Downing has secured a £249.2 million refinancing package for two major residential towers at its £400 million Square Gardens development in Manchester, marking another significant milestone for one of the city’s largest new living schemes. The financing, provided by Bank of Ireland, covers Acer and The Fernley, the two completed
Karen Carter, public sector director at public procurement specialist Pagabo, has shared her thoughts following the government’s announcement on its intention to review plans for local government reorganisation (LGR) and ensure alignment with its wider plan to rewire the state. Karen said: “This week’s announcement adds another layer of uncertainty for councils that have
Cardo Group has rapidly expanded its position in the UK building maintenance market, creating a business with full-year revenues of £314 million following a sustained programme of acquisitions and organic growth. The Cardiff-based group, which specialises in repairs, maintenance and improvement services for the social housing sector, reported statutory turnover
Some of the UK’s biggest facilities management and building services contractors have secured positions on a new government framework valued at up to £120 billion, opening the door to a major pipeline of public estate work over the next eight years. The Government Commercial Agency framework, RM6378, is set to
Pre-engineered steel is taking share in low-rise commercial development because it moves structural engineering, fabrication and quality control off the site and into a factory, which shortens the critical path and puts a code-ready, stamped drawing set in the developer’s hands earlier than conventional construction usually manages. Metal building systems
Global real estate advisor, CBRE, has secured a forward funding agreement for five prime units at Orchard Park site Global real estate advisor CBRE has brokered a £72 million pre-construction forward funding commitment between a US based investor and Newlands Developments, in association with Tulchan Development, enabling the speculative delivery of much-needed industrial and
Thakeham and Abri have completed work at Manorwood, West Horsley, delivering 139 homes designed to reflect the character of the local area. The new community includes 56 affordable homes and 74 for private sale, comprising bungalows and 2, 3, and 4-bedroom homes. Manorwood is currently 90% sold, with just nine
Renaker has cleared a major planning hurdle for its next generation of residential towers in Manchester after reaching a Section 106 agreement with Manchester City Council that could deliver up to £114 million towards affordable housing. The agreement enables the developer’s five-tower Great Jackson Street proposals to progress more than
Structural steelwork is rapidly taking shape at Link, Aylesbury, as construction progresses on the 192,000 sq ft industrial and logistics development being delivered by Glencar for Newlands Developments. The latest milestone was marked with a steel signing ceremony on site on 8 September, bringing together representatives from across the project
Bouygues UK has completed Phase 4 of Hallsville Quarter in Canning Town, East London, delivering 375 purpose-built student accommodation rooms ahead of the 2026/27 academic year. The development is delivered through a joint venture between Crosstree Real Estate Partners and Bouygues UK’s Development arm, with Bouygues UK also acting as
Downing has secured a £249.2 million refinancing package for two major residential towers at its £400 million Square Gardens development in Manchester, marking another significant milestone for one of the city’s largest new living schemes. The financing, provided by Bank of Ireland, covers Acer and The Fernley, the two completed co-living buildings within the wider Square Gardens development in Manchester’s First Street district. Together, the buildings provide a major concentration of new rental accommodation, with the 25-storey Acer and 45-storey Fernley forming the first two phases of the development. Both buildings are now operational, demonstrating the scale of demand for professionally managed, amenity-led rental accommodation in Manchester. Designed by Manchester-based SimpsonHaugh Architects, Square Gardens represents a substantial addition to the city’s evolving residential landscape. The wider £400 million development has been conceived as a new urban neighbourhood combining high-density living with extensive shared amenities, landscaped spaces and public realm. Residents have access to facilities including a gym and wellness centre, co-working and meeting areas, social lounges, private dining spaces and extensive landscaped gardens and terraces. Sustainability has also formed an important part of the development, with measures including air source heat pumps, while the scheme has targeted BREEAM Excellent and EPC A ratings. The refinancing represents an important financial milestone following the completion and occupation of the two buildings. Savills Capital Advisors advised Downing on the transaction. Bay Downing, joint chief executive of Downing, described the deal as a landmark transaction for the business, highlighting the strength of the company’s portfolio and growing opportunities across the living sector. The deal is also significant for the wider UK residential market. Large-scale co-living and Build to Rent developments are becoming an increasingly established component of regeneration in major regional cities, combining new housing supply with extensive shared facilities and professionally managed environments. Square Gardens has been created using Downing’s vertically integrated approach, with development, construction and ongoing management delivered by the business. This has enabled the company to take the scheme from construction through to operation within the wider group. With Acer and The Fernley now completed and backed by £249.2 million of refinancing, Square Gardens is moving firmly from major construction project to established residential destination, reinforcing Manchester’s position as one of the UK’s leading markets for large-scale rental and co-living development. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Karen Carter, public sector director at public procurement specialist Pagabo, has shared her thoughts following the government’s announcement on its intention to review plans for local government reorganisation (LGR) and ensure alignment with its wider plan to rewire the state. Karen said: “This week’s announcement adds another layer of uncertainty for councils that have already spent months planning for reorganisation. Four areas have had their plans withdrawn, another 14 are paused pending review, and the 2027 elections will now be fought on existing boundaries. “For the teams involved, that’s a lot more work suddenly required without a clear landing point. But the fundamentals haven’t changed. Schools still need building, homes still need delivering, and estates still need maintaining. None of that waits for a structural decision in Whitehall. The risk in moments like this is that authorities press pause on everything, not just reorganisation, and lose a year of delivery to a decision that isn’t theirs to make. It’s vital that local authorities remember that successful transition will depend not only on the governance design, but on collective leadership and the ability to maintain shared action while navigating the road ahead. “Our advice remains the same as prior to this latest government announcement. That is to keep statutory service delivery moving and focus on decisions that will be unaffected by reorganisation. This means procuring through compliant, flexible routes that transfer cleanly to whatever structure eventually emerges. Similarly, ensure contract, asset and supplier data is in order because that is the groundwork every future authority will need regardless of how new boundaries are formed. Finally, keep the relationships with your supply chain warm so that you can move quickly when clarity comes. “Uncertainty is not the same as standstill. The authorities that come through this best will be the ones that use the pause to get their house in order – rather than waiting to be told what shape they’ll be.” For more information and guidance, check out Navigating Local Government Reorganisation – which was recently published by Pagabo. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Cardo Group has rapidly expanded its position in the UK building maintenance market, creating a business with full-year revenues of £314 million following a sustained programme of acquisitions and organic growth. The Cardiff-based group, which specialises in repairs, maintenance and improvement services for the social housing sector, reported statutory turnover of £239 million for the year to February 2026, representing a 65% increase. Growth was supported by seven acquisitions during the period alongside expansion across Cardo’s existing operations, as the business continues to build greater regional coverage and broaden the specialist services it can provide to housing clients. Operating profit more than doubled from £6 million to £14 million, with the operating margin increasing from 4.3% to 5.8%. However, the scale of the enlarged group is better reflected by full-year trading figures incorporating 12 months of revenue from the acquired businesses, which put turnover at £314 million and adjusted EBITDA at almost £32 million. Cardo’s acquisition programme has brought a diverse range of building maintenance capabilities into the group. Deals have included Breyer’s roofing division, energy specialist SERS operations in Scotland and Wales, CTS Projects, Scottish roofing contractor Faskin Group, passive fire protection specialist Gunfire and Trident Maintenance Services. Expansion has continued since the financial year-end. Welsh electrical maintenance specialist EFS Systems (UK) joined Cardo in May, followed in July by R Lewis & Co (UK) Holdings and subsidiary R Lewis & Co (UK), strengthening the group’s passive fire safety capabilities. In August, Cardo added Andover-based plumbing and heating specialist Correct Contract Services, further expanding its building services offering and geographical reach. The acquisition strategy has been accompanied by significant workforce growth. Average employee numbers increased from approximately 780 to 1,276, with much of the expansion concentrated within operational roles. Cardo’s balance sheet also reflects the pace of investment. Cash increased from £9.9 million to £15.1 million, while long-term creditors rose from £30.5 million to £81.6 million as acquisition financing was deployed to support the group’s expansion. The business is now looking to combine further strategic acquisitions with organic growth secured through long-term repairs and maintenance contracts. Its strategy is particularly focused on strengthening regional delivery capabilities across the social housing market while bringing together complementary services including roofing, electrical works, heating, energy efficiency and passive fire protection. Further consolidation is also planned within Scotland, where Heatcare Oil and Gas and Rodgers & Johnston are set to be integrated into Cardo Scotland. With a strong forward order book and growing pipeline of opportunities, Cardo is positioning the enlarged group for further expansion as investment in housing maintenance, building safety, energy efficiency and asset improvement continues across the UK. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Some of the UK’s biggest facilities management and building services contractors have secured positions on a new government framework valued at up to £120 billion, opening the door to a major pipeline of public estate work over the next eight years. The Government Commercial Agency framework, RM6378, is set to become a recommended procurement route for facilities management services across central government. It will also be available to local authorities, NHS organisations, police forces, fire and rescue services, education bodies and devolved administrations. Competition for the largest Total Facilities Management contracts has attracted many of the sector’s leading names. Eighteen businesses have been appointed to the highest-value lot, covering individual contracts worth more than £15 million annually. The successful firms include Amey, CBRE, Compass, Dalkia, Equans, G4S Facilities Management, ISS, JLL, Kier, Mitie, OCS, Robertson Facilities Management, Serco, Skanska, Sodexo, Vinci Facilities, Vivo Defence Services and Wates. For the construction and built environment industry, the framework also represents a substantial opportunity for contractors delivering hard FM, engineering, maintenance and asset management services across the public estate. Forty businesses have secured positions on the major Hard FM lot for contracts valued above £2 million per year. Among those appointed are Amey, BAM FM, CBRE, Dalkia, Equans, Galliford Try, Graham Asset Management, Kier, Mears, Mitie, NG Bailey, OCS, Robertson, Serco, Skanska, Vinci Facilities, Vivo and Wates. The framework has been structured to accommodate public sector estates and contracts of significantly different scales. Total FM is divided into three bands covering contracts worth up to £2 million annually, between £2 million and £15 million, and more than £15 million. Hard FM is split between contracts below and above £2 million a year. A core group of contractors has achieved particularly strong coverage across the framework. Fifteen firms secured places across all five Total FM and Hard FM lots: Amey, CBRE, Equans, ISS, JLL, Kier, Mitie, OCS, Robertson, Serco, Skanska, Sodexo, Vinci Facilities, Vivo Defence Services and Wates Property Services. A further group, including BAM FM, Dalkia Facilities, Galliford Try Facilities Management, Graham Asset Management and Mears FM, secured positions across four lots. The scale and duration of the framework make it an important development for the management and maintenance of the UK’s public buildings and infrastructure. Alongside day-to-day FM provision, major hard services contracts can encompass the engineering, maintenance and long-term performance of complex property portfolios. With public bodies continuing to face pressure to improve building efficiency, modernise ageing estates and manage assets more effectively, the framework provides a long-term procurement platform through which significant programmes of FM and building services work can be commissioned. The agreement is scheduled to operate for eight years, running through to August 2034, giving successful contractors access to what could become one of the most significant public sector facilities management pipelines in the UK. Main Total FM and Hard FM winners Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Pre-engineered steel is taking share in low-rise commercial development because it moves structural engineering, fabrication and quality control off the site and into a factory, which shortens the critical path and puts a code-ready, stamped drawing set in the developer’s hands earlier than conventional construction usually manages. Metal building systems account for a substantial share of new low-rise, nonresidential floor area in the United States, a position the Metal Building Manufacturers Association follows through its industry trends reporting, and that share was built up over decades on warehouses, light industrial units, retail shells, offices and mixed-use blocks of two or three storeys. The model is less familiar to UK developers, but the reasoning behind it travels, and so does the main procurement trap inside it. Most published comparisons of pre-engineered steel lead with cost. That framing is the least useful one for a developer, because price is the output of a specification that has not been written yet. The four things worth examining before that point are schedule sequencing, the engineering documents, how expansion gets designed in, and who you are actually buying from. The schedule argument is a sequencing argument The schedule gain in a pre-engineered steel building comes from parallel work, not from fast erection. While the primary frames, secondary framing and cladding are being fabricated in a plant, the site is doing groundworks, drainage and foundations, so two long-lead activities run side by side instead of end to end. Erection is quick once the steel lands, but erection was never the part of the programme that hurt. That parallel sequence only holds if the design is frozen early. A pre-engineered system prices and fabricates against a fixed geometry, load case and opening schedule, so a decision to move a roller door or add a mezzanine after release to fabrication costs far more programme time than the same change would in a steel-frame build detailed on site. Developers who do well out of the format tend to be the ones who run their tenant conversations before release, not after. Weather exposure is the other schedule variable that changes shape. Factory fabrication in controlled conditions removes a large block of field labour from the programme, which matters more in a wet winter than any theoretical erection rate does. The site crew is bolting together finished members rather than cutting, fitting and welding in the open. Stamped drawings are the part developers underestimate Engineering documentation is the quiet reason pre-engineered systems clear approvals faster. A genuine manufacturer produces the anchor bolt plan, reactions, frame cross-sections and erection drawings as part of the order, sealed by a professional engineer licensed in the project’s jurisdiction, so the building official and the developer’s own structural consultant are reviewing a coordinated set rather than assembling one. The practical value shows up at two moments. The first is permitting, where a complete stamped package tends to attract fewer requests for information. The second is foundation design, because the manufacturer’s reaction data is what the geotechnical and foundation engineers need before anyone pours anything, and late reactions stall the site while the steel sits in a plant yard. Ask at tender stage when the stamped drawings arrive, who seals them, and whether design changes after approval trigger a re-seal. The answers differentiate suppliers more sharply than any brochure claim about steel grade. Expansion has to be engineered before the first bolt goes in Expansion in a pre-engineered steel building is cheap if it was planned and awkward if it was not. A frame ordered as expandable gets a rigid endwall rather than a bearing endwall, with the foundations, bracing and reactions sized for the future bays, so adding 60 or 80 feet later means unbolting the sheeting and continuing the line. A frame ordered without that provision needs the endwall rebuilt and the foundations reworked, which is a different project. Developers holding land for phased delivery, or letting to tenants with growth clauses, should specify the expansion case in the original enquiry even if they never use it. The design cost of an expandable endwall is modest at order stage and effectively unrecoverable afterwards. Bolted steel frames also come apart, which matters for exit strategy and for planning arguments about circularity. UK guidance on recycling and reuse of structural steel records recovery rates for structural sections at the top end of construction materials, and a bolted, documented frame is considerably easier to demount and reuse than a welded or composite one. Manufacturer or broker is the question that decides the rest Much of the pre-engineered steel market is sold by brokers, dealers and kit resellers who do not own a plant, do not employ engineers and pass the order to whichever fabricator quotes best that month. The distinction is invisible in marketing and very visible in a dispute, because a reseller cannot reseal a drawing, cannot reschedule a fabrication slot and cannot answer a technical query without relaying it. Developers who buy on schedule certainty should be establishing, in writing, whether the counterparty manufactures. Buying manufacturer-direct compresses the chain to one accountable party for engineering, fabrication and delivery. Universal Steel of America, a Peachtree Corners company founded in 1995 that manufactures pre-engineered systems for low-rise projects only, runs that model across its commercial steel buildings work, with in-house engineering, PE-stamped drawings, and a stated plant network covering every region of the United States that ships directly to site from the closest plant. The point for a developer is not the brand but the structure of the relationship: when the engineer, the fabricator and the shipper answer to the same company, a mid-project change has one owner rather than three. Third-party accreditation helps test the claim. IAS AC472 accredits a metal building manufacturer’s design, fabrication and inspection programme, and a building official may accept that accreditation as evidence that the manufacturer qualifies as an approved fabricator under Chapter 17 of the International Building Code, which can remove duplicate in-shop inspections. One detail gets misread often: AC472
