CEG has appointed contractor, Kier, to deliver the comprehensive redevelopment of The Crescent Centre at Temple Quay in Bristol. The redevelopment has been designed by Buckley Gray Yeoman, an architecture and interior design practice with 25 years of refurbishment and retrofit experience across the UK and Europe. It includes a
Managing Director of Stripe Property Group, James Forrester, commented: “This is astonishingly negligent on the part of the government. House building has languished below the required 300,000 annual number since the 1950’s and that’s even with the focus and accountability of local authority facing targets. To remove those targets is
The EU’s pioneering role in climate protection matters is not without its disadvantages, with its energy supply hugely dependent on gas. The Ukraine War has resulted in sharply rising gas and electricity prices and while a way out of the crisis is currently being discussed on the political stage, things
Seven years of transformational development at a game-changing tech campus in Hull is continuing with construction underway on the final office building. The net zero building is the final phase of leading developer Wykeland Group’s @TheDock complex in the city’s vibrant Fruit Market urban village. It will provide a further
Pure hydrogen boilers, manufactured by BDR Thermea Group’s Dutch brand Remeha, supplied with hydrogen via existing natural gas grid Baxi’s parent company, BDR Thermea Group, the leading manufacturer of smart indoor climate solutions, today launches a world-first pilot using its 100% hydrogen boilers in 12 inhabited homes with hydrogen supplied
Salboy, the nationwide property development and funding company, has acquired the former site of the Boddingtons Brewery, a renowned 52,700 sq ft site on the northern edge of central Manchester. With a £195 million GDV, the mixed-use scheme will split across five buildings, including a 26-storey tower, all of which
GAP GROUP PURCHASE ALL DXB INTEGRATE FLEETED 200mm WASTEWATER PUMPSETS AS DEMAND FOR STAGE V PUMPSETS INCREASES DRAMTICALLY IN AMP7 AND BEYOND. With demand for Stage V pumpsets outstripping the supply chains of all European pump manufacturers, GAP Group (GAP) and DXB Integrate Limited (DXBi) have agreed for GAP to
A property maintenance company has had an ISO certificate reconfirmed after a recent audit. Platform Property Care – a subsidiary of Platform Housing Group – has passed an external audit for ISO 45001 by Direct Assessment Services – or DAS – a UKAS accredited certification body for international ISO standards. The company was originally awarded the certification in November 2019; this
Rental living pioneer Moda Living’s Brighton & Hove neighbourhood ‘Moda, Hove Central’ has reached its highest point as guests celebrated the milestone and enjoyed spectacular views from the top. Moda is regenerating the former Sackville Road Trading Estate into a thriving new multigenerational neighbourhood of more than 820 new homes,
University of Cambridge’s ‘Homerton College Dining Hall’ designed by architects Feilden Fowles, is the UK’s best new timber building, having won the Gold Award at the 2022 Wood Awards. Elegant and impressive, the dining hall was praised by the judges for how it celebrates the integrity and inherent beauty of
CEG has appointed contractor, Kier, to deliver the comprehensive redevelopment of The Crescent Centre at Temple Quay in Bristol. The redevelopment has been designed by Buckley Gray Yeoman, an architecture and interior design practice with 25 years of refurbishment and retrofit experience across the UK and Europe. It includes a new two-storey feature façade with best-in-class amenity space on the ground floor, including a café and external decked area. There will be a one-storey rooftop extension and the addition of three private roof terraces, the most prominent of which offers unrivalled views over Temple Gardens from the fifth floor. The completed development will be rebranded as Crescent and will benefit from the largest private garden in the city centre. Other amenities include a gym and fitness studio, an all-new secure, weatherproof cycle park with capacity for 164 cycles and repair docking facilities. The new building will deliver 101,000 sq ft of lettable office space. Work commenced in October 2022 and is expected to complete in June 2024. Lawrence Escott, investment manager at CEG, said; “Crescent occupies a prominent location on Temple Back and will benefit from the best amenity provision and outlook of any building in its class. This £28 million redevelopment is a timely boost for Bristol and a continued vote of confidence in the city by CEG, where we have managed significant investments in EQ and Aztec West, not to mention the continued success of the Quorum. We look forward to welcoming new tenants in 2024”. As well as targeting BREEAM Excellent and EPC A, the project aims to make the building Net Zero Carbon in operation. Reuse of the existing structure provides a 45% reduction in upfront embodied carbon over new build, allied with best-in-class energy efficient heating and cooling, makes Crescent a compelling sustainability option. The development will offer floor plates of 18,000 sq ft. It also benefits from the ability to accommodate a range of