CEG’s 200,000 sq ft EQ development in the heart of Bristol City Centre broke ground on the main construction phase this week, becoming the largest speculative office development currently underway in the south of England. BAM Construction has been appointed to deliver the striking glass building at 111 Victoria Street,
Eight electricians from Dundee have managed to secure new jobs due to ongoing work being carried out at the V&A Museum of Design in Dundee. The new jobs are great news as the eight new employees had recently been made redundant from a local mechanical and electrical company, Scottish Electrical
Edinburgh Airport’s Terminal Expansion Project has taken another step forward, with the lead contractor for the construction work being appointed. BAM Construction has been announced as the lead contractor for the development project that will see an improvement and expansion to the facilities on offer. The construction work planned will
BAM Construction has secured a £6 million contract to construct a new factory in Bradford-On-Avon. The facility is being built for AB Dynamics, a supplier of testing systems to the motor industry for development, research and production quality control. SRA Architects, based in Bath, designed the scheme which comprises the
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
CEG’s 200,000 sq ft EQ development in the heart of Bristol City Centre broke ground on the main construction phase this week, becoming the largest speculative office development currently underway in the south of England. BAM Construction has been appointed to deliver the striking glass building at 111 Victoria Street, close to Bristol Temple Meads Station. Raising the bar in terms of quality, occupant wellbeing and sustainability, EQ will provide 20,000 sq ft of occupier amenities such as a rooftop bar, restaurant and business lounge with communal terrace, ground floor café kitchen, 50 seat auditorium, as well as a fitness suite and break out space. The building will provide some of the largest open plan office floor plates in Bristol of up to 27,377 sq ft. CEG will also offer its ‘Let Ready Go’ studio concept, offering fully-equipped internet ready workstations enabling businesses immediate set up, easy expansion and contraction and access to high quality meeting and amenity space as part of a thriving and collaborative community. Over 500 construction jobs will be created per annum during the two-year build programme, as well as six local apprenticeship opportunities. Once complete, the building will accommodate over 2,000 people and will deliver £466 million GVA per annum from direct and indirect operational jobs*. Paul Richardson, investment manager at CEG, said: “We are making an immediate start on site in order to be in a position to offer 200,000 sq ft of the highest quality office space ready for occupation by the first quarter of 2023. “There is an acute shortage in supply of Grade A offices in Bristol and we’ve already seen a record number of pre let office deals in the city this year. We adopt an innovative approach to leasing, to deliver flexibility, as well as offering tenant fit outs, which reduces an occupier’s capital spend traditionally associated with a relocation.” Neil Dorrington, construction director for Bristol-based BAM Construction, said: “This must be one of the most ambitious schemes ever constructed in Bristol, which is a tremendous testament to CEG. “BAM’s early and close association with the development of it over a prolonged period means we can bring our expertise in digital construction and our sustainability credentials to bear even more so than on many other schemes. Our time on site means we can also achieve great social value for the city.” Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “As we face severe recession, contraction to Bristol’s economy and employment losses, news of such a major sustainable investment to bring job opportunities and social value to our city is hugely positive and welcome. “Working with city partners to achieve Bristol’s potential, our economic renewal should be focused on tackling inequality and building a fair, healthy and sustainable city. This type of sustainable development will help us build back better together.’’ Architect Aukett Swanke has designed the building with sustainability, amenity, health and well-being at its core. Targeting BREEAM Outstanding, the building provides photovoltaic units on the roof, rainwater harvesting, efficient heating, cooling and lighting systems, extensive cycling parking, showers, electric vehicle and e-bike charging points and will be connected to Bristol City Council’s District Heating Network. This will help occupiers trying to meet their carbon reduction targets. In a first for Bristol, a dedicated bicycle entrance and ramp from Temple Street to the basement provides easy access to more than 260 cycle spaces, which is in excess of industry standard. Health club quality changing and shower facilities are also provided. This gives cyclists priority on accessing the building, something which will prove even more important post Covid. Luke Schuberth, UK managing director of Aukett Swanke, said: “EQ will be a first class piece of architecture that we have enjoyed being involved in creating. It is testament to a client that has clear ambition and vision and a design team that has a strength in depth and a culture of pushing innovation. It has been a joy to design EQ, to stretch the boundaries of office design with health and well-being and a sustainable ethos that is at the core. The building will increase the energy of the people within it, whilst reducing the energy required to run it. We are delighted that it will now be realised and look forward to its completion.” Designed as a Smart Tech enabled building, there will also be fewer touch points, increased air changes and air quality sensors, benefitting occupiers in a post-Covid world. The scale, quality and flexibility offered by the building, as well as its strategic location close to Temple Meads, opens up significant opportunities for new inward investing companies keen to access the south west market. Jones Lang LaSalle and Cushman and Wakefield have been appointed by CEG to launch the building to market. Ian Wills of JLL explains: “Living costs have rocketed in London and skilled staff are finding it too expensive and over-crowded. Employers are looking elsewhere and Bristol has always appealed; just 80 minutes from the heart of London, it offers a large skilled workforce and great quality of life which help to attract and retain employees. “CEG with a long term investment and management approach is also able to offer a unique Core and Flex model which allows a business to expand and contract within the space. This will help to manage company growth and additional projects, as well as seasonal demand and the effects that social distancing will have on their office requirements.” Andy Heath of Cushman and Wakefield states: “We are confident we will secure a pre-let, not just due to the high market demand in Bristol, but because this offers a workspace that is sustainable, efficient, flexible, healthy, digitally resilient and future-proofed – it will set a new benchmark for regional offices.” CEG has one of the largest office development pipelines in Bristol, offering some 400,000 sq ft in its local portfolio at The Quorum, The Crescent Centre, 1000 Aztec West and EQ. The Quorum has been recently refurbished, and a planning consent has
Eight electricians from Dundee have managed to secure new jobs due to ongoing work being carried out at the V&A Museum of Design in Dundee. The new jobs are great news as the eight new employees had recently been made redundant from a local mechanical and electrical company, Scottish Electrical Group. BAM Construction are building the V&A Dundee and were contacted by the Partnership Action for Continued Employment Partnership, or PACE, who were working to help the tradesmen. The three qualified electricians and five apprentices were made redundant when Scottish Electrical Group ceased trading in August. Now, the group have started working on the Dundee site and have already secured permanent contracts with one of BAM’s subcontractors, FES. Their new employer is known for being one of the leading mechanical and electrical installation companies in Scotland. It is great news that the ongoing construction work in Dundee has allowed these people to find more work. The V&A Dundee will deliver a long term boost to the city’s economy and the construction work involved has benefitted the firms involved. It is really encouraging to see the industry pull together like this in order to find work for the unfortunate former employees of Scottish Electrical Group. On top of this it is positive news for the construction of the V&A Museum of Design Dundee has managed to have more local people working to build the new museum. The V&A Dundee is expected to open in 2018 and will be the only V&A museum found anywhere in the world outside London. The new cultural attraction will also be Scotland’s first ever dedicated design museum and will be an international centre for design when open as well as a space for inspiration, discovery and learning for those who visit. The construction of the museum has been valued at over £80 million and will form part of Dundee’s ambitions plans for a £1 billion waterfront regeneration in the city.
Edinburgh Airport’s Terminal Expansion Project has taken another step forward, with the lead contractor for the construction work being appointed. BAM Construction has been announced as the lead contractor for the development project that will see an improvement and expansion to the facilities on offer. The construction work planned will add more domestic and international arrival facilities to Edinburgh Airport. The new facilities will include a new larger baggage reclaim and a range of new border control facilities. Also to be added to the airport are more shops and cafes as well as a new lounge space and office accommodation. These new facilities will have new link bridges and stairs to connect them to the rest of the airport and out to the aircraft. The construction work will also add another south east pier and allow for larger aircraft stands. Work is already underway at the site in order to deliver this new three storey terminal expansion. The total development has been valued at around £80 million and represents a significant investment into preparing the airport for the future. Edinburgh Airport is the fastest growing airport in the UK and the busiest airport in Scotland. The expansion work is required in order to manage the demand and increase of passengers using the airport going forward. The new extension will be built on a formerly disused service yard, which is situated between the existing airport and Gogar Burn. It is thought that this construction work is a part of the capital programme that is due to take place over the course of the next five years. This capital programme is meant to see around £220 million invested into the city. BAM Construction has been appointed as the lead contractor for the Terminal Expansion Project which will see an extra 14,350 sq. m. of accommodation at the airport. The work is expected to be completed by Autumn 2018.
BAM Construction has secured a £6 million contract to construct a new factory in Bradford-On-Avon. The facility is being built for AB Dynamics, a supplier of testing systems to the motor industry for development, research and production quality control. SRA Architects, based in Bath, designed the scheme which comprises the design and construction of a new engineering and workshop facility along with a two storey office. On a greenfield site, BAM will erect a steel framed new factory and associated offices including a bespoke fit out for the specialist nature of the firm’s automotive operations. Included in the external works are hard and soft landscaping, car parking, service yard, secure fencing and gates with a tree and shrub planting scheme. The new building will be oriented to minimise the solar heat gain and the roof will have studded north facing skylights. This will maximise the amount of natural light on the manufacturing ground floor and in the first floor offices. Tony Best founded AB Dynamics in 1982 and the company supplied the first steering robot for quantitative vehicle testing on the track in 1998 and has now supplied more than 600 driving robot systems throughout the world. The company was also an early pioneer of the use of an inertial GPS motion pack to control the path of a vehicle in 2001 and six years later was one of the first manufacturers to sell a system for testing driverless vehicles. Neil Dorrington, BAM Construction Director, commented: “This is a fascinating scheme that requires our technical experience and a close working partnership with our client. It also shows our versatility in our markets, sitting well alongside our other technically challenging buildings like the Living Systems Institute for Exeter University.” BAM is currently engaging in several weeks of enabling works while contracts are being finalised. The new building is scheduled to hand over in autumn 2017.