Global real estate advisor, CBRE, has secured a forward funding agreement for five prime units at Orchard Park site Global real estate advisor CBRE has brokered a £72 million pre-construction forward funding commitment between a US based investor and Newlands Developments, in association with Tulchan Development, enabling the speculative delivery of much-needed industrial and logistics development in Central Scotland. The commitment represents the largest speculative forward funding deal for an industrial and logistics project in Scotland for 30 years. The investment will unlock the speculative delivery of Orchard Park, a 40-acre industrial and logistics development at Eurocentral, Scotland’s flagship logistics hub. The development will deliver 353,000 sq ft of new Grade A accommodation across five units ranging from 42,500 sq ft to 122,500 sq ft, with bespoke design options also available to suit occupier requirements. Development is scheduled to commence on site in Q1 2027 with practical completion targeted for Q2 2028. Occupying a strategic position within the Eurocentral estate, Orchard Park benefits from direct access to the M8 motorway via a dedicated junction, providing connectivity to the national motorway network, while Scotland’s two principal airports are both within a 30-minute drive of the development. Existing occupiers within Eurocentral span the distribution, logistics and office sectors, including DHL and GXO Logistics. The investment decision is underpinned by sustained occupier demand across Scotland’s industrial sector, particularly within the Central Belt and along the M8 corridor, where vacancy rates remain exceptionally low at approximately 2.5%. Bryce Stewart, Senior Director at CBRE and Iain Davidson, Director at Colliers, are the retained letting agents on the scheme. Stephanie Bishop, Development Director at Newlands Developments, commented: “This is a significant milestone for Scotland’s industrial and logistics market and a strong vote of confidence in the sector from one of the world’s leading real estate investors. We are delighted to be investing in Scotland again alongside our Glasgow-based delivery partner, Tulchan Developments. “We believe this investment will attract significant occupiers who require top quality buildings available in the immediate future. It will reinforce Scotland’s position as an increasingly important destination for industrial and logistics investment.” Douglas Steele, Associate Director at CBRE, said: “We are very pleased have brokered a transaction of this scale and significance, bringing a much-needed injection of capital into Scotland’s industrial and logistics sector.” “The deal reflects the growing international recognition of the opportunities within the country’s I&L sector. Orchard Park will be central in building that momentum, delivering high-quality, strategically located space that can help address occupier demand and set a new benchmark for industrial development in Scotland.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Thakeham and Abri have completed work at Manorwood, West Horsley, delivering 139 homes designed to reflect the character of the local area. The new community includes 56 affordable homes and 74 for private sale, comprising bungalows and 2, 3, and 4-bedroom homes. Manorwood is currently 90% sold, with just nine homes still available to buy. The homes feature electric vehicle (EV) charging points, and over 300 solar panels were installed across the site. Manorwood properties achieve an impressive reduction in carbon emissions, averaging 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per year, which is about half the UK average. In addition, the development has wildlife-friendly features such as bird and bat boxes. Local couple, Lia and Ross, who moved into their first home together recently said that Manorwood offered the right balance of familiarity and fresh beginnings. It felt connected to the surrounding village, with homes that sat comfortably alongside the local architecture and streetscape. “We just fell in love with it,” says Lia. “It was one of those moments where we said, ‘we’ll just have a look’ – and then a couple of weeks later, we were here reserving our first home together.”* Matt O’Halloran, Operations Director at Thakeham said: “Manorwood has delivered 139 quality new homes that fit seamlessly into the existing village, but that offer all the benefits of modern construction.” “We are proud to have provided, in partnership with Abri, a new nursery building for local children, a junior sports hall, and two padel courts, marking this development out from others in the area. The community feel is already growing as people move into Manorwood, and once the final homes have sold, it will only get stronger.” Sally Ingham, Director of Development at Abri said: “Completing all 139 homes at Manorwood is a fantastic milestone. Fifty-six of these are affordable homes, meaning local people who might otherwise have been priced out of the area now have a genuinely affordable place to live. High quality, sustainable homes like these are exactly what we need as we work towards our ambition of building 20,000 homes by 2036.