A 1960s tower block in Manchester is to be transformed by Willmott Dixon as part of a £22.5 million residential scheme. The contractor has been appointed by Salix Homes to deliver over 100 affordable homes at the Salford Canon Green Campus development on Canon Green Drive in Trinity. New kitchens,
Two new offices in Leeds and Birmingham have been announced by consulting engineers practice Brentwood, as part of its progressing national growth plans. This follows on from the delivery of new office bases in Manchester last year, and supports the company’s UK growth strategy. “We are delighted to announce our
Rallying against the ongoing economic and political uncertainties the UK faces ahead of our departure from the European Union, office investment volume in Central London in 2018 is expected to come close to £20 billion, according to international real estate advisor Savills. Performance is in line with 2017 activity London
Collaboration is a key to success for today’s high growth innovative businesses. Research by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) and Babson College 1 shows that companies which promote collaborative working are five times more likely to be high-performing. Although technological innovation has facilitated faster and more inclusive communication, fostering
TODD Architects has successfully completed the interior planning and configuration of CNP Santander Insurance’s newly constructed offices at Three Park Place, Hatch Street Upper, Dublin 2. After an in-depth staff consultation process, TODD Architects created a concept which considered and delivered a consciously ergonomic, contemporary workplace which meets the current
A residential development in Canary Wharf, London, has reached a significant milestone. With leading developer Canary Wharf group building residential apartment on the 10 Park Drive site, the building has recently been topped out, reaching its full height of 149 metres above ground level. It will offer 345 homes when
The ShD Logistics Award for New Facility (under 150,000 sq ft) has been won by Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery for its new Global Service Operation Centre (GSOC). A key role in fitting out this facility was played by BITO Storage Systems that offered innovative storage and order picking solutions. “I am
Riverside Inverclyde (Ri), the organisation delivering the economic redevelopment of Inverclyde in the west of Scotland, has welcomed another new tenant, Balmore Group, to its Kelburn Business Park development in Port Glasgow. A long-established business with a one-stop difficult access inspection, repair, maintenance and specialist cleaning services, its most recently
Barings Real Estate, part of Barings LLC, one of the world’s largest diversified real estate investment managers, has announced that Landmark Manchester (Landmark), a 180,000 sq. ft. office development that it is undertaking on behalf of an institutional investor, is emerging onto St Peter’s Square with the concrete core now
Construction work is under way at the new £16 million marine science centre in Lowestoft, which will see new headquarters built for the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) at its site on Pakefield Cliffs. The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by funding supporters from Defra and the New
A 1960s tower block in Manchester is to be transformed by Willmott Dixon as part of a £22.5 million residential scheme. The contractor has been appointed by Salix Homes to deliver over 100 affordable homes at the Salford Canon Green Campus development on Canon Green Drive in Trinity. New kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems, sprinkler systems and exterior re-facing and insulation will be included in the Canon Green Court tower block’s redevelopment plans. A new 11-storey apartment block within the grounds of the site, as well as complete external works on the neighbouring Westminster House apartment block will also be delivered by Willmott Dixon. “The start of work on our Canon Green Campus development marks a pivotal moment for Salix Homes and for Salford, and we look forward to seeing work progress on site over the next two years. This is the largest affordable housing development in the area and we are confident that this ambitious scheme will make a valuable contribution to delivering the high quality, affordable homes that Salford desperately needs. Canon Green Court is an iconic building on the city’s skyline, but it has suffered from lack of investment over the years. We are proud that we can now deliver on our promise to the existing residents to refurbish their homes and create modern apartments fit for the future,” said Lee Sugden, chief executive at Salix Homes. This project adds to Willmott Dixon’s success in Greater Manchester, with recent schemes delivered in Wythenshawe and Old Trafford. “With our track-record for creating new homes in Manchester, we’re proud to be working alongside Salix Homes on what is a much-needed, exciting and transformational investment for the Salford community. Together, we share a commitment to leaving a lasting legacy for existing and future residents who will continue to play a central role in shaping these plans,” added Anthony Dillon, managing director of Willmott Dixon in the North.
Two new offices in Leeds and Birmingham have been announced by consulting engineers practice Brentwood, as part of its progressing national growth plans. This follows on from the delivery of new office bases in Manchester last year, and supports the company’s UK growth strategy. “We are delighted to announce our expansion into Leeds and Birmingham. With a presence now in the three core business cities outside of London we can provide more physical connectivity with our local markets and indeed nationally. With this physical growth we are also expanding our team and capabilities having recently announced new principal specialists in lighting and building physics,” said Mark Johnson, Director at Brentwood. An ambitious three-year strategy has been set out by Brentwood, who aims to achieve 50% annual growth in both team members and turnover. It is currently on target to achieve an 80% increase in just one year as it works towards year end in March 2019. “Mechanical, electrical and public health design services are at the heart of buildings, providing sustainable, controllable and appropriate environments. As a single disciplinary consulting practice, we are gearing the business to be better placed for market growth and our longer-term business plan is to increase our UK and international presence,” added Mark Johnson. The new offices will be located in the Grade I-listed Leeming Building in Leeds city centre and the Historic Alpha Building in Birmingham City Centre. Brentwood provide Mechanical, Electrical & Public Health (MEP) design services, including low and zero carbon solutions. Working across all sectors of the construction industry, the company provides leading expertise at all stages of the project, from inception through to commissioning and post occupancy. All projects are undertaken in accordance with the company’s mandatory QA procedures which are certified to ISO 9001:2008.
Rallying against the ongoing economic and political uncertainties the UK faces ahead of our departure from the European Union, office investment volume in Central London in 2018 is expected to come close to £20 billion, according to international real estate advisor Savills. Performance is in line with 2017 activity London has witnessed notably above average levels of office take-up in 2018, Savills explains, and achieved the best ever City of London rent (£80 per sq ft). The list of global businesses committing to long term leases has continued to grow with announcements in the last 12 months from Facebook, LinkedIn and Sidley Austin amongst others. The constrained development pipeline has seen more office pre-lets over 50,000 sq ft agreed in 2018 than ever before and of late, Savills says, the shortage of available Grade A options has matured into a greater number of value add/ development opportunities trading. This has seen the return of UK REITS to the market, now the second biggest investor group in the City, and established global investors such as Brookfield and Tishman Speyer. Stephen Down, head of Central London investment at Savills, comments: “Commercial property investment volumes in London have exceeded expectation since the EU referendum as the city has remained the leading destination for global capital. Asian investors lead the way, and the pool of investor appetite has continued to spread to other parts of Asia, most notably in 2018 to South Korea (Savills advised on five of the nine deals to complete to South Korean investors in London in 2018), and elsewhere. The return of UK buyers and the appetite from global developers for London has enriched the argument that there is no better city to invest in the world today.” Savills says the level of demand for London offices offers investors liquidity in the ability to buy and sell assets when other property sectors, such as retail, are struggling. Compared to Tier One cities in mainland Europe London also appears good value with prime yields in the City (4.0%) and West End (3.25%) considerably softer than other European tier one cities (Berlin 2.9%, Munich 2.9%, Frankfurt 3.0%, Hamburg 3.0% and Paris 3.0%). Savills believes a greater number of value-add and development opportunities coming to the market and trading in London will insure the ongoing creation of the world’s best office buildings in a city where people will continue to want to work. This in turn creates new investment opportunities for global investors searching for prime assets. Rasheed Hassan, head of the cross border investment team at Savills comments: “ There is appetite from across the globe for London. Looking ahead, the correlation between the UK’s yields, currency and interest rates will remain a key driver to London’s investment market. Given where sterling is today we are seeing increased enquiries from our private investor clients in particular, who seem poised to invest in 2019. We believe that once there is more clarity on the direction of Brexit there will be more activity from many and would highlight there being a particular pent up demand from mainland European investors, who have been cautious. We are seeing demand for assets across the risk spectrum from core income to development projects.” Savills concludes that while we continue to operate in uncertain times the full health of London’s offices market should be able to absorb most shocks felt in the run up to Brexit and thereafter.
Collaboration is a key to success for today’s high growth innovative businesses. Research by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) and Babson College 1 shows that companies which promote collaborative working are five times more likely to be high-performing. Although technological innovation has facilitated faster and more inclusive communication, fostering a culture of effective collaboration in the workplace also requires a combination of personal interaction and flexible or dedicated work spaces. Well versed in the importance of collaboration, is Global tech company GetBusy, creators of innovative cloud-based document management solutions which help businesses to work together more securely, efficiently and effectively. When GetBusy completed its IPO last year, it began the search for a new space which reflected the company’s core values of collaboration, re-generation and, most importantly, fun. “The focus on and importance of the amenity and circulation spaces in The Works were key in our decision to move there. As Sawston natives, we were keen to stay in south Cambridge and this new development offers exactly the kind of dynamic workspace we were looking for. Signing up so far in advance allows us to plan for the future and to carefully consider how the space will work best for us once we make the move,” said Paul Haworth, Chief Financial Officer at GetBusy. GetBusy recognises that employees do their best, most creative work when they are relaxed and free to collaborate. So, to reflect its ethos, accommodate the growing team and prepare for its bright future, Get Busy is the first pre-let occupier to secure space at The Works; an innovative office space within a new campus style business park in South Cambridge. Designed by world-renowned architects NBBJ and developed by Howard Group, The Works building incorporates the pre-cast concrete frame of the original industrial warehouse which will be transformed into a two-storey contemporary office and R&D space. The entire building will be connected by a 100-metre-long, covered, central ‘street’ with amenity and break-out spaces, purposefully incorporated to promote engagement and collaboration among occupants. “GetBusy is exactly the type of exciting, high-growth business we hoped would buy into the vision for The Works. Our original plan was to develop The Works on a speculative basis, but this early stage pre-let agreement is evidence of the demand for unique and flexible business space in and around Cambridge. We are really looking forward to welcoming GetBusy to The Works and seeing them thrive in their new space,” concluded Colin Brown, Director at Howard Group.
TODD Architects has successfully completed the interior planning and configuration of CNP Santander Insurance’s newly constructed offices at Three Park Place, Hatch Street Upper, Dublin 2. After an in-depth staff consultation process, TODD Architects created a concept which considered and delivered a consciously ergonomic, contemporary workplace which meets the current needs of the staff, while also allowing for future expansion with the addition of a purpose-built sublet area. “This new space presented a fantastic opportunity to highlight structural in-situ features, such as the pristine cast concrete shell, which forms a strong component of the overall design. Given the large floor plate, the main conceptual objective was to ensure that the office felt unified with a single democratic design in mind, whilst providing a range of spaces adaptable for various activities,” said Nilfa Burke, Project Designer at TODD Architects. Meeting rooms are located to the periphery of the plan with workstations positioned centrally, promoting multidisciplinary interaction between teams, while informal breakout and meeting spaces, including glazed pods, are interspersed for formal and informal meetings and interactions. The plan for the second floor fit-out uses the overhead finishes and varying ceiling heights to define space, while maintaining a unified free flowing open-plan office layout. Acoustic considerations are addressed using suspended acoustic ceiling panels clad in perforated oak veneer acoustic timber panelling. These also create a clean, aesthetic finish in concealing the large overhead ventilation ducts as well as providing a mount for other ceiling services such as the fire detectors, voice evacuation speakers and sprinkler heads. The material palette and specified furniture were key components in the workspace design. All task chairs were pre-tested by employees to find the right fit for each specific need, with all workstations also offering the flexibility of electronic sit-stand. The kitchenette and canteen offer employees essential facilities and an open plan social dining space which can also be used for formal and informal meetings. It is currently facilitating townhall forums. “Feedback provided throughout the various stages, helped direct us and overcome challenges which contributed to a more tailored design. The client embraced our ideas, which positively impacted on the delivery. We are incredibly proud of the resulting bespoke and progressive fit out, it is a true reflection of the success of our consultation process,” Nilfa added. Completed in June 2018, the scheme has already received an overwhelmingly positive response and was shortlisted in 2018 Fit Out Awards.
A residential development in Canary Wharf, London, has reached a significant milestone. With leading developer Canary Wharf group building residential apartment on the 10 Park Drive site, the building has recently been topped out, reaching its full height of 149 metres above ground level. It will offer 345 homes when completed in the final quarter of 2019. “This is an exciting step in the construction of 10 Park Drive, both for the area and for us at Canary Wharf Group as we top out our first residences on the Estate. The work that has gone into the development so far has been phenomenal, and we look forward to it reaching completion and for the first residents to move into Canary Wharf,” said Brian De’ath, Director of Residential Sales at Canary Wharf Group. “Some of our purchasers camped out overnight to be able to secure a home at 10 Park Drive which I strongly believe says a great deal about the quality of the offering here. The extensive calendar of events, diverse community and excellent transport links on the Estate are making it an increasingly hard location to beat within the London property market,” Brian added. 10 Park Drive has been designed by Stanton Williams Architects and it forms a key part of Canary Wharf’s new residential district, Wood Wharf, alongside neighbouring residential development, One Park Drive. It will comprise 74 studios, 115 one-bedroom apartments, 141 two-bedroom apartments and 15 three-bedroom apartments. The apartments’ design maximises the light and vistas of the surroundings at every opportunity, with interiors developed by Make Architects. Residents of 10 Park Drive will have access to a private sky terrace on the 13th floor, with bookable facilities and free use of shared spaces. The development sits adjacent to South Dock and is linked to the water by landscaped gardens and parks. Purchasers will also have access to a state-of-the-art new health and fitness club with a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room and fitness class studio.
The ShD Logistics Award for New Facility (under 150,000 sq ft) has been won by Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery for its new Global Service Operation Centre (GSOC). A key role in fitting out this facility was played by BITO Storage Systems that offered innovative storage and order picking solutions. “I am very pleased to congratulate Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery and all the materials handling partners involved in this exciting project. I am particularly proud of the role played by BITO’s broad capabilities and experience in helping the project deliver Siemens’ goals for its new facility,” said Edward Hutchison, managing director of BITO Storage Systems. In order to promote health & safety, deliver reduced cycle times and costs, while expanding service capabilities, the company invested in the new GSOC, located next to its overhaul facility at its Teal Park site in Lincoln. The future-proof centre was delivered on time and on budget and is now facilitating growth without needing to increase headcount. The centre ensures stock availability and the same- or next day response to help Siemens’ customers minimise downtime. The storage and order picking solution provided by BITO included an impressive three-level high engine rack. Its bespoke design using BITO’s standard beams and uprights, enables engines weighing up to 6-tonnes, and stored on 1-tonne pallets to be located on the first beam level, as well as ground level. In addition to its pallet racking, live storage and plastic containers, a further innovative part of BITO’s solution was the first UK installation of its LEO Locative driverless internal transport system to separate vehicle and human work areas, while providing swift and safe transfer of items between Goods In, storage areas and the packaging stations. Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery designs, manufactures and services small industrial gas turbines, with an installed fleet of over 3,500 units across 90 countries. 1500 of these remain operational with key customers in the oil and gas industry, industrial customers, hospitals and paper mills.
Riverside Inverclyde (Ri), the organisation delivering the economic redevelopment of Inverclyde in the west of Scotland, has welcomed another new tenant, Balmore Group, to its Kelburn Business Park development in Port Glasgow. A long-established business with a one-stop difficult access inspection, repair, maintenance and specialist cleaning services, its most recently formed arm is Balmore Aerial Services, which uses the latest Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology, more widely known as drones, to provide aerial inspection and surveying services throughout the UK. Victor MacKay Jnr, a divisional director of Balmore Group, said: “Using UAV technology replaces the immediate need to install expensive scaffolding to examine the fabric of difficult-to-access buildings. “We are only one of only a handful of contractors in the UK with enhanced permissions issued from the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) to operate in congested areas. Its use enables the other arms of our business, namely Balmore Specialist Contracts and Balmore Contracting, to pinpoint exactly what inspection, repair, maintenance and cleaning tasks then need to be carried out.” Expansion and development of the business has prompted its relocation from Glasgow to larger, 3000 sq. ft. modern premises at Port Glasgow’s Kelburn Business Park. The move underpins 10 jobs at the new premises. Mr MacKay said: “We have worked closely with Riverside Inverclyde over the past 18 months and are very pleased with our move to a brand-new premises which are easy to access and spacious enough to let us grow. “Our latest growth plans are set to allow us to provide Health & Safety training including PASMA, IPAF, MIST & CSCS. We have partnered with Atlas Knowledge who hold a vast wealth of knowledge on training. We can now train our staff and keep their credentials tickets up to date, whilst providing current and new clients with highly competitive training costs.” Fiona Maguire, Chief Executive of Ri, said: “Riverside Inverclyde continues to successfully attract new companies to the area and help expand existing businesses, a vital role in the overall regeneration and economic development of Inverclyde. We are delighted to welcome Balmore Group to Kelburn Business Park. “Its expertise and specialism further add to the rich mix of companies at Kelburn and we very much hope that Inverclyde continues to be an excellent base to grow the firm. We wish the Balmore Group every success for the future.” Balmore Group joins existing tenants at the Kelburn Business Park including global life science’s engineering firm Peak Scientific, The New Chocolate Company and its most recent new tenant, The Start-Up Drinks Lab. Kelburn Business Park has one remaining 15k sq ft unit available with a number of interested parties.
Barings Real Estate, part of Barings LLC, one of the world’s largest diversified real estate investment managers, has announced that Landmark Manchester (Landmark), a 180,000 sq. ft. office development that it is undertaking on behalf of an institutional investor, is emerging onto St Peter’s Square with the concrete core now complete. With Castlebrooke Investments retained as development manager, benefiting from their strong track record in project delivery, and having spent over a year in the demolition and basement formation phase, construction work is well underway with the Grade A, BREEAM Excellent office building set to be launched in Summer 2019. Appointed contractor Bowmer & Kirkland has completed the basement levels, which will support 14 floors of virtually column free office space and a double-height reception at ground level. The building’s concrete core is now visible on the Manchester skyline and, when completed, the scheme will add to the vibrancy of one of the North’s most significant public squares. Designed by world-renowned architects Squire & Partners, Landmark has been created with the next generation occupier in mind. The building is being constructed with an offset core to enable large and efficient floorplates to be designed offering maximum flexibility to occupiers. In a market that is currently experiencing strong levels of demand coupled with limited supply, Landmark is one of only two new build office developments due to be completed in Manchester City Centre in 2019. The scheme has received overwhelming support from Manchester City Council and will complete the Council’s vision for St Peter’s Square and the Civic Quarter. Situated in the heart of Manchester’s central business district at St Peter’s Square, Landmark is in a prime location close to St Peter’s Square Metrolink and several train stations. The development also has easy accessibility to the M60 via the M602 with the location being furthered strengthened by the planned High Speed 2 railway project which will connect Manchester with major cities across the U.K. Charles Weeks, Head of Barings Real Estate – Europe, said; “The city of Manchester is thriving. It is consistently one of the strongest, most active city centre office markets outside of London. Landmark will play a pivotal role in enhancing what the city has to offer by providing businesses with a destination that is both modern and flexible as well as providing excellent infrastructure and connectivity. Barings Real Estate has a proven record of accomplishment adding significant value to investments both within the U.K. and globally and we are delighted to oversee this important development project.” Agents on Landmark are CBRE and Colliers International. Barings Alternative Investments (BAI), part of Barings LLC, is a 450+ associate team located across 11 countries that manages $52.3 billion in client capital (as of March 31, 2018). BAI seeks differentiated sources of returns by incorporating decades of investment experience in alternative assets offering investors access to a diverse range of opportunities across private equity, real assets, asset-based investments and the four quadrants of real estate. We serve as a trusted partner to clients, leveraging our global presence and robust origination capabilities to identify the most attractive risk-adjusted return opportunities. The Barings Real Estate team offers a broad range of investment opportunities globally across the public and private debt and equity markets. The team invests across all major property sectors with a focus on global relative value and trend-backed preferred strategies. Barings Barings is a $306+ billion* global financial services firm dedicated to meeting the evolving investment and capital needs of our clients. We build lasting partnerships that leverage our distinctive expertise across traditional and alternative asset classes to deliver innovative solutions and exceptional service. Part of MassMutual, Barings maintains a strong global presence with over 1,800 professionals and offices in 16 countries. Learn more at www.barings.com
Construction work is under way at the new £16 million marine science centre in Lowestoft, which will see new headquarters built for the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) at its site on Pakefield Cliffs. The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by funding supporters from Defra and the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, alongside local councillors, residents, staff and contractors. To commemorate the occasion, a time capsule containing recent Cefas scientific papers, letters to the future from young Cefas apprentices, a reusable water bottle – reflecting organisational commitments to reducing marine plastics, and other artefacts were buried. “I thank Defra, New Anglia LEP, local councillor and the many others for their support for our exciting new Lowestoft headquarters development,” said CEO Tom Karsten. “This will be a vital step in realising our vision of a new era of Cefas and Defra leadership in providing world class science to manage the marine and freshwater environment.” “Cefas has played a leading role in the UK and Lowestoft’s marine history over the past 116 years. The renewal of our Lowestoft headquarters represents an important chapter in this history and future opportunities for our continued development,” he added. Cefas secured the final piece of funding in January 2018 and with the new centre on the way, the firm could save up to £2 million a year in running costs and would safeguard 440 jobs at the Pakefield Road site as well as enabling it to employ 12 to 15 apprentices a year. “We are pleased to be officially marking the start of construction on this important development, which will provide Cefas with outstanding facilities to support their globally-relevant research and anchor our region as a centre for marine science excellence in the UK,” said Saul Humphrey, managing director of Morgan Singall’s East region. “Our team is already making good progress and we look forward to working closely with Cefas and the wider project team as we deliver this landmark centre,” he continued. Building work on the new office is due to begin shortly, with the completion date set for May 2020.
