Bouygues UK has welcomed a group of pupils from Pentrehafod School to the 71/72 Kingsway site in Swansea city centre. The pupils were invited to view two new murals they helped to create that are displayed on the hoarding of the construction site, which Swansea Council is developing into a new office building that will provide space for 600 jobs. The colourful murals were produced by Fresh Creative Co in a joint initiative between Bouygues UK – the council’s main contractor for the project – and the local community,  through the Art In The City project. They were designed following discussions with a group of 60 young people as part of an engagement programme called ‘School Swap’, a regional project to explore cultural and social differences between young people across Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, and Bridgend. The inspiration for the murals came directly from these workshops and the visit allowed the pupils to have their say on the final artwork, the location, and the possible impact of the art on the local community. Located at the former Oceana nightclub site, 71/72 Kingsway will be operationally carbon zero and worth £32.6 million a year to Swansea’s economy. Due for completion in the summer of 2023, the scheme will include 114,000 square feet of commercial floor space with flexible co-working and office opportunities for businesses in sectors like tech, digital and the creative industries. Other features of the new development include a roof terrace, a new link between The Kingsway and Oxford Street, and balconies overlooking the city centre and Swansea Bay. The scheme is being part-funded by the £1.3bn Swansea Bay City Deal and supported by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government. Bouygues UK’s Nick Toulson and Hadley Hands gave the pupils a site tour, allowing them a chance to see the construction in progress and look at the murals, which respond to issues the children feel strongly about like racism and hate crime, on the board hoardings. Bouygues UK Social Value Advisor Nick said: ‘’It was fantastic to welcome the Pentrehafod pupils to the Kingsway site. During the tour, we explained the process and the proposed use of the building as a communal office and agile working space. The children were eager to listen and learn and they were big fans of the murals that we have on the hoardings. We also discussed ideas for more artworks that tie in with Bouygues UK’s Diversity and Inclusion programme and we look forward to seeing more creations soon.’’ Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration and Tourism, said: “The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the visit and loved the artwork, which form part of a construction scheme that will create space for 600 jobs and further boost Swansea’s economy, following on from our Copy Bay district that includes Swansea Arena. “These artworks aim to celebrate diversity and encourage people to be respectful in our communities. It’s hoped that people will see these murals and feel connected to their local area as the messages promote peaceful and integrated communities.” Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News

Stanhope and Cadillac Fairview are delighted to welcome 800 ITV staff to the Broadcast Centre building as part of their move and consolidation to the creative campus at White City Place, W12, alongside the BBC and other creative businesses. The White City Innovation District is home to some of the world’s most dynamic businesses with a cluster of creative organisations, including the BBC, Publicis and ITV. ITV has taken 125,000 sq ft of office space across 3 upper floors, and some of the ground floor, of the Broadcast Centre, campus previously occupied by the BBC. A further 1,200 ITV staff will move in next year so that by mid-2023 the whole ITV London team of more than 2,000 staff will all be in one location together for the first time. ITV staff arriving will find a thriving and lively ecosystem of other businesses, cafes and restaurants, amenities, activities and services second to none. The additional 800 ITV staff moving in today will join those from ITV Daytime and Drama who are already based in the WestWorks building at White City Place and in the studios at Television Centre where flagship shows like GMB, Lorraine, Graham Norton and Jonathan Ross are filmed. ITV is relocating all their London staff from their existing offices in Gray’s Inn Road and Waterhouse Square to White City which has traditionally been mainly a BBC site. The BBC retains space in the Broadcast Centre and other buildings in White City Place, and Television Centre includes the HQs of BBC Worldwide and Publicis, along with 3 studios run BBC Studioworks and a club, restaurant, gym and hotel run by Soho House. Ian Jones, Director of Workplace Services and Estates, ITV, said: “Over the next 12 months we will be moving all our London teams to ITV White City, joining ITV Daytime and Drama, who are already located in WestWorks, and our Studioworks team at Television Centre. It’ll be the first time we’ve all been together, creating a real hub for ITV in west London, and delivering new, smart ways of working for all our colleagues. We’re excited to be joining such a vibrant, creative community and bringing our distinctive ITV vibe to W12.” Jenny Hammarlund, managing director, Head of Europe, Cadillac Fairview said: “The decision by ITV to move all their staff to west London is an endorsement of the vitality and success of White City Place in attracting high quality and innovative world class businesses. White City Place is truly establishing itself as a creative innovation hub, with the likes of BBC, ITV and other media companies, alongside a growing cluster of leading life science businesses, including Novartis and Autolus. Cadillac Fairview is committed to the long term success of White City and its Innovation District and we look forward to its continued growth, alongside our broader commitment to London and the life sciences market as demonstrated by our recent investments in Oxford North and 70 Gracechurch Street.” Claire Dawe, Director, Asset Management, Stanhope said: “White City Place is already a fantastic creative campus with the BBC, ITV and other media businesses currently on site but the decision by ITV to relocate all their 2,000 staff in London to White City will increase the buzz and critical mass to make it a real centre of the media industry in London. Stanhope and Cadillac Fairview, the owner of White City Place, welcome the new ITV staff, and they will be in good company with a range of other leading creative businesses both at White City Place and Television Centre.” Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News

Award-winning UK construction, refurbishment and fit out company, Gilbert-Ash, has been appointed as main contractor on a £28 million project to redevelop Manchester’s Evershed House to provide over eight floors of CAT A office space and a basement car park. The works, which begin later this month at 70 Great Bridgewater Street, comprise the reconfiguration of the existing building to provide a replacement of the existing façades, a complete internal refurbishment and the addition of two new levels of office area. With a BREEAM target of Outstanding, works also include a new two-storey vertical steel extension, an atrium infill to the existing floor plates, full CAT A fit out to the existing and new areas and associated support spaces to the ground floor and lower levels.  The existing masonry façade is to be demolished and replaced with a new unitised curtain wall and aluminium cladding façade system. The building, which was originally constructed in 2001, is bounded by Great Bridgewater Street to the North, and by Rochdale Canal to the South and East.  Gilbert-Ash Construction Director, Raymond Gilroy said he was delighted to add such an extensive project to the company’s expanding portfolio of workplaces. He said: “We are delighted to be working for Bridgewater Manchester (Luxembourg) Holding Sarl on this project, not only to complete refurbishment, but also to extend this office block in the heart of the city. “The completed works will provide CAT A office space over eight floors making 70 Great Bridgewater Street one of the most innovative and modern places to work in Manchester. “This will be a challenging project as the building is close to a canal and existing buildings, but Gilbert-Ash has a reputation for transforming and creating unique spaces that are engaging and inspiring. From challenging city centre sites to complex logistics, our teams always deliver something special.”  Gilbert-Ash attributes its continued success to its ‘As One’ approach and its unique working culture and family environment as an employee-owned company.  It continues to complete a broad portfolio of successful construction projects across sectors including arts and culture, workplace, hotels and leisure, education, science and technology, retail, residential and student accommodation.  Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Home of Construction and Property News

Recruitment company Calibre Search has moved across the Northern Quarter and into the newly refurbished Nine Stephenson Square office space, after revenues reached £5.5 million. The investment in a ‘first class’ working environment is the result of Calibre’s confidence in the marketplace – particularly the recent boom in early stage construction projects. Calibre Search, advocates of flexible working and striking a smooth work life balance, will introduce 10 further specialist recruiters by the end of the year to its 1,461 sq ft base. The company – specialists in the built environment, HVAC, IT and marketing – is on course to register revenues of £6.6m in 2022, a £2m increase on its 2020 turnover figure. Pete Gillick, Director, Calibre Search, described the past several months as ‘the busiest period in the company’s history’, and predicted further growth in activity well into 2022 and beyond. It comes after new construction orders rose by 9.2% (£1,121m) in Q4 2021 compared with Q3 2021 – higher than the last full quarter not affected by the pandemic (Q4 2019), according to the Office for National Statistics. New orders in Q4 2021 are also at their highest level since High Speed 2 affected Q3 2017. “Part of our vision is to be the ‘go-to partner’ in the industries we service and I think we are achieving that The demand for talent that we are seeing from our large corporation and SME clients is similar to the economic boom of 2005 / 06. While 2020 was tough, we bounced back very quickly. Many of our clients are at the earlier stages of construction and can’t find the right people themselves which continues to drive opportunities,” said Pete. Calibre Search’s clients include the biggest names in the built environment space; with many saying they can’t respond quickly enough to big jobs, according to Pete. “It’s across the board,” he said. “We recruit for roles including engineering consultants, construction professionals, environmental scientists, architects, planners and hydrologists and are seeing more corporate activity than we’ve ever seen before. And it’s not just the private sector. “You can’t drive anywhere without seeing roadworks at the moment, housing is taking off and there’s a lot of work in flood defence. The challenge is finding the talent to fill the gaps. But we’ve never been this busy and we have a superb team and hope to recruit more of the same quality.” Calibre Search, which also has an office in Leeds, used to be based at The Landmark building on back Turner Street in the Northern Quarter. Nine Stephenson Square base was a building originally constructed in the second quarter of the 19th century and one that has housed numerous companies from the music, banking and fashion industries. Pete added: “We are finding that after an initial drive of people wanting to work from home that some now want to leave the house more often. That has led us to investing in a much improved and newly refurbished office space which offers the highest quality environment when it comes to the experience of coming to work. “We will be doubling headcount from seven to at least 14 in the next 12 months and have the capacity to grow to over 20 staff in Manchester.”