requirements from 1,600 sq ft upwards. Carter Jonas and Savills have been appointed to launch the development to market. Andrew Hardwick of Carter Jonas said: “This is not just any old redevelopment! Crescent will deliver something distinctly different, best in class for Bristol, coupling the unique attractions of generous external green space adjoining the Temple Gardens and a penthouse with awesome views over the city. All this just a stones’ throw from Temple Meads. It is going to be a very powerful offering.” Chris Meredith of Savills added: “With sustainability at the forefront of Crescent development, this building will deliver to the requirements of the modern occupier. The need to secure high quality, sustainable and flexible office accommodation to help provide the best workplace experience for employees is at the top of agenda, and the Crescent will create one of Bristol’s best office buildings delivering to this demand.” Jason Taylor, regional director at Kier Construction Western & Wales, said: “This is a significant development in the heart of Bristol city centre. We will be transforming Crescent into a modern office with first-class facilities. “Once completed, this development will provide much-needed new office space to support the city’s business community.” Nick Jones, Associate Director, Buckley Gray Yeoman, said: “We’ve long been champions of creative refurbishment and retrofit of buildings that both improves the user experience and responds decisively to the climate emergency. Crescent is going to be an exemplar for Bristol and will set the bar high for modern workspace with plenty of character and impressive tenant amenities.” This £28 million investment is the latest in significant investments into the CEG Group’s portfolio in Bristol which, to date, stands at £234 million. The team is managing a 450,000 sq ft portfolio, has refurbished the Quorum and is onsite EQ at 111 Victoria Street and 1000 Aztec West both of which are set to complete in the first half of 2023. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Managing Director of Stripe Property Group, James Forrester, commented: “This is astonishingly negligent on the part of the government. House building has languished below the required 300,000 annual number since the 1950’s and that’s even with the focus and accountability of local authority facing targets. To remove those targets is to allow the UK’s requirement to dangle in the wind and we now have even less chance as a nation of providing adequate dwelling numbers. It’s a dumb move”. CEO of Alliance, the Real Estate Fund, Iain Crawford, commented: “Another day, another u-turn but this one is particularly serious in that in watering down the country’s likely annual residential construction output, thousands of would-be buyers and renters are going to have less choice of home. The result will be even higher house prices as increasing demand from net positive immigration and an aging population continues to outweigh supply.” Head of UK for Unlatch, Lee Martin, commented: “Removing accountability for building at local authority level seems somewhat counterintuitive to the problem at hand. Just as the country is slowly getting to grips with higher housebuilding volume and recent completions were starting to look meaningful versus need, the Secretary of State jams that momentum into reverse and effectively kills all possibility of reaching the very levels of supply that the government itself has aimed for but missed for years. It’s hardly progress.” Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The EU’s pioneering role in climate protection matters is not without its disadvantages, with its energy supply hugely dependent on gas. The Ukraine War has resulted in sharply rising gas and electricity prices and while a way out of the crisis is currently being discussed on the political stage, things remain unclear for the industry. A wave of insolvencies currently looms, triggered by rising costs. What industrial operations can expect and how second-hand machines can help. The EU’s plan of action was actually set: climate neutrality was to be reached in the Member States by 2050. Greenhouse gases were to be reduced, “green jobs” generated and a portion contributed to slowing down the rise of global surface temperatures. One of the key aspects is the switch to renewable energy sources: instead of from coal and gas, energy needs to be obtained from solar energy, wind and hydropower. But the energy transformation in Europe is a long way off from how it could be. Citizens are protesting against wind turbines, restructuring work is being decelerated through lengthy approval processes, and there is a shortage of professional workers and construction materials for actual implementation. An abrupt halt to the energy transformation At the start of 2022, the climate targets were hit with another obstacle. The war in Ukraine starts in February, bringing with it a whole slew of consequences. Supply chains collapsed, raw materials were scarce and prices shot up. The supply gap, still unable to be closed using sustainable energies, is now becoming glaringly obvious thanks to the stoppage in supplies of gas from Russia. Gas has had to be imported from alternative regions, resulting in a huge price