Commercial : Office News

GREEN LIGHT FOR GAME CHANGING £24M ACTIVITIES HUB

A PIONEERING Warwickshire facility, which challenges the traditional notion of a leisure centre, has received planning permission thanks to sport and leisure specialists GT3 Architects.  Located in Miners’ Welfare Park, the Bedworth Physical Activities Hub – delivered on behalf of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council – has been designed to be

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KGX1, the £1bn Google HQ in Londons King’s Cross

Updated plans submitted by Google for its £1 billion “groundscraper” headquarter building in Kings Cross show that it will have 250 metres of shop fronts and a community events space. Lendlease is main contractor of the huge one million sq ft building. — designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Danish architects

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Bouygues UK Welcomes Schoolchildren to Kingsway Site

Bouygues UK Welcomes Schoolchildren to Kingsway Site

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

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ITV Staff Move into White City Creative Campus

ITV Staff Move into White City Creative Campus

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

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Gilbert-Ash to Deliver Modern Office Space in Manchester

Gilbert-Ash to Deliver Modern Office Space in Manchester

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

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Calibre Search Invests in New Office Space

Calibre Search Invests in New Office Space

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

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Latest Issue
Issue 327 : Apr 2025

Commercial : Office News

Over 50,000 sq ft of commercial space now let at Triptych Bankside with global book publisher as the latest addition

Benefiting from both a culturally rich London district and one of the most striking developments on the capital’s skyline, The Quarto Group, Inc. has agreed to a 12-year lease at the game changing Triptych Bankside development on London’s Southbank. The Quarto Group, an established publishing house, is taking all of the 9,000 sq ft second floor. As a result, JTRE London, the developer of the architecturally-inspiring scheme, has let more than 50,000 sq ft of commercial space in the building since launch in March. Alison Goff, Group Chief Executive Officer of The Quarto Group, said: “Our new office will provide the opportunity to widen our creative horizons, foster the creativity of our talented teams, adopt a more meaningful, flexible and future-proof way of working and enhancing the collaboration of our partners worldwide.” The Triptych Bankside development is a short walk from London Bridge station. The new scheme is next to Tate Modern art gallery, Shakespeare’s Globe theatre, the renowned culinary hotspot at Borough Market and the Millennium Bridge. Designed by internationally acclaimed architects Squire & Partners, the 68,000 sq ft, prime grade A commercial building at One Triptych Place is part of a £450 million mixed-use development. The scheme is made up of three distinctive sweeping towers, with 169 luxury apartments in two blocks, offices in a third, plus 14,800 sq ft of retail and 14,000 sq ft of cultural space. Its close proximity to the City of London and the West End makes it ideally situated for both residential and commercial interests. Nigel Fleming, Sales & Marketing Director of JTRE London, said: “We’ve seen unprecedented demand for space at One Triptych Place reflecting its position as one of London’s premier and most sought after mixed-use developments. As a result, we’re ahead of schedule on leasing with an exciting mix of major international and growing organisations already signed up from different sectors and regions, emphasising the far-reaching appeal of the buildings. The combination of global appeal, exceptional architecture and design and a spectrum of imaginative leisure offerings makes the Triptych Bankside estate one of the foremost schemes currently available.” Additionally, Triptych Bankside is the first development in the UK to use Real Estate Digital from Grandpano. This virtual property viewing system for the residential sales is more detailed than alternatives with considerably greater functionality. Like a fully controllable flythrough of an architect’s perspective, but in significantly more detail, it features every flat and every room individually. This means, for example, a potential buyer can stand on the balcony of a specific apartment and enjoy that view. Since Triptych Bankside is still being built, this makes off-plan purchases more risk free for the buyer and developer. The BREEAM ‘Excellent’ commercial building is at the forefront of ‘smart building’ capabilities with a WiredScore Platinum certification achieved, one of the few buildings in Europe to reach that standard. Agents for the commercial space are Bh2 and Savills; Kinney Green acted for The Quarto Group. In addition, the retail leasing agents are Savills and BNP PRE; and residential agents are Savills and Strutt & Parker. www.triptychbankside.com