Flexible workspaces to consume 44% of landlords’ portfolios by 2026, up 11% New research among more than 200 UK commercial landlords has revealed how many are struggling to secure tenants for their office buildings as demands shift during the pandemic. It found: 62% of UK commercial landlords are struggling to attract prospective tenants to fill their traditional office spaces at present 64% have seen a “notable shift” in tenants’ demands during the pandemic At present, landlords dedicate an average of 33% to flexible and co-working spaces – by 2026, this will rise 11% to 44% More than three fifths of the UK’s commercial landlords are struggling to attract tenants to traditional offices as businesses’ workspace demands have changed rapidly during the pandemic, new research by infinitSpace has revealed. The European flexible workspace provider has commissioned an independent survey among 204 UK commercial landlords, all of whom own one or more office buildings in the UK. It found that 62% are currently struggling to attract prospective tenants to fill their traditional office spaces. Almost two thirds (64%) reported having seen a “notable shift” in tenants’ demands during the pandemic, including terms and use of space.  As a result, seven in ten (71%) office landlords plan to increase their flexible workspace offering in the coming five years.  infinitSpace’s research found that UK commercial landlords currently dedicate an average of 33% of their office portfolio to some form of flexible or co-working spaces. By 2026, this is forecast to rise 11% to 44%.  Since the start of 2020, 59% of office landlords have begun offering shorter and more flexible leases. Over half (52%) added new facilities to allow tenants to collaborate when inside the building, such as meeting rooms or breakout areas, while 63% have added facilities to improve the wellbeing of tenants, such as a gym or relaxation space.  Wybo Wijnbergen, CEO of infinitSpace, said: “What businesses want and need from their office has been steadily evolving over the past decade, but the pandemic has kicked the pace of change into overdrive. Our research shows that, as hybrid working becomes commonplace and businesses look for more collaborative and engaging workspaces, many landlords are struggling to attract tenants if they don’t have flexible offerings.  “Encouragingly, most office landlords are responding to this challenge. From the terms of the leases and the facilities on offer, to the ways their workspaces foster innovation and offer a great tenant experience – commercial landlords are evidently looking to transform their buildings to fit the ‘new normal’.  “Our data shows that many traditional offices will be converted into flexible workspaces in the coming years. In many instances, this will involve the landlord themselves entering into a long-term, inflexible lease with an operator, which then runs the flexible workspace in their building. But instead, office landlords should feel empowered to manage their own brands. This will lead to a more diverse and dynamic commercial real estate market.” Founded in late 2020, infinitSpace works with landlords to transform traditional office space into modern, flexible and inspiring workspaces. With its software and app, infinitSpace also ensures maximum traction with tenants as businesses’ demands evolve. 