increase. And as the electricity price is linked to that of gas, rising costs have been seen here too. But the production facilities of many businesses depend on electricity, gas, coal and oil and the energy transformation, actually intended to act as a safeguard, is now proving to be the problem. Businesses on the back burner Calls for a way out of the crisis are loud and clear. Governments are attempting to provide relief through price curbs, cost dampening, direct payments to the population and term extensions for energy producers from the fields of nuclear power or coal. After all, high energy costs are putting many companies at risk and the insolvency wave already anticipated due to the coronavirus pandemic now threatens to become a reality. Whether for drying processes, annealing and burning kilns or other production processes – many companies are dependent on gas and would have to raise their prices substantially to be able to manage the added costs. But price increases scare potential customers away. As a result, many companies are no longer able to compete. According to a VDMA survey, 90% of companies are having problems with their energy supply and over half expect the situation to get worse. Businesses are currently trying to save gas and electricity without having to make too many concessions in production – but potential for savings is limited. With premium and modern second-hand machines, industrial auction house Surplex offers an affordable solution in the crisis. (© Surplex) Second-hand machines as an alternative in the crisis A stagflation caused by supply chain interruptions and high energy costs means that many companies are facing the acute risk of insolvency. In addition, Europe is unattractive as an industrial location, as energy-intensive businesses in particular have little incentive to base their production facilities here. Many companies are confronted with rising pressure to restructure their operations. Production lines need to be adapted and made more effective and energy-efficient with new machines. But as with producing businesses, machine manufacturers are also being affected by the current crisis, with prices and waiting times for new machines skyrocketing. For many companies, buying a new machine as a modernisation solution is therefore not an option. In times of crisis more than anything, it is worth taking a look at the second-hand machine market. Many businesses currently want to free up their budget by selling machines they no longer need. The offer on auction platforms such as Surplex.com is on the rise and even modern, well-kept machines from various industrial branches such as metal, wood or construction can be bought for an affordable price. From settlement to dispatch and payment, buyers there are supported by experienced experts at every stage of their machine purchase, meaning they can find the best offer for their business. Despite the difficult situation in machine manufacturing, companies are therefore still able to take a further step to combat the energy crisis and start the new year off in a strong position.
Seven years of transformational development at a game-changing tech campus in Hull is continuing with construction underway on the final office building. The net zero building is the final phase of leading developer Wykeland Group’s @TheDock complex in the city’s vibrant Fruit Market urban village. It will provide a further 11,000 sq ft of prime office space and bring 150 more advanced tech jobs to the area. The building will complete a cluster of prime office space at the @TheDock development, which includes the pioneering Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI) tech hub. The @TheDock development has regenerated a previously derelict waterfront site and become the catalyst and focal point for Hull’s fast-growing tech sector. Yorkshire-based contractor Castlehouse Construction is delivering the works, with the final building having been designed by leading architectural practice The Harris Partnership, also based in Yorkshire. The developer’s agent for the project is LHL Group, again Yorkshire-based. A total of around 300 workers will be on site across the various stages of the construction process, with the building scheduled to be completed in summer 2023. John Gouldthorp, Asset Manager at Hull-based Wykeland, said: “It’s great that work is now underway on this exciting development. “@TheDock has been a tremendous success and this latest phase underlines our confidence in the continuing growth of the tech sector in Hull and the wider region. “Our previous investments on this site have generated dozens of new digital businesses and hundreds of highly-skilled tech jobs. This final building will create exciting new opportunities to be part of one of the UK’s most successful tech communities within a building with exceptional sustainability credentials.” Site preparation and groundworks have been completed and piling work has now begun on site. Castlehouse Construction was previously contracted by Wykeland to deliver the first phase of the £20m transformation of the former Northallerton Prison site in North Yorkshire into the award-winning Treadmills mixed-used development. Phil Dewell, Construction Director at Castlehouse Construction, said: “Having previously worked with Wykeland on the first phase of The Treadmills development in Northallerton, we were delighted to be chosen for this project. “Wykeland has a track record of delivering developments which have a significant economic impact on the area they serve. The @TheDock tech campus is a perfect example of that and we’re delighted to be finishing what has been a transformational development for the city.” The new building will have exceptional sustainability credentials, making it one of Hull’s most environment-friendly developments as well as increasing its appeal to potential occupiers keen to reduce their carbon footprint. The building will be powered by renewable energy generated via an array of roof-mounted solar panels. A green roof formed by flowering plants and a green wall section will also support biodiversity, while adding to the building’s insulation. The building will be rated BREEAM “Very Good” – a sustainability assessment that will put it in the top 25% nationally for non-domestic buildings. It will have an EPC energy rating of A – the highest possible to achieve – and will be mechanically heated, cooled and ventilated by a system that uses air source heat pumps and takes heat energy from extracted air and uses it to pre-heat incoming air. The undercroft car parking will feature electric vehicle charging points and cycle storage spaces, while energy efficient sensor lighting will also be installed within the building to reduce its carbon footprint. The project is supported by funding received from the European Regional Development Fund. The building is available for let to either a single business or multiple tenants, with suites from 2,250 sq ft to the full 11,000 sq ft. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Pure hydrogen boilers, manufactured by BDR Thermea Group’s Dutch brand Remeha, supplied with hydrogen via existing natural gas grid Baxi’s parent company, BDR Thermea Group, the leading manufacturer of smart indoor climate solutions, today launches a world-first pilot using its 100% hydrogen boilers in 12 inhabited homes with hydrogen supplied via an existing natural gas grid. The pioneering pilot in the eastern Dutch town of Lochem is the first time hydrogen heating is being tested at this scale anywhere in the world. The detached listed houses, all built around 1900, will each be equipped with one of the boilers, which burn pure hydrogen with zero carbon emissions. The hydrogen is fed into the existing gas grid at a nearby industrial zone. A collaboration between BDR Thermea’s Dutch brand Remeha and grid operator Alliander, the pilot will run for three years, ensuring extensive testing in wintertime, when heat demand peaks. The houses were deliberately chosen as older residential housing stock, with restrictions to the changes that can be made to them due to their heritage status. Bertrand Schmitt, CEO of BDR Thermea Group, said: “Heating of buildings and water contributes significantly to energy use and CO2 emissions: space heating accounts for 63.6% and water heating 14.8% of EU residential energy use. Decarbonising buildings is therefore an urgent imperative, and hydrogen is one of the key technologies to do this, alongside heat networks, all-electric heat pumps and hybrid solutions that twin heat pumps with gas boilers.” The landmark pilot builds on a raft of exploratory projects involving Baxi and the wider BDR Thermea Group. Baxi is currently participating in the Government-funded Hy4Heat programme, which sees the manufacturer showcase prototype hydrogen boilers at the UK’s first 100% hydrogen public demonstration in Low Thornley, near Gateshead. Meanwhile, its boilers are also being used for the world’s first green hydrogen-to-homes heating network pilot, involving 300 homes in Levenmouth, Fife, and are set to be used for the UK’s first ‘hydrogen village’ in Whitby, Ellesmere Port, in 2025. Karen Boswell, Managing Director at Baxi UK & Ireland, adds: “The pilot in Lochem demonstrates our ongoing commitment to exploring installer-friendly home heating solutions for the future – in this case supplying hydrogen via the familiarity of an existing gas network. We recognise the important role a hydrogen-compatible grid could play in decarbonising UK homes and will use insights from this pioneering trial to accelerate that drive.” As part of BDR Thermea Group, Baxi is pioneering a greener future through a series of commitments to sustainability in addition to its pilot projects. The business has committed to be carbon neutral across its operations by 2025, while every product it manufactures from 2025 will work with low carbon energy. Recent research commissioned by the European Heating Industry and published by consultancy firm Guidehouse shows that a mix of heating technologies is the fastest way to cut natural gas consumptions in 2030 by 45%, and would generate an aggregated cost benefit of over EUR 520 billion until 2050. Heat pumps play a key role in decarbonising heating and are perfect for well-insulated houses and newbuilds. Hybrids can reduce carbon emissions quickly in less-insulated existing buildings, reducing gas use by up to 70%. In time, the remaining gas use can be cut by using renewable gases, such as green hydrogen. To find out more about Baxi, visit www.baxi.co.uk
