To live up to their climate pledge under the Paris agreement, EU lawmakers must ensure all 250 million existing as well as all new buildings in the EU become nearly zero greenhouse gas emitters. In a new report, experts nominated by EASAC’s member science academies call for far-reaching policy action.
Residents, employees and visitors to Longbridge are now able to enjoy new green space in the heart of the town centre after work to create new public space including an extension to Austin Park was completed. In total, the works have seen 46 new trees, 3,500 new shrubs and plants,
Students from Borders College paid a visit to the doctor’s recently, to learn more about how properties can be re-purposed and retrofitted with new technology, such as ground source heating systems, to significantly reduce a building’s carbon footprint. The vacant medical centre in Yetholm, Scottish Borders, which is being converted
Timber frame construction specialist, SO Modular, welcomed Economy Minister and Senedd Member, Vaughan Gething, to its new state-of-the-art, off-site manufacturing facility, located at the ‘Old Metal Box’ factory in Neath. Mr Gething was given a guided tour around the new facility, ahead of its grand opening later in the year. During
Keepmoat Homes continues to grow its development portfolio in the North West after acquiring three new land deals that will see the top ten UK housebuilder deliver 723 new homes, with a combined Gross Development Value (GDV) of £135m. The sites are located in Leyland, Accrington and Stoke on Trent
Landlords have many responsibilities when caring for rental properties. Some responsibility falls on the tenants, but it is ultimately up to you to provide the basic maintenance necessities for them. What a lot of landlords neglect is that this refers to things outside the property as well as things inside
Many of us understand how much it costs to build a property. But when it comes to the purchasing costs, we don’t always know a huge amount. That said, we should. That’s because how much a building costs to purchase matters a lot to clients. They want to know that
Running a strong and successful construction business is difficult, and this is most definitely something that you need to plan for so that you can be successful. There are so many different areas of the construction business that you need to get right and work on in order to help
Reports show that there are several million auto accidents in the United States every single year. These accidents can have many different causes, from reckless or drunk drivers to bad weather conditions or even technical faults and failures with car components. They can also be classified into various categories, and
Today the UK’s ambition to be a world-leading science and technology innovation hub has taken another step forward as The University of Manchester announced Bruntwood SciTech, the UK’s leading property provider dedicated to the growth of the science and technology sector, as its preferred bidder to deliver the £1.5 billion
To live up to their climate pledge under the Paris agreement, EU lawmakers must ensure all 250 million existing as well as all new buildings in the EU become nearly zero greenhouse gas emitters. In a new report, experts nominated by EASAC’s member science academies call for far-reaching policy action. “Policymakers have long focused on creating energy-efficient buildings that reduce the need for heating and air conditioning or generate renewable energy on site. But the energy used for operating buildings is only part of the story. We must urgently broaden the scope and look at emissions embodied in construction materials and methods – both for new buildings and building renovation.”, says William Gillett, EASAC’s Energy Programme Director. Currently, between 1 and 1.5% of the European building stock is being renovated annually. “To meet the goals of the Paris agreement, that rate should be two or even three times higher”, points out Gillett. “But more importantly, we need to factor in the massive emissions of the construction industry and supply chain, when calculating the climate impact of buildings. Renovating a building to reduce its energy consumption makes little sense if there is no control of the carbon-intensive materials and components used for the renovation, and if these are transported over long distances.” So far, EU policies have centered on the concept of ‘Nearly-zero energy buildings’ with a focus on reducing the consumption of energy used to provide comfort to building occupants. According to EASAC, this notion is outdated: “Instead, the indicator to be used now for assessing the climate impact of a new building or renovation should be cumulative greenhouse gas emissions, including embodied emissions produced by the building works and operating emissions produced by the building in the years following those works. As there are only about 10 years left before the door closes for limiting global warming to less than 1.5 oC, there is an urgent need over this period to limit the creation of embodied greenhouse gas emissions when renovating to produce nearly zero emission buildings” Buildings should be designed to be disassembled and recycled at end of their lifetime The report points out that most of the built environment is still designed using a linear take-make-consume-dispose approach. Transitioning to a circular economy would not only allow to reduce resource consumption and carbon footprint, but also address the waste problem. “Circularity has many facets”, explains Prof. Brian Norton, Co-chair of EASAC’s Working Group. “Many building materials can be reused, recycled and recovered. To start with, buildings and their components should be designed to be easily disassembled at the end of their use.” Renovating existing buildings must be at the heart of the EU’s strategy, the scientists argue. “It’s important to consider the re-use of existing buildings rather than replacing existing buildings with new ones,” says Norton. “There is a lot of embodied carbon in a building structure, especially in the concrete and steel. With today’s technologies and digitalized processes, renovating has become a lot easier and sustainable. We have to stop the current practice of knocking down structures to rebuild from scratch.” The report also argues that legislation must put a limit of embodied carbon per m2 of floor area that is brought into a building when it is constructed or renovated. Climate neutrality by 2050 requires renovating more than 90.000 homes – per week In 2020, the European Commission presented its ‘Renovation Wave’ strategy to boost energy renovation of buildings in the EU. It intends to revise the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive as one of the cornerstones of that strategy. “While a Directive on the energy performance of buildings has been in place since 2002, recast in 2010 and revised in 2018, the results so far have been underwhelming”, says Gillett. The challenge, however, is huge. „75% of the buildings Europeans live in are estimated to have a poor energy performance. To renovate them would require 146 million renovations in only 30 years. Member States’ current efforts are not sufficient,” explains Norton. “Achieving climate neutrality implies we need to renovate more than 90.000 homes per week across the EU – in itself an enormous challenge.” Buildings are an emission source that municipalities have a lot of control over While the authors address their policy recommendations primarily to the European Union, they also make clear that cities have a big role to play. “Municipal Councils and urban planners have tremendous influence on procurement specifications. They can stimulate the renovation and construction of nearly zero GHG emission neighbourhoods with integrated energy and transport systems and adequate green spaces. They can facilitate up-grading existing district heating and cooling systems or build new ones with optimised use of renewable energy, including PV, heat pumps, solar and geothermal heating, waste heat and natural cooling. And they are particularly well-placed to oversee renovations of social housing and subsidise the deep renovation of private housing where necessary to reduce energy poverty.” says Norton. EASAC’s messages to policymakers: Phase out fossil fuels by 2030, increase integrated supplies of decarbonised electricity and heat to buildings, industry and transport, and accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage. Use grants and incentives to trigger, leverage and de-risk private financing for deep energy related building renovations. Regulate levels of embodied GHG emissions in building materials and components, and promote recycled materials, re-used building components, and renovation instead of demolition. Refocus building regulations, certification schemes and incentives to deliver new and renovated buildings that operate with nearly zero GHG emissions. Promote health and wellbeing to double / triple rates of renovations that improve air quality, increase access to daylight, and avoid draughts and overheating as well as reducing GHG emissions. Champion public authorities and cities, facilitate and support their commitments to decarbonise buildings and reduce energy poverty. Expand and modernise the building industry to operate using circular business models with 3 million more jobs (including high quality jobs) to deliver new and renovated buildings with nearly zero GHG emissions Improve access for building owners and professionals to certified data on the embodied
Residents, employees and visitors to Longbridge are now able to enjoy new green space in the heart of the town centre after work to create new public space including an extension to Austin Park was completed. In total, the works have seen 46 new trees, 3,500 new shrubs and plants, 6,500 new bulbs and several species of wildflowers planted, while new bespoke seating has been designed and installed for up to 80 people to relax on. The scheme has been created to provide a place where people will want to explore and spend time, enhance the quality of the town centre as a whole and provide an attractive space for visitors and residents of Longbridge to enjoy. Improving the landscape will also provide several environmental benefits including creating a healthy green space within the town centre which will improve the environment, air quality and biodiversity, while supporting the wellbeing of the community. Rob Flavell, Senior Director for Regeneration in the Midlands and North for St. Modwen, said: “As we continue the redevelopment of Longbridge town centre, it’s vital that we are providing spaces which will bring huge benefits to those who live in, work in and visit the town, and this new public realm is a fantastic example of that. “The new space acts as an attractive centre piece for the town centre and provides a welcoming space to relax in and enjoy, in addition to bringing substantial environmental benefits. High-quality green spaces are key to the future success of our town centres. “We’re thrilled to have completed this new public space in time for the summer months, and we’re looking forward to seeing visitors exploring and enjoying it.” To date, St. Modwen has overseen the regeneration of around half of the wider Longbridge works which it bought in 2003. Once complete, it is expected to create up to 4,000 new homes, two million sq ft of commercial development and 10,000 jobs, transforming Longbridge into a modern, attractive community to live and work. For more information about Longbridge, go to www.longbridgebirmingham.co.uk
Students from Borders College paid a visit to the doctor’s recently, to learn more about how properties can be re-purposed and retrofitted with new technology, such as ground source heating systems, to significantly reduce a building’s carbon footprint. The vacant medical centre in Yetholm, Scottish Borders, which is being converted into a residential property, is owned by local housing association, the Eildon Group. The conversion is an example of the type of project the organisation is working on to develop a low carbon property portfolio. Commenting on the need to lower the carbon footprint within housing, Chief Executive Officer of the Eildon Group, Nile Istephan, said “Building new homes and adapting our existing homes to meet carbon reduction targets is a major challenge, but also a massive opportunity. By working together across the Scottish Borders with partner organisations, not only can we play our part in slowing the impact of climate change, we can also make great strides towards a zero carbon economy” The Eildon Group, in partnership with Borders College and Scottish Borders Council, recently hosted a Sustainability Summit where a variety of public and third sector organisations were joined by private sector businesses, to discuss how to better work together to achieve net zero targets within the housing sector. The aim of the Summit was to use the affordable housing sector as a catalyst to reshape the supply chain and the workforce response, to low carbon across the board within housing. The Sustainability Summit included keynote presentations by representatives from Northern Powerhomes and Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, both of whom covered examples of sustainable work in practice and future development opportunities. Identifying and addressing the skills gap in sustainable new builds and retrofitting existing stock to become low carbon, was discussed at the Summit. Borders College, who recently launched their Sustainability Strategy, confirmed their commitment to continue to develop and deliver the skills that address the needs of the construction industry, and ensure there is an adequate workforce pipeline to meet the demand now, and in the future. Angela Cox, Principal of Borders College said: “Borders College have been at the forefront in responding to the training needs of the construction sector. Our investment in sustainability technologies, hosted in our Hawick STEM and Passive House facility, and in the development of programmes designed to upskill the current and future workforce, mean that we are ready to build on the valuable partnerships we already have with Eildon Housing, other RSLs and Scottish Borders Council in response to the collective challenge we have in achieving net zero.” Councillor Sandy Aitchison, Scottish Borders Council’s Executive Member for Sustainable Development, said: “The future of the Scottish Borders truly depends on us all making strides towards reaching net zero and many job and economic opportunities will be connected to this. “The Council will shortly set out it’s Climate Change Route Map which will outline various milestones and actions emphasising that we will all need play our part in to tackle the climate emergency.” An outcome of the Summit was acknowledgement of the positive work being carried out across the South of Scotland, and the clear focus by many organisations to place achieving net zero at the forefront of their future plans. Further events are planned in order to consolidate the work, with the three partners taking a ‘stronger together’ approach in dealing with the climate emergency.
Timber frame construction specialist, SO Modular, welcomed Economy Minister and Senedd Member, Vaughan Gething, to its new state-of-the-art, off-site manufacturing facility, located at the ‘Old Metal Box’ factory in Neath. Mr Gething was given a guided tour around the new facility, ahead of its grand opening later in the year. During his visit, he was shown SO Modular’s latest investment in new equipment and explained its plans for the site – where it will be producing sustainable, innovative, modular wood panel systems and roof trusses for use in the wider construction industry. The regeneration of the ‘Old Metal Box’ factory into SO Modular’s new facility has been made possible due to a substantial £900,000 Property Business Development Grant through the European Regional Development Fund. In addition, loan funding support worth over £2.8 million, provided through the Welsh Government’s Innovative Housing Programme (IHP) to Tai Tarian Housing Association, has facilitated further investment in plant and machinery to increase its capacity. This increased capacity will allow SO Modular to help tackle the local and national housing shortage, by creating affordable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly housing. Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, said: “This government is committed to backing Welsh business and as we emerge from the Coronavirus pandemic one of my priorities is to kickstart Wales’ economic recovery, ensuring it becomes an engine for sustainable, green growth. “SO Modular is a well-established company anchored in the local community. They are an important employer in the region, and I am delighted our support will help them to grow their business and further their decarbonisation ambitions.” SO Modular and J. G. Hale Construction chairman, Jonathan Hale, said: “It was wonderful to be able to welcome Mr Gething to our brand-new site at the newly regenerated ‘Old Metal Box’ factory. The investment received through the Property Business Development Grant and the Welsh Government’s IHP scheme has made an enormous difference to SO Modular’s capacity. “Regeneration of the ‘Old Metal Box’ factory and, subsequently, increasing capacity at SO Modular are both integral to the economic recovery Wales very much needs. The facility’s sustainable, eco-friendly products will also go some considerable distance to helping Wales achieve its future zero-carbon housing targets.”
Keepmoat Homes continues to grow its development portfolio in the North West after acquiring three new land deals that will see the top ten UK housebuilder deliver 723 new homes, with a combined Gross Development Value (GDV) of £135m. The sites are located in Leyland, Accrington and Stoke on Trent and have all obtained planning approval from local authorities. The three schemes are: A 520-plot development Farington Mews, Leyland A 157-plot development at Biddulph, Stoke on Trent A 46-plot development Acorn View, Accrington The developments will offer two, three and four bedroom homes which will be available in multiple house types and various purchasing options from open market sale to shared ownership. Homebuyers will also be able to benefit from the Government-backed mortgage guarantee, allowing first-time and current homeowners to obtain a 95% mortgage from lenders. Gareth Owen, Land & Partnerships Director at Keepmoat Homes, said: “Our team has been working hard over the 6 months with local authorties and registered providers and the latest acquisitions are a testament to their efforts. We’re delighted to have aquired these three significant sites, all in ideal locations, which brings our total of active developments in the North West to 15. “As a business, our ethos is to not just build homes, but transform communities and improve the lives of local people. We’re driven to deliver increasingly sustainable and affordable homes and we’re taking action to reduce carbon emissions from our operations, our supply chain and the homes we build and adapt our operations and homes to our changing climate. Our Acorn View development in Accrington will feature car charging points for those with electric vehicles at each of the homes and we take pride in providing green open spaces for both residents and the local community to enjoy. “We can see from our existing developments, across the North West in particular, that demand for new homes is increasing and following these successes, we’re driven to remain active across the region and are seeking new land opportunities for residential led developments.”
Landlords have many responsibilities when caring for rental properties. Some responsibility falls on the tenants, but it is ultimately up to you to provide the basic maintenance necessities for them. What a lot of landlords neglect is that this refers to things outside the property as well as things inside it. You may have no problems scheduling regular boiler checks for your properties, but have you thought about garden maintenance? If your rental property is occupied by one tenant, they should handle the maintenance of the outdoor space. This relates to instances where you rent out a typical family home, for example. However, if you own a block of flats or there are shared outdoor spaces between multiple tenants, the onus is on you to provide maintenance. It’s not a luxury that you add on to make it seem like you’re a good landlord – garden maintenance should be essential, and here’s why… Attract more tenants Do you have vacant properties that need filling? It’ll be hard to attract tenants if the garden and outdoor spaces are a complete mess. Regular garden maintenance makes your property more desirable and marketable, encouraging more people to enquire about it. If you’re been struggling to generate interest around your rental property, now’s the time to get all your outdoor power equipment parts together and tend to the garden. Once everything is neat and tidy, take new property photos and see the instant impact this has on inquiries. Retain tenants for longer People won’t want to live in a rental property when a shared garden is completely unkempt. It’s not just the garden that’s the issue, it’s any greenery and trees that exist on the property as well. If everything becomes overgrown and unsightly, people want to leave. It annoys them to come home to a property where the lawn is a foot high and all the bushes are overgrown. From their perspective, it makes them wonder what their rent is going towards. Sure, it goes towards the property, but they aren’t getting any extra help from the landlord, so why bother staying? Regular garden maintenance puts an end to these thoughts and encourages people to stay for longer, maximizing your income. Prevent accidents Lastly, garden maintenance reduces the risk of accidents and injuries happening on your property. An overgrown tree with low-hanging branches can very easily cause a personal injury. Long grass or weeks can be considered trip hazards – as can lots of wet fallen leaves in the rainy months. If you want to prevent accidents on your property, you must maintain a neat garden and the surrounding outdoor space. At first glance, something like garden maintenance seems like a trivial thing. By all means, you should not feel responsible for keeping a garden tidy if you rent out a home with just one family or tenant living there. This is more aimed at landlords that own an apartment building or any other property with a garden shared by tenants. Don’t neglect regular maintenance as it can be highly beneficial to keep things in order.
Many of us understand how much it costs to build a property. But when it comes to the purchasing costs, we don’t always know a huge amount. That said, we should. That’s because how much a building costs to purchase matters a lot to clients. They want to know that they are getting a good return on their investment. So what purchase costs do we need to take into account following the construction of a building. Perhaps the biggest issue is the cost of capital for the downpayment – usually around 20 percent for most commercial projects. Those buying commercial buildings will need to consider the opportunity cost of putting this money into commercial real estate equity versus investing it elsewhere, such as the stock market. Other cost considerations include valuation fees and loan agreement legal fees. As the following infographic shows, these can be up to 1 percent of the purchase price of the construction. There are many other costs too, such as fire insurance, loan instalments, interest and utility deposits for electricity and water. It’s also worth noting that commercial rates for utilities are often considerably higher than they are for residential properties. So when clients consider the levelised cost of purchasing a new construction, they will take this into account as well. If all this sounds a little complicated, don’t worry. The following infographic breaks it down. It shows the likely costs of purchasing a property and how much you’re likely to spend in a country like Malaysia. By PropertyGuru Group
Running a strong and successful construction business is difficult, and this is most definitely something that you need to plan for so that you can be successful. There are so many different areas of the construction business that you need to get right and work on in order to help you achieve this, and you have so much to keep in mind and think about when looking to make the best of this. You are going to need to make sure you do as much as you can to improve this process and there are a lot of ideas that play a part in this. Running a construction company involves taking the perfect steps that will enhance and improve your construction firm, and these are some of the best ways you can use that will help you to take things to the next level and enjoy success as much as possible. Take Advantage of Investment Opportunities There are a lot of investment opportunities that can benefit a construction business, and this is something that you need to make the most of as much as possible. Make sure you focus on being able to improve your business, and this is one of the key ways of being able to make the best of this moving forward. You are going to have to think about the right ways of achieving this, and it seems that the investment in Glasgow construction projects has led to a positive spike in development across the city. This is the sort of investment that your company needs to be making the most of, and it is important to make the most of this right now. Improve Your Company’s IT Security Try to do your best to make sure you improve your company’s IT security, and there are a lot of things you can do that will help you make the most of this moving forward. You need to be sure you understand the different factors that play a part in this, and it is important to factor this in as much as possible. One of the things you could do that would help you understand the way this works and to better protect your construction company’s IT security is understanding what is a managed service provider blog entry, and how it can help your company improve and attain longevity. Plan Your Projects in Detail Planning your projects in detail is one of the best things you need to be working on when it comes to improving the way your construction firm carries out its role. There are a lot of things that you need to make sure you think about, and it is important to make the most of this moving forward, and there are so many factors that you are going to need to make the most of right now. Planning a project in detail is crucial for achieving success and being able to ensure you have planned things out as effectively as possible right now. There are so many ideas that you need to make the most of right now, and this is something that plays a part in helping you to achieve this. Make sure you focus on the best ways of being able to improve and enhance your construction company this year. There are loads of amazing factors that you need to make sure you get right, and this is one of the key elements that plays a part in helping you to achieve this.