Bouygues UK has signed the contract with Swansea Council to build the city centre’s new high-tech, carbon zero office development that will provide space for 600 jobs. Bouygues UK will break ground in the coming weeks on the site of the former Oceana nightclub at 71/72 The Kingsway. Set for completion in the summer of 2023, the five-storey development will include 114,000 square feet of commercial floorspace, providing flexible co-working and office opportunities for innovative tech, digital and creative businesses. The carbon zero office development – led by Swansea council – will be worth £32.6 million a year to Swansea’s economy and will also feature state-of-the-art digital connectivity, a roof terrace, greenery and balconies overlooking the city centre and Swansea Bay. The developments will include two underground levels with new links between The Kingsway and Oxford Street. “Bouygues UK is delighted to sign the contract on this landmark building situated in the centre of Swansea city. To work on such an innovative and environmentally-friendly building is going to be really rewarding for our team and we can’t wait to break ground and get going,” said John Boughton, regional Managing Director of Bouygues UK. “We also know that Kingsway is a key part of the history and infrastructure of the city centre, and that there is a need for high quality office accommodation, which this landmark building will certainly supply.” As part of its work on the build, Bouygues UK will be working with and supporting local voluntary organisations, providing training, work placements and opportunities for local people, in addition to significant supply chain opportunities for local businesses. Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, added: “We know some businesses have had to leave Swansea in the past to find the kind of high-quality office accommodation they need, so the new development at 71/72 The Kingsway will tackle that trend while also meeting significant unmet demand. Our research shows this remains the case despite Covid having led to far more home working in recent times, with this development providing flexible space that’s fit for the modern office environment. “We’re delighted our main contractor for this scheme – Bouygues UK – will soon be establishing a presence on site as we head towards the start of main construction work. Local training and supply chain opportunities also form part this project, with the development, once complete, due to generate more footfall and spending for our city centre businesses. “This development was always part of multi-million pound plans for our transformed Kingsway. A huge amount of work has already taken place there to considerably improve the look and feel of the area for local businesses, local people and visitors the city, while also helping attract private sector investment and more jobs.” The 71/72 Kingsway development is being funded by Swansea Council and the Swansea Bay City Deal.  It is also supported by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.

Building work has begun at Worcester Six Business Park for a new unit for a global supplier of materials testing machines. Leading commercial developer Stoford is bringing forward the bespoke office unit for ZwickRoell, a world-leading supplier of static materials testing machines, which will move its UK headquarters to the business park from Leominster, Herefordshire. Stoford has appointed Benniman to complete the build of a 19,849 sq ft office, from where ZwickRoell will base its office functions. Work is expected to be completed in Q3 2022. The manufacturer plans to build a 10,000 sq ft assembly unit at a later date, after which it hopes to provide further opportunities to create jobs and expand as a business. Edward Peel, Development Manager at Stoford, said: “It’s always an exciting time when we begin construction works and it’s especially gratifying that it is for yet another globally renowned, high-tech business, which sees its future at Worcester Six. “Since we launched the business park in 2017, it has established itself as a first-class location for ambitious companies that recognise its strengths – not just quality units, but also its strategic location, excellent transport links and environmental infrastructure.” Benno Sadowski, Managing Director for ZwickRoell, said: “We are very happy moving to Worcester Six Business Park, with its excellent strategic location in the UK. Our customers are facing new challenges globally and locally every day, developing and improving all kinds of materials for the future requirements. “With our experience of more than 160 years in the material testing business, we offer our support and solutions at our new Customer Experience Centre here at Worcester Six Business Park. I’m looking forward to having many interesting discussions with our customers and working together on solutions to making this place a better world, step by step.” Councillor Marc Bayliss, Worcestershire County Council Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy and Skills said “It’s fantastic news that yet another leading business in their field, ZwickRoell has chosen Worcestershire, as the place to expand its facilities in the UK. This potential development would see a new headquarter and customer experience centre to Worcester Six Business Park. A global leader in materials testing, ZwickRoell is a real success story.” Shawn Riley, Head of Economic Development at Wychavon District Council, added: “ZwickRoell’s relocation to Worcester Six is another great example of an international company offering first class products and good quality employment choosing Wychavon for its UK base. We welcome and value this investment and look forward to a long and productive relationship with them. “As a result of ZwickRoell’s investments, the new state-of-the-art office building has an additional 8,000 sq ft capacity to accommodate other businesses seeking new office accommodation in a first-class location. Interested businesses can contact Wychavon District Council for information on this excellent opportunity.” In the past three years, Stoford has announced the arrival of Marmon Food and Beverage Equipment, Siemens, Spire Healthcare, Kimal, Kohler Mira and IONOS at Worcester Six. Once fully developed, Worcester Six, which is located just off junction six of the M5, will provide 1.5 million sq ft of accommodation. For more details about Worcester Six, visit www.worcester6.co.uk.  Photograph (left to right): Stephen Butterworth, inward investment manager, Worcestershire County Council; Shawn Riley, head of economic development, Wychavon District Council; Edward Peel, Stoford; Benno Sadowski, managing director, ZwickRoell; Bev Smith, director at ZwickRoell.