June 13, 2022

Panattoni to speculatively develop £250 million, 1.3 million sq ft Avonmouth logistics development

Panattoni, the largest logistics real estate developer in Europe, is planning a £250 million speculative logistics development, which will include the UK’s largest-ever speculative logistics building, in Avonmouth, Bristol. The development, called Panattoni Park Avonmouth, will be located on a prime, 73-acre site, Central Park, which Panattoni has just acquired

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HS2 starts work on first pioneering ‘Green Tunnel’

HS2 recently announced the start of construction at the site of its first innovative ‘green tunnel’, designed to blend the high speed railway into the landscape and reduce disruption for communities. Unlike a normal underground tunnel, the one-and-a-half mile (2.5km) Chipping Warden green tunnel in Northamptonshire is being built on

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Smartroof Celebrates 20 Years in Business

Smartroof Celebrates 20 Years in Business

Smartroof, UK manufacturer of panelised roofing systems, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, a key milestone for a company that has revolutionised room-in-roof construction in the housing sector with its innovative panel system that can be installed in hours, not days. Established in 2002, Smartroof has grown considerably over the past 20 years from

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Latest Issue
Issue 323 : Dec 2024

June 13, 2022

Panattoni to speculatively develop £250 million, 1.3 million sq ft Avonmouth logistics development

Panattoni, the largest logistics real estate developer in Europe, is planning a £250 million speculative logistics development, which will include the UK’s largest-ever speculative logistics building, in Avonmouth, Bristol. The development, called Panattoni Park Avonmouth, will be located on a prime, 73-acre site, Central Park, which Panattoni has just acquired in an off-market deal. Panattoni will commence speculative development of 1.3 million sq ft of consented space in two units of 406,000 sq ft and 882,000 sq ft, which will be the UK’s largest-ever single speculative logistics building. Panattoni expects to start construction shortly, with the intention of completing the development in the third quarter of 2023. Panattoni Park Avonmouth is strategically positioned for local and national distribution via the M32, M48, M49, M4 and M5 motorways. Major occupiers in the area, include Amazon, The Range, Lidl, DHL, Tesco and Davies Turner. James Watson, Development Director at Panattoni, said: “Our new acquisition gives us the ability to deliver large-scale speculative units in an established logistics location. UK stock remains at an all-time low at a time when Bristol and the wider south-west and south-east markets are experiencing their strongest take-up for many years”. Agents for Panattoni Park Avonmouth are DTRE, JLL & Colliers.

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HS2 starts work on first pioneering ‘Green Tunnel’

HS2 recently announced the start of construction at the site of its first innovative ‘green tunnel’, designed to blend the high speed railway into the landscape and reduce disruption for communities. Unlike a normal underground tunnel, the one-and-a-half mile (2.5km) Chipping Warden green tunnel in Northamptonshire is being built on the surface using a pioneering off-site manufacturing approach to speed up construction and improve efficiency. This approach will see more than five thousand giant concrete tunnel segments made in a factory in Derbyshire before being assembled on site. The completed tunnel will then be covered by earth, with trees, shrubs and hedgerows planted to fit in with the surrounding countryside. Chipping Warden is one of five ‘green tunnels’ that are being built on phase one of the HS2 project, which is designed to improve links between London, Birmingham and the north, help level-up the economy and provide a low carbon alternative to car and air travel. Applying lessons from the construction of the latest French high speed lines, the off-site approach was developed by HS2’s main works contractor, EKFB – a team made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall. The tunnel segments are being made by Stanton Precast in Ilkeston Derbyshire as part of a contract which is set to create up to 100 local jobs. HS2 Ltd’s Project Client Rohan Perin, said: “The Chipping Warden green tunnel is a great example of what we’re doing to reduce disruption for people living close to the railway – and it’s fantastic to see the first arches in position.  “Our trains will be powered by zero carbon electricity but it’s also important to reduce the amount of carbon embedded in construction. The off-site manufacturing techniques being used will help cutting the overall amount of carbon-intensive concrete and steel in the tunnel and make the whole process faster, more efficient and therefore less disruptive for the community.” Designed as an m-shaped double arch, the tunnel will have separate halves for southbound and northbound trains – each one the height of two double-decker buses. Instead of casting the whole tunnel on site, five different concrete precast segments will be slotted together to achieve the double arch – one central pier, two side walls and two roof slabs. All 5,020 segments will be steel reinforced, with the largest weighing up to 43 tonnes. Concrete and steel are some of the biggest sources of carbon emissions within the construction industry and by reducing the amount of both materials needed for the tunnel, this lighter-weight modular approach is expected to more than halve the amount of carbon embedded in the structure. It also requires less people and equipment on site, improving safety and reducing disruption for residents. EKFB’s Project Manager, Jeremie Martin, said:  “Seeing the first set of precast units being installed is a milestone that the whole team is very proud of. This three-year construction programme will benefit from off-site manufacturing making the green tunnel build more efficient than the traditional on-site building method.  “The HS2 green tunnels are a first of its kind in the UK. We have designed them as a twin arch ‘M’ shape which is more efficient than the standard box structure, reducing the amount of concrete required, which is a great example of how innovative engineering design can reduce carbon impact.”  The tunnel will be built in sections, with construction expected to be complete in 2024. A relief road has also recently been completed, which will take HS2 vehicles – and other local traffic – away from the centre of the village of Chipping Warden. This will later be extended, to take the A361 over the top of the green tunnel. Similar green tunnels will also be built at nearby Greatworth as well as Wendover in Buckinghamshire and Burton Green in Warwickshire, stretching for a combined total of more than four miles. The tunnels will all have specially designed ‘porous portals’ at either end to reduce the noise of trains entering and exiting the tunnel, along with small portal buildings to house safety and electrical equipment. Tailored landscaping design plans will be developed for each tunnel, with thousands of native trees and shrubs typical to the local area such as Silver Birch, Oak, Beech and Willow planted to create new woodland areas around the portals and recreate the hedgerows and field boundaries on top of the tunnel. All 13,290 segments for Chipping Warden, Greatworth and Wendover are being made by Derbyshire-based Stanton Precast Ltd, in a deal that is set to create up to 100 jobs at their Ilkeston factory – an increase in their workforce of around 50%. New production sheds, casting and storage areas are also being built at the factory to accommodate the new work.

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SITE IN WARWICKSHIRE TOWN SET TO BECOME NEW ENERGY EFFICIENT LNT CARE HOME

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the sale of a site with the benefit of a full planning consent in the market town of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, to LNT Care Developments. Full planning permission was granted in September 2019 for the demolition of existing buildings on the circa 1.3-acre site as well as the erection of a new 78-bedroom care home in one three-storey block. Situated in a highly visible roadside location, the consented care development is close to Nuneaton town centre and is well placed to benefit from desirable community amenities and public transport connections.  The site was previously owned by Linden Homes, and has now been sold to LNT Care Developments, the largest provider of carbon-zero, affordable and high-quality care homes in the UK. Plans have been submitted to Nuneaton and Bedworth County Council for a care home development comprising 66 beds with social spaces including a cinema room, health and beauty facilities, garden room, and café bar. External features include attractively landscaped gardens to enhance wellbeing whilst boosting the ecological value with use of pollinating, habitat friendly sensory planting. The building is designed to be resource and energy efficient with a key aim of generating the majority of the care home’s energy needs on-site using solar power and ground source heating. Speaking on behalf of LNT Group, Land Director, Keeley Sharp, comments, “LNT Care Developments is delighted to have acquired this scheme in Nuneaton, adding to an established and emerging pipeline of sites across the Midlands and in line with our strategy to continue to address the shortfall in quality care provision across the UK. Detailed planning has been submitted for a 66-bedroom care home, providing outstanding accommodation with fully en-suite bedrooms, spacious communal areas, and state-of-the-art amenities with a planned construction commencement September 2022.” Sara Hartill, Business Agent – Healthcare Development at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, comments, “A care home development site in this location is well suited to the needs of future residents and will integrate well into the town as a vital community asset where there was a demonstrable need for a new, purpose-built care home.” David Charles of Linden Homes added, “We are delighted that LNT acquired the site and plan to develop a care home for the elderly which is much needed in the area and we look forward to seeing the site develop.” The Nuneaton site was sold for an undisclosed price.

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NEW RESEARCH BY DEEPKI SHOWS THAT INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY LEADS THE WAY IN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ESG PERFORMANCE

New research by Deepki, the ESG data intelligence firm, which surveyed 250 European pension fund managers* in the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy, with a combined AUM of €402 billion, shows that across different segments of the real estate sector, industrial properties such as warehouses and manufacturing sites lead the way when it comes to ESG performance. The report asked respondents to rate the performance of eight commercial property sectors.  Two thirds (62%) rated the ESG performance of the industrial sector as good or very good, followed by leisure (61%), and retail (60%).  This compares to logistics and office real estate which had the lowest ‘positive’ rating of 47% and 44% respectively.  The full analysis is included in the table below: Sector Very poor Poor Average Good Very good Total ‘positive’ Industrial 9% 10% 19% 24% 38% 62% Leisure 3% 10% 26% 33% 28% 61% Retail 11% 10% 19% 37% 23% 60% Care homes 8% 14% 25% 33% 20% 53% Social housing 7% 10% 30% 36% 17% 53% Hotels 6% 11% 31% 34% 18% 52% Logistics 8% 15% 30% 26% 21% 47% Office 1% 17% 38% 29% 15% 44% Commenting on the research findings, Vincent Bryant, CEO and Co-founder of Deepki, said: “Pension funds are becoming highly active when it comes to improving the ESG performance of their assets, and commercial real estate is no exception.  Sectors such as industrial and leisure are already performing well, albeit with room for improvement.  Deepki is seeing significant demand from institutional investors keen to get an accurate picture of the ESG performance of their assets and ensure they are on a path to net zero.” Founded in 2014, Deepki’s SaaS platform helps real estate investors, owners and managers improve the ESG performance of their real estate assets, and in the process enhance their value.  The real estate sector is currently responsible for around 40% of the Earth’s carbon emissions, and has a clear target of reaching net zero by 2050 – a goal set by the World Green Building Council Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment. More than $5 trillion of investment[1] is needed each year to decarbonise the built environment and ensure the real estate sector can meet its commitment to meet the net zero target by 2050.  Deepki estimates that the value of the monitoring and analytics market required to achieve this goal will be worth $5 to $10 billion by 2025, with year-on-year growth of 20%. The SaaS platform enables clients to collect ESG data, get a comprehensive overview of their portfolio’s ESG performance, establish investment plans to reach Net Zero, and assess results.  It also allows users to report to key stakeholders. The platform is supported by carbon and ESG experts who partner with clients across data collection and analysis, through to ESG strategy definition and implementation. Now with over 150 employees, offices in five European capitals and operating in over 38 countries, Deepki has become the global leader in ESG and data intelligence solutions for environmental transition in the commercial real estate sector, with more than 500 million m² – almost five times the area of Paris – under management. To date, Deepki has saved over 180,000 equivalent tonnes of CO₂ across its client base.  For further information about Deepki’s end-to-end solutions, visit: www.deepki.com [1] Vivid Economics

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Smartroof Celebrates 20 Years in Business

Smartroof Celebrates 20 Years in Business

Smartroof, UK manufacturer of panelised roofing systems, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, a key milestone for a company that has revolutionised room-in-roof construction in the housing sector with its innovative panel system that can be installed in hours, not days. Established in 2002, Smartroof has grown considerably over the past 20 years from when it secured its first customer, housebuilder Barratt Homes. The company has gone from strength-to-strength and is now supplying over 300 roofs every month, aided in part by the recent £1.5 million investment in its Swadlincote production facility to meet the growing demand for modular roof systems. Throughout this journey, Smartroof has worked hard to forge a reputation for innovation which is at the heart of everything it creates. Research and development ensures its products are well-engineered, well-understood and ahead of the game when it comes to sustainability. The Keystone Group acquired Smartroof in 2012, recognising that the revolutionary Smartroof system complemented its brands and addressed many of the challenges facing housebuilders today; health and safety, speed of construction, skills shortage, cost certainty and product quality. Commenting, Sean Og Coyle, Commercial Director at Keystone Group said: “At the Keystone group we really believe Smartroof has revolutionised the room-in-roof sector. Being able to arrive on site with installers, a lorry with roof cassettes, dormers, roof windows, soffit and fascia, and then installing two plots per day provides our customers and builders with the important consistency of build programme and reliability. The system also improves health and safety, speed of construction and consistency of cost, which at the end of the day provides the builder with peace of mind that their product will be installed as required.” A complete roof solution, Smartroof is designed to offer housebuilders and developers a solution to maximising sellable space by creating rooms in roofs. Comprising a series of factory produced panels incorporating insulation, dormers, spandrels, roof windows and roofline, it is delivered to site and craned into place. Once in place, the roofs simply require tiling. The system has many benefits – less waste, better control of quality, safer to install – and meets the industry’s demand for solutions that allow us to build better quality homes more efficiently. Along with its proven room-in-roof solution, Smartroof’s longstanding success is also as a result of the support it receives from its customers and suppliers who rely on its products. Furthermore, Smartroof has the measures in place with its operations team, site team, and contract managers who go the extra mile to ensure customers get that exceptional level of communication from their first enquiry right through to installation and post-handover support. With a pipeline of projects in the mix for 2022 and beyond, Smartroof has clear ambition and an exciting outlook for the future. Thanks to the unwavering support of its staff, customers and suppliers, Smartroof looks forward to the next 20 years! Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News

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