Reports show that there are several million auto accidents in the United States every single year. These accidents can have many different causes, from reckless or drunk drivers to bad weather conditions or even technical faults and failures with car components. They can also be classified into various categories, and there are many different types of accidents, from rear-end collisions to side-swipes. Knowing the difference between auto accidents can be important, because if you’re involved in one of these accidents, you may want to contact a lawyer, and there are certain firms that specialize or have a history in dealing with certain specific types of accidents. To help you differentiate between them and identify the various varieties, this guide will introduce some of the most common types of car accidents. Rear-End Collision The rear-end collision is statistically the most common form of auto accident. This is when one vehicle collides directly with the back of another, often leading to major damage to the front and rear of each respective vehicle, and possible injuries to the drivers and passengers inside due to the sudden impact and force of the crash. There are many potential causes of rear-end collisions. A lot of them occur during rush hour or periods of heavy traffic when cars are driving too close together and not respecting the rules of safe distances. These sorts of accidents may also happen when drivers tailgate others on roads or freeways. It’s also possible for rear-end collisions to occur because of the weather. If rain is falling or frost is on the ground, the road can be more slippery and it can take longer to slow down and stop. So, if you need to brake suddenly, you might not have enough space or time to avoid hitting the car in front. To avoid these accidents, it’s vital to keep your distance and brake ahead of time. Side Swipe Collision Another very common type of car accident is a sideswipe collision. Also known as a side impact or “glancing blow” collision, this is when one car connects with the side of another at a slight angle. This can lead to both drivers losing control of their cars and may cause damage and injuries to both parties, as well as a risk of damage to other cars that might get involved inadvertently in the crash. There are various causes of sideswipe collisions. One of the main ways in which this type of accident can happen is when cars try to change lanes or drift out of their own lane without checking their mirrors and failing to notice the presence of another vehicle beside them, or if cars try to force their way into another lane when there simply isn’t space. It’s also common for sideswipes to occur when drivers get distracted due to things in their car like phones, food, drinks, passengers, and so on. The key to avoiding side swipe collisions is to make sure you always use your mirrors and signals before making turns or changing lanes and wait for the right moment to merge. T Bone Collision A T-bone collision, which may also be referred to as a “broad impact” collision or right-angle crash, is another form of a collision involving one vehicle hitting another from the side. The difference between the T bone and the side swipe is that, in a T bone, the cars are perpendicular to each other, with one driving directly into the side of the other. This can be one of the most devastating types of accident, because cars have less protection on the sides, so victims of these accidents can suffer terrible injuries or even death. In terms of how they happen, these types of accidents usually occur at intersections where two cars try to pass at the same time. If one car drives out at traffic lights while another one is trying to pass, they may collide in a T bone formation. It’s also possible for these accidents to occur due to distracted driving or drunk driving. Drivers need to be really careful at intersections, making sure to stop if needed, look both ways, and give time for other cars to pass before they proceed. Head-On Collision Definitely one of the worst types of auto accident, but also one of the rarest too, a head-on collision is when two cars collide with one another head-on, with both drivers facing one another. Since both cars are traveling in opposite directions, the impact of this accident can be enormous, causing huge amounts of damage. Head-on collisions usually occur when one vehicle goes out of its lane or drives the wrong way down a road, or if a driver has to swerve suddenly to avoid some other hazard and collides with a car coming in the opposite direction. These accidents commonly involve drivers who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and some involve people who have fallen asleep at the wheel. In order to avoid head-on collisions, it’s important for drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road at all times, watching out for any upcoming hazards or drivers on the wrong side of the road, especially at night and at weekends when the chances of encountering drunk drivers tend to be higher. If you ever encounter this type of accident, you need to consult with auto accident injury lawyers. Final These are just some of the many types of auto accidents that occur each and every day on American roads. There are also many other types to take into consideration, such as collisions with animals or collisions with pedestrians and cyclists. There are even single-vehicle collisions in which one car crashes into objects like walls or street lights. It’s clear to see that there are a lot of risks on the roads, and driving unsafely can massively increase your own chances of being in an auto accident and suffering serious injuries in the process. Make sure
Today the UK’s ambition to be a world-leading science and technology innovation hub has taken another step forward as The University of Manchester announced Bruntwood SciTech, the UK’s leading property provider dedicated to the growth of the science and technology sector, as its preferred bidder to deliver the £1.5 billion innovation district – ID Manchester. The internationally-significant project will cement the UK’s position in the science and technology sector; providing vital specialist infrastructure to power the growth of the knowledge economy and unlock the potential to commercialise R&D innovation, supporting the UK to build back better and level up. The University and Bruntwood SciTech, a 50:50 joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General, will now form a new joint venture to enhance, develop and deliver the vision to establish ID Manchester as a new innovation district, home to a global community that will play a vital role in the future of the UK science and technology sector, with the potential to create over 10,000 new jobs in the next 10-15 years. Place design and placemaking will be central to the development of ID Manchester, which when complete will provide over four million square feet (370,000 square metres) including 2.6 million square feet (240,000 square metres) of new commercial workspace and a £28 million investment in the public realm that will provide a focal point for a vibrant events programme. The area benefits from existing green space and the unique feature of the 650,000 square feet (60,000 square metres) Grade II-listed Sackville Street Building. ” Innovation is a core theme for the University as we enter our third century. The opportunity afforded by ID Manchester will provide more chances for our research to have an impact on the real world, it will be a place where we address the challenges facing the world in the 21st century and to explore new ideas to improve the health, wealth and happiness of our fellow citizens. The journey to find our joint venture partner to work with us on delivering ID Manchester has been hugely rewarding for everyone involved. The quality and calibre of the submissions we received was truly outstanding and I would like to extend our gratitude to those who were unsuccessful. Bruntwood SciTech shares many of the same values and principles as The University of Manchester and throughout our detailed discussions with them, their commitment and approach to sustainability, inclusivity and collaboration aligned closely with our vision for ID Manchester. We look forward to working together to create an outstanding innovation district which will play a large role in helping the UK to build back better “ President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell Chris Oglesby, executive chair, Bruntwood SciTech said: “From the splitting of the atom, to the first isolation of graphene, Manchester has been at the forefront of global innovation. The ambition to create an innovation district of this size and scale will help transform the UK’s knowledge economy and cement the UK’s status as world leader in science, technology and engineering. “Working in partnership with The University of Manchester, we will create a global exemplar that will support national and international investment into science and technology, creating new pathways for the translation of research, and new cultures for enterprise. “It’s also an opportunity to build something with purpose and a social conscience at its heart from the outset. ID Manchester will champion a more progressive and sustainable model of economic success, one that works for all people and the planet. “To be selected to deliver a project of such scale, ambition and international significance is a privilege and we cannot wait to get started.” Bruntwood SciTech is a 50:50 JV between Bruntwood and Legal & General. ID Manchester is Legal & General’s ninth significant urban regeneration scheme, having invested billions of pounds in partnerships with universities such as Oxford and Newcastle and Local Authorities in areas such as Cardiff, Salford and Sunderland. Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “This announcement is a welcome step forward for the plan to create a world-leading innovation district in Manchester city centre. ID Manchester will be another important asset for our city-region, supporting jobs in the science and technology sectors as we look to grow our economy beyond the pandemic.” Nigel Wilson, Group Chief Executive Legal & General said: “Universities are a key driver for the growth of cities, acting as a magnet for talent and incubator of growth and innovation. They have an integral role in shifting the dial for future success. This partnership is a unique opportunity to invest in, and develop, a significant, long-term and patient capital project that is economically viable and socially useful. Supporting the government’s “levelling up” agenda, it embodies inclusive capitalism in one of the UK’s strongest regional cities, as we build back better and help create a more inclusive post-pandemic society.” It is expected the joint venture agreement will be signed by the autumn. The new joint venture partnership will see Stanhope plc appointed as strategic development manager in their first project outside of the South East of England, confirming the developer’s commitment to the Life Sciences sector across the UK. The partnership will work together on the next stage of the masterplan for ID Manchester. Diana Hampson, Director of Estates and Facilities at The University of Manchester said: “ID Manchester will be a unique new neighbourhood. Our vision draws on Manchester’s ecosystem of ideas, discovery, research and development, and ID Manchester will provide the canvas on which all those strands can come together to take urban regeneration to a whole new level. ID Manchester will be where our most valuable discoveries today, are tried, tested and developed into the technology, buildings and commerce of tomorrow. We are looking forward to working with Bruntwood SciTech to build on our vision and deliver ID Manchester.” The opportunity for ID Manchester follows the completion of the new £400 million Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) which will be the largest home for engineering in