8build construction appoints industry veteran to drive commercial retrofit growth
Leading construction and fit out contractor, 8build, has appointed Steve Davies as Divisional Director, strengthening its leadership team as the firm seeks to expand its growth drive in commercial refurbishment and sustainable retrofit solutions. Previously a board member at Collins Construction and later a senior leader at Structure Tone London, Davies brings over 37 years’ experience in the London construction sector, having worked on some of the capital’s most recognisable landmarks, including Buckingham Palace, The Shard, and the ‘Walkie Talkie’. Over the past 12 years, Davies has specialised in retrofit and complex refurbishment services, delivering major schemes for listed blue-chip property owners, institutional investors and capital managers, including The Crown Estate, Grosvenor, AXA, Frogmore and Shaftesbury. 8build has a proven record of delivering flagship fit out and retrofit schemes across the commercial, mixed-use, residential, healthcare, and cultural sectors, targeting £200m in turnover by year end as the contractor expands its client book. Notable projects include the ongoing More London development with St Martins, Sheldon Square and Paddington Central Amphitheatre for British Land, Delfont Mackintosh Theatres with Victoria Palace Theatre, and Lazari Investment’s The Lantern. In his new position, Davies will lead a London-centric division focused on commercial offices, building a team of specialists in fit-out, refurbishment and heritage projects to deliver Grade A space in an increasingly undersupplied market where prime stock demand is accelerating. Steve Davies, Divisional Director at 8build, said: “Retrofit and refurbishment in constrained markets like London are essential levers that unlock long-term value for clients. In these areas, 8build has developed an outstanding reputation for delivering complex, multi-year contracts with precision and skill, putting clients at the forefront of its practice and forming great relationships in the process. “Together with Andy and the Board, our focus is now on steady, sustainable growth that plays to the competitive edge 8build has carved out in institutional-grade commercial office solutions, meeting the growing need for stock that meets and exceeds incoming net zero targets.” Andy Tooley, Director at 8build, said: “Steve’s appointment charts an exciting new phase for our commercial retrofit division in London, where we see a huge unmet need for high-quality execution. “With his breadth of experience delivering high-profile projects for exceptional clients and his deep understanding of retrofit demand, Steve will add materially to our growth plans going forward as we broaden our client book and our strong pipeline of sustainable projects.” In London, 80%[1] of commercial buildings that will still be in use by 2030 are already standing, underpinning a market that is increasingly focused on retrofit to meet regulatory requirements and changing occupier preferences. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
VIVID hosts live fire training exercise to support Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service
Last week, VIVID welcomed Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service (H&IOWFS) to one of their tall tower buildings for a hands-on training exercise designed to help crews gain valuable experience in tackling high-rise fires. The event brought together around 40 fire service personnel, including senior command officers and frontline firefighters, supported by four fire engines, an aerial ladder platform (ALP), and several support vehicles. Over the course of four hours, crews worked through a realistic mock scenario involving a fire in the building. To make the exercise as true-to-life as possible, each flat was marked with scenario cards indicating potential challenges—such as customers with disabilities—giving crews a chance to think on their feet. A temporary evacuation control hub was set up in the garden area, staffed by eight team members who coordinated the response and kept communication flowing throughout. Members of VIVID’s Building and Fire Safety Team also took part in the role play, helping guide the fire service through the scenario and sharing key information. Tom Robinson, Executive Director of Assets and Sustainability, VIVID said, “We’re proud to support Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service and continue working together on future training exercises. Building strong partnerships like this helps move towards a safer environment for our customers—and that’s something we’re fully committed to.” Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service, Watch Manager, Sally Gould said, “My senior team are really happy with the opportunity, exercises like this are incredibly valuable—they give us the chance to put our policies and procedures into practice in a realistic setting, which is something we don’t often get to do. We’ve all learnt so much from being on-site and working through the scenario, and it’s helped build confidence across the team. It’s also been a great way to strengthen our working relationship with VIVID, and we’re really grateful for the time, expertise and support.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Brewing a gateway: Wrexham lines up brewery, museum and offices beside the station
