcome is to maximise efficient delivery of the outage by enabling optimisation of planned activities, training improvements and identification of equipment and technology innovations. Representative image: TIS Workington, Workshop and Test Rig Facility.

Part of the Tubular Bells development in the Gulf of Mexico, our Houston team delivered the hull and mooring engineering for the Gulfstar One Spar, as well as fabrication and installation engineering support. The hull was built in one piece, strakes included, in a graving dock, completely in the US, which has never been done before for a Spar. The unit has the capacity to hold almost 10,000 barrels of dead oil, and has 20 stainless steel tanks for storing flow assurance chemicals and the associated transfer systems.

The Gulfstar floating production system (FPS) is owned by Williams, and operated by Hess. Appointed by INPEX in April 2011, we're providing flow assurance engineering as well as ad hoc process engineering services for the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) phase of the Ichthys field. The Ichthys field expects to deliver 8.4 million tonnes of LNG and 1.6 million tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) per annum, as well as 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak. The scale of the project has seen Atkins deal with a wide range of issues including hydraulic analysis, thermal analysis and hydrate management. Detailed analysis has also been completed on the complex task of well clean-up, initial well start-up, pipeline blow-down, initial onshore LNG plant start-up and on-going pigging for flowlines and pipeline systems. Atkins’ oil and gas team was the engineering contractor providing technical support for the Solan subsea oil storage tank project.

Beginning in 2008, the highly skilled group of engineers were involved in each step of the Solan project from concept development work, through to Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) and then detailed design work in 2012-2013. Work was completed for client Premier Oil in 2014, after more than five years. The Solan subsea oil storage tank sits in around 135m of water and can store 300,000 barrels of oil equivalent; it is 25m high, has a foot print of 45m x 45m and is constructed from 10,000 tonnes of steel. Filesmonster Premium Account 2014. Our oil and gas team in Perth successfully completed the FEED work for Apache Energy for a large gas compression facility in the north-west of Australia. A multidisciplinary team worked closely with Apache to develop the chosen concept and optimise the layout, based on a modular construction philosophy.

This was a key driver for Apache; a design which would maximise off-site fabrication and construction, and minimise the amount of on-site installation work in order to reduce the overall project risk. A 3D model using PDMS (Plant Design Management System) was created, developed and reviewed on a regular basis, both internally and with Apache. This allowed ongoing, interactive discussions between various engineering disciplines as the design progressed, leading to a well-defined concept for taking into detailed design. Responding to a recent population boom, Colorado Department of Transportation has taken a bold step to effect change and transform its aging transportation system by embracing technology. CDOT is investing $20 million to combat congestion and improve safety through the use of intelligent mobility technology in the next year.

As one of three consulting firms selected as advisers on the program, Atkins is serving as an extension of CDOT’s staff—helping to move projects from conception through procurement and construction—facilitating a reimagination of transportation infrastructure through intelligent mobility solutions. RoadX’s goals include: reducing the cost of transporting goods by 25%; turning a rural state highway into a zero death road; and reducing congestion and vehicle emissions on Colorado’s critical corridors. We’re using improved analytics, innovative strategies in autonomous/connected vehicles, and big data to exceed these goals—creating a safer more efficient future. Toward this same end, we’re currently administrating the RoadX: Bicycle & Pedestrian Challenge—soliciting innovative solutions to protect pedestrians and cyclists in Colorado. Prizes go to both the most creative ideas, and the most effective implementation strategies.

Winners will be selected at the end of April. In launching the RoadX Program, CDOT made a commitment to the aggressive implementation of new transportation technology within the next ten years. Atkins’ partnership brings our considerable experience in intelligent mobility towards facilitating that commitment—making a big difference in the lives of Colorado commuters. For more information on CDOT’s RoadX, the Bicycle & Pedestrian Challenge, and the future of infrastructure see. One of the most efficient ways to capture existing site conditions is with aerial drones. So when the City of Atlanta recently commissioned Atkins to help demolish and expand the North and South parking garage at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), we reached out to software engineering company Autdodesk and drone technology experts 3DR Robotics to orchestrate a drone flight over Atkins’ construction site. Because the site was in the controlled airspace of an international airport, the team needed to obtain authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct the drone flight.

As part of the authorization process, 3DR, Autodesk, and Atkins were able to demonstrate that the drone operation (which would be conducted in a critical location between runways) could be performed safely and without disruption to airport users. Part of the requirement for the authorization was that the flight team would be in radio contact with the ATL control tower at all times and performed all operations under the control tower’s authority. On January 10th, 2017, the team legally and safely flew the 3DR Site Scan drone over the parking garage area. The team performed a total of 7 flights, capturing over 700 nadir and oblique images, covering an area of 40 acres. This is the first FAA-approved commercial drone operation in Class B restricted airspace.

The pictures were uploaded to a cloud-based program operated by 3DR, where they were automatically processed into accurate 3D point clouds. The models will be used by Atkins to plan the demolition process and organize construction so to minimize effects on the airport’s daily activities. A major east-west transportation corridor that carries recreational, commercial and commuter traffic through the Rocky Mountains also creates a lot of headaches for those maneuvering through regular back-ups and gridlock.

When the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) expressed an interest in using intelligent transportation systems and innovative technologies to decrease gridlock, increase safety and reduce traffic time, we were brought on board to help drive the effort for the I-70 Mountain Express Lane (MEXL). CDOT’s overall vision for improving congestion with immediate, interim improvements led us to evaluate the effectiveness of a tolled peak hour shoulder lane between Empire Junction and Idaho Springs. We expanded existing models to assess traffic improvements, which indicated that travel times could be cut nearly in half in the project area. Taking an innovative approach to relieve congestion without overbuilding the mountain corridor, a 13-mile stretch of the existing eastbound shoulder was repurposed as a dynamically tolled express lane during peak travel periods.

Today, it operates only on weekends and holidays and users pay between four and eight dollars, based on congestion levels (tolls can reach 30 dollars based on congestion levels). With added capacity, the corridor has seen consistent, faster speeds and reduced travel times for all lanes.

In its first summer season, throughput increased by 14 percent, travel times in general purpose lanes improved by 38 percent, and the time involved in clearing back-ups substantially improved. Less gridlock. Less time on the road means more time for the good stuff. There’s more to the story. CDOT received Gov. John Hickenlooper's inaugural Governor's Elevation Award in the Superior Customer Service category. CDOT's successful delivery of this project led to stakeholder support and the lane opening on schedule.

The project was also honored with the 2016 Innovative Transportation Solution of the Year award by the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS). The project was bestowed this honor because it helped solve a longstanding transportation problem in Colorado with an innovative solution.

As part of the Hartsfield America Joint Venture (HAJV), we provided site preparation, paving and lighting, and construction documentation for the massive 10-28 project. The assignment involved grading and drainage of a 3,000-foot segment of the 9,000-foot runway, as well as preparing construction documentation for a unique dual roadway tunnel system under two parallel connector taxiways. Atkins was also the engineer-of-record for an earthwork embankment project that required more than 17.5 million cubic yards of embankment to be divided into two sections, transported to the airport and placed on a compressed schedule, including the crossing of ten lanes of the busy I-285 highway loop. In addition, we helped design and prepare construction documents for paving, marking, lighting, and navigational aids for the entire runway, including designing a completely new airfield lighting system using state-of-the-art technology. The new lighting system utilizes LED lights which provide energy cost savings for the airport due to their longer lamp life. A key concern was the potential for differential settlement at the interface of the I-285 bridge structures. To address this issue, Atkins and the HAJV team recommended a design solution known as transition slabs, which helped keep the approach to the bridge as smooth as possible and minimize undue impact.

The opening of 10-28 in 2006 was a central moment in the history of the airport and the aviation industry. Dubbed the “most important runway in America”, the fifth runway has significantly reduced air traffic congestion along the East Coast, averaging 100,000 landings and takeoffs a year and saving the airline industry $260 million in annual delay costs. In order to complete major elements of its most recent airport master plan, the City of Atlanta selected the Ascend joint venture (JV) to provide on-call technical, professional architectural, and engineering design services for various projects at H-JAIA. As the lead firm of the Ascend JV, Atkins has been involved in some of the most notable projects at Hartsfield-Jackson. We served as the project management and design lead for the terminal roadways portion of the $1.2 billion Maynard Holbrook Jackson International Terminal. The project included structural design of the three-level, landside elevated roadway structures and mechanical stabilized earth walls, as well as an extensive drainage network.

The project also included a maze of utility infrastructure that required coordination with multiple utility companies and consultants, as well as several LEED design elements. In addition, we designed new access roadways for surrounding tenants including Delta and the Federal Aviation Authority, along with coordinating traffic signals on Loop Road for shuttle connections to the main terminal. Other services provided by the Ascend JV include development of one of the first electronic airport layout plan (eALP) projects in the country at H-JAIA. We worked with a team of consultants to develop geographic information system (GIS) data including all airside features, runway and taxiway features, lighting, navaids, obstructions, virtual surfaces, and environmental layers in the airport GIS database. The tool lets airport officials, regional planning agencies and other stakeholders access airport layout plans electronically, saving costs as compared to traditional paper ALPs and helping standardize the process of performing airport and aeronautical surveys.

Initial award included the design of new cargo aprons, involving four cargo stands. Subsequently, Atkins was awarded the Cargo Apron Expansion which comprised of eight cargo stands in the existing cargo terminal apron and involved 81,000m2 of pavements. The apron expansion area was adjacent to the operating Taxiway K and Taxilane L. From 2000 to 2003, Atkins carried out the Engineering Design from Initial Scheme Design to Detailed Design as well as the construction supervision of airfield pavement, airfield and apron oil separation and stormwater drainage systems, apron floodlighting system, apron fixed ground power system, aviation fuel system, combined potable water and fire hydrant system, communications systems, ground lighting system and apron/airfield markings. The passenger and aircraft movements at HKIA have increased steadily since the original airport’s opening in 1998 and growth is anticipated to further continue. To meet this demand, it was necessary to increase the total number of passenger aircraft parking stands and airbridge served contact stands.

Atkins has been involved in various contracts from the concept design phase through to construction phase of the Midfield Concourse (MFC). The Midfield Development involved the initial development of the Midfield Area located between the two runways and which includes new taxiway and twenty aircraft parking stands. The total area of pavements is 350,000m2. The project included a new “I” shape passenger MFC building, extension of the Automated People Mover (APM) system to service the MFC, including a new APM station underneath the MFC and APM tunnel extension. Atkins provided airfield infrastructure and utilities design and construction stage support services, which included the addition of 20 airport parking contact stands.

Atkins was responsible for the design and construction stage support for the airfield and apron works including airfield pavements, apron oil separation and storm water drainage systems, aviation fuel system, combined potable water and fire hydrant system, communications systems and power infrastructure, and apron/airfield markings. Our team worked with the Airport Authority to provide an advance works contract which enabled early operation of six aircraft parking stands to meet the ongoing increased demands of the Airport as well as vacate the construction site as far as possible.

This allowed the construction activity to be carryout in a streamline manner. Atkins’ design allowed the flexibility of the apron works to be commission by phases in consideration of handover sequence. These allow early release of the apron to ease aircrafts mid and long layover requirements at the HKIA. After six years of design and construction, the Midfield Concourse (MFC) at Hong Kong International Airport was opened to serve passengers on 28 December 2015.

Atkins has provided marine structural and engineering services to the Deer Park Terminal since 2009. To ensure the reliability and continued service to the terminal, we repaired and replaced deteriorated marine structures at Docks 1 and 2, including storm water management improvements and modifications to docking structures. To maintain a high level of service to Vopak’s customers during construction, we provided detailed construction sequencing and scheduling to minimize impact.

At the facilities on Docks 3, 4, and 5, we provided engineering and construction management services as the owner’s representative. The renovation of Dock 3 and new construction of Docks 4 and 5 added additional barge dock facilities and increased the total number of ship berths from three to four, mitigating barge dock closures and safeguarding shipment schedules. To ease the significant congestion in Vopak’s limited footprint, a 2-mile rail loop was designed to receive unit trains and store up to 100 rail cars until they could be shuttled to Vopak’s nearby main terminal. Additionally, our team coordinated with pipeline companies to protect an important pipeline corridor that was crossed by the rail track during the design, engineering, and construction management phase of the rail upgrade. Additional work, known as Project ONE, provided program management, master planning, design, and environmental permitting services for three distinct areas: a large inland site, a marine site, and a connecting pipeline corridor. Based on our previous work to add a 2-mile rail loop, we provided construction management services to add a second loop inside of the first rail loop. We delivered this fast-track project, which included significant permitting coordination with federal, state, and local governmental entities, in a period of only 6 months.

With these renovations, the Deer Park Terminal has 243 tanks capable of storing 1,000 to 80,000 barrels, with a total capacity of more than 7 million barrels. We are working with the Airport Authority Hong Kong to implement a three-runway system (3RS), involving construction of a new airport platform north of the existing north runway. Our scope of works includes the design of the ground improvement works, reclamation, seawalls, re-provisioning works and the extension and modification of existing large box culverts.

The size of the reclamation will be approximately 650 hectares - about half the current size of the airport platform. The main challenge of the project is that no dredging of the soft sediments is allowed because of environmental concerns. Our key task is to develop cost-effective methods to strengthen the soft sediments in-situ such that the post-construction settlements are limited to acceptable values. A follow-up field trial will be conducted to confirm the performance of the treated seabed using the Deep Cement Mixing (DCM) technique.

The detailed design will be delivered within a tight schedule to facilitate the anticipated award of the main works contract in 2016. Our services will continue into the construction phase with the provision of design support services.

Upon completion of the 3RS, the expansion plan will allow the airport to handle an additional 30 million passengers a year according to the Airport Master Planning of 2030. We provide a range of services to several DOE projects across the US, at sites including Hanford, Washington; Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Savannah River, South Carolina. Atkins – with partners Westinghouse and Fluor – was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to operate the depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) conversion facilities at DOE’s Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Paducah, Kentucky, and the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, Ohio in 2016.

The Mid-America Conversion Services, LLC (MCS) joint venture will operate the DUF6 conversion facilities for the purpose of processing DOE’s inventory of stored DUF6, a coproduct of the uranium enrichment process. The facilities convert DUF6 to depleted uranium oxide for possible future reuse, storage or disposal. A coproduct of the conversion process is hydrofluoric acid (HF), which can be reused in industrial processes. Atkins has been involved at the Portsmouth and Paducah sites for over 10 years and managed the safe construction of the DUF6 plants.

Safe and successful operation of the facilities is paramount, as is engagement with the local workforce and community around both plant locations. The team of leading nuclear industry experts will also broker the sale of the aqueous hydrofluoric acid (AqHF) product and provide surveillance and maintenance services for the DUF6 cylinder inventory. The Doha Metro Red Line South project is part of the overall Doha Metro project being developed by Qatar Rail. The Red Line, also known as the Coast Line, runs for about 40 kilometres from Al Wakra in the south to Lusail in the north and has 17 stations. The line connects Hamad International Airport at Terminal 1 to the centre of the city. The Red Line South contract comprises c.

14 km of twin-bore tunnels along with five underground stations. Atkins was appointed as Lead Designer in June 2013 by RLS JV, a joint venture led by QDVC, a JV between Qatari Diar and France's Vinci Construction Grands Projects, and including South Korea's GS Engineering and Construction and Qatar's Al-Darwish Engineering. The vision is to provide integrated railway services that are reliable, attractive and be the favoured mode of transport for all. Atkins has been responsible for the multi-disciplinary design of five underground stations, five switchbox structures, four emergency egress shafts as well as functional planning of tunnels/shafts and track alignment design. In addition to the above we are providing expert advice on all fire and life safety issues in establishing the appropriate fire strategy for the stations and tunnels, and assisting the client with obtaining Qatar Civil Defence Department approvals. The Public Library building is planned as part of the Nabta Town Masterplan in the region of Borg Al Arab, Egypt. Nabta Town, a sustainable mixed-use urban development in the Middle East, is a uniquely smart, urban real estate masterplan that incorporates world-class academic institutions, cultural, leisure and commercial centres, a business park, generous public spaces and holistic housing neighbourhoods.

The brief proposes a multiuser learning facility that caters to the needs of both the public and students from nearby academic facilities. The design emphasises an architectural language that is deeply rooted within its context, which encourages the user to ponder, innovate and explore. It forms a landmark public space that encourages dialogue through culturally stimulating spaces that are reminiscent of Egypt’s vibrant heritage. Atkins is supporting ADMA-OPCO’s expansion programme for its offshore production facilities by assisting the safe life extension of existing critical infrastructure. We have been involved in the quantitative structural assessment of 31 Well Head Towers (WHTs) in the Umm Shaif Field, offshore from Abu Dhabi.

Atkins undertook structural assessment of the WHTs to establish a robust integrity management system for the company's fleet of offshore structures, building SACS models to enable detailed analysis. We also undertook advanced structural analysis of barge-type structures, which form the central platforms of ADMA OPCO’s offshore processing facilities. Atkins’ 40 years of experience in asset integrity management was a key factor in this work. Our approach to life extension enables operators to get the most oil and gas resource out of a field before the infrastructure needs to be replaced. Our experience means we can safely anticipate and manage repair of age related defects, allowing continued use and development of ageing infrastructure. In some cases we have been able to extend the life of an asset by double its design life.

This adds considerable value to the asset by deferring future investment cost, as well as providing assurance of asset integrity. During large storm events, the Las Vegas Wash channel overbanks would flood due to overflow of the main channel, requiring regular and costly debris cleanup and repair of the facility’s only access road. Despite it not being designed to do so, the access road served as a grade control structure to protect improvements made to the channel upstream. Aside from making the facility inaccessible, failure of the road would have jeopardized the structural stability of those improvements as well as threatened underground utilities.

Failure of the access road would have also resulted in damages to the surrounding private and public properties and facilities. To remedy, channel improvements were designed to increase capacity and protect against any further damage. A secondary access road was constructed; 1,100 feet of various new utilities (20-inch water, twelve 6-inch power conduits, twelve 4-inch fiber-optic conduits, and four 12-inch sludge lines) crossing the wash were designed; and other increased security measures were put in place to secure the site.

To reduce cost and expedite construction of a new 200-foot steel girder bridge over Las Vegas Wash, we worked with the construction contractor and CCWRD to recycle steel girders from a former bridge. We inspected the old bridge’s superstructure, investigated the life span of the steel, verified the geometry of the girders for compatibility of design, and modeled using MDX software. 1D and 2D (pre- and post-project) hydraulic models of the area were also developed and sediment transport analysis was performed to ensure that there are not adverse impacts to adjacent properties. These efforts greatly improved the safety and movement of floodwaters, improved access to the facility, mitigated channel degradation, protected existing utilities from flooding and erosion, reduced maintenance, and reclaimed about 40 acres of land within the CCWRD’s property. Atkins will work closely with some of the UK’s leading cavern storage operators in identifying and examining the representative salt caverns in Cheshire, Teesside and East Yorkshire that could store hydrogen to be used in power generation. The critical data and technical expertise provided by the operators will assist in the development of hydrogen storage models for each region. The six-month project will provide more detail on the suitability of individual caverns and the costs associated with using them, increasing the evidence base needed if they are to be developed further.

It follows on from a report published by the ETI in 2015 which focused on hydrogen generation from fossil fuels, biomass or waste gasification, or steam reforming of methane, all with carbon capture and storage. The use of a store and responsive gas turbine greatly improves the flexibility of power output to the grid, whilst allowing the hydrogen generator and CCS plant, to operate at peak efficiency.

The report showed how a single H2 cavern could cater for the peak energy demands and fluctuations of a whole city. There are over 30 large salt caverns in use in the UK today storing natural gas for the power and heating market. Many of these could potentially be re-used for hydrogen storage or new caverns constructed in the extensive salt fields which are deep underground in many parts of the UK. The ETI’s Insight on the potential role of hydrogen storage can be found. Atkins worked with Swedish company Hexicon as engineering partner to design the world’s first multi-turbine offshore wind floating platform. Atkins was pushing the boundaries of design to support Hexicon in maximising energy yield.

Experience in innovative, transformational work both in the renewables and oil and gas sectors had enabled the project team to go one step further in making the exciting concept a reality. New developments in the design of the floating structure's mooring system increased the efficiency of the rotating system reducing CAPEX and maximising energy yield. Atkins’ extensive experience in floating wind has played a key role in developing the concept and originally winning the work. The integrated design capability that enables the head to toe design that we were undertaking for Hexicon demonstrates how our experience across a range of both floating and fixed offshore wind projects can add real value to clients. Atkins has been involved in more than half a dozen floating wind projects around the world including: • Detailed design and analysis for Principle Power’s WindFloat prototype in Portugal • Design for Pilot Offshore Renewable’s Kincardine floating wind project • Winning Statoil’s Hywind floating wind demonstrator Installation Challenge competition.

In conjunction with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Charleston District, Atkins will prepare the environmental impact statement (EIS) in order to evaluate the project’s potential socioeconomic and natural environmental impacts. Conducted over a period of 5 to 6 years, the EIS will address numerous issues such as sea level rise, scenery impacts, protected species and habitat, socioeconomic issues, transportation impacts, noise and vibration, and air quality. The wharf will encompass more than 2 miles, with the ability to manage eight design vessels at full buildout. The expansive size of this project could impact approximately 54 acres of tidal salt marsh and bottomland hardwood wetlands, where threatened and endangered species exist.

Among these and several other issues, Atkins will evaluate the project’s impact and develop ways to mitigate the environmental effects. Developed jointly by the port authorities of Georgia and South Carolina, this bi-state owned and operated marine container terminal will aid projected growth for containerized cargo for a minimum of 25 years and is expected to support economic development in the region, including adding billions in tax revenue and upwards of 1 million jobs. With traffic through this freeway corridor expected to double in the next 20 years, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) prioritized investment in this critical section of infrastructure to meet the needs of the growing resident and tourist populations. Travelers make 25,000 lane changes per hour in this freeway corridor and as many as 1,400 crashes take place annually. To boost safety, mobility, and accessibility, roadway improvement plans include separation of freeway traffic from arterial traffic, reduced numbers of merging sections, and connection of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to create a continuous 22-mile stretch from US 95 through I-15. Considered the most important and ambitious project in NDOT’s history, it also accommodates regional economic redevelopment through improved access to downtown Las Vegas and the Resort Corridor. We serve as lead designer, for design builder, Kiewit Infrastructure West, managing all design and engineering services on this multiphased, multiyear project with responsibilities that include design services for roadway, drainage, bridges and structures, traffic control, signing, pavement marking, landscape, and ITS as well as providing quality control, utility coordination, public involvement, design surveying, and design support during construction.

Video courtesy of NDOT. The initial phase of the program was the design and construction of the South Airport Automated People Mover (APM) Complex. As a subconsultant to the prime architect, Atkins is responsible for civil and transportation engineering for the South APM Complex.

This initial phase included the design and construction of a new APM station, new 2,400 car parking garage, renovation of the APM station in the North Terminal, completion of the APM guideway structure to the South APM Complex, roadways, bridges, overpasses, site grading, utilities, and all associated infrastructure. The ultimate STC program will include the South APM Complex as well as an Intermodal Transportation Facility, which will serve as a hub for three passenger rail projects, including a planned $2.2 billion intercity passenger rail line from Miami. Atkins was responsible for planning the entire roadway system for the STC ultimate buildout. Atkins was also responsible for the design of the loop access roadway surrounding the South APM Complex, including planning and development of alternative roadway concepts for the ultimate transportation master plan addressing the future STC.

This effort included roadway plans, stormwater conveyance systems, signing and pavement marking plans, demolition plans, utility coordination, retaining walls, and maintenance of traffic plans. The approximate length of the 2-to-4 lane loop roadway was 3 miles. Located in the National Capital Region, Joint Base Andrews is home to the 89th Airlift Wing, which is responsible for worldwide special air mission airlift, logistics, and communications support for the president, vice president, cabinet members, combatant commanders, and other senior military and elected leaders. The master plan accounted for these and other ongoing missions while accommodating 2005 Base Realignment and Closure growth requirements. Atkins’ application of optimal planning principles to develop this general plan included the use of form-based code concepts; reuse of existing sites for future development; implementation of higher development densities to encourage use of transit; mixed-use and public-private development of the town center; and overall high-level sustainable planning.

Atkins provided a complete range of architecture-engineering design services for the design-build of three administration buildings and associated site work for the US Army’s first Warriors In Transition complex, located at Fort Riley, Kansas. This project involved the design-build of three one-story facilities, encompassing a total of 41,700 gross square feet (gsf): a battalion headquarters (8,100 gsf), a company operations headquarters (18,600 gsf), and a soldier and family assistance center (15,000 gsf). All three buildings were entirely designed by Atkins using building information modeling and were constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification standards.

The facilities contain offices, reception areas, conference rooms, corridors, restrooms, mechanical rooms, electrical rooms, and storage areas. The Innovation Challenge campaign looked to others within the energy sector to make the Hywind concept available in more markets around the world. The Hywind demonstrator was launched in 2009 as the world’s first full scale floating offshore wind demonstration unit, and a 30MW pilot park is planned for installation off the coast of Scotland in 2017, using five 6MW turbines. With plans for even bigger arrays of turbines in the future, Statoil launched the Installation Challenge to look at options to improve the Hywind turbines assembly and installation sequence to make the concept more cost efficient and available in more markets around the world. Atkins’ oil and gas teams in North America and the UK collaborated with the UK-based renewables team to develop a solution to this problem; using multiple turbines attached to a reusable transportation frame.

This reduced the draught of the structures, resulting in the following benefits: • The turbines can be towed at reduced draughts. This allows them to be assembled in regions where a deep water inshore location is not readily available, or where a deep water inshore location exists but the tow-out route is draught-restricted. • The draught of the turbines can be reduced, enabling assembly against a conventional quayside. This removes the requirement for offshore lifts, which offers potential for cost, schedule and safety gains. • Multiple turbines can be towed simultaneously, increasing transport efficiency by reducing the number of towing vessels required over a large farm development.

• Excellent motion characteristics (akin to a semi-submersible platform) reduce weather restrictions on towing and allow an increase in tow speed compared to towing single turbines. The project provides an excellent example of Atkins’ innovative thinking and experience of cutting edge technology, as well as how Atkins empowers its talented engineers to come up with ideas from scratch. The chosen designs are now undergoing further study to help mature the winning concepts. ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is the world's largest experimental nuclear fusion reactor in southern France which aims to deliver nuclear fusion on a commercial scale, offering safe, limitless and environmentally responsible energy.

ITER is the next step in one of the world's leading energy research programmes, and is bringing together the largest nations in a quest to harness nuclear fusion to meet mankind's future energy needs. Since 2010, Atkins has been architect engineer, in partnership with engineering giants Assystem, Egis and Empresarios Agrupados, as part of the Engage consortium.

The consortium is in charge of delivering 39 buildings and associated infrastructure for the ITER project, including the 50 x 200m Tokamak complex. The 200-strong integrated team of experts from our Energy and Infrastructure businesses are working together to ensure fusion experiments begin on schedule to help meet the challenge of not only decarbonising but also increasing the world's energy supply. Engage is responsible for supporting the procurement process and construction planning and supervision for the buildings including service and site infrastructure.

Atkins worked with SFWMD to forecast the total cost of keeping the system operational and within acceptable levels of risk. Through a phased approach, we began by documenting each asset with its associated lifetime cost—recognizing that many assets would be in need of repair or replacement at the same time in the next 20 to 30 years. As a result, we identified the need to optimize maintenance scheduling so costs could be spread out over time, while ensuring no assets were going too far beyond their projected lifespan. Anchored by a digital workbench developed in Excel, the second phase implemented a solution that allows managers to quickly load assets into Excel’s familiar table system.

The data is then used for modeling scenarios to optimize long-range life-cycle capital expenditures for existing and planned infrastructure. The workbench is linked to a central database and scenarios are published for the management team to review. By working with SFWMD staff and clearly identifying the level of detail needed for the results, a fully-reviewed system report was ready in four months.

The application was installed as a “living document” and is updated from the District’s inventory of record. This powerful set of tools allows SFWMD’s managers to understand risks and create consensus on management scenarios, while building confidence in proposed budgets to manage the system in the future.

Using this application, the SFWMD was able to demonstrate a need to increase its budget by roughly $20 million per year in order to operate and maintain its stormwater system at acceptable risk levels throughout the 21st century. As part of its focus on continually improving its people, processes and information, EDF recognised the need to gain a better understanding of its staff’s security awareness and training needs so that a specific programme could be developed to meet their continual learning requirement in this area. Atkins worked closely with the client for over three years providing professional advice, analysis and solutions through the full lifecycle of organisational learning and development. Horizon was particularly aware of the issues surrounding the UK approach to security of control and protection systems. Realising that it did not possess detailed knowledge of evolving best practice and regulatory requirements, our client wished to undertake a comprehensive review of relevant standards, guidance and approaches, as well the expectations of bodies that provided security advice.

Atkins was chosen to undertake this security standards review. Our work addressed UK best practice and other well established industry methods from around the world. Nuclear best practice was also discussed, including the US NRC 5.71 Regulatory Guide, which had already adopted international good practice, albeit through a very prescriptive implementation. We reviewed the best practice and standards utilised for securing Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and produced a comprehensive overview, assessment and recommendations on future practice. Our review included: The ISO/IEC 2 series: • ISA99 – Industrial Automation and Control System Security • IEC 62443 – Industrial Communication Networks Network and System Security • NIST SP 800-82 Guide to Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security • NRC Regulatory Guide 5.71 Cyber Security Programs for Nuclear Facilities. At the end of the comprehensive review, Atkins produced two briefing papers. The first of these covered ICS security best practice, emerging developments and a forward-looking strategy.

The second paper concentrated upon nuclear safety protection systems. The briefing papers, follow up presentations, and meetings provided Horizon with a detailed understanding of the security and safety practices which they then used to inform their strategic planning.

HE partnered with their Netherlands equivalent, Rijkswaterstaat (RWS), to help overcome their legacy system drawbacks. Both wished to develop a future operating model that delivered a modern and open technology platform and effective supply chain that would improve the resilience and efficiency of their road networks. Atkins were tasked with developing the security requirements for the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) operating model, and supporting its delivery through an open tender process to enable appropriate suppliers to provide the new solution. We worked in collaboration with HE and RWS, integrating our subject matter experts into the project team. This allowed us to agree a joint security approach which would took into account the different cultural, business, security and legislative concerns that the two partners faced.

By working closely with all stakeholders, we determined the existing operational structures, business goals and service requirements. We reviewed UK and Dutch security standards and Governmental requirements and negotiated a joint approach to meet these.

Finally, we developed a ‘to-be’ security operating model to meet business requirements for input into ‘Pre-qualification questionnaire’ (PQQ) and ‘Invitation to tender’ (ITT) contract phases and proposed and agreed approaches for the formal accreditation of ATMS. Our security-focused business systems analysis and requirements development led to a detailed set of building block deliverables at functional and technical levels.

These included the specific application, infrastructure, hosting and platform components. The completion of this project provided HE and RWS with a pragmatic and realistic view of the threat environment for information assets with a consistent, security framework clearly linked to the HE and RWS business drivers. This would be essential to inform the partners’ security activity and maximise any return on investment.

Ultimately, Highways England benefited from the delivery of an accreditable solution that aligns with UK Government best practice, as well as Highways. The client had found it difficult, expensive and disruptive to their programme portfolio to maintain and manage a pool of experienced security consultants with the necessary analysis and security artefact-creation skills required to support the accreditation decision. Due to the finite resource, deciding which projects would benefit most from the IA consultants’ skills was also proving challenging. As a result, there was a risk of critical systems either remaining unaccredited or being accredited on the basis of an inadequate risk assessment. We worked with the client to develop a new managed service approach to the provision of security that brought together all the necessary expertise into a single team.

Through the creation and implementation of a security catalogue, we provided key security and accreditation activities for the client. These covered business impact identification, risk assessment, threat and vulnerability analysis, and current and new service/system ‘as-is’ security reviews.

Also included were estate and system architecture advice and design, policy and standards gap analyses, and accreditation and risk management. In addition, our (previously CLAS) accredited security consultants provided specialist security support or management to particular projects over an extended period. Through the implementation of managed accreditor services we coached, mentored and trained the client’s junior accreditors.

This proved to increase the client’s capabilities in accreditation and developed the organisation’s information risk management maturity. Our managed security consultancy service provided specialist advice to the client that is now an embedded part of the enterprise architecture. Our specialist expertise was also applied to the client’s department-wide information assurance enhancement programme.

As a significant element of the IT estate was legacy, the key challenge our client faced was understanding where information assets were stored and processed. This knowledge gap meant that DWP was unable to properly quantify and understand their risk exposure to help develop effective mitigation strategies. DWP therefore approached Atkins to perform a threat and risk assessment of their IT estate, specifically looking at key information assets and how they were stored, accessed, transmitted and processed. Atkins worked closely with DWP across a four month programme to provide a snapshot threat, security risk, and maturity assessment of key information assets across the IT estate. We identified IT and business stakeholders for engagement and reviewed DWP security approaches, policies, procedures and IT architecture to obtain the wider IT estate view.

Quantitative and qualitative data was also collected on the shape of the IT estate through documentation reviews, workshops and interviews. This was then employed to identify the flow of data, potential threats and vulnerabilities. Finally, we identified key security risks and opportunities to reduce and mitigate these. We then developed strategic recommendations for the ownership and management of key information assets. As a result of this work, senior stakeholders obtained a quantified view of information asset risk across the DWP IT estate. Our threat assessment recognised what would make DWP an attractive target, as well as highlighting the key threat actors and the likely attack vectors.

Clear and concise prioritised expert guidance was also provided relating to information asset risk mitigation activities. This informed the creation of an IT estate risk mitigation strategy to determine which actions needed to be taken to reduce the level of risk based on the organisation's risk appetite. Without a clear and deep understanding of their current cyber posture, the client’s leadership team were unable to identify their risk exposure or to develop an effective strategy for cyber resilience. Atkins were selected to perform a cyber risk assessment to identify the key challenges, threats and risks to Government-provisioned services, broader critical national infrastructure and key economic activity. The review would need to establish a realistic picture of the client’s level of resilience and their capability to respond to a serious cyber-attack.

Working in collaboration with the client and key stakeholders, we developed a snapshot cyber threat and risk assessment. This provided a measurement of maturity assessment relating to their key assets. A series of sequenced and integrated work packages were also created. These focused on identifying Government and business stakeholders for engagement and reviewing existing security approaches, strategies and policies to obtain a wider national view. The work packages also involved collecting and analysing data on the state of the nation through events, workshops, interviews and reviews, and identifying key security threats, risks and opportunities to reduce risk and improve resilience.

As a result of the risk assessment activity, potential threats, attack vectors and vulnerabilities were also highlighted, along with identification of what would make the client an attractive target. Our client’s senior stakeholders obtained a realistic view of the maturity of their cyber defence, with key areas of weakness and strength identified across Government and business sectors. Clear and concise prioritised expert recommendations, based on the client’s technology, people and processes, were then provided to inform their mitigation strategy and improve their cyber resilience. The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) wished to commission collaborative research for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) into the relationship between people and cyber/ information assurance. Particular focus was required on the human and cultural issues relevant to risk and friction points associated with the design of policy and procedure. Atkins collaborated with University College London (UCL), bringing together industry, commercial and academic expertise to undertake this research.

A set of customised assessments were developed to be undertaken by MOD staff using a specialised tool. This helped to identify an individual’s security understanding within their working environment, to highlight skills and knowledge gaps and focus on behaviours that may pose a risk to security compliance. Through this research it was identified that current security practice reduces productivity by introducing rules that often create a conflict with the individual’s primary task and are consequently circumvented.

The work conducted represented new and innovative thinking leading to a number of achievable recommendations across the MOD. These would ultimately lead to a new paradigm in the way systems, policies and procedures were developed and implemented. Research outcomes of the identification of friction, and understanding of what is causing it, can also form the basis for a potentially lower friction solution that operators can comply with. The Wessal Bouregreg project is a visionary scheme to transform the cultural and social landscape of Morocco’s capital, Rabat. We designed the masterplan for this inner city site, as well as two of its most iconic buildings - the Library of National Archives of the Kingdom of Morocco, and the House of Arts and Culture - for Wessal Capital, an investment fund for tourism and real estate projects in the Kingdom of Morocco. The masterplan will create a new national cultural hub for Morocco, and will enhance Rabat’s position on the world stage as a destination to enjoy internationally important historic archives as well as new arts and cultural offerings.

The inspiration for the scheme began with an investigation into the rich cultural history of Morocco and its unique historic development of mathematical theories. Using a reinterpretation of the geometry of a traditional Moroccan mosaic tile as its inspiration, the masterplan delivers axes and views to key existing and future buildings, as well as to new cultural open spaces.

Both new buildings complement and reference the geometries of the masterplan, acknowledging their aspect in relation to Rabat’s most important existing historic buildings, the Hassan Tower and the Mohammed V Mausoleum and the new Zaha Hadid-designed National Theatre. They will also provide contemporary spaces that will reinvigorate the capital’s cultural and artistic scene, aligning with the Royal vision for “Rabat, the City of Light, the Moroccan Capital of Culture”.

The House of Arts and Culture will feature contemporary exhibition spaces, artists’ studios, and open plan areas for both professional artists and new younger talent from around the world. The Library of National Archives of the Kingdom of Morocco will showcase exhibitions on Morocco’s rich cultural history, as well as providing educational and training spaces.

This building will also contain classrooms, digital experiences and restoration laboratories, where Morocco’s precious archives will be restored, maintained, and displayed to the public. Richmond Education and Enterprise Campus is a 20,000sqm development featuring a new, state-of-the-art further education college, as well as a new free school, a special educational needs (SEN) school and a Technology Hub run by Haymarket Publishing. The regeneration of the existing site at Richmond-upon-Thames College will deliver an integrated, innovative education campus that brings together the best of industry with the best of teaching and learning. The first phase of building will make a strong, contemporary statement befitting its landmark position on an important gateway into London. It will deliver a variety of core curriculum spaces for business, creative and lifestyle disciplines, including e-enabled spaces for business incubation, innovation and collaboration with local businesses.

Our design proposals reflect the College’s vision for a high quality, contemporary and professional college; the central atrium design provides open, flexible and transparent learning environments to promote inclusivity and encourage collaboration and information exchange. The atrium contains a variety of flexible activity spaces that encourage self-directed and group learning styles, which in turn stimulate learner motivation and improve student performance. The second phase, a ‘hands-on’ STEM centre, will be available to 3,000 full-time students, providing digital technology, science, engineering and construction labs in addition to a dedicated sporting and fitness suite. Phased demolition of the existing college has begun on site to make way for the development. Our ‘decant and phasing’ strategy ensures the College remains open for business with minimal disruption to teachers and students throughout construction. TfL invited Atkins to tender for the Deep Tubes Programme Aerial Survey.

The specification requested as close to 2cm resolution imagery and survey accuracy as could be achieved, 2cm being a resolution which up until that point had not been possible from a fixed wing aircraft. Atkins developed the methodology that would deliver 2cm aerial imagery and +/-2cm survey accuracy. The Geomatics team won the contract and successfully captured aerial imagery for the Bakerloo Line, Central Line and parts of the Piccadilly Line at 2cm GSD (Ground Sampled Distance). Limehouse Viaduct is an early stock brick Grade II listed structure originally built to support the London to Blackwall Railway, serving the old docks of East London, and now carrying Docklands Light Railway system. The viaduct is punctuated by a number of flat metal deck spans which cross a network of public highways and watercourses. Due to the length of the viaduct structure and differing forms of construction, the project was divided into four packages. Package 1 was completed on time enabling the client to implement the tender process for the site works within the project time scales.

Packages 2, 3 & 4 are due to commence following completion of the Package 1 site works. Since 1989, Atkins has performed a wide range of projects at Port Miami. As program management consultant, we provided on-site marine structural engineering and project management expertise in support of the evaluation, design, engineering, and value engineering of over 5,200 linear feet of deep water combi-wall retrofit and strengthening work, designed to accommodate super post-panamax container vessels of up to 216,000 deadweight tonnage. The combi-wall system is comprised of steel pipe piles measuring up to 48 inches in diameter in combination with intermediate AZ sheet piles. The project included design of new 100- and 150-ton capacity mooring bollards as well as high-energy absorption foam-filled floating fenders. Recently, Atkins completed an in-depth surface and underwater inspection, condition assessment, and structural evaluation of the cruise ship berthing zone seawall located waterside of Cruise Terminal J.

The seawall was constructed in 1989 and is made up of 1,487 feet of steel sheet pile combi-wall. Atkins prepared a comprehensive inspection and condition assessment report that addressed the structural integrity aspects of the combi-wall and contained alternatives for long- and short-term repairs, an assessment of feasible restoration methods, and replacement alternative design. Atkins also provided construction engineering and inspection (CEI) services for 6,000 linear feet of active cargo wharves including 800 linear feet of pile-supported mooring dolphins. Atkins self-performed underwater inspection services for a new sheet pile wall in 45 feet of water and oversaw relocation of more than 150 healthy corals from the existing seawall to an on-port recipient area. Atkins has completed the flood control master plan updates for the Las Vegas Valley since 1997 (consultant-led updates).

Individual flood control plans must be reviewed every five years, and the master plan must be continuously updated to assess progress, identify obstacles, and to recommend changes needed due to growth and development of the area. Over time, the master plan has evolved into a technical tool for guiding local governmental agencies and private consultants in the development of both public and private property. The master plan update process includes data collection, updating land use data, determining hydrologic modeling parameters using GIS capabilities, updating hydrologic models, updating the flood control facilities inventory in a GIS geodatabase, making master plan facility recommendations, and estimating facility construction costs. To support this process, Atkins developed a hydrologic model of over 1,500 square miles, which defines accurate 100-year peak flows and volumes for the entire valley. Atkins also developed a relational geodatabase to represent valley watersheds and associated regional flood control facilities, serving as the foundation for associated modeling efforts.

A custom suite of GIS tools was also developed to facilitate the continuous update/maintenance of the master plan. In addition, an automated cost estimation tool was created to predict the future cost of flood control facilities for more accurate forecasting and planning. The tool summarizes the costs of all facilities in the region, keeping track of the value of flood control infrastructure—helping our client best plan for and provide effective flood controls. © Jeffreyjcoleman Dreamstime.com. As part of our commitment to support the Risk MAP program, Atkins developed Floodmap Desktop (FMD), the only publicly available digital flood insurance rate map (DFIRM) software on the market. FMD enables users to create discovery maps, flood hazard profiles, flood risk reports and databases, quality control reports, and flood insurance studies. Automated and flexible data processing capabilities allows users to access, develop, compile and report on floodplain data easily and efficiently.

FMD can be licensed as a single standalone license or floating server license(s) for maximum project efficiency. FMD includes enhanced quality checks to verify all data meets FEMA quality control requirements, and contains topological rules to ensure the database feature classes are topologically correct. Help desk support is also included, as are software updates with a yearly license. With FloodMap Desktop, users have a simple, quick, and effective tool to complete DFIRM tasks and Risk MAP projects. For more information or to download a trial version, please visit. With storm and flood damage creating chaos and headline news across the UK, it is crucial that we not only repair the damage, but protect ourselves against future occurrences.

Atkins has been appointed to design a replacement for the 30 year old sea wall in Morecambe. The wall will be constructed in three stages, with the first part currently under way. The project compromises a new one metre high wall, over 1.8 kilometres in length and once complete it will protect 13,000 properties in this Lancashire coastal resort. The wall will feature motifs reflecting local personalities, stories and references to flora and fauna.

It has been designed to be robust as well as being beautiful in design and has been sloped back on the seaward side to give the impression of a wider promenade space. New surfacing, lighting and furniture will also enhance the promenade for residents, visitors and all users of this high profile seafront commission.

The Le Tour Way development in York provides large and spacious sustainable homes split 50/50 for council houses and homes for sale on the private market. We designed the properties in response to feedback from residents on previous schemes, and all of the homes are built to ‘Lifetime Homes’ standards, which allows residents to stay in their homes longer and make adaptations at lower cost. Low water fittings and appliances, as well as rainwater collection for irrigation and flushing of WCs, help to minimise water use. Each home and apartment has individual facilities for recycling.

As a result of the integrated design approach, the properties are inexpensive to run whilst minimising the impact on the environment. The design of the development strived to achieve ‘Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4’, meaning energy use was minimised through passive design before incorporating low and zero carbon technologies. We provided multidiscipline services for the development, including architecture, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering, landscaping, masterplanning, project management and code for sustainable homes assessment. The five year agreement covered the provision of engineering and design services, drawing on a range of Atkins’ expertise across a number of disciplines in subsea, structures, pressure systems and environmental feasibility studies. The agreement applies to any fields Centrica decides to decommission in the UK or Netherlands during the contract period, including the Rose and Stamford fields. The agreement also helped to strengthen Atkins’ existing relationship with Centrica, continuing the partnership in providing structural and subsea integrity services for Centrica’s offshore assets, ensuring the work is completed as safely as possible and in an environmentally friendly way.

As more oil and gas infrastructure begins to reach the end of its design life, multi-industry expertise and decommissioning experience from the nuclear sector, as well as the oil and gas industry, has become an important differentiator for Atkins in winning work. We have been active in decommissioning for over 15 years, and as one of the leading experts in the field we have worked on some major projects including decommissioning for BP Thistle, Miller and North West Hutton, Fairfield Dunlin, Shell Brent D and TOTAL E&P UK’s subsea systems amongst others. In 2012, the Canadian government (which until that point owned the sites) decided to transform the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories from an Owner/Operator model to a Government Owned Contractor Operated (GoCo) concept in a similar fashion to how the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) appointed contractors to transform the clean-up and waste management program in the United Kingdom. CNEA won an international competition in 2015 for CNL, which represents the entire Government of Canada nuclear estate, with the 10-year contract worth around C$7 billion.

Atkins is honored to be part of the team assisting Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), a federal Crown corporation responsible for the long-term, contractual arrangement with CNEA for the management and operation of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. Chalk River The main Canadian Nuclear Laboratories site is located at Chalk River, Ontario, about 180km north of Ottawa. The Chalk River site is the home of the remaining operating nuclear reactor, nuclear operations to support medical isotope production, a diverse science and technology group, and an organization focused on environmental remediation and decommissioning.

Governance for the contract is executed through the CNEA Board of Directors, while operational oversight is provided by the CNL Board of Directors which is chaired by Mark Morant, president of Atkins’ Energy Americas business. Atkins and its partners has seconded employees in key executive and management positions at CNL. The Atkins team deployed on contract include six employees working at Chalk River and at a reactor decommissioning site north west of Chalk River called Nuclear Production Demonstrator (NPD). Patrick Daly, senior VP decommissioning projects in Atkins' Energy Americas business, is the project manager for the NPD site which is one of two sites that CNEA is contracted to decommission and close. The NPD site, located about 20 miles up the Ottawa River from Chalk River, is the location of Canada’s first nuclear electrical production reactor which operated from 1962 to 1987.

For 25 years the 20MW site served as an important training facility for future reactor engineers and operators. Now in the process of decommissioning, Atkins’ team is also leading this closure project.

The site is scheduled to be closed and fully decommissioned by 2020 and it will be the first nuclear facility to be fully decommissioned in Canada. There are four Atkins employees working on this team including Patrick Daly, Todd Butz, Brain Wood, and Joel Zarret. As part of the CNEA team, Atkins employees Jim Buckley and Andy Drom are senior managers within the Decommissioning and Waste Management Organization focused on legacy nuclear waste management including the design, build, and licensing of Canada’s first low level nuclear disposal facility.

The facility project called Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) will allow for the accelerated decommissioning of many older structures and waste storage facilities located at Chalk River once it is completed, and was a critical part of the winning strategy that Atkins staff developed for CNEA. Once implemented, the NSDF will significantly and safely reduce Canada’s legacy nuclear waste liabilities whilst also protecting the environment.

A formal Environmental Assessment has started and is part of the licensing process needed to obtain approval for construction and operation. Other Atkins personnel include Ken Powers who is supporting the CNL Engineering Manager part time as a mentor and advisor. Ken brings many years of nuclear operational and decommissioning experience both in the UK and USA to Chalk River. Whiteshell Laboratories, Manitoba Supporting CNL in Manitoba at the Whiteshell Laboratory closure project is Atkins employee Miles Smith, who is senior nuclear waste operations manager for the entire site, with the objective of closing the site and disposing all waste streams by 2025. The Whiteshell Laboratories, a former research centre for the Canadian nuclear industry, has been closed since 2010, and the decommissioning of the WR-1 reactor is soon to get underway.

After 28 years, CNL team gets a look inside the NPD vault Reprinted with permission of CNL Corporate Communications In 1988, Wayne Gretzky was traded from Edmonton to Los Angeles; the Winter Olympics were held in Calgary; and, Prime Minister Mulroney got re-elected with a majority largely on a free trade mandate. In the Ottawa Valley, just down the road from Rolphton, the Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) site was being closed after almost 30 years of safe and successful operation. In this same year a reading was taken with a radiation monitor located through a plug hole in the NPD reactor vault.

This was the last recorded reading taken in that location, and 1988 would be the last year anyone would look down into the vault. For almost 30 years, areas of the NPD reactor vault have been sealed off behind walls of nine foot thick heavy concrete and re-bar, with a vault liner made of carbon steel.

Based off of those last recordings in 1988 and a selection of historical photos, experts have only surmised what the conditions might be like behind those walls. Until now atkins0227 Today the NPD site is on an accelerated decommissioning schedule that includes the in-situ decommissioning of the reactor. To accomplish decommissioning through this approach, extensive characterization of the site -including the reactor vault itself -will be completed. As an early step in characterization of the vault, the NPD Closure Project team engaged CNL’s Mechanical Equipment Development (MED) group to help brainstorm solutions and develop remote tooling to get the information the project requires. The team needed to figure out a way to core through nine feet of heavy concrete, avoid the many obstructions, and continue through the vault liner and the dousing tank. When the coring area was chosen, precision drilling was necessary to avoid an active drain line (0.7 inches away), vertical rebar, and the vertical section of the dousing tank nine feet below.

For characterisation purposes, the project was tasked with retrieving coupons of the vault liner and the dousing tank along with seven separate concrete core samples. The team also had to develop inspection instruments that could be inserted down the cored hole and complete the preliminary characterization tasks required inside the vault.

A six-inch diameter hole was produced in the concrete slab separating the NPD Fuelling Machine Room and the Reactor Vault Room using an off-the-shelf drill that cut through to the vault, creating seven individual cores for inspection. Using a CNL-modified bit, the MED team retrieved the two metal coupons necessary for characterization. Throughout the coring, water was used to cool the bit, prevent sparking, and keep down dust.

Reducing the amount of contaminated water was paramount, so the team developed a system that conserved the amount of water used by reusing it and allowing contaminants to settle. After the core was successfully drilled, the inspection process began; this required more unique tooling. The characterisation and inspection equipment included a camera, a 3D probe (mapping system), a dose rate meter, and a spectrometer. Everything but the spectrometer was affixed to an aluminium tube that was lowered in the hole and took readings at several points (the spectrometer was delivered separately). The radiation and contamination levels encountered throughout the work were much lower than expected. The measured fixed radiation and loose contamination on the first six cores was practically zero. The background radiation level in the fuelling machine room was approximately 0.25 mrem/hr.

Only the bottom end of the last core section (seventh core) had a radiation level that was slightly higher than the background. The measured dose rate within the reactor vault, just less than 13 ft away from the front of the reactor face, was 80 to 90 mrem/hr, and didn’t seem to change much with vertical positioning. After all the work was completed, a shielding plug was placed over the hole. The overall project was led by Robby Baidwan with support from the NPD Closure Team.

Mitch King was the Technical Lead for Coring Operations, Paul Rochefort the Technical Lead for Inspection and Andrew McVeigh the Health Physicist. Like Gretzky said after winning the Stanley Cup, it was an entire team effort.

The NPD Closure team and technical leads want to recognize and thank the many team members involved in this effort. The primary tools for controlling and treating stormwater are referred to as stormwater best management practices (BMPs).

BMPs include features such as detention ponds, rain gardens, and swales, which slow and treat stormwater as it moves through the system, helping to reduce flood risk during storms and also improve water quality. To help the city decide where BMPs should be placed for the best results, Atkins worked with Bonita Springs to develop the BMP Assessment Tool (BAT). The tool allows the city to simulate various scenarios for placing BMPs throughout the stormwater drainage system. Using a rainfall/runoff algorithm, the tool estimates pollutant loads across the network for each scenario, supporting informed decision-making on which BMPs to implement and where to place them. A challenge in evaluating pollutant levels is estimating the amount of directly connected impervious areas (DCIA) in a community.

These areas include buildings, driveways, parking lots, and roads that contribute to high concentrations of pollution. Traditionally, the way to accurately estimate DCIA is to use aerial imagery—an expensive and labor-intensive process many communities cannot afford. The BAT uses a new process of “virtualizing” DCIA by interpreting available road and parcel databases to simulate its likely location, producing a more accurate (and less costly) estimate of DCIA than traditional land use-based methods. By creating what-if scenarios, based on existing conditions and proposed BMP plans, the city was able to reach consensus on their citywide BMP plan. The plan includes a new multi-million dollar park project, which will improve recreation while helping the city reach, their total nitrogen TMDL goals. Rather than repair and maintain the refuge in its existing form (an artificial freshwater habitat), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service determined the best solution was to return the habitat back to its original state as a salt/brackish marsh.

Before active management, the refuge was diked and managed into four freshwater impoundments that cover more than 10,000 acres. Atkins identified sustainable solutions by addressing the necessary repairs and developed the steps necessary to allow the refuge to revert to a salt and brackish marsh. We generated a hydrodynamic and numerical model of the refuge and the adjacent bay region using Delft3D modeling software to account for the effects of tides, wind, waves, and the mixing of fresh and salt water. Our staff of technical, scientific, and industry experts conceived a design that incorporated existing features with new ones in a way that balanced theory and constructability.

This project led to the creation of an established Atkins model for habitat restoration and flood-proofing for coastal developments facing sea level rise. By incorporating sustainable design into natural and manmade features, such as conveyance channels, this model is a “next-step” approach to basic marsh-fill designs and may provide resource benefits to recent re-nourishment projects along the gulf coast. The refuge’s design serves as a model for effective management of coastal erosion from sea level rise—applicable to many other areas along the U.S. The project received the 2016 Environmental Excellence Silver Award from the World Organization of Dredging Associations (WODA) in its environmental dredging category..

The Rocky Mountain Greenway connects three Denver metro area National Wildlife Refuges with a continuous trail system between the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Two Ponds, and Rocky Flats in the northwest Denver metro area. The project is part of a larger vision, the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, which seeks to reconnect Americans with the country’s natural resources.

The Rocky Mountain Greenway was first announced in 2011 by Colorado Governor Hickenlooper and then‐Interior Secretary Salazar to close gaps in existing trail networks and develop new trails. To support this project, Atkins coordinated across numerous jurisdictions and agencies.

We completed feasibility studies to identify the best options to connect the wildlife refuges and extend Denver’s existing greenway trail network and prepared preliminary cost estimates to aid in prioritizing projects and developing improvement packages. Atkins also provided final design and completed National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements for the seven-mile portion of trail spanning Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge in Arvada and the Great Western Open Space in Broomfield. The trail system is expected to extend to Rocky Mountain National Park in the future, creating an 80-mile long continuous route. The completed trail network would link thousands of acres of public lands together, connecting metropolitan residents to the vast natural areas surrounding them—passing through more than 10 municipalities, six counties, and four federal land areas. A grand opening ceremony for the completion of the continuous 25‐mile stretch between the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and the southeastern portion of Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge took place in June 2016. Additional feasibility studies will be completed in 2016 to extend the trail further north into Boulder County. In 2008, the U.S.

Army Corp of Engineers authorized the construction of ten new modular barrack facilities at two separate sites for U.S. Military personnel at the base.

As the designer of record, we provided architectural-engineering services for the design-build of the barracks, as well as associated site/civil engineering and design for a masonry pump house and water storage tank at each site, sanitary system, site utilities, and drainage systems. An exercise in reuse, the relocatable barracks were constructed using steel shipping containers, the type most often found at ports around the world.

Each two-story barrack provides 10,301 square-feet (sf) of space, for a project total of 103,010 sf. The barracks include 18 occupancy units per floor, two latrines with two showers, two mechanical rooms, one electrical/storage room and one janitor’s closet. Brought into the project at roughly the 35 percent design phase and after start of construction at one of the two sites, the project presented a number of design challenges, all of which were successfully met in less than three months. The project had a highly aggressive construction schedule, was sited in an active war zone, and every design detail and material specified had to consider the products available and skill level of the local labor force. To effectively deliver the project, Atkins self-performed architecture, interiors, structural, civil, MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing), HVAC, and telecommunications, as well as life/fire safety and suppression. After usage by U.S. Military personnel, the barracks will eventually be turned over to the Afghanis to house police and security operations.

This two-berth cruise terminal on the north coast of the Dominican Republic is capable of accommodating up to two post-Panamax cruise vessels, which translates to roughly 10,000 visitors a day. Carnival Corporation estimates eight of its brands will make 140 calls on the port, with 23 ships throughout its first year of operation. In addition to planning, landscape design, architecture, and engineering services for Amber Cove’s structures and amenities, we also designed roadways and the transportation hub that helps visitors take onshore excursions and explore outlying points of interest. The development also includes hillside waterslides overlooking the 5-acre pool/lazy river recreation area, a zipline, a series of shops and restaurants, a destination duty-free shop, and a hilltop food and beverage establishment with a 360-degree ramp access from below.

Echoing the culture and existing architecture in the area, we incorporated modern interpretations of historical periods of significance for the Puerto Plata province. Visitors perusing the 25-acre waterfront development will enjoy an architectural nod to the fortified 16th century, classical-colonial 18th century, and Victorian late 19th century in 25 buildings and multiple landscapes. Atkins also incorporated features that promote self-sufficiency and sustainability including rooftop rainwater harvesting, seawater desalination, a wastewater treatment plant to minimize environmental impacts, and backup generators to ensure uninterrupted utility service. The 450-foot long pier sits within a highly visible, narrow manmade navigational channel between Miami Beach and Fisher Island.

The channel is the main entrance to PortMiami, the world’s leading cruise port and Florida’s largest container port. Approximately 20 million vacationing passengers travel through the channel to vacation destinations such as, Bahamas, Caribbean, and Mexico. Because of the high visibility of the pier, it was important to honor local aesthetics. Atkins carefully considered every facet of the pier’s redesign.

338-feet of designated fishing areas were incorporated. Durable concrete benches and two canopy structures were installed. Aluminum bar grading covers the pier’s subfloor and is topped with Ipe wood in South Pointe’s signature honeycomb pattern. Protecting the local sea life was also a priority. Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)-approved, turtle friendly lighting was used throughout the pier to minimize impacts on hatching sea turtles. To protect corals and water quality, Atkins prepared an Avoidance and Minimization Plan (AMP), which served as a guide for the construction contractor to address construction impacts. Corals were relocated to an artificial reef recipient site west of the pier.

29 coral-encrusted rock boulders within the project footprint were also relocated to the same site. Potential water quality impacts were addressed in a turbidity monitoring plan. Complex environmental conditions required permitting approvals from multiple agencies. Land and water rights, held by the City, state, and federal government, had to be updated prior to construction. Atkins used its longstanding relationships and experience with regulatory agencies to ensure all requirements were met. In August of 2014, the City of Miami Beach officially reopened the pier to the public and it was commemorated with a series of free events that included art displays, giveaways, and refreshments.

Today, the Pier remains a vibrant attraction for artists, joggers, and fishing enthusiasts. As the only above ground station in Crossrail’s central section, Custom House provides an important connection for London commuters.

A joint team from Atkins, Arup, Allies & Morrison, Crossrail and Laing O’Rourke collaborated to develop the striking design for the station, creating a beacon for both Crossrail and the community. This had to work around a number of constraints at the development, including a very narrow site; existing utilities; existing DLR remaining fully operational throughout construction; a busy footpath and congested Victoria Dock Road; and a public right of way. Our strategy for the construction of Custom House included pre-fabricated and standardised components, with a ‘kit of parts’ forming the platforms, columns, concourse slab and roof. This unusual and innovative approach had a number of advantages. It minimised work on site that, in turn, drove down the programme time, preliminary costs and the impact on the local community. Off-site manufacture required fewer deliveries and vehicle movements around the site, reducing traffic, noise and effects on air quality. By shifting construction activity from site to factory working conditions were improved and health and safety risks reduced. The more controlled conditions of the factory also ensure more consistent and higher-quality production.

The development of a pre-cast concrete solution brought other benefits to the construction phase, allowing swifter installation by gantry crane of repetitious units, a benefit made more acute by the proximity of live overhead power cables and the restriction this imposed on the construction sequence. Once opened the station will welcome regional and international visitors to London’s largest conference centre, ExCel London, and create an important transport interchange for the Elizabeth line, DLR and local buses. It will also provide a focus for the regeneration of the local area, the London Borough of Newham. All images © Crossrail. Cambridge North Station will create a new gateway to Cambridge and its northern fringes. The development is expected to serve over 3,000 passengers per day, and forms a key piece of Cambridgeshire’s transport infrastructure. The new station will alleviate congestion in the city centre and open up access to Cambridge Science Park and several major new developments to the north of Cambridge.

Through consultation and collaboration with Cambridgeshire County Council the Atkins design team created a piece of functional rail infrastructure, benchmarked for cost against other similar developments, which was also a piece of architecture specific to Cambridge and the high tech industries it would be helping to serve. The route through Cambridge North is clear and direct with constant views of the passenger destination. This allows the building to declutter itself of signage. Natural light is also used as part of the wayfinding strategy, with both top light and large format windows lighting key areas of the station and providing visual reminders to passengers of their route.

The form of the building is a distillation of the porte-cochaire of Cambridge Station wrapped in three equal bands of aluminium panels, which are perforated with a system of cellular automata, creating a harmonic relationship with the scientific research and industry of the Cambridge Colleges and nearby Science Park. These beautiful, delicate panels ensure passive security to ground floor glazed areas, assist with wayfinding while crossing the footbridge and allow the building to transform its appearance between day and night through sensitive backlighting. By bringing out elements of its local history and surrounding businesses, the station is unique to Cambridge – a truly bespoke, tailored design for both client and community.

In 2009, the NJTA approved a massive widening program for a 50-mile section of the parkway to achieve a 50 percent increase in capacity. Atkins served as program manager for widening activities from interchange 48 to 63 (phase 2) and the structure and drainage improvement projects for future widening at interchanges 30 and 48 (phase 3). Over the course of the project, we coordinated the efforts of more than 1,000 professionals to successfully de sign nearly $200 million worth of improvements to the existing highway while maintaining traffic flow. The p rogram’s scope included design and construction of a third lane to the northbound and southbound Parkway, widening of shoulders, mainline and local road bridge widening and replacement, existing drainage system replacement, and safety improvements such as roadway lighting, guide sign replacement, storm water management basins, and relocation of utilities. The historic tollway, originally constructed in the late 1950’s, helped usher in a new wave of economic and residential development along the Jersey shore. Through continued investment and improvements, it remains a vital link from the New York state line to the southern tip of New Jersey. The project was recognized by the Project Management Institute (PMI) of New Jersey as 2015 Project of the Year and received the 2016 ACEC New Jersey’s Engineering Excellence Award.

To reduce the risk of flash flooding in downtown Las Vegas, Atkins provided engineering design services for a 5-mile storm drain system serving the city’s central regions. The system starts at the intersection of Sahara Avenue and Decatur Boulevard, about 5 miles northwest of the famous Las Vegas Strip, ending at the Oakey Meadows detention basin near Springs Preserve. Atkins designed 15,000 feet of storm drain conveyance, an additional 5,000 feet of storm drain collection facilities and 1,600 feet of concrete open channel, capable of conveying up to 4,772 cubic feet per second (cfs) to the basin. The storm drain will provide enhanced flood protection for buildings and street intersections along the system’s route, in particular the flood-prone intersections along Decatur Boulevard. The system is one of about 20 flood control projects being developed by the Clark County Regional Flood Control District, including channels, underground diversion tunnels, and detention basins. Due to the magnitude of construction, the project was split into four phases to divide the construction up into manageable sections.

The project includes reinforced concrete box culverts ranging in size from 12 by 5 feet to 23 by 8 feet; rectangular reinforced concrete channel up to 45 feet wide and 10 feet deep; reinforced concrete pipes; storm drain drop inlets; junction manholes; transition structures; pavement renewal and replacement along the storm drain corridor, and a confluence structure for the Alta Channel and Oakey Meadows storm drain. In order to understand what happens to nuclear reactor graphite outside of the original design life of the AGR, EDF Energy established Project Blackstone, in partnership with Atkins, NRG and Frazer-Nash Consultancy, which aimed to simulate accelerated ageing of reactor graphite. In an experiment that has never been attempted before, ageing of the graphite has been accelerated (at a rate approximately 5-10 times faster than normal) in order to extend the existing graphite properties database for future AGR operation and better understand the safe operating envelope. This knowledge is strategically important for the future provision of energy in the UK. The reactor’s graphite core plays an essential role in the safe operation of an AGR, ensuring unimpeded movement of fuel and control rods under all operating and fault conditions. The graphite core is critical to the operating lifetime of the AGR as it cannot be repaired or replaced. In order to ensure safe operation the structural integrity and dimensional stability of the graphite blocks comprising the reactor core must be assessed, understood and maintained.

Graphite bricks suffer from weight loss due to oxidation in the atmosphere of the reactor which is heavy with carbon dioxide. Graphite must still be able to perform its role despite any degradation. Prior to this experiment there had been a gap in data which limited the accurate prediction of future behaviour of the core and, therefore, life extension. The process carried out in the experiment involved neutron irradiation at the correct temperature combined with simultaneous radiolytic oxidation (which results in weight loss from the graphite leading to internal porosity and reduction in strength). The samples of graphite were examined and analysed before and after the irradiation process, providing the extension of the database.

The works were predominately undertaken to the bridge’s heavily eroded ornate masonry parapets in the interest of ensuring public safety. Due to the importance of the structure to the town both as an amenity and as part of its heritage, the bridge’s architectural features were also restored as part of the scheme. Staff from Atkins/Waterman, who were seconded into Warwickshire County Council’s Bridge Maintenance Team on the west midlands highways alliance professional services framework, recently completed the repair and restoration of the historic Grade II Listed Willes Road Bridge in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. The three span masonry arch bridge provides one of only three routes over the River Leam, linking the south of the town to its centre and so is a vital and heavily trafficked piece of infrastructure.

The structure’s parapets were found to be in a poor condition during a routine bridge inspection with unstable and heavily weathered masonry. Some of the 300mm thick masonry blocks in the parapet were found to have eroded away entirely and so provided little protection for errant vehicles. A scheme was devised and implemented to repair the masonry parapets to ensure the safety of road users passing over the bridge. Due to the structure’s importance in respect to the town’s heritage, it was decided to also restore its architectural features. Extensive research was undertaken to determine the original appearance of the bridge’s original architectural features which included working with the District Council’s Conservation Officers and a local historical society. The source of the original stonework was also researched to ensure any replacements would match existing and satisfy the Conservation Officer’s requirements. The original, less weathered stonework was reused where possible to minimise waste and the environmental impacts of quarrying and transportation.

The proposals also included replacing the original falcons that adorned the central parapet pedestals but it was not possible to use the original bronze falcons due to the risk of theft. A specialist supplier was sourced to create replicas of falcons in cold cast resin to match the originals and listed building consent sought for the change in material.

The B4099 Willes Road is a key arterial route into Royal Leamington Spa’s town centre and the only alternative route uses the Parade (Leamington’s high street). Minimising traffic disruption over the lengthy construction programme was therefore a priority and the project team worked closely with the Principal Contractor, stone masons and scaffolding sub-contractor to design a safe method of working that allowed uninterrupted two way traffic to pass the works and also have the required working room and safety zones. Due to the Grade II Listed status of the structure it was not possible to provide a fully compliant parapet to an N2 containment standard. However, the parapets were assessed as being low risk in accordance with the Department for Transport’s latest guidance on masonry parapets for highway structures and replacing the eroded sections provides the maximum possible level of vehicle containment. The works were completed within the original programme of five months and the original budget for design, supervision and construction of £140,000. The scheme also received positive feedback from the local press, residents, Councillors and members of the local historical society.

The bridge will now continue to provide safe access over the River Leam for all road users and the restoration of its architectural features has enhanced an important part of the town’s heritage as well as the local aesthetic. We are currently working on a portfolio of projects, including a new £22m landmark building to provide specialist facilities for two of the university’s internationally renowned facilities – the Faculty of Media and Communication and the Faculty of Science and Technology. The project, which we won through a design competition, is known as the Poole Gateway Fusion Building and will form a new visual gateway to the University’s Talbot Campus and its parkland setting. The Gateway Building will house state of the art facilities on a series of tiered floors, including many multimedia areas, each with acoustically and visually sensitive spaces. These facilities include: TV and film studios, audio editing, media production spaces, green screen and motion capture suites, and animation studios. We are also leading the design of a £40m academic building, which will provide a new home for the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, as well as wider services to support the implementation of the University’s development masterplan.

This includes: space planning of existing buildings, landscaping, infrastructure (road and transport interchanges), and facilities management overview. Plymouth History Centre will transform the city’s current museum, art gallery, library and adjacent church into a cutting-edge, interactive history centre three times its existing size. Scheduled to open in 2020 – in time for the 400th anniversary celebrations of the Mayflower ship setting sail from Plymouth to America – the Plymouth History Centre will provide a new home for the city's fascinating and vast historic collections. Our designs feature a cantilevered 'floating' box above the heart of the Centre. This contains the museum’s historic archive, clad externally in four finishes of panel – from reflective to photo-chromatic finish – subtly mixed and graded over the elevations to represent pages telling the many stories the archive holds. Working with exhibition designers, we’re converting the existing buildings into 3,500sqm of interactive and fun exhibition spaces, as well as large-scale permanent galleries and spaces for local and national touring exhibitions.

Urban designers, landscape architects and highway engineers are also designing a new pedestrianised public piazza with space for events and street entertainment and high quality food outlets. The new vibrant History Centre will attract visitors to Plymouth, furthering local economic vitality. The History Centre will also be a hub for education and learning, enabling children and communities to develop the skills and knowledge needed for a successful future. Our refurbishment of the Grade A listed building dramatically transformed the appearance and facilities of the station ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Working closely with Network Rail, we created a design to improve the quality of experience of the 38 million people who pass through the station each year. Working within a tight timeframe, our team transformed the station’s main entrances from Union Street, the low level station and the main concourse washrooms in time for the Games.

Their design pays homage to the station’s original environment by introducing tall, delicate archway structures and large format gates which feature ornate metal work echoing times gone. Previously, there had been an over-reliance on complex signage within the station and there was a desire to simplify the passenger journey and communicate important gateways from a distance through material and form.

Although significant in scale, the new arch and gateways are elegantly proportioned and delicately perforated, and laser cut steel plates help belie their structural weight. The significance of secondary access to Union Street was also intensified through the introduction of large format porcelain tiles which create a dialogue with the ashlar sandstone and granite of the original building. The large format gates, like the archway, feature ornate metalwork based on the motifs and symbols found in the original station environment. In April 2016, Atkins, as part of a joint venture with CH2M and SENER, was appointed as the Engineering Delivery Partner (EDP) for Phase One of HS2. This role is valued at £250-350 million and will run through to the commissioning of Phase One in 2026.

The EDP is currently supporting the evaluation of the tenders for the main works' civils contracts, with construction commencing in 2017 following Royal Assent. The EDP is required to provide engineering and environmental services to support HS2 Ltd in the coordination, integration and control of engineering and environmental design, development, design assurance, construction, testing and commissioning, and other ancillary services across Civil Engineering, Rail System Engineering, Stations, Depots, Control Systems and Architecture. This includes the provision of project engineering and environmental resources to supplement the HS2 team, including subject matter experts to support technical assurance and design. Atkins has worked for HS2 Ltd for the past four years. Having won a place on the Professional Services Consultants (PSC) framework for Phase One (London to Birmingham and Staffordshire), in April 2012 we secured the lead engineering role for the 90-kilometres long Country South section of HS2 (from the M25 to the Warwickshire border) and the lead environmental role for the 70-kilometres long Country North section (from the Warwickshire border to Handsacre in Staffordshire). Atkins has been responsible for preparing Hybrid Bill submissions and for supporting the Hybrid Bill process through the Houses of Commons and Lords Parliamentary Select Committees. Atkins developed and is now implementing the BIM strategy for HS2.

Atkins-Waterman was successfully appointed as the designer in August 2013 with a core Atkins design team co-located in Coventry City Council's offices, along with an Assistant Project Manager seconded into Coventry City Council from Waterman. Complex multi-stakeholder management, including balancing developer, council, public and business and transport requirements during construction and in the final project.

The core team was supported by designers from Atkins’ offices, ensuring the best people were used on the scheme. Through effective collaboration between Atkins-Waterman, the client (Coventry City Council) and the Contractor (Costain), the scheme was delivered on time and within budget. The road was opened under substantial completion in May 2015. To enable delivery, regularly collaborative programme workshops were carried out to develop a lean design and construction programme, prioritising critical elements such as steel beams which had long fabrication lead in times. Weekly progress meetings supplemented with Daily Lean meetings were held to highlight key activities and actions.

Alongside this, risk workshops were held to manage project risks and reviewed on a monthly basis. Safety was fundamental to our design, incorporating design features t.