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Eiffel Tower, Did You Know?

Eiffel Tower

It’s 126 years since the famous Iron Lady was inaugurated in time for the 1889 World Fair in Paris.

It is now one of  the most visited monuments in the world and around seven million people climb its stairs or take the lift to one of its three levels each year.

But it’s worth remembering that it was not always this popular. When construction began in July 1887, a group of around 300 artists, sculptors and architects sent a petition to the commissioner of the Paris exhibition demanding that he halt construction of the “ridiculous tower”.

Here are 12 facts about the Eiffel Tower:

1. Two years, two months and five days – That’s how long it took to build the Eiffel Tower, with construction beginning in 1887.

2. 7,799,401.31 – That’s what it cost in French gold Francs to build the monument.

3. 324 metres – That’s the height of the Eiffel Tower, including the antenna at the top. That works out at 1,063 feet. Without the antenna it is 300 metres tall (984 feet).

4. Six inches – That’s how much the tower grows in the sun. Yes the Eiffel Tower grows when it gets hot and shrinks in the cold. Although this is fairly hard to see with the naked eye.

5. 10,000 tonnes – That’s how much the Iron Lady weighs.

6. 20 years – That’s how long the Eiffel Tower was originally designed to last. It was built by Gustave Eiffel to commemorate the French Revolution and show off France’s industrial might. The removal men were meant to pull it down after 20 years, but Eiffel appears to have persuaded them to have a change of heart. The fact that the tower could be used as a wireless telegraph transmitter, made it fairly useful and saved it from the wrecking ball.

7. 103,000 kilometres – That’s the distance one lift travels each year, according the site livescience.com, which, to put into perspective is two and a half times the circumference of the earth. There are steps up to the top – 1,710 of them – but visitors can only walk up to the first floor.

8. 18 – That’s the number of times the iron lady has been repainted over the years. It takes a mammoth 60 tonnes of paint to give it a first coat. 

9.  41 years – That’s how long the Eiffel Tower was the world’s tallest building for, before the Chrysler Building in New York came along and stole its mantle.

10. 250 million – That’s the number of people who have paid a visit to the Eiffel Tower over the years. 

11. 1944 – The year when the Eiffel Tower could have been pulled down. Hitler ordered the German military governor of France to tear it down but he refused.

12. Six to seven metres – This is the amount the Eiffel Tower sways in the wind.

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Writing A CV

Writing a good CV

The difference between writing a good CV and an average CV can be the difference from you landing your dream job or not. The first impression any potential employer will make of you will come from the CV that has been submitted to them.

Edge Careers takes a look at a few points that will help you to write a good CV.

Contact details

  • Be sure to include as many contact details as possible so that a recruiter or employer can easily reach you
  • Try to make your email address professional, most of us set up an email address as teenagers and set as somthing funny, if it is possible it would be advisorable to have an email address set as somthing like firstname.lastname@hotmail.com

Previous employment

  • Write in reverse chronological order, including starting and leaving dates for each position.
  • Include concise details of what the job entailed, your responsibilities and what you achieved in the role.
  • If there are any time gaps between employment explain what you were doing in that time, for example travelling, at college, carrying out charity fund raising work.

Qualifications

  • There is no need to list all of your Standard Grade/National 5/GCSE subjects, simply write something like, 10 GCSEs A-C including Mathematics and English.
  • A-Level and degree qualifications can be listed, the grades do not have to be included.
  • List only the academic centres where a qualification was earned in reverse chronological order with dates.

Hobbies and interests

  • If you do choose to include this section, it can be used to give an insight into your personality.
  • Consider carefully what you are putting down and its implications. Team events indicate that you are a team player, other activities such as Scouting, CCF, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme show commitment and the fact you are not adverse to a challenge.
  • Be specific, and show what you learnt or gained from the activity (such as perseverance, teamwork, communication skills), and if you were on the society or helped organise anything emphasise this.
  • Keep this section very brief, do not list all of your interests and hobbies.

 

 

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Wembley, Did You Know?