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GREEN LIGHT FOR GAME CHANGING £24M ACTIVITIES HUB

A PIONEERING Warwickshire facility, which challenges the traditional notion of a leisure centre, has received planning permission thanks to sport and leisure specialists GT3 Architects.  Located in Miners’ Welfare Park, the Bedworth Physical Activities Hub – delivered on behalf of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council – has been designed to be welcoming and inviting for all user groups. The new hub will replace an existing centre, providing a new set of facilities that better meets the needs of the local community, utilising GT3’s ‘people first’ approach.   The facility includes a 25m eight lane pool, learner pool with a moveable floor, 120 station fitness suite, two studios, a spin studio and associated changing areas as well as a café and multipurpose room. In addition, the surrounding park will undergo a major transformation with a focus on creating an active landscape that wraps around the new building. Matt McCreith, project architect at GT3, said: “We’re delighted to reach this important milestone of the project. The new hub is going to be a major asset for the borough and the landscape design for the park is truly transformational. The scheme aims to create an ‘active landscape’ that offers a variety of different activities and areas in a bid to promote movement and enjoyment of outdoor space. This includes exercise & play areas, walking routes and seating spaces.  “We are approaching this project more like a community building as opposed to being a leisure centre that is only sports focused. It’s been designed to be accessible from the park as well as the main entrance, encouraging more people to use the building for a variety of reasons. The aim is to get more people active, but this can be achieved away from the traditional sports activities hosted in the building. “Playing a part in a project like this, that aims to make such a positive impact in the community, is very exciting and we can’t wait to move on to the next stage and start construction.” The project has come to fruition through a great deal of collaboration across the project team to ensure the final design was truly pioneering. There is a strong focus on cycling throughout the scheme, with British Cycling recently funding a series of new mountain bike trails in the park and a Cycle Hub within the building that will offer bicycle hire services for users. There will also be a new all-wheels skatepark, learn-to-ride area and pump track provided as part of the approved proposal.  Councillor Sue Markham, portfolio holder for public services at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, said: “Due to start on site this autumn, this has been an exciting venture where collaboration has been key. The project team, which includes Sport England and leading contractor BAM Construct UK as well as civil engineering firm, Hexa Consulting. The culmination of experience and expertise involved with the Hub will offer something completely new and bespoke for the community here and I am excited to see work get underway.” Dave Strong, director at Hexa Consulting, said: “This project is set to deliver a truly outstanding facility and we’re pleased to have played our part in getting it to this stage. It’s been fantastic to work alongside GT3 to provide a full suite of assessment and design services, which aligns this project with the wider regeneration of Bedworth. We look forward to seeing the leisure centre brought to fruition through a continued collaborative team effort.” The team’s project approach combines a unique blend of uses to create a leisure destination which will play a role in the regeneration of Bedworth and act as a catalyst for further future developments.  For further information visit www.gt3architects.com or join the conversation over on Twitter @_GT3Architects 

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Stanhope and Mitsui Fudosan to start phase 2 of £500 Million Television Centre

Mitsui Fudosan and Stanhope, as development manager, today announce that they will start the second phase of the redevelopment of Television Centre, with a total end value of £500m, signalling the success of the first phase and their continued confidence and commitment to White City and the London property market.  Phase 2 comprises a total of 511 homes in four separate plots designed by Stirling prize-winning architectural practices, following the masterplan established by lead architects AHMM, including a modern crescent shaped block of 180 apartments and a contemporary 25 storey tall building of 167 apartments for completion in 2026. The development of phase 2 will complete the masterplan and further open up the site to local residents, visitors and workers by the creation of a second entrance on Wood Lane and pedestrian connection through to Hammersmith Park via interlinking urban streets.  The development of a cluster of new buildings are designed to be distinctive and have a character of their own, complementing each other and the buildings established across the wider estate.  Jonathan Trout, Property & Commercial Director at Stanhope said: “We are delighted to be working with Mitsui Fudosan as development manager for the delivery of a new residential 25 storey tower with 167 apartments and 180 apartments in a crescent block by 2026.  The start of phase 2 demonstrates the commitment of Stanhope and Mitsui Fudosan to the delivery of much needed new housing, including affordable, in Hammersmith & Fulham and our long-term commitment to the area.” Tomoo Nakamura, Managing Director, Mitsui Fudosan UK said: “This announcement underlines our continued commitment to the development of the Television Centre site and the range of opportunities which it offers for the delivery of a number of significant commercial and residential projects. Having recently become the sole owner of Phase 2, we are delighted to be able to continue to collaborate with Stanhope as development manager for the delivery of almost 350 new apartments.  We have already completed over half a million square feet of office space as well as more than 430 homes on the Television Centre site.  We remain focused on ensuring that this development continues to be delivered to the highest standards while we continue to explore other investment opportunities in London.” Construction has already started on 142 new affordable homes for Peabody in two new buildings called Macfarlane Place at Television Centre, with delivery expected in early 2024.  Designed by Maccreanor Lavington Architects, the new buildings will replace the now demolished former BBC multi-storey car park on Wood Lane, W12, opposite Westfield.  1 Wood Crescent is under construction and recently ‘topped out’ and is due to complete in early 2023.  AIMCo, on behalf of some of its clients, and Mitsui Fudosan remain owners of Phase 1 which includes Soho House, the Helios residential building, 2 Television Centre (offices let to Publicis, the White Company and Soho Works) and 1 Wood Crescent (under construction and offices part pre-let to PvH Corp., the parent company to brands including Calvin Klein and TOMMY HILFIGER with Stanhope as Asset Manager.

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KGX1, the £1bn Google HQ in Londons King’s Cross

Updated plans submitted by Google for its £1 billion “groundscraper” headquarter building in Kings Cross show that it will have 250 metres of shop fronts and a community events space. Lendlease is main contractor of the huge one million sq ft building. — designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Danish architects BIG — is now well advanced ahead of topping out later this year, with completion expected by 2024. However, there has been little detail surrounding what it will look like at ground floor level — until now. New detailed designs submitted this week with Camden council reveal a long parade of retail units “with a mix of established and growing brands” as well as a “market hall” for small businesses and “a community, education and event space that will host a changing programme of events all year round. This will be the first wholly-owned and designed Google building outside of the US and will comprise a staggering one million square feet of space spread out over an 11-story building. To put it into context, Google’s building will be longer than the Shard is tall. As well as office space for up to 4,000 Google employees to work, the area will also feature a pool, games area, gym, landscaped roof garden and a parade of retail space for shops and other businesses to occupy. The new building is being developed from the ground up and will contribute to the Knowledge Quarter and King’s Cross’s growing knowledge-based economy. The tech giant says that, when finished, the area ‘will be a resource not just for Googlers but Londoners, too.’

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Caddick Construction appointed for “out of this world” office scheme in Crewe

Caddick Construction has been appointed by Radius Payment Solutions to deliver its £14.6m state-of-the-art facilities at Arden Square on Crewe Business Park. The three-storey structure will be constructed to BREEAM excellent standards, making it both energy efficient and a great working environment. Consistent with Radius’s other facilities in Crewe the focus will be on employee wellbeing.  Design features include a barista coffee bar, pizzeria, Star Wars themed sky bar and outdoor seating and yoga areas all built around  an eye-catching conical shaped glazed atrium. The 41,043 sq ft office scheme will also include 128 parking spaces, 25 of which will have electric vehicle chargers installed and operated by Radius’s fast-growing e-mobility business. Radius Payment Solutions, a world leading provider of mobility and connectivity related products and services to SME businesses, appointed Caddick Construction in April of this year with work starting on site late May. The project is due to complete in the summer of 2023, facilitating Radius’s plan to expand its Crewe based workforce to in excess of 1,000 by that time. Crewe Business Park is a 67-acre site off the A534 and is already viewed as one of the North West’s premier business parks that’s home to several research-based and high tech manufacturing centres. Following the appointment, Caddick Construction Manager Ben Edwards said: “It’s not often you get such a high-quality office scheme that has so many unique elements to it. The team are really excited to be on site and I’m sure as we get towards the fit out stage there will be a lot more visitors than usual wanting to check out its ”out of this world” features!” CEO of Radius Payment Solutions Bill Holmes added: “Development of this exciting new building is key to our commitment to maintaining a great working environment for all of our employees.  I’m particularly excited that it will incorporate state of the art testing, warehousing and dispatch facilities for our telematics business, supporting our ambition to become one of the true global leaders in this high growth market.” Radius Payment Solutions, which has more than 2,150 staff worldwide, is already headquartered at Radius Campus on Crewe Business Park and also has offices at nearby Herald Park. Signalling its continued commitment to the town, the additional floor space being created at Arden Square will be used for future “growth and development” of the company added Mr Holmes. Radius currently has over 50 offices across Europe, US, Australia and South East Asia. Since it was established in the UK in 1990 it has grown internationally by forging partnerships with global brands and has built a loyal base of more than 300,000 customers. Architects on the scheme are AEW Architects, with Cundall and David Webb Associates appointed as engineers. Walker Sime is providing quantity surveying services, with interior design by Space Invader.  Project management is provided by Avid Property Consultants.

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Bouygues UK Welcomes Schoolchildren to Kingsway Site

Bouygues UK Welcomes Schoolchildren to Kingsway Site

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

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ITV Staff Move into White City Creative Campus

ITV Staff Move into White City Creative Campus

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

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Gilbert-Ash to Deliver Modern Office Space in Manchester

Gilbert-Ash to Deliver Modern Office Space in Manchester

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

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Muse appoints Caddick Construction on Bradford’s transformational One City Park office scheme

Leading national urban regeneration business, Muse Developments, in partnership with Bradford Council, has appointed Caddick Construction to deliver the landmark One City Park office scheme, which will continue the transformation of the heart of Bradford city centre. The 56,403 sq. ft sustainable development on the former police HQ site, is the first high-quality, modern office scheme to be delivered in Bradford city centre for more than 20 years. It will directly address the need for high-quality offices by offering exceptional workspace with adaptable floor plans to accommodate agile working practices. The five-storey development – rated BREEAM ‘Excellent’ – will also feature new public realm areas around the scheme. The building will connect seamlessly to the multi award-winning City Park with new stepped access and attractive seating areas. It is also within walking distance to cultural assets including City Hall, St George’s Hall and new music venue Bradford Live, which is due to open later this year.  More than 300 jobs will be created throughout the construction with a further 450 jobs based in the building once completed. Enabling works are already underway with construction due to start on site later this month, and the building due to complete by summer 2023. The development will have strong sustainability credentials, including high-performance glazing to the façades to maximise natural light while reducing solar gain; photovoltaic panels and air source heat pumps to make sure the building operates on renewable energy. A roof terrace will serve a dual purpose, helping with the natural cooling of the building as well as promoting the wellbeing of its occupants. All of the car-parking spaces will have electric car charging points, coupled with secure cycle storage and changing facilities on the ground floor to encourage workers to take more sustainable and healthier ways to travel to the office. Simon Dew, development director at Muse Developments, added: “We’re very excited to announce this important milestone for One City Park and to be working with Bradford Council and Caddick Construction on this flagship scheme. The significance of One City Park can’t be underestimated for Bradford and we know there’s growing demand from businesses looking to relocate or expand in the city centre.” Adrian Dobson, managing director for Caddick Construction, said: “This is a high-profile scheme in the heart of Bradford that will have a transformational effect on the city centre. Caddick is delighted to have been chosen as construction partner to deliver on such an important project for Muse, Bradford Council and the city as a whole.”  Jason Longhurst, Bradford Council’s strategic director for place, said: “We are delighted that Caddick Construction has been appointed to bring this flagship scheme to life. One City Park will be a huge step forward in our ambition to become a clean growth city district and provide a welcome boost to the city centre economy.” Muse Developments is an established specialist in place-changing regeneration, working in close partnerships with councils, local stakeholders and the wider business communities to create award winning landmark developments across the UK. Muse is also part of Morgan Sindall plc – the UK’s leading construction and regeneration group. Bradford was also recently named in a national report as the city with the most potential to benefit from the Levelling Up agenda. This report coincides with significant investment for Bradford into both transport and infrastructure as part of the £50m Transforming Cities public realm enhancement programme.  For further information visit www.onecitypark.com.

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Calibre Search Invests in New Office Space

Calibre Search Invests in New Office Space

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.”

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