Wrexham Council has submitted detailed plans to ignite the city’s long-trailed Gateway regeneration with a mixed programme of culture, commerce and transport improvements next to Wrexham General Station. At the heart of the proposals is a celebration of the city’s brewing heritage. A former Jewson builders’ merchant warehouse would be converted to house a new Wrexham Lager brewery, while the neighbouring Cambrian Sheds are earmarked for a taproom and museum telling the story of local beer-making. Together, they aim to create an anchor visitor attraction on the station’s doorstep, activating the wider site from day one. The application is hybrid. Alongside the detailed change-of-use plans for the brewery and museum, the council is seeking outline consent for a five-storey commercial office building, a new public plaza at the station entrance, and a pedestrian footbridge connecting the northern end of the plot. Public-realm and mobility upgrades include new bus stops, EV charging points, secure cycle storage and improved pedestrian and cycle access from Mold Road. The scheme sits within the broader Wrexham Gateway project, which also encompasses the new Kop stand at the STōK Racecourse and a linked transport hub. Demolition of the former Girl Guides and Wrexham District Scouts buildings is proposed to clear space for the new facilities and public routes. SHR Studio Architecture leads the design team, with Cushman & Wakefield as cost consultant, Hoare Lea on building services and Civic Engineers providing civil and structural input. The design intent pairs adaptive reuse with contemporary infill: industrial sheds are repurposed and made public-facing, while new-build elements frame a coherent station square. For contractors and consultants, the opportunity blends heritage refurbishment with phased new build, complex interfaces around live rail and highway environments, and a sustainability brief that leans on reuse, low-carbon mobility and energy-efficient services. If approved, the project would set a strong urban gateway for arrivals to Wrexham, establishing a cultural draw alongside workspace and improved connectivity. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Footasylum laces up fourth Glasgow store with Silverburn comeback
Footasylum is returning to Silverburn, agreeing a deal with owner Henderson Park for a two-storey, 9,585 sq ft unit that will become the retailer’s fourth store in Glasgow. The move adds further momentum to the centre’s fashion-led refresh, following recent lettings to Bershka, Hollister, Pull&Bear and Stradivarius. Managed by Eurofund Group, Silverburn has seen more than 60 leasing deals concluded under its three-year joint venture ownership with Henderson Park, targeting an elevated brand mix and stronger youth and family appeal. Culverwell and Time Retail Partners acted for the landlord on the Footasylum transaction. For the retail property market, the signing underscores the continued pull of best-in-class regional centres for athleisure and trainer specialists, particularly where owners are investing in tenant mix, placemaking and experience. Silverburn’s large-format, multi-level unit allows Footasylum to showcase key brand partners and expand digital services such as click-and-collect and ship-from-store, supporting omnichannel growth across its c.60-strong estate. Alberto Esguevillas, CEO of UK retail at Eurofund Group, said: “Footasylum is a stand-out success story in the UK retail market, and we are pleased to see it return to Silverburn, where it is sure to be a welcome and popular new arrival.” Fit-out is expected to emphasise fast visual merchandising, strong back-of-house logistics and flexible display zones suited to seasonal launches and limited drops, aligning with the centre’s strategy to drive repeat visits and dwell time. The deal further consolidates Silverburn’s position as a regional fashion destination and signals ongoing demand from activewear and lifestyle brands for high-footfall, experience-focused locations. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Panattoni acquires key site in Kent for 1m sq ft+ industrial development
Panattoni, the world’s largest privately owned industrial developer, has acquired a 70-acre site on Lenham, Kent, creating a rare opportunity to deliver large-scale, modern industrial space in a market where demand outstrips supply. The development is expected to attract national and international logistics occupiers. The site, previously home to Aliaxis and other industrial tenants, offers over 1 million square feet of space. Its location provides direct access to the A20, M20 (Junctions 8 and 9), and M25, enabling fast distribution across the South East, London, and Europe through the nearby ports of Dover, London Gateway, and Medway. From Lenham, more than 40 million postcodes are reachable within four hours and 19 million within two hours, positioning the site as a strategic hub for national supply chains. Panattoni plans to speculatively develop over 1 million sq ft, named Panattoni Park Maidstone. The development will target BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and EPC A+ ratings with net zero construction standards. Occupiers will be able to customise unit sizes and layouts ahead of planning submission, offering flexibility rarely available in the South East. David McGougan, Development Director at Panattoni, said: “Panattoni Park Maidstone is a significant addition to our portfolio and addresses the national need for high-quality, flexible industrial space. With strong transport links and access to a skilled workforce, it provides businesses with a location that supports growth, efficiency, and sustainability. The new site builds on this experience, providing occupiers with access to strategically positioned, high-specification space in a highly competitive market.” Tony Watkins, Head of Development: South East & London at Panattoni said: “Panattoni has a strong track record of delivering large-scale, sustainable industrial projects across Kent, including Panattoni Park Aylesford, Sittingbourne, and Wrotham. This acquisition further strengthens Panattoni’s role in delivering strategic logistics infrastructure across the UK.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Construction Performance Slides as Confidence Continues to Wane
Glenigan Review sees UK construction activity continuing to fall against a backdrop of economic uncertainty Today, Glenigan | Powered by Hubexo (Glenigan), one of the construction industry’s leading insight and intelligence experts, releases the October 2025 edition of its Construction Review. The Review focuses on the three months to the end of September 2025, covering all major (>£100m) and underlying (<£100m) projects, with all underlying figures seasonally adjusted. It’s a report providing a detailed and comprehensive analysis of year-on-year construction data, giving built environment professionals a unique insight into sector performance over the past year. All Fall Down Once again, Glenigan’s October Review paints a picture of a sector continuing to slow down, as investor confidence fails to return to the private market and many public projects face significant delays. It was a case of across-the-board decline with project starts, main contract awards and detail planning approvals all down compared to both the preceding three months, and the same period last year. Looking at the former, project starts fell by 15% against the previous quarter and plummeted to a shocking 40% on 2024 levels. Likewise, the value of planning approvals was slashed by approximately fifth (-21%) during Q.3 and when measured against the previous year (-18%). Whilst main contract awards only dipped a modest 2% compared to the preceding three months, they finished almost a third down (-32%) against the previous year. Commenting on the results, Yuliana Ivanykovych, Senior Economist at Glenigan says, “The situation seems to be getting worse as the year progresses and, at this rate something truly transformative will need to happen to kick-start activity. Activity is depressed across both underlying and major projects, a result of low business confidence and the slow progress of government funded projects. Couple that with the industry’s long-term labour market challenges, wafer-thin margins and growing concerns over rising costs and you have a perfect storm, which the industry will have to try and weather in the months to come. She continues, “Not only that, there is added caution ahead of the Budget. Investors are keen to keep their powder dry, whilst Government departments cautiously watch for any changes to their funding allocations which might put capital projects at risk.” Residential continues to fall The residential sector is in decline, with that positive growth spurt seen over the Spring/Summer now seeming a distant memory. Whilst project starts only fell by 7% year-on-year, main contract awards tumbled by 47% and planning approvals by 39% when measured against 2024 figures. Private housing experienced a particularly poor period whilst social housing has been left with a significantly weakened pipeline. Even though there was strong growth in major project starts within this vertical, compared to both last year and the previous quarter, it was not quite enough to pull it up into positive figures. Regionally, performance was generally weak, with most posting lower project starts compared to Q.2 and the previous year. However, London and the South East both registered small project start increases, up 8% and 2% respectively on 2024. The latter also experience an uptick in planning approvals, growing 10% year-on-year, with the East of England (+28%) and South West (+11%) posting increases on a year ago. High-rise for office starts Offices continued their moment in the sun, despite planning approvals falling by three-quarters (-76%) and main contract awards down by 9% compared to 2024, the vertical posted an impressive 82% increase in starts year-on-year. This boost can be predominantly attributed to a spike in underlying starts as well as policy-driven momentum, with the Government recently signing a Tech Prosperity Deal, which has led to announcing an AI ‘growth zone’ in the North East. This £30bn investment will make the region home to one of the largest data centre hubs in Europe and hint at how this type of building will likely keep performance relatively resilient in the office vertical (which includes data centres) in the months and years to come. Most regions posted strong project starts performances with London possessing the highest share (68%) during this period, thanks to an 87% increase year-on-year. This growth is largely the result of the £400 million 50 Fenchurch Street development in the City. The North West also witnessed a 14% project starts increase compared to a year ago, in this case Manchester’s The Republic at Mayfield development was responsible. Bright spots amid the gloom Two others verticals particularly stood out: Hotel & Leisure and Civils. The former has experienced a surprisingly robust period of activity with project starts increase a whopping 93% year-on-year, with main contract awards also up 14%. Whilst detailed planning approvals were down 35% compared to 2024 levels, they did grow against Q.2 A 237% jump in indoor leisure facilities was only outstripped by an astonishing 344% leap in sports facilities performance. These impressive results were born out in the regions where developments including Manchester’s wellbeing resort and the Cardiff Arena & Hotel Atlantic Wharf are driving growth. Despite a poor start performance, Civils has seen a sharp increase in planning approvals (+150%) compared to the previous year and a 38% rise in main contract awards over Q.2 2025. Underlying figures were particularly positive, rising to 58%, against the preceding three months, indicating a strengthening of the development pipeline. This has likely been catalysed by the Government’s focus on clean energy projects, alongside the approval of more offshore windfarm projects, set to support overall growth in the future. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals