Around 90 companies were shortlisted from over 250 businesses which entered the Scottish Business Awards 2011.

Our nomination is centered on the innovative building techniques used at 3R’s and IOW – precast concrete sandwich panels, delta beam and hollow core floor slabs, glulam timber structure with pre-manufactured roof and wall cassettes and environment led designs.

Additional to the Business Innovation of the Year Award there are 11 other categories of award, namely New Business of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year, The Corporate Social Responsibility, The Marketing Strategy of the Year, New Product of the Year, Green Business of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Customer Focus, Employer of the Year, Growth Strategy of the Year and Outstanding Contribution to Scottish Business.

The Scottish Business Awards aims to recognise excellence in Scottish Business, and particularly looks to celebrate those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses in Scotland.

Being with Pihl UK Ltd since the company was established as a subsidiary of the Danish contracting company E. Pihl & Son A.S. in 2007, Director of Pihl UK Ltd Aird Buist said “Pihl UK has been around for a relatively short period and it’s really an honour to be nominated as one of the finalists in Scotland’s biggest cross industry business awards and be recognised as one of the top 90 companies in Scotland.  This really shows the contribution and efforts from all the staff over the last 4 years”
 
This prestigious awards ceremony will be hosted by Angus Deaton, Key Note Speech will be delivered by Sir Bob Geldof and supported by prominent celebrities, comedians, business figures and politicians who will be presenting awards over the evening.

The winner will be announced at an event ceremony held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on 23 February 23 2012, when the chair of the judging panel, Duncan Bannatyne OBE, one of Britain's most famous entrepreneurs, will reveal the winning business.

For Further information, please contact:
Tara Stephen, Business Support Manager
Pihl UK Ltd
20 Queens Road
Aberdeen
AB15 4ZT

E-mail: tas@pihl-uk.com
Tel: 01224 562400
Fax: 01224 562401

The building is designed by Danish architects schmidt hammer lassen and constructed by main contractor Pihl UK Ltd. a subsidiary of Danish contractor E. Pihl & Son A.S.

Read more about the new library

September 13, 2011

More than 100 elephants will invade Copenhagen this summer between 1 June and 25 August! The elephants are ‘art elephants’, and E. Pihl & Son A.S. has donated and cast the concrete foundations which ensure that the elephants stand firm in the streets of Copenhagen.

The elephants are decorated by a number of renowned artists and will be sold by auction after the exhibition. The surplus will be given to the support organisation for the Asian elephant, which is in grave danger of extinction.

The opening of the Elephant Parade Copenhagen takes place 1^st June at the City Hall Square, Copenhagen.

Elephant shoes
E. Pihl & Son A.S. has donated and cast the concrete foundations for the 100 elephants. The task was given with short notice, but Pihl’s skilled concrete workers had the job done in a few days. The concrete is donated and delivered by Unicon.

Pihl's mascot
Pihl is also the sponsor for the elephant “Europe in Asia“, decorated by artist Tine Jacobsen. The elephant will stand in front of Thorvaldsen’s Museum near Christiansborg Palace, today home to the Danish Parliament.

Tine Jacobsen says about her art piece: “Landscapes change, buildings emerge. Asian landscape, buildings. European cities with classical architecture.” Her description agrees very well with Pihl’s saying ”The Joy of Creating” and the many buildings Pihl has built and renovated over the years, including the Elephant House in Copenhagen Zoo in 2008.

Auction and inspection
All elephants can be viewed together in the period 26 August – 8 September 2011 in KPH Volume’s exhibition hall, Enghavevej 80-82, Copenhagen. Bids can be made online via Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers’ homepage during the exhibition period. The hammer will fall on 9 September 2011 at Scandic Copenhagen Hotel, and Jesper Bruun Rasmussen from Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers will direct the auction.

Elephant Parade’s mission
Elephant Parade’s mission is to become the world’s largest financial support organisation for the Asian elephant, which is in grave danger of extinction, and the parade has indeed become a success.

Over the last three years, approx. 6 million Euros have been raised at European auctions where the art elephants have been sold. That has led to the rescue and treatment of hundreds of Asian elephants.

Read more

Pihl has built the schools, which include two Academies for Cults and Bucksburn and Primaries at Airyhall, Braehead, Mile End, Hazlehead, Heathryburn, Manor Park and Kaimhill as well as the refurbishment of Seaton Primary and Beacon Sports Centre in less than four years.

For Pihl the cooperation with the Aberdeen authorities and the 3R Project Board has been a very positive experience.

Read more about HSE and Quality Management

Pihl UK Ltd. held a traditional ground-breaking ceremony on Friday 19 November 2010 to mark the commencement of construction of the environmentally-friendly school.

The £30 million new secondary school will not only provide a modern purpose built environment, but also a landmark building designed to attract the maximum possible community use.

The two storey high building is constructed of pre-cast panels combining a low carbon and environmental plan after following extensive dialogue with the Council, School Governing Body & Trustees.

It will have heating and hotwater supplied by its own Biomass Plant and make maximum use of natural ventilation & lighting and will be topped by a fully accessible Bio-Diverse Roof featuring landscaped plants and gardens.

Key figures from the Isle of Wight Council present at the ground-breaking event included Aird Buist, Pihl UK Director and David Pugh, Isle of Wight Council Leader, who said of the event:

“It was great to finally see the start of construction of the new secondary school at Cowes. The facility is one of the key parts of the school reorganisation project on the Isle of Wight and will be one of the most modern and environmentally friendly educational facilities in the whole country when built.

“I was delighted that a number of Cowes students were also present at the ground breaking to witness the start of the project, as this scheme will ultimately benefit both the Cowes community and also the wider Isle of Wight community in future.”

Isle of Wight Council

Press release 6 October 2010

The event, a traditional ceremony for the construction industry, was held on the roof of the new conservation studio adjacent to the main building. The milestone was marked with speeches by Aird Buist, Director of Pihl UK Ltd (Main Contractor), Professor Ian Diamond, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University, and Morten Schmidt, Partner in Danish architects schmidt hammer lassen.

Construction began in August 2009 and the new building is already displaying stunning visual features including an unusual and attractive glass facade.

Due to open for the University and wider community in September 2011, the £57 million building will bring an enhanced learning environment and cultural facility fitting for the 21st century, matching the University’s academic aspirations.

Conceived by Danish architects schmidt hammer lassen as a cube evoking the ice and light of the north, the new library has a sharp, modern design, and a striking interior of sweeping contours around an asymmetrical atrium which rises diagonally from the public ground floor through the floors above.

Flexible areas on the upper floors will provide an ideal modern learning environment in which new media and the latest technology will enhance the University’s magnificent collection of books. manuscripts and archives.

The library will be equipped with 13 kilometres of book shelves, 1,200 work stations, modern IT systems, exhibition rooms, educational facilities and an area dedicated to the University’s distinguished collections of rare historic manuscripts, books, and archives. For the first time, these treasures will be widely accessible for research and learning, and showcased to the public through a programme of exhibitions, educational and cultural events.

Aird Buist, Director of Pihl UK Ltd said of the milestone: “Today signifies the first major milestone when this project changes from a Civil Engineering project to that of a building project and all is on programme to finish the iconic building for Aberdeen University on time.” 

Professor Ian Diamond, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University, who will perform the topping-out, said: “We are delighted to have reached this milestone. In a year’s time the spot on which we are gathering today will be a fully operational, environmentally sustainable working building, designed to provide the most modern learning environment for our students and staff, new educational and cultural opportunities for our local communities, a striking landmark for the Aberdeen skyline, and a resource for researchers across the world."

Read more about the project

University of Aberdeen

Frontpage photo: Ms Chris Banks, University Librarian and Director, Univesity of Aberdeen

The academic plaza takes form
The single storey concrete shell forming the basement level which houses the archive storage areas, and conservation suite is nearing completion and the external works forming the academic plaza to the East of the library is well under way, with the underground drainage system being completed.

A unique twist on tradition
Internally, the basement level of the main building is ready for decoration in many areas, with the ceilings and raised access floors well progressed. Mechanical and electrical services are progressing well to completion of first fix over the available floors currently to 3rd / 4th floor. The remaining 3 upper floors and roof will follow on close behind completion of the steel frame above. The feature atrium which runs through each of the four completed upper floors of the building is impressive, and once complete through the 8th floor roof will certainly give this building a unique twist on the more traditional buildings in Aberdeen.

Read more 

Aberdeen 3R’s and New Library Contractor wins RoSPA safety award

The Silver award was presented at a ceremony at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel on Wednesday 22 September 2010.

The RoSPA Awards scheme is not only about reducing the number of accidents and cases of ill-health at work; it also encourages organisations to develop robust health & safety management systems.

David Rawlins, RoSPA’s awards manager said:

“Pihl UK Ltd has shown a commitment to protecting the health and well-being of its employees and others. Organisations which do this deserve to have such dedication recognised and that’s where RoSPA Awards come in.

As well as there being clear ethical reasons and legal requirements for good health and safety management, there is also a strong business case. RoSPA is delighted to publicly honour organisations which have demonstrated their work to improve performance in this sphere.”

The majority of awards are non-competitive and mark achievement which is graded at merit, bronze, silver and gold levels, President’s Awards and Orders of Distinction.

The RoSPA occupational Health & Safety Awards 2010 are sponsored by NEBOSH ( The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health), the leading health and safety professional examining body

RoSPA Deputy President, Lord Brougham & Vaux hosted a gala Dinner on 22 September 2010 for representatives of award winning organisations at the Hilton Glasgow hotel.

Aberdeen based contractor Pihl UK Ltd, part of E. Pihl & Søn A.S, a leading Danish Contractor, has been awarded the preferred bidder status on the £42m One School Pathfinder project in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

The design was developed in response to the educational and community use aspirations of both the Council and the School Trust and provides a unique blend of accommodation which meets the challenges of 21st Century teaching and learning in spaces enriched with IT which can be adapted to other community and Island based uses.  The design was undertaken by JM Architects and Ramboll UK of Edinburgh.

The school design is a two storey structure formed out of precast units with timber structures to the open plan central spaces which are punctuated by the use of sail structures within the roof area to bring light deep into the footprint of the building.  A series of connected open and covered courtyards are integral to the design.  A bio-diverse roof installation has provided a unique environment for teaching.  Externally a series of playing pitches and games areas along with a new All Weather pitch have been provided.

Pihl UK Ltd, Director William Aird Buist stated: ‘At the outset, we wanted to create a building which reflected the education vision and allowed us an opportunity to provide a bespoke and iconic building within Cowes which reflects our Scandinavian heritage in design and material usage. We are looking forward to working with the Council, Trust and our design partners to ensure that the building is ready for operation in Summer 2012.’

For further information:

Deborah Shields
UK Bid Manager
Pihl UK Ltd
Tel 01224 562 400
des@pihl-uk.com