Wembley Stadium

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wembley in Numbers
• At its peak, there were more than 3,500 construction workers on site.
• 4,000 separate piles form the foundations of the new stadium, the deepest of which is 35 m (115 ft).
• There are 56 km (35 mi) of heavy-duty power cables in the stadium.
• 90,000 m3 (120,000 yd3) of concrete and 23,000 tonnes (25,000 short tons) of steel were used in the construction of the new stadium
• 2,618 toilets
• 47 retail units
• 164 turnstiles
• 26 lifts
• 30 escalators
• 34 bars
• 8 restaurants
• 688 food and drink service points
• 98 kitchens
• The seats are spread over three tiers: lower 34,303, middle 16,532 and upper 39,165

General Stadium Facts
• The new Wembley reopened its doors in 2007
• The original Wembley Stadium was known as the Empire Stadium, and was built as the centrepiece of a British Empire Exhibition at the end of the First World War
• The stadium has a circumference of 1 km
• There are 107 steps in the trophy presentation route – the old stadium had 39 steps
• The new Wembley encloses 4,000,000 m³ inside its walls and under its roof. This is the equivalent of 25,000 double-decker buses or 7 billion pints of milk
• The deepest of the piles that form the foundations, at 35 metres, is as deep as the Twin Towers were tall
• The new pitch is four metres lower than the previous pitch
• The stadium’s pitch is enhanced by desso technology which combines synthetic grass with the real Wembley grass to strengthen the surface
• This system provides a consistently high standard playing surface at Wembley and enables the multi-use venue to host football, rugby, American football and music events
• The pitch is covered by specially designed protective panels for rock concerts which creates space for up 25,000 fans to stand
• Each of the two giant screens in new stadium is the size of 600 domestic television sets
• The total length of the escalators is the same as a 400 metre running track
• The Royal Box is in the traditional position – in the middle of the north stand – as in the old Wembley Stadium

The Arch and the Roof
• The most striking, highly visible feature of the stadium is 133 metre tall arch that sits above the north stand
• With a span of 315 metres, the arch is the longest single span roof structure in the world and is visible right across London
• With a diameter of 7.4 metres the arch is wide enough for a Channel Tunnel train to run through
• A representative from every county in England was involved in the construction of the arch
• The stadium roof rises to 52 metres above the pitch. This compares to the 35 metres tall Twin Towers of the old stadium
• The roof is over 11 acres, of which four of the acres are retractable
• The stadium has a sliding roof design which allows the pitch to be exposed to direct sunlight and ventilation whilst ensuring that spectators are covered
• The arch supports all of the weight of the north roof and 60 per cent of the weight of the southern side
• The arch ensures that there are no pillars in the new stadium which could obstruct the views of fans

The Seats
• The stadium has 90,000 seats with no obstructed views
• There are 310 wheelchair spaces and 400 press seats
• The rows of seating, if placed end to end, would stretch 54 kilometres
• There is more leg room in every seat in Wembley Stadium than there was in the Royal Box of the old stadium
• The stadium was designed with stands that are higher and closer to the pitch than the original stadium and with better uninterrupted views

 

 

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£500m Culture Quarter Plans

Developer London & Regional Properties has revealed plans for a major new cultural quarter at Elephant & Castle in south London.

The Skipton House office block, located between the tube station and London South Bank University, will be demolished to make way for the office and residential complex, which will boast sky gardens.

The emerging plans for the London Road site will double the existing office space to over 500,000 sq ft and deliver 450 homes.

Elephant & Castle

Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the scheme will provide significant public realm and open space including improvements to local cycling routes.

Geoffrey Springer, head of development at London & Regional said: “We are proposing a significant investment in the regeneration of Elephant & Castle, which will celebrate the area’s cultural heritage.

“This will be an iconic development, providing new cultural and community space and, most importantly, new jobs and homes. The development will also deliver new open space and a vastly improved public realm, strengthening the ongoing regeneration of Elephant and Castle.”

This story is by constructionenquirer.com.

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1,200 Staff Join Wates

wates logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

More than 1,200 Shepherd staff will now become part of Wates as a buyout deal was finally rubber-stamped.

Wates reached an agreement today to acquire Shepherd Engineering Services (SES) and Shepherd FM plus a “significant” number of contracts and strategic frameworks from Shepherd Construction Limited.

Talks on a possible takeover have been ongoing since last December.

Wates said the deal is a major step in its ambition to boost turnover to £2bn with the Shepherd acquisition expected to add an extra £300m of revenue in the first year.

The move will see 2016 turnover touch the £1.6bn mark while total staff numbers at Wates will rise to 3,800.

The move will also see Wates boost its presence in the North and North West.

Shepherd Group will now focus on the remaining parts of the business and will retain the Shepherd Construction name.

Acquiring Shepherd Engineering Services was the main driver of the deal and former Shepherd chief executive Mark Perkins will now lead SES and join the Wates executive board.

Noel Clancy will remain as chief executive of Shepherd FM while the Shepherd Construction assets will be integrated into the Wates northern business under managing director Phil Harrison.

Andrew Davies, Chief Executive of Wates Group,told the Enquirer that the deal was funded internally but declined to put a price on the acquisition.

He said: “The family run nature of both businesses meant we could talk about this confidentially and see if a deal was possible.

“The acquisition marks another step towards Wates becoming the UK’s leader in the construction and property services sector, now boasting a distinct and outstanding engineering capability, offsite manufacturing proficiency and technical expertise in specialised construction projects.

“Our investment is expected to deliver an additional circa £300 million in turnover in the first year of trading, projecting us further towards our £2bn target and making great strides in the fulfilment of our long-term growth strategy.

“The deal is underpinned by a collective commitment to strong values of integrity, performance and respect from both organisations; shared principles that are built on a long-standing family heritage.

“We are now preparing to welcome more than 1,200 new colleagues to the business and our immediate priority is to ensure the engagement and alignment of our people, whilst remaining focussed on maintaining our reputation for excellent customer service.”

This story is by constructionenquirer.com

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Electrification To Power Up

Work to electrify the TransPennine and Midland Mainline railways will resume under plans announced today.

Electrification Workers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The new plan changes the phasing of the projects by between two and three years, but would see planning and design work resume immediately.

Electrification work on the TransPennine route will restart in early 2018, with some enabling works carried out before then, with completion set for 2022, compared with 2019 before.

On the Midlands Mainline, works will restart to electrify the line north from Bedford to Kettering and Corby by 2019, two years later than previously anticipated.

The line North of Kettering to Derby/Nottingham and Sheffield would be electrified in stages by 2023, instead of 2019 and 2020 as previously planned.

Sir Peter Hendy, who was commissioned by Government, to reset Network Rail’s upgrade programme recommended the move in a letter to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

He said: “You commissioned my review as a result of both cost pressures and time delays and I am continuing work to set out the extent of the already evident likely funding shortfall in CP5.”

“I understand that the Government acknowledges that unpausing now will create a further significant spending pressure.”

“My replan will set out what Network Rail can do within its own resources to mitigate the impact to the rest of the affordable programme.”

“Of course, a considerable amount of the electrification costs of both schemes will fall outside CP5 and this will form part of the core of CP6 as schemes which will then be underway.”

The Transport Secretary replied: “I have always been clear that these schemes were paused and not cancelled and I am now accepting your advice that work can be restarted.”

“As these two important electrification schemes will connect our great cities with modern, faster and more reliable railways and help create a Northern Powerhouse, I would be grateful if they could be un-paused with immediate effect and progressed with some urgency.”

Sir Peter will submit his full plan for Network Rail’s re-plan in November ahead of the Government spending review.

This story is by constructionenquirer.com

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Heidi Has Raised Over £635 For Charity!

 

 

Charity RunCharity Run Struggling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edge Careers would like to say a massive well done to our Residential Divisional Manager, Heidi Genner, and the other runners who took part from the Halesowen Athletic and Cycling Club. Last night they completed their charity run up the grueling Mucklow Hill and have so far raised over £635 for  the Georgia unit at Russells Hall hospital in Dudley, which is an amazing effort and has smashed their initial target of £250 by a staggering 254%

You can still donate to this great cause by following this link www.justgiving.com/bloomerrelay  

or by texting 70070 with one of the following options:

JCPV49 £1

JCPV49 £5

JCPV49 £10

JCPV49 £20

JCPV49 £25

Charity Run Start

 

 

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LendLease Staff Get 4 Day Health Break

Lendlease logo

Lendlease Europe has taken the plunge on work-life balance to roll out paid-for ‘wellbeing days’ for its staff to rest and recuperate.

From today all staff will be encouraged to take at least four days a year off work to focus on their own physical and mental health.

Under the Wellbeing Leave initiative employees can take at least one day of every 3-4 months with no formal leave limit applied.

Wellbeing Leave is being rolled out as part of Lendlease’s focus on work-life balance and its commitment to being ‘A Place that Cares’.

The firm hopes to reduce sickness levels by allowing people a day of leave to alleviate stress or take part in a wellbeing activity, in the hope they will return to work more engaged, healthy and productive.

Earlier this year, Lendlease introduced its enhanced shared parental leave scheme, which allows both men and women to be able to take up to six months paid leave.

Lisa White, Head of HR at Lendlease Europe, said: “Wellbeing Leave is a proactive investment in the health and wellbeing of our employees, and acknowledges the importance of a balanced work-family life.

“A healthier, happier workforce is naturally a more productive and engaged one – and less likely to take regular sick leave.

“There is a strong business case for us to take the health and wellbeing of our employees seriously.