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Renaker has cleared a major planning hurdle for its next generation of residential towers in Manchester after reaching a Section 106 agreement with Manchester City Council that could deliver up to £114 million towards affordable housing. The agreement enables the developer’s five-tower Great Jackson Street proposals to progress more than two years after councillors initially backed the development. Designed by Manchester-based SimpsonHaugh Architects, the ambitious programme will deliver 2,388 new apartments across five high-rise buildings. At the centre of the plans is the 71-storey Lighthouse, a 213-metre residential tower that, if completed as proposed, would become Manchester’s tallest building and the tallest in the UK outside London. Around 640 apartments are planned within the slender tower, together with a public restaurant at its upper level. The Lighthouse takes its name from its distinctive glazed crown, which will create a lantern-like feature on the Manchester skyline. SimpsonHaugh’s design incorporates a unitised façade and a chequered architectural treatment beneath the upper glazed floors. Construction expenditure on the tower has been reported at approximately £235 million. The remaining four buildings, known collectively as The Green, will comprise two 47-storey and two 51-storey towers, providing 1,746 homes alongside commercial, leisure, food and drink accommodation at lower levels. Landscaping, public realm, cycle storage and supporting infrastructure also form part of the wider proposals. Construction of these four towers is expected to represent investment of more than £570 million. Affordable housing has been a significant part of negotiations between the developer and the council. Rather than affordable homes being delivered within the five towers, the Section 106 agreement establishes a viability-linked mechanism through which contributions could be secured for affordable housing elsewhere within Manchester. The Lighthouse is subject to a maximum contribution of around £33.2 million, while The Green could contribute up to a further £81 million. Importantly, these figures represent maximum potential contributions rather than guaranteed upfront payments. The eventual sums will depend on future viability assessments and the financial performance of the developments. The agreement brings greater certainty to one of Manchester’s most significant residential development programmes and continues the transformation of Great Jackson Street into a major high-density neighbourhood. Once delivered, the new buildings will help connect Renaker’s established Deansgate Square and Crown Street developments, creating an increasingly continuous cluster of residential towers on the southern edge of Manchester city centre. Alongside SimpsonHaugh Architects, the wider professional team identified for the development includes Deloitte, Curtins, WSP, GIA, Godwins, TPM Landscape, Element Sustainability, FutureServ and DP Squared, among others. Renaker has not yet confirmed a demolition or construction timetable for the five-tower programme. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Structural steelwork is rapidly taking shape at Link, Aylesbury, as construction progresses on the 192,000 sq ft industrial and logistics development being delivered by Glencar for Newlands Developments. The latest milestone was marked with a steel signing ceremony on site on 8 September, bringing together representatives from across the project team as the five-unit scheme moves through a key stage of its construction programme. Located at Gatehouse Close within Aylesbury’s established Gatehouse Industrial Area, Link will provide five new Grade A industrial and logistics units, supported by dedicated service yards, car parking, landscaping and associated infrastructure. Glencar began erecting structural steel for Units 1 and 2 in July, before progressing onto Unit 3 during August. Steelwork for the final two buildings, Units 4 and 5, is scheduled to commence later this month. With the frames now rising across the site, the overall scale and layout of the development is becoming increasingly visible. The latest activity represents an important step towards creating a modern logistics destination capable of accommodating a range of industrial and distribution occupiers. Sustainability and operational efficiency are also central to the specification. Link, Aylesbury is targeting BREEAM Excellent certification and EPC A ratings, with energy-efficient design measures incorporated alongside electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The development’s location provides access to two of the area’s principal road connections, the A41 and A418, while Aylesbury town centre is approximately half a mile away. Its position within an established industrial location further strengthens the scheme’s credentials for businesses seeking modern space with connections to the surrounding regional road network. For Newlands Developments, the project will add a significant new tranche of high-quality industrial and logistics floorspace to the local market, while the five-unit configuration provides flexibility for different occupier requirements. Glencar is continuing construction across the site as the development moves towards its next major delivery phases following completion of the structural frames. Link, Aylesbury is currently targeting completion in April 2027, when all five Grade A units and the accompanying external works and infrastructure are expected to be ready for occupation. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Bouygues UK has completed Phase 4 of Hallsville Quarter in Canning Town, East London, delivering 375 purpose-built student accommodation rooms ahead of the 2026/27 academic year. The development is delivered through a joint venture between Crosstree Real Estate Partners and Bouygues UK’s Development arm, with Bouygues UK also acting as main contractor. The project was designed by community-focused architect PRP with interiors by Holloway Li. Rising 10 storeys, the new development provides a range of en-suite rooms and fully equipped studios. Residents will have access to an extensive suite of amenities, including communal lounges, landscaped roof terraces, dedicated study areas, a fully equipped gym, meeting rooms, and a staffed reception with parcel room. The scheme has been designed to promote student wellbeing, community and social interaction, with well-lit, airy spaces and a combination of formal and informal areas. The landscaped public realm has been developed alongside the architectural and urban design proposals to create a high-quality, accessible, and sustainable setting. Phase 4 is the penultimate phase of the £650 million Hallsville Quarter masterplan, a long-term regeneration programme transforming Canning Town in the London Borough of Newham in partnership with Bouygues UK. The wider development provides more than 1,100 private and affordable homes, over 30,000 sq metres of leisure and retail space, a hotel, and generous public spaces including a playground designed by Landscape Projects. Sustainability was central to the project’s delivery, with Bouygues UK adopting a low-carbon construction approach that helped the scheme achieve BREEAM Excellent certification. Fully prefabricated bathroom pods reduced construction waste and improved efficiency on site, while Bouygues UK’s self-delivery of the concrete frame and selected internal finishes supported stronger quality control, programme efficiency, and a reduced overall carbon footprint. Bouygues UK has also placed significant emphasis on social value throughout the development. Initiatives have included paid roles for University of East London engineering master’s students, apprenticeships and employment-support programmes delivered in partnership with Newham Works, work-experience placements for local schools, CV-writing workshops, mock interviews, and local volunteering and charity activities. The new development will be operated by ARK Living under the trading name ARK Canning Town, marking the brand’s first dedicated student residence. ARK Canning Town forms part of ARK Living’s growing portfolio of co-living and student residences across London. Drawing on ARK’s established community-focused approach to urban living, the development combines thoughtfully designed private and shared spaces with dedicated on-site teams and a year-round events calendar to encourage socialization and community engagement. Oliver Campbell, Managing Director, Bouygues UK’s Development team said “The completion of Phase 4 marks an important milestone for Hallsville Quarter and for the regeneration of Canning Town. We are proud to have worked alongside Crosstree Real Estate Partners, PRP Architects, and the wider project team to deliver high-quality student accommodation that combines excellent facilities, sustainable construction and a strong connection to the surrounding neighbourhood. “As students prepare to move in for the 2026/2027 academic year, this new development will contribute to a vibrant and well-connected town centre, while the wider Hallsville Quarter Masterplan continues to deliver lasting benefits for Newham.” Pascal Lux, Managing Director, Bouygues UK London & South East commented: “Completing Phase 4 ahead of the academic year reflects the strength of our construction team and our commitment to integrated delivery. Self-delivering the frame and selected finishing trades in combination with prefabricated elements allowed us to maintain tight quality control while reducing waste and carbon impact. This proves that programme efficiency and sustainability go hand in hand.” Robert Alam, Managing Director at ARK Living comments “ARK Canning Town marks an exciting milestone for us as our first dedicated student residence and an important step in the continued growth of ARK Living. From the outset, our ambition has been to provide a high-quality student living experience, where great design, wellbeing and community all come together under one roof. ‘The building has been designed around how students live today, balancing private studios with places for study, exercise and socialization. Our extensive community events programme and dedicated on-site team will help students settle into London and meet new people, whilst making the most of university life.’ Bouygues UK’s development team has been active in the sector since 2010, delivering 30 projects with a combined gross development value (GDV) of £2 billion and construction activity totalling £1.6 billion. To date, the team has delivered 9,535 student beds across London and the wider UK, establishing Bouygues UK as one of the sector’s most experienced developers. This track record reflects the company’s growing ambitions in student accommodation, with Bouygues UK recently securing planning permission for Bankside House – a landmark 1,945-bed student residence for the London School of Economics (LSE), in partnership with Equitix, set to become one of the largest purpose-built student accommodation schemes in central London. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals