RO Real Estate is proud to announce a landmark letting at Silbury House, Central Milton Keynes’ most sustainable office building, as Fanatics Collectibles, which includes Topps Europe, a global leader in physical and digital collectibles, commits to a 10-year lease for the top two floors – totalling approximately 18,000 sq. ft. Topps
Sussex-based modular housing specialist Boutique Modern has secured its largest project to date, transforming a historic Eastbourne site into a vibrant new community. The company has been appointed to deliver 100 affordable homes at the Victorian Pump House on Bedfordwell Road – a landmark scheme that blends new modular construction
Mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) service provider G&H has secured a contract with Centrica Business Solutions to deliver turnkey MEP solutions at Solihull Hospital to support net zero plans. Solihull Hospital Trust appointed international energy and services provider Centrica Business Solutions to install a new energy management system after
A fund managed by JP Morgan Asset Management has partnered with leading commercial property developer, Graftongate, to acquire an 8.5-acre development site in Reading. The JV partners have completed the off-market purchase of Reading International Logistics Park, a gateway site next to Jct 11 of the M4 motorway, for an
In the construction and earthmoving industries, smart technology and artificial intelligence (AI) play crucial roles across site management, but what differentiates the disciplines? Bart Vingerhoets, Senior Commercial Manager at Komatsu Smart Construction, offers his insight on the benefits and challenges of both disciplines, where to consider applying technology on site and how these innovations
The latest analysis by West One Loans, a leading provider of property finance and specialist mortgages, has revealed that the nation’s biggest housebuilders have been utilising their £200bn landbank to deliver more homes to market in the face of growing buyer demand spurred by improving market confidence and greater mortgage affordability.
RO Real Estate is proud to announce a landmark letting at Silbury House, Central Milton Keynes’ most sustainable office building, as Fanatics Collectibles, which includes Topps Europe, a global leader in physical and digital collectibles, commits to a 10-year lease for the top two floors – totalling approximately 18,000 sq. ft. Topps Europe has called Milton Keynes home for over 30 years. To support the company’s growing UK footprint, accelerated by global digital sports platform, Fanatics, acquiring the company in 2022, Topps is moving to Silbury House. Silbury House underwent a major refurbishment in 2024, achieving top-tier sustainability ratings including EPC A, BREEAM Outstanding, NABERS 5 Star, RESET Air Quality, Fitwel 3 Stars, and WELL Performance Rating. The project has also earned nominations for Sustainability Initiative of the Year and Developer of the Year at the prestigious Property Week Awards. Topps Europe joins existing tenants Tickets.com and Scottsdale Lifetime Partners, leaving only two ground floor suites of 24 desks each available, in the flagship development. Topps Europe were represented by JLL and RO Real Estate were represented by Bray Fox Smith and LSH. Ed Davidson, Asset Management Director at RO Real Estate, commented: “With a 30-year history of investing and developing in Milton Keynes, the Silbury House project reflects our long-standing commitment to the city and our ambition to set a new benchmark for environmental performance. Central to our mission was prioritising sustainability at every stage, from design to operation, and creating a building that meets the needs of modern occupiers. We are delighted to welcome Topps, a global leader in the collectables market and a household name, whose decision demonstrates the growing importance occupiers place on sustainability, not only as a core business value, but also as a practical way to reduce energy use and support employee wellbeing.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Sussex-based modular housing specialist Boutique Modern has secured its largest project to date, transforming a historic Eastbourne site into a vibrant new community. The company has been appointed to deliver 100 affordable homes at the Victorian Pump House on Bedfordwell Road – a landmark scheme that blends new modular construction with the sensitive conversion of a Grade II listed building. Originally built in the 1880s for the Eastbourne Waterworks Company, the pump house has stood derelict for years. Now, as part of the wider regeneration project, Boutique Modern and its partners will breathe new life into the site, preserving its heritage while addressing the area’s pressing housing needs. Of the 100 homes planned, 59 will be houses and 41 apartments. Twenty will be available for shared ownership, with the remainder offered at affordable rent. Eighty of the homes will be newly built using Boutique Modern’s precision-engineered modular system, while the remaining twenty will be delivered through the conversion of the existing historic structure. Founded in 2009 by Dick Shone, Boutique Modern has to date delivered 241 factory-built homes across the region. This new development represents a major milestone for the company, made possible by the increased capacity of its recently expanded manufacturing facility. Shone commented: “We’re proud to be starting work on our largest scheme yet – a project that demonstrates just how far our business has come. Thanks to our expanded factory, we can take on projects of this scale while continuing to support other clients and develop our new ModernHome range. “We’ve had a strong working relationship with Eastbourne Borough Council through previous successful developments, and we’re delighted to be building this key scheme in the town. We hope it inspires other councils to consider similar partnerships.” All new homes in the development are targeting an EPC A rating – the highest energy efficiency classification – through a combination of sustainable technologies. These include solar panels, air source heat pumps, electric heating, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, alongside Boutique Modern’s signature fabric-first design approach. Preliminary site works have already commenced, with full-scale construction scheduled to begin towards the end of 2025. The project was procured via Lewes District Council’s modular housing framework. Councillor Peter Diplock, cabinet member for housing at Eastbourne Borough Council, said: “It’s incredibly exciting to see this transformative project progressing. The regeneration of a brownfield site like Bedfordwell Road is always complex, but our determination has delivered results. “This scheme marks the most significant council-led housing development in Eastbourne for decades and is a major step forward in our goal of providing truly affordable homes for local people.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) service provider G&H has secured a contract with Centrica Business Solutions to deliver turnkey MEP solutions at Solihull Hospital to support net zero plans. Solihull Hospital Trust appointed international energy and services provider Centrica Business Solutions to install a new energy management system after receiving funding from Phase 3C of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS). The project aims to significantly reduce the hospital’s carbon footprint by 1,185 tonnes each year, deliver 75 percent of heating requirements and £62,000 in energy cost savings per year.* Partnering with Centrica Business Solutions, a 25-strong team from G&H, including apprentices, will provide full MEP design, off-site prefabrication, and installation at Solihull Hospital. Completion is expected by February 2026. Richard Tandy, head of projects at Centrica Business Solutions, said: “We’re pleased to continue our relationship with G&H, as they support our delivery of a new Energy Centre at Solihull Hospital. The project will deliver significant carbon reductions that support the Trust’s net zero journey” James Sherburn, director at G&H, said: “Our extensive healthcare sector experience, combined with our off-site fabrication capabilities, means we are well placed to support Centrica in delivering this critical project. “The scope of Solihull Hospital’s decarbonisation project is such that it will benefit from all-round G&H team involvement and that extends to our apprentices who will be actively involved in the delivery of the contract.” The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) launched the PSDS in 2020 to provide grants for public sector organisations, funding decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures to help meet the UK government’s 2050 net zero greenhouse gas emissions target. Established in 1998, G&H is a market-leading MEP provider. Its 200-strong team designs, manages, delivers, and maintains every aspect of MEP schemes across the UK. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A fund managed by JP Morgan Asset Management has partnered with leading commercial property developer, Graftongate, to acquire an 8.5-acre development site in Reading. The JV partners have completed the off-market purchase of Reading International Logistics Park, a gateway site next to Jct 11 of the M4 motorway, for an undisclosed sum The site has detailed planning consent for the development of a c.160,000 sq ft last-mile urban logistics scheme, comprising four new prime warehouse units ranging from 24,150 – 65,787 sq ft. JP Morgan and Graftongate intend to build out the scheme imminently, and are planning further acquisitions with a target assets under management value of c.£500 million. Alex Thomason, director at Graftongate, said: “We are pleased to have secured the strategic acquisition of Reading International Logistics Park with JP Morgan. The site provides an excellent opportunity to develop a last mile logistics scheme in a densely populated urban area in the Thames Valley. “We intend to target core markets for speculative development, with a focus on key conurbations and strategic locations where there is an acute lack of supply.” Reading International Logistics Park lies in a well established business location adjacent to the east-west motorway corridor, and provides road access to the M4, M25, M40, M3 and M5. The locality is home to high-calibre businesses and distribution occupiers including Tesco, DPD, DHL, Yodel, Argos, and 3663. Graftongate and JP Morgan were represented by DTRE, with Haslams acting for the vendor. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
In the construction and earthmoving industries, smart technology and artificial intelligence (AI) play crucial roles across site management, but what differentiates the disciplines? Bart Vingerhoets, Senior Commercial Manager at Komatsu Smart Construction, offers his insight on the benefits and challenges of both disciplines, where to consider applying technology on site and how these innovations are transforming multiple sectors. The role of smart technology Smart technology is transforming how construction projects are planned, managed, and executed. From drones and wearables to advanced sensors, these tools give teams greater control and visibility on the ground. In both construction and earthmoving, smart systems support each stage of a project. Technology such as sensors on site structures have the ability to monitor conditions remotely, flag safety concerns early and track material use as work progresses. By monitoring multiple stages of a construction site, managers are enabled to work proactively instead of reactively – reducing errors, improving quality and avoiding unnecessary re-work. At its core, smart technology helps teams work more efficiently, make better decisions, and deliver stronger project outcomes. For example, Komatsu’s Smart Construction Dashboard creates a digital version of the job site, showing live data on materials, measurements and potential issues. These features eliminate the possibility of over-digging, and incorrect material movement to reduce the amount of time required on site. Teams can respond quickly, solve problems as they arise, and maintain progress without unnecessary delays. Incorporating AI technology in earthmoving and construction AI is considered a ‘concept’ and is most commonly associated with autonomous equipment, giving machines the perceived ability to learn, problem solve and automate the earthmoving process based on machine learning. In 2025, AI technology across European construction sites is in play, but not with the type of equipment many customers expect. An example of AI in the field is via Smart Construction’s Edge product, a hardware solution that advances the process of drone surveying by lowering technical complexity. The tool uses a custom-built AI algorithm to automatically remove buildings, equipment and vegetation from the 3D point cloud it processes from the drone footage, delivering a clear, accurate, 3D representation of the site. When uploaded to Smart Construction Dashboard, the user is provided a direct way of calculating job site progress quickly and identifying any challenges from a birds-eye-view perspective. Adopting smart technology and AI In 2025 and beyond, we can expect the adoption of smart technology and the use of AI on construction sites to continue to rise as more cost effective options hit the market. In fact, the global AI in construction market was estimated at £1.3 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach £9.1 billion by 20301. The digitalisation across earthmoving and construction is making notable strides in line with the increased adoption of technology. Komatsu Smart Construction recently announced that its Remote solution will now be available as a standard with all purchases of Komatsu-branded guidance and control systems, recognising the brand’s ongoing efforts to prioritise interoperability and ease of digital transformation. For more information on smart technologies, please visit smartconstruction.io Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The latest analysis by West One Loans, a leading provider of property finance and specialist mortgages, has revealed that the nation’s biggest housebuilders have been utilising their £200bn landbank to deliver more homes to market in the face of growing buyer demand spurred by improving market confidence and greater mortgage affordability. West One Loans analysed the latest company reports for eight of the nation’s biggest housebuilders to see which currently boasts the strongest pipeline with respect to their individual landbanks and the value of these plots in the current market. The government has been vocal in its demands for the nation’s housebuilders to ‘roll up their sleeves’ in order to help achieve the ambitious target of 1.5m new homes by 2029. So much so, it recently announced tough new rules forcing them to commit to delivery time frames to get planning permission, with those caught slacking risking losing their land to local authorities. However, the latest analysis by West One Loans shows that the majority of the nation’s major housebuilders are already rising to the task, having reduced their landbank pipelines as a result of delivering more homes. The analysis shows that across eight of the nation’s biggest housebuilders, some 488,620 land bank plots were recorded within their 2024 reports. Based on the current average UK new-build house price of £406,390, this means that the total pipeline of these eight developers alone is worth an estimated £198.6bn. It’s Bellway that currently boasts the most robust pipeline, with 95,292 land bank plots reported in its 2024 figures, holding an estimated market value of £38.7bn. Persimmon ranks second, with 82,084 plots in its pipeline worth an estimated £33.4bn, whilst Taylor Wimpey sits third at £32bn in market value across 78,626 landbank plots. However, whilst these developers have maintained a robust pipeline of plots, further analysis by West One Loans shows that there has been an increase in activity with respect to developing their land banks, no doubt driven by improving market conditions and increasing buyer demand as a result of a stabilising mortgage market. Across all eight major housebuilders, total land bank volumes have fallen by 3.6% over the last year. In fact, all but one of the developers analysed by West One Loans has reduced the size of its land bank. Vestry Group has broken the most ground in this respect, with a -7.9% year on year reduction in land bank volumes. Berkeley Group has seen a -6.8% reduction, whilst Crest Nicholson has seen an annual drop of -6%. Just Miller Homes has seen an increase in this respect, although a marginal one, with its land bank volumes up by 0.1% on an annual basis. Co-Head of Short-Term Finance at West One Loans, Thomas Cantor, commented: “It’s clear that whilst many of the nation’s developers have been sure to maintain a robust pipeline of land bank plots, they have also been pushing forward and breaking ground in order to bring more homes to market to meet growing demand. This is despite the fact that the current landscape still presents a range of challenges but, as interest rates have stabilised, we’ve seen more housebuilders turn to the specialist finance sector to help them facilitate their ambitions This has largely taken the form of a greater reliance on bridging in order to help part fund their initial project, as well as utilising development finance in order to exit existing builds in order to push forward with the next. We’ve seen numerous examples over the last 12 months whereby developers have utilised us to help them in both instances and, finding a finance specialist that can do so will ensure a far smoother process throughout.” Data tables and sources View the full data tables and sources online here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