“As we implement this leave initiative, we will be able to address employee needs or hold workplace initiatives on the health issues that matter most to our people.”

This story is by constructionenquirer.com

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What Your Body Language Tells The Interviewer

 

interview cartoon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Interview begins before you even say your first word. They’ll be sizing you up as you walk across the room to shake hands. Be conscious of how you look and what you’re doing, and try not to overlook the verbal and non-verbal signals you’re sending out in the rush to parade your carefully prepared answers before them.

Pace yourself

Speak deliberately more slowly than you would normally. There’s a trick here. You’ll be revved up as you go in, so you will naturally speak more quickly than normal. If you concentrate on pronouncing your words individually, you’ll actually be speaking at a normal speed.

Think of good speakers you’ve experienced throughout your education or working life. You’ll remember the ones who were more focused and engaging. That’s not to say they were the funniest, loudest or most entertaining, but they were almost certainly the most animated. Focus, you’re not there to entertain – so leave the jokes at the door – but you are there to look like you want the job. Concentrate on that and let your commitment and energy shine through.
Non-verbal signals

A firm but not crushing handshake is the one to go for. The ‘wet fish’ technique is a guaranteed turn off.
Don’t slouch in your chair, whether in reception or the interview room. Slouching says “I don’t care” and should be reserved for lazy Sundays on the sofa. Walk and sit up straight.
Always look the interviewer in the eye. Be confident, and don’t stare past your questioner or at the floor. Avoid glancing nervously around the room as this is the classic sign of someone with something to hide. If there is more than one interviewer, make sure you look at each of them when answering questions and keep your eyes on their face.
To find out what to do with your hands, watch yourself in a mirror or the office window when you’re on the phone – you’ll use some of the same gestures when you’re talking. It’s fine to gesture with your hands, but don’t overdo it.
Don’t fidget and don’t play around with your hair, pen, nails, chair, jiggle your knees, tap your leg or anything else. It drives people crazy and will distract them from what you’re saying.
Be aware of how you are sitting, moving and the general impression you’re giving out. So smile occasionally; it will make you all feel better.

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£3.8bn To Be Spent On Road Improvements

Highways England chiefs are meeting contractors and suppliers to detail a wave of new projects worth over £3.8bn in the Midlands and East of England over the next five years

Roadworks Sign

The event held yesterday and today form part of an ongoing regional roadshow to drive home Highways England’s national plan for 112 major road improvements, including 15 smart motorway projects in its first five years of operation.

Roads minister Andrew Jones said the Government spending plan was to triple levels of spending on England’s roads by the end of the decade.

“As part of our long-term economic plan, we are making the biggest investment in roads in a generation.”

He underlined the Government’s commitment to spend £3.8bn in both regions, ahead of the Chancellor’s spending review on 25 November, which many industry watchers fear could take a slice out of planned transport investment.

Midlands (£1.8bn): schemes to start by 2021

• Improvements planned for M42 junction 6
• New smart motorway around the M42/M40 interchange
• Development of a new link road connecting M54, M6 and the M6 Toll
• New, bigger M6 Junction 10
• Plans to replace roundabouts at A50 Uttoxeter
• Widening of the A500 at Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent
• New smart motorway between M6 junctions 13 and 15
• Improvements planned for A46 junctions
• A new smart motorway between junction 2 and 4 of the M6
• Improvement for the A38 Derby junctions
• Widening of the A5 Dodwells to Longshoot
• A new smart motorway between junction 23a and 25 of the M1

Across the West Midlands, Highways England will also spend around £600m on maintenance, including £160m to resurface more than 900 miles of carriageway; £225m for repairing and renewing structures like bridges and viaducts; and £60m to improve vehicle barriers.

East of England (£2bn): schemes to start by 2019/20

• A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon major improvements in Cambridgeshire
• Upgrading six sections of the A47/A12 corridor in Norfolk across a 115 mile section of the A47 between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth.
• Increasing capacity on the A1(M) providing an additional 14 lane miles to relieve congestion in Hertfordshire, including Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City
• Upgrading technology at junctions on the M11 across Essex and Cambridgeshire, from Stansted Airport to Cambridge
• Providing technology along the A12 in Essex and Suffolk from the M25 to Ipswich and widening the stretch between Chelmsford and the A120 to 3 lanes
• Providing a new 13 mile stretch of dual carriageway on the A428 between western Cambridgeshire and the north east of Bedfordshire
• Building 17 new cycle paths including along parts of the A12, A47, A120 and A5.

This story is by constructionenquirer.com

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