Salboy, the nationwide property development and funding company, has acquired the former site of the Boddingtons Brewery, a renowned 52,700 sq ft site on the northern edge of central Manchester. With a £195 million GDV, the mixed-use scheme will split across five buildings, including a 26-storey tower, all of which will comprise 556 new homes for sale and rent, 31,000 sq ft of commercial and retail space, and residents’ amenities that include rooftop terraces and landscaped gardens. The scheme, which will be named in due course, forms a major part of Manchester City council’s long-planned, residential-led regeneration of the site that was home to the Boddingtons Brewery until 2005. The Council first published its strategic regeneration framework of this site in 2015. Located adjacent to the site of Manchester College’s new £100 million city centre campus, and in short walking distance of the city’s vibrant Northern Quarter, the scheme is expected to attract students and young people among whom demand for good quality accommodation in central Manchester has never been higher. A recent report by JLL* confirmed Manchester’s status as the fastest growing city among the UK’s ‘Big Six’ cities outside London, recording 34% growth in the last ten years and the largest employment and population growth in that time too. Data from urbanbubble shows that available rental properties hit record lows in the third quarter of 2022 while achieved rents rose above asking rents for the first time.** Simon Ismail, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Salboy, comments: “We are delighted to be the new owners of the Boddingtons site – an ideal location for urgently needed regeneration thanks to its close proximity to city centre leisure, business, higher education and transport links. The future of this site has been the subject of local speculation for too long and we are excited to mobilise construction as soon as early 2023 to bring more sought-after homes to people who want to work, live and study in Manchester.” The scheme will be built by Salboy’s dedicated construction partner, DOMIS with construction with mobilisation due on site early 2023. To date Salboy has delivered over 2,750 new homes to Manchester and neighbouring Salford. The group has £1 billion across 11 schemes of property currently in development or planning in the North West, London and Cornwall, all of which are due to add more than 2,000 more homes to regions most impacted by the national housing shortage. Construction at Salboy’s mixed-use Viadux scheme continues and in June 2022, the Salboy team entered a joint venture agreement with Relentless, the property development company owned by Gary Neville, to deliver Manchester’s long-anticipated St Michael’s development, a scheme comprising a 5* hotel, 180 residences and leisure spaces. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
GAP GROUP PURCHASE ALL DXB INTEGRATE FLEETED 200mm WASTEWATER PUMPSETS AS DEMAND FOR STAGE V PUMPSETS INCREASES DRAMTICALLY IN AMP7 AND BEYOND. With demand for Stage V pumpsets outstripping the supply chains of all European pump manufacturers, GAP Group (GAP) and DXB Integrate Limited (DXBi) have agreed for GAP to purchase the existing fleet of high head and high flow DXBi 200mm sewage pumpsets to service the rapidly expanding hire demand from GAP’s customers. The pumpsets being bought from DXBi are identical to the 200mm pumpsets that GAP bought from DXBi in 2022, and will instantly add 40% more to the GAP fleet. This allows the hire company to support the demands for clean engine pumpsets on major projects stipulating Stage V. All the 200mm pumpsets have been designed and manufactured by DXB Pump & Power, the manufacturing division of the DXB Group that has supplied almost 150 Stage V pumpsets to GAP over the last 12 months, enabling them to make a huge impact in the UK’s water industry. Mark Anderson, GAP’s Managing Director for the North commented, “We have seen a good deal of trouble-free success with these 200mm pumpsets powered by Stage V engines, and by purchasing the existing DXBi 200mm fleet, it allows us to quickly fill the growing demand that may have been impacted by engine deliveries, which have always been challenging.” He continued “DXB have done well to supply us around 150 pumpsets this year whilst building their new factory at the same time, which we know was a major challenge in these economic conditions. This purchase enables us to keep driving forward aggressively whilst we wait for the next round of pumpsets which we should have in Q1 2023.” Simon Ruffles, Managing Director of DXB Integrate said “GAP Pump Services is now a major player in the UK pump industry, having only started in 2021, and this is great credit to Mark and his business for having the vision to see the environmental opportunity of Stage V, or electric dryprime pumpsets and committing to it so aggressively.” He continued, “GAP is now the leader in the market in terms of Stage V pumpsets by far and this investment works for both companies, allowing DXBi to focus on more niche market applications such as the high pressure quarrying or oil & gas applications, and the very challenging geotechnical markets where our most recent fleet investments have been made.”
A property maintenance company has had an ISO certificate reconfirmed after a recent audit. Platform Property Care – a subsidiary of Platform Housing Group – has passed an external audit for ISO 45001 by Direct Assessment Services – or DAS – a UKAS accredited certification body for international ISO standards. The company was originally awarded the certification in November 2019; this latest review means the certificate is now valid for the next three years. The audit – which took place between 23 and 26 September this year – covered a vast geographical area in Lincolnshire, from Grimsby to Skegness and beyond. ISO 45001 is the world’s international standard for occupational health and safety, issued to protect employees and visitors from work related accidents and diseases. Mark Lane, QESH Manager at Platform Property Care said : “It’s a true measure of a great team effort to achieve recertification of this internationally recognised standard; it demonstrates our ongoing commitment to all stakeholders and external regulators in relation to health and safety. For our many customers, it also gives reassurance that all our work will be undertaken safely with attention to detail. It places the customer at the very heart of what we do. We are justifiably proud to have been awarded this certification again.” The audit – which took place over a six day period – involved interviews with senior managers, lead engineers, service managers and trades people with 19 key people involved; nine workplace site inspections to observe safety working practices also took place. Preparation for the audit began in May 2022 and involved compiling appropriate policies, procedures and systems; the process looked at how Platform Property Care demonstrates compliance with the clauses of the ISO45001 standard and related evidence. Mark concluded : “This standards give assurance to the Board and the wider Platform Housing Group business, that Property Platform Care is a sector leading organisation. External audits give a completely impartial measure of a business and we are proud of our achievements. Our thanks and congratulations go to all those involved.” For further information please contact Mark Lane, QESH Manager at Platform Property Care on 01684 579398 or email him at mark.lane@platformhg.com. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Rental living pioneer Moda Living’s Brighton & Hove neighbourhood ‘Moda, Hove Central’ has reached its highest point as guests celebrated the milestone and enjoyed spectacular views from the top. Moda is regenerating the former Sackville Road Trading Estate into a thriving new multigenerational neighbourhood of more than 820 new homes, 564 of which will be build-to-rent apartments. The neighbourhood will include six new buildings, with more than 60% of the 8.8-acre site covered with new landscaped green spaces, pedestrian routes and public realm. The neighbourhood is part of Moda’s prime multi-family joint venture with investment manager Apache Capital, and the first to be funded by KKR. The new homes, 10 per cent of which will be affordable and managed by Moda, will cater to all ages and requirements, ranging from studio apartments to three-bedroom homes and boast views of the sea, the South Downs and Brighton and Hove. The neighbourhood will also include a range of best-in-class amenities, including a 24/7 gym, roof terraces, communal lounges and co-working spaces, cycle cafes as well as 260 community care homes. In addition to a 24-hour gym and fitness centre equipped with market leading fitness equipment, residents will have access to a host of wellness focused products and services to support their healthy lifestyles. All residents are given free access to leading home fitness app FIIT so they can work out anywhere, any time. Moda’s wellness programme offers a range of expert coaching sessions on topics ranging from fitness and nutrition to healthy sleep and financial wellbeing. Additionally, a partnership with mental health expert MYNDUP gives residents subsidised access to services including counselling, meditation, and life coaching. A bespoke regular programme of events, designed and run by Moda’s in house operations team, will complement the services and facilities and help to build a community of people living their happiest, healthiest lives. Moda’s commitment to health and wellbeing across its living sector platforms means it has the most top-level certifications from the leading global healthy building accreditation body, Fitwel, in the world. Moda, Hove Central will target this 3-star certification by prioritising health and wellbeing in all elements of its design and operation. The neighbourhood also includes a range of amenities for the local community. As well as landscaped public realm, there will be a gym and fitness centre, shops and cafes and new public squares for the local community to enjoy. Tony Brooks, Managing Director at Moda Living, said: “This is a momentous stage in our regeneration of the former Sackville Road Trading Estate and seeing the views from the top of our tallest building really takes your breath away. Hove is a beautiful part of Sussex and we’re extremely proud to be a step closer to bringing these much-needed rental homes to Hove. “People who move into Moda, Hove Central will be able to make new friends, join in with group activities and access wellness support services as we build a true community. They will also know their rental property is there to stay, giving them a place they can call home for as long as they want. “Hove Central isn’t just for the residents. Working closely with Brighton & Hove Council, local resident groups and consultants, we’re delivering a new community hub for Hove, complete with open green space, new shops and amenities and beautiful, professionally managed public realm on this formerly disused industrial site. We look forward to welcoming the community to Moda, Hove Central next year.” Hove and Portslade MP Peter Kyle said: “Hove very much welcomes one of its newest residents. This is such an exciting milestone to have reached and I look forward to residents moving in next year. “There were lots of developers that were interested in this site and came to see me about it. Moda was the only developer whose first conversation was: ‘Can you talk about the community around the site? Who are they and what are the characteristics, because we want to be part of that community’.” “It’s not just the building of local homes that Moda Living has championed but it’s also been the projects they are supporting in the wider community – from basketball to art – and I am sure everyone in the city will benefit.” Charles Smith, Project Director at contractor Midgard, said: “We’re excited to have reached the highest point at Moda’s newest development in Hove and we’re looking forward to continuing to work closely with all stakeholders to deliver a successful project by 2024.” John Dunkerley, Co-Founder and CEO at Apache Capital said: “The completion of Hove is a significant milestone in our strategic partnership with KKR, which will enable the delivery of over 4,000 rental homes across the UK’s core regional cities. “Supply-demand imbalances and long-term demographic and structural trends are driving institutional investors towards build-to-rent, and our partnership with developer and operator Moda has become firmly established as one of the industry’s leading platforms.” Paul Rogers, Director at Whittam Cox Architects said: “We’re delighted to see our designs for Moda Hove Central being realised. The scale and positive impact of this transformational regeneration project cannot be underestimated. “This development has a distinct point of difference in the emerging build to rent sector in the UK. Here we are creating a neighbourhood of buildings, all of which have their own character, and are connected through outstanding landscaping and public realm. Our design approach from the outset has been driven by creating an exceptional resident experience within a neighbourhood which is embedded in its place, and which will provide every opportunity to curate an inclusive community.” Community engagement has played a major role in the development of Moda, Hove Central. Earlier this year Moda Living became one of just two major partners to Brighton Festival, supporting the pop-up arts venue the Riwaq, which hosted free performances for the public throughout May. Moda is also working with local artist Richard Wolfstrome to deliver an ambitious public art strategy for the neighbourhood, which will set a new bar for
University of Cambridge’s ‘Homerton College Dining Hall’ designed by architects Feilden Fowles, is the UK’s best new timber building, having won the Gold Award at the 2022 Wood Awards. Elegant and impressive, the dining hall was praised by the judges for how it celebrates the integrity and inherent beauty of its materials, from its design through to its incredible craftsmanship, and for the space it creates which is both welcoming and inspiring to students. The dining hall, buttery, kitchens, and associated amenities give rise to a bright, airy, and efficient setting by day, which can transform into a dramatic ceremonial setting at night. The ash-lined buttery serves as a café and provides an area to socialise or study. At the heart of the hall is an impressive timber structure with no interrupting supports that allows for a large, clear space; breath taking to building professionals, educators, and students alike. Each sweet chestnut glulam truss in the hall is formed of four members which are connected at a central node and to the full height columns on each side, while above these beams an engineered timber roof deck lends lateral stability. This combination of high performing engineered timber with traditional joinery achieves an elegance, revealed in the butterfly truss design, which echoes traditional collegiate halls in its aesthetics, but also exploits the compressive strength of timber in its structure. The Wood Awards building judges, a team of world leading professionals led by Jim Greaves of Hopkins Architects, visited all 20 buildings shortlisted in the Wood Awards before deciding the winner, in one of the UK’s most rigorous assessments for any competition. On deciding on Homerton College Dining Hall as the Gold Winner, the judges said they were impressed by the harmony of the structure with the rest of the college, allowing for light and flow from the garden and to other areas of the college to create a building both ‘natural and iconic’. Homerton College Dining Hall beat more than 200 building in the UK to claim the Gold Award. They were also the winner of the Education category, and of the Structural Award. The award makes a two-year clean sweep for the University of Cambridge, who won the Gold Award with their Magdalene College Library last year before going on to win the RIBA Stirling prize. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals