A major shopping complex in Reading is set to boost its entertainment offering with the introduction of a new independent cinema. Really Local Group has reached a deal with Moorgarth to redevelop a 4,000 sq ft space in Broad Street Mall into a cinema, music and events centre. The developer
An element can be describes as a certain key aspect or essential characteristic of something abstract, and while many interior designers use the 7 elements of interior design to managing any home makeover project, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t adopt the elements into your home for a
A deal has been agreed to bring forward the development of a new 331-room hotel in Leeds. Property management business Marrico has appointed GMI Construction Group to deliver the 14-storey project within the high profile Sovereign Square scheme. Situated on the last remaining plot at Sovereign Square, the hotel will
A turf cutting ceremony has taken place to officially mark the start of a multi-million pound scheme to transform leisure provision in Berwick. Work is due to commence on Berwick’s new state of the art £20 million leisure centre which is being funded by Northumberland County Council and will be
A ground-breaking ceremony has been held to mark the beginning of construction on London’s largest and tallest Premier Inn hotel. Developer Rockwell was joined by representatives from contractor Sisk to celebrate the project milestone, which also includes plans for new homes alongside the 400-bed hotel adjacent to Westferry DLR station.
McLaren Construction has been handed its fourth project at Quintain’s 85-acre Wembley Park estate. The contractor secured a £130 million project for the construction of plots NW09 and NW10, which will see the delivery of 396 build-to-rent homes, 1,000 sq m of ground floor retail space and 1,200 sq m
Harrogate Borough Council has handed out a £10 million contract for a major expansion of one of the area’s existing leisure centres. This project will see national firm Willmott Dixon build a new 25m pool at Ripon’s leisure centre, along with associated changing and community areas. The company will also
Having recently completed the first phase of the new state-of-the-art £25million testing facilities for M Sport Limited in West Cumbria, Northern Developments (Cumbria) Limited are progressing at pace and are on target for an autumn 2020 completion. The first phase of works comprised the design and construction of a 2.5km
Midlands-based main contractor MCS Group has completed the construction of a new £9 million BMW car dealership in Cardiff. Sytner Group appointed MCS Group to deliver the new 43,000 sq ft development on the site of the former McDonalds and Kismet Park in Grangetown, Cardiff, replacing an existing dealership in
The vast majority of people love trips to casinos, whether in Sin City, Macau or anywhere else around the globe. However, what most do not seem to realize is that casinos are actually scrupulously designed mazes that effectively force people to spend insane amounts of money and lose all track
A major shopping complex in Reading is set to boost its entertainment offering with the introduction of a new independent cinema. Really Local Group has reached a deal with Moorgarth to redevelop a 4,000 sq ft space in Broad Street Mall into a cinema, music and events centre. The developer will repurpose the ground and first-floor unit of the former Argos store to provide a four-screen cinema due to open in summer 2020. In addition, the new space will include food kiosks, outdoor terrace seating area and a café bar run by Compound Coffee, their first venture outside London. The design, by Lyttelton. Yates, uses a bold colour scheme to create a sense of uniformity and symmetry throughout the venue. Both the floorings and walls of the food kiosks, terrace seating area, private hire room and the cinema lobby will be a sage green in tribute to Reading’s colour palate and to unify the neighbouring spaces. The entrance, café and the outdoor seating area on the upper level will be in a vibrant yellow to draw footfall to its warm and welcoming aesthetic, while the carpets, walls and seats in the cinema screening rooms will be a saturated blue. Really Local Group creates and restores cultural infrastructure, acting as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of the local area. The company’s mission is to provide inclusive and affordable venues for communities, which will be uniquely designed to reflect their locality, serving as a community ‘hub’ for the area. This is the firm’s second project, following on from the launch of Catford Mews, which opened in September 2019. Catford Mews, a new cultural hub for Lewisham, includes a three-screen cinema, the first multiscreen in Lewisham in almost 20 years, live entertainment space, pop-up food market including a variety of stalls from local traders and a full-service bar serving local brands. Preston Benson, Founder of Really Local Group commented: “We are very excited about coming to Reading, to enhance the cultural infrastructure offer in a town with an established creative community. Working with Moorgarth and Reading Borough Council, we hope to be able to curate a new ‘cultural quarter’ for the town and secure collaboration opportunities with local independent businesses, artisans and traders.” Gary Lewis: Managing Director, Moorgarth Group Limited added: “We are delighted to be partnering with Really Local Group to deliver our long-held aspiration of bringing an exciting and vibrant new cinema to Broad Street Mall. This is another milestone in the re-imagining of the centre.” Really Local Group is also calling on the people of Reading to help name the new venue. Those with a perfect naming idea which pays tribute to Reading are asked to tweet the developers at @reallylocalgrp with suggestions by the 18 February. The winner will be awarded an annual membership complete with free cinema tickets and further discounted cinema tickets, food and drink, as well as an invite to the exclusive venue launch party this summer (plus 10 friends).
An element can be describes as a certain key aspect or essential characteristic of something abstract, and while many interior designers use the 7 elements of interior design to managing any home makeover project, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t adopt the elements into your home for a more appealing outcome. Whether you are opting for a complete home makeover or you will be taking the slower route and modifying your home as your budget allows, the following elements should be taken into consideration while creating your home improvement plan. Space The first and most important element of interior design is space, and while the other elements are just as important, you should always start your plan by assessing just how much space you have at your disposal. The space in your home is defined by structural barriers, such as ceilings, walls, floors, and even your doors. Therefore, knowing how much space you have will help you begin your planning and determine whether a large centrepiece would be appropriate or a vertical decor item would be more suitable. For example, if your living room area is somewhat small, you could consider water walls for the home as this enchanting masterpiece would not take up much space. Overcrowding the space you have will result in a cluttered look. Lines And Form Lines and form are also important elements to consider. While form explains the general shape of structures and items, lines are the basis of forms, and therefore, many could consider these two elements as co-existing elements. As your bedroom is an open form, understanding which forms work well together is crucial. You should avoid using too many rectangular forms in rooms that appear notably stiff and square as you should merge these forms to enhance the appeal of softer form rooms. Light And Colour Light and colour are the next two elements of interior design that also work as a pair. When creating your lighting plan for each room, you should consider the colour coordination of your furnishing choices as well as your wall paint. However, your lighting plan should include at least 3 light sources for most rooms to ensure each room is able to showcase its content as best as possible. Colour may be every interior designers favourite element as this is generally where the fun begins. If you are after a modern home design, you should stray from matching too much of one colour and rather opt for one main colour throughout your home while complementing the main colour with at least 3-4 additional colour pops. Patterns And Textures Patterns and textures are important to bring vibrancy into a home. You can add textures with fabrics, plants, and even your choice of furnishings while patterns are usually most appropriate for fabrics. Most modern home interiors boast texture as accent pieces as designers make use of textures scatter cushions and even rugs. Patterns can also be included in your home with the help of enchanting abstract art.
A deal has been agreed to bring forward the development of a new 331-room hotel in Leeds. Property management business Marrico has appointed GMI Construction Group to deliver the 14-storey project within the high profile Sovereign Square scheme. Situated on the last remaining plot at Sovereign Square, the hotel will offer short and long stay accommodation catering for both business and leisure guests as well as an on-site gym, meeting facilities, bar, restaurant and coffee shop fronting the square. It has been designed by Leeds-based architectural practice DLA Design, with the façade taking inspiration from the surrounding architecture and Leeds merchandising and textile history. The project will support around 190 construction jobs over the life of the project with the hotel creating 80 full-time jobs upon completion. Discussing more about the project, GMI Divisional Managing Director Lee Powell said: “Sovereign Square is one of the most sought-after destinations within Leeds and an extremely high-profile development. GMI are delighted to have been appointed by Marrico to deliver the final phase of this development and bring forward another high-quality hotel development. “This project serves as the 12th hotel project that GMI has been entrusted to deliver including 5 in the past 3 years and testament to the strength of our credentials in this growing sector.” Mark Barnes, partner at Marrico, added: “We are pleased to be able to share plans for a new hotel within the final remaining development site at Sovereign Square. The site is superbly located for hotel use from both business and visitors to the city being adjacent to the station, business core and the vibrant retail and leisure offer Leeds provides.”
A turf cutting ceremony has taken place to officially mark the start of a multi-million pound scheme to transform leisure provision in Berwick. Work is due to commence on Berwick’s new state of the art £20 million leisure centre which is being funded by Northumberland County Council and will be built on the site of the current Swan Centre in Tweedmouth. Tolent has been appointed as the official contractor and the centre will be constructed in phases to ensure that the existing Swan Centre continues to operate at all times until new facilities open to replace them. Work on Phase 1, which includes a new swimming pool and fitness suite will start on January 6 next year and is due to open in March 2021. The new centre is expected to be fully complete and open to the public in summer 2022. Designed by GT3 Architects, the new centre will feature a five-lane, 25m swimming pool, a teaching pool and leisure pool and spa facilities. There will be a sports hall, indoor bowls, fitness studios, cafe and a sensory room. Outside there will be a 3G full-size playing pitch, play park and trim trail and parking for 175 cars. Northumberland County Councillor Cath Homer, Cabinet Member for Culture, Arts, Leisure and Tourism, said: “This significant investment will create outstanding new facilities for the town and surrounding communities and there is a real sense of anticipation as we mark the start of this work today. “The current Swan Centre has millions of pounds worth of backlog maintenance issues and is no longer fit for its intended purpose. The landmark new centre will be a focal point not just for local residents but for visitors from further afield and will add to the area’s ever growing tourism offer.” Mark Tweedie, Chief Executive of Active Northumberland, the organisation that will manage the centre said: “One of Active Northumberand’s key aims is to get more people, of all ages involved in physical activity to improve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This new centre and the facilities within it have been designed with this vision in mind. There will be something for all members of the local community and we hope that it will offer opportunities for more people to be active, more often.” Berwick’s three County Councillors, Cllrs Georgina Hill, Gregah Roughead and Catherine Seymour have also welcomed the news that work on the new leisure centre has commenced Cllr Gregah Roughead, local ward for Berwick West with Ord said: “ It’s an exciting day and I am thrilled that spades are in the ground and work is starting on the development. The local community have had a real say in deciding the facilities within it and I am sure the new centre will be a real asset for the town for generations to come. ” David Thompson, Regional Director for Tolent, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to such a significant project for Berwick and the wider area. This project will not only deliver outstanding leisure and sports facilities but the unique design of the building will be sure to bring interest from far and wide. “We look forward to working closely with Advance Northumberland and the wider design team to ensure we deliver something that the local community are proud of.” Advance Northumberland, a new regeneration company established by Northumberland County Council is responsible for delivering the project. They appointed a design team that includes lead consultant Henry Riley LLP and GT3 Architects. To find out more about Tolent visit www.tolent.co.ukFor all media enquires please contact Jennifer Scullion at jscullion@tolent.co.uk
A ground-breaking ceremony has been held to mark the beginning of construction on London’s largest and tallest Premier Inn hotel. Developer Rockwell was joined by representatives from contractor Sisk to celebrate the project milestone, which also includes plans for new homes alongside the 400-bed hotel adjacent to Westferry DLR station. The £151 million mixed-use scheme, which sits in a derelict site between West India Dock and Limehouse Causeway, was granted planning permission in October 2018 by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. When complete, the 30-storey development will also include a restaurant, café, gym facilities and a landscaped pocket park, alongside communal gardens for new residents. It is designed by architects SimpsonHaugh. Donal Mulryan, Founder of Rockwell commented: “We are immensely proud to break ground on this landmark building which will be an important asset for the area, providing significant benefits for the local community with the creation of numerous jobs for local people, enhanced public realm and much needed new homes. We look forward to working with our contractors John Sisk & Son to deliver this high-quality hotel-led scheme, and look forward to delivering similar high-quality schemes in the future.” Ajaz Shafi, Regional Managing Director at John Sisk & Son added: “We are delighted to be working with the Rockwell team on this exceptional project. We have used smart thinking and an innovative approach to the design, planning and delivery of this high rise building on a tight footprint in London. Sisk works in close collaboration with all the key stakeholders to ensure we deliver quality projects, safely, which meet the needs of the community and our client. Our track record in this type of project and our strong supply chain partnerships in the region are key to the successful delivery of this development.” This mixed-use scheme is scheduled for completion in early 2022.
McLaren Construction has been handed its fourth project at Quintain’s 85-acre Wembley Park estate. The contractor secured a £130 million project for the construction of plots NW09 and NW10, which will see the delivery of 396 build-to-rent homes, 1,000 sq m of ground floor retail space and 1,200 sq m earmarked for a GP surgery. The development will include 117 properties available for discounted market rent, which will account for nearly 30% of the net internal area of the residential provision. There will also be a range of amenity spaces for residents including a large private landscaped garden at the heart of the development featuring a children’s play area. McLaren secured the contract after handing over the 340-apartment residential scheme W03 (now named Alameda) and 115,000 sq ft of Grade A office space at the W06 development along Wembley Park Boulevard in 2019. The firm is due to complete the 150-apartment residential block of W06 in March 2020. John Butten, McLaren’s Managing Director – Major Projects, commented: “This is fantastic news for McLaren, and we are pleased to have been awarded our fourth project at Wembley Park. It is a great achievement, showcasing McLaren’s continuous growth in these large-scale projects and our great customer relationships. We are delighted to continue working with Quintain to ensure this project is delivered successfully, further enhancing the area for local residents.” Matt Voyce, Quintain’s Executive Director of Construction, added: “We are delighted to have the McLaren team on board to deliver their fourth project at Wembley Park. We look forward to continuing the transformation of the 85-acre site by delivering thousands more homes, retail and office space and continuing our strong relationship with McLaren through our construction framework.” Main construction works are underway at plot NW09/10 and are due to complete in the summer of 2022. When complete, the entire transformation of Wembley Park will bring 8,500 much-needed homes to the borough, a third of which will be affordable and the majority available for rent rather than for sale.
Harrogate Borough Council has handed out a £10 million contract for a major expansion of one of the area’s existing leisure centres. This project will see national firm Willmott Dixon build a new 25m pool at Ripon’s leisure centre, along with associated changing and community areas. The company will also add a new main entrance and lobby to the current centre as well as upgrade the dry leisure facilities with new changing rooms and health suite, two dance studios, a ‘spin’ studio and a meeting room. Further developments include new play areas and a bridge linking the existing facility and the new-build pool element. Councillor Stanley Lumley, cabinet member for sport, said: “After what seems like many months of planning and discussion, the work to build the new pool is finally underway. “This represents a significant investment and will provide the people of Ripon with state-of-the-art swimming facilities. Combined with the refurbishment of the leisure centre, we are transforming the sport and leisure offer in this part of the district.” Willmott Dixon is working with Pick Everard as architect and Gleeds as QS and project manager to deliver the extension. The project has been procured via Major Works England and Northern Ireland, a part of the Scape National Construction framework. Anthony Dillon, Willmott Dixon’s managing director in the North, added: “We have one of the biggest track records in the UK for delivering projects that provide excellent leisure facilities. The creation of top-quality facilities to encourage health and wellbeing are vital to help our communities thrive and what we’ll deliver at Ripon will leave a lasting legacy for many years to come for people in the town and across the region.” The extension at Ripon’s leisure centre is expected to be completed in 2021.
Having recently completed the first phase of the new state-of-the-art £25million testing facilities for M Sport Limited in West Cumbria, Northern Developments (Cumbria) Limited are progressing at pace and are on target for an autumn 2020 completion. The first phase of works comprised the design and construction of a 2.5km test track. This civils works to facilitate this involved moving 200,000 Tonnes of earth, whilst ensuring a cut and fill balance to ensure that no materials needed to be removed from site. 6.5km of drainage to the track links to a number of balancing ponds to ensure no negative impact on the local watercourse. The groundworks for the associated 111,000sq/ft production facility commenced in May of this year, and construction is now well underway, with 550T of structural steelwork and roofing virtually complete, and all external precast concrete walls now installed, all in little over 6 months. Eddie Ward, Commercial Manager for Northern commented, “this project has been on the drawing board with us since 2010, it is a significant and complex Design & Build of which we’re very proud; we are pleased to finally see it on site, taking shape so quickly”. The MEC will provide M Sport with the ability to further expand into the wider automotive R&D sector. Northern managed the construction of the existing site facility back in 1999, and it was not long before M Sport were looking to expand further. The new building is more than twice the size of their existing production facilities, providing significant expansion and creating over 100 jobs in the process. Malcolm Wilson OBE, Managing Director at M-Sport, said “It’s always been important for me to keep the business in Cumbria, and with the help of Cumbria LEP we’re seeing the growth of more and more businesses in our region. The M-Sport Evaluation Centre will provide a unique centre of engineering excellence – allowing world leaders in automotive technology to follow their concepts from design and development, right through to production. Our region is fast becoming a great place for business, and we’re proud to be a part of that.” Established in 1985 Northern Developments work throughout the UK, recently completing more than £16million worth of purpose-built student accommodation developments through new build and refurbishment. Currently, Northern are evaluating several large scale private rented sector schemes. Managing Director Martyn Boak commented “we continually look for development opportunities, the depth of our experience allows us to look at all sectors and our proven track record of delivering consistently for over 3 decades counts for an awful lot today, the current political backdrop is certainly adversely affecting the real estate sector and Business’s as a whole which none of the Politicians even begin to understand, however we’re agile, opportunistic and open for Business”.
Midlands-based main contractor MCS Group has completed the construction of a new £9 million BMW car dealership in Cardiff. Sytner Group appointed MCS Group to deliver the new 43,000 sq ft development on the site of the former McDonalds and Kismet Park in Grangetown, Cardiff, replacing an existing dealership in the city. The new showroom includes a 22-bay workshop, two MOT bays, a drive-in service area and 654 parking spaces, including 151 on a roof deck car park. MCS Group has also transformed two existing detached buildings into facilities for wash/valet services and cosmetic repairs. Keir Edmonds, managing director of MCS Group, said: “This is a fantastic new dealership and a significant investment by Sytner in Cardiff. BMW customers now have a showroom and service facilities of the very highest quality and I’m sure it will be a huge success for Sytner. “We’ve delivered similar new developments for Sytner Group in recent years and it has been wonderful to work alongside them again on such a prestigious project.” He added: “We are hugely experienced in delivering high-quality car dealerships in line with the corporate image of premium brands such as BMW and we look forward to working alongside Sytner on future projects.” Sytner Cardiff is located on the Penarth Road, just outside Cardiff City Centre and less than eight miles off junction 33 of the M4 motorway. The new two-storey dealership will stock new and pre-owned BMW vehicles, including electric cars from BMW’s ‘i’ division. The wider project team included Edge Property Solutions as project managers and cost consultants; MDG Architects as architects; and Sanderson Watts Associates as structural engineers. MCS Group has built and refurbished more than 300 car dealerships since its inception in 2003. The Warwick-based company has worked on a string of high-profile projects for brands including Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, Mercedes and Jaguar Land Rover. The ambitious constructor has enjoyed a period of sustained growth in delivering projects across the motor retail, industrial, storage and distribution sectors and has set itself a target of increasing profits and raising turnover to around £200 million. The new Sytner Group BMW dealership in Cardiff, delivered by MCS Group.The ambitious constructor has enjoyed a period of sustained growth in delivering projects across the motor retail, industrial, storage and distribution sectors and has set itself a target of increasing profits and raising turnover to around £200 million. About MCS Group: Established in 2003, MCS Group is a driven and dynamic construction company with a proven track record of delivering complex and fast track projects to an exceptional standard. We have invested heavily in recruiting the right people, training staff, offering apprenticeships and developing the range of specialist services we provide. It is all part of a strategy designed to see our growth continue with major projects across the UK.We have completed more than 1,000 projects in the industrial, automotive, commercial, retail and social care sectors. For more information please visit www.mcs-ltd.com.
The vast majority of people love trips to casinos, whether in Sin City, Macau or anywhere else around the globe. However, what most do not seem to realize is that casinos are actually scrupulously designed mazes that effectively force people to spend insane amounts of money and lose all track of time. This is actualized through clever casino planning and design. Here are some casino design elements that keep players hooked for far more than they should be. Disorienting Arrangements In most casinos, once players have stepped foot inside, getting to a restaurant, a restroom, a retail outlet or the like involves taking a convoluted route that makes it very easy to get lost. This is no accident, with the intent being that disoriented players who are unable to find their way to wherever they wish to go will choose to abandon whatever they might have previously resolved to do and instead focus on having fun at any of the numerous slot machines, craps tables and the like. However, such a trick does not apply to online casinos. Time Flies There are never any clocks in a casino. This is because the casino does not want players bothered with the passage of time or thinking about their appointments for the day. Essentially, this leads to a suspension of both space and time, with this impression being reinforced by the lack of windows by which players can gauge how much time has passed since they sat down to gamble at a casino table. Mazing It Up There’s a reason why casinos prefer a maze design with exits and entrances that are randomly arranged, as well as narrower, shorter passages, over straight and lengthy rows with countless slot machines and gambling tables arranged in order. The reason has to do with avoiding overwhelming players with the goodies on offer and instead forming small islands where players can effectively feel at home and so spend forever playing casino games. Comfort Me Casinos go out of their way to make their players feel super comfortable. This fact can be most clearly seen in high roller rooms and suites that are designed for the utmost comfort and convenience. As can be imagined, comfortable players do not feel any need to go elsewhere and can play for long periods without tiring. Player Engagement One key way that casinos effectively prevent players from even thinking about going home is through the crafty engagement of all the senses. This includes the playing of chirpy music, displaying an array of bright lights and ensuring lots of exotic smells and scents. All these motivate players to keep on playing till the cows come home and retire for a cud-chewing session, when they should instead be thinking of quitting and coming back another day. Casinos also offer free food, drinks and the like to tired players to invigorate them and can comp a room where tired players can have a short rest. And that’s it, folks! The next time you pay a visit to a casino, do look out for all the above-listed details and disregard them at your likely peril!
