A £6m project to transform the way schools and healthcare facilities are built has been granted £2.9m of funding to showcase the future of modern methods of construction (MMC) in the UK. The consortium-led Seismic II project is working on the future of construction. Among a range of outcomes, the
The pre-let is the latest deal to be signed on the popular and successful development in Bristol, the region’s largest regeneration project on the site of the former Rolls-Royce East Works site in Filton. St Francis Group together with its development partners iSec have today announced that it has exchanged
A major capacity boost is expected to the rail freight network in the UK as work has begun on a major project at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal in Northamptonshire. The project is being led by Prologis UK and is being delivered by Winvic Construction Ltd and will see the
St. Modwen Industrial & Logistics has entered into a development agreement to create an 11.3-acre business park with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and leaseholder ITT Inc. The Basingstoke site, owned freehold by the Council and held by lessee and global multi-industrial manufacturers ITT Inc, is located within the wider
Hospitality design expert Dexter Moren Associates (DMA) has announced the completion of the new Hampton by Hilton on the Uxbridge Road in Ealing, close to the planned Crossrail station. Designed by DMA with a sympathetic exterior of soft autumn shades, the new hotel replaces two tired 1960s office buildings and
Mountpark Logistics, a leading developer of industrial and logistics property, today announced that it has leased a 307,807 sq ft distribution centre at Mountpark Warrington Omega II, to leading recipe box company, Gousto. Following strong trading from the start of the year, with revenues for the first quarter reaching 70%
The total value of construction contract awards in July 2020 was £6.3 billion which compares to £3.1 billion in June and £1.6 billion in May, underlining the magnitude of the growth trend for contract awards over the last two months. The number of awards has also increased in July to
With the country on the receiving end of unrelenting bad news since the Coronavirus began to wreak global havoc in March, reports that the construction industry has seen a sharp upturn in business provides a much welcome shard of positivity. As reported in online trade magazine, Construction Enquirer, the index
Caddick Construction has completed on a flagship showroom on behalf of Stokers Ltd, owners of Lucas Furniture, on the outskirts of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. Work began in October, 2019, on the 7,150 ²m site and included external landscaping and parking facilities. The two-storey showroom will become the company’s largest, purpose-built,
Building work has commenced at The Burgesses in Kinver, paving the way for the construction of 20 new homes for older people. The development is designed for people who want to live independently, with the reassurance of access to care and support provided by Housing Plus Group member Care Plus. Bungalows
A £6m project to transform the way schools and healthcare facilities are built has been granted £2.9m of funding to showcase the future of modern methods of construction (MMC) in the UK. The consortium-led Seismic II project is working on the future of construction. Among a range of outcomes, the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funded project via the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund will create a set of standardised reconfigurable components, working closely with the Construction Innovation Hub to align platform interface standards. These components will reduce waste, cost and carbon dioxide emissions while increasing speed of delivery. The consortium is conscious of the need to align and harmonise its work with the outputs of the Construction Innovation Hub and will be working with them throughout to ensure maximum impact. Government procurement is already set to shift from traditional construction methods to MMC. Seismic II will show how this shift can happen while meeting the government’s own ‘Construction 2025’ vision of lower costs and emissions, faster delivery and an increase in exports from the industry. Currently, most traditional UK construction relies on bespoke systems created by individual manufacturers. A lack of standardisation means different systems are incompatible, causing errors, delays and defects. Seismic II builds on the success of the Seismic I project, which showed how a standardised light steel frame could change the way new schools were designed and constructed. With the new award from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, the system will encompass the production of wall, floor, ceiling and roof components that are all completely interoperable with the standardised light steel frame. The automotive industry has long been the standard bearer for streamlined production and component assembly. The aim of Seismic II is to show that similar principles can be applied to the construction industry. Along with improving the offsite production processes for projects using MMC, Seismic II will also look at the whole life performance of the buildings produced that way. The government’s industrial strategy aims to reduce the construction costs and whole life costs of buildings by a third, while seeing those same buildings delivered in half the time and with a 50% reduction in carbon emissions from the sector. Adopting MMC is essential to meet those targets and Seismic II is well-positioned to deliver on them. Centred around a digital approach to design, production and operation, the platform will use linked data from start to finish. This approach ensures that the building delivered on site matches the design intent, performs as expected, and can be managed efficiently throughout its life. Originally intended for school construction, Seismic II has drawn interest from the healthcare, commercial and residential sectors. The completed demonstrator building will be a template for high performance buildings of all types, delivered using high quality, reliable, standardised components. As well as Elliott, the consortium includes: blacc LTD (the consortium and project manager) McAvoy Group Tata Steel Manufacturing Technology Centre Active Building Centre National Composite Centre John Campbell, Elliott’s Managing Director commented; “Elliott is excited to continue working with the Seismic Consortium and build on the success of the standardised design which is now being deployed on live schemes. This next ambitious step will see us developing Seismic I into a total building envelope solution that can be adopted across the Government’s estate and support their carbon zero aspirations. Through continued collaboration we aim to deliver the most advanced and robustly tested product in the offsite sector. With significant investment in our assembly facility and processes, by adopting modern methods of manufacturing we will embed quality 4.0, drive up productivity and reduce waste using lean methodology to lead the charge in how construction projects are delivered in the UK.”
The pre-let is the latest deal to be signed on the popular and successful development in Bristol, the region’s largest regeneration project on the site of the former Rolls-Royce East Works site in Filton. St Francis Group together with its development partners iSec have today announced that it has exchanged on the latest pre-let deal at Horizon-38 in North Bristol, the region’s largest regeneration project on the site of the former Rolls-Royce East Works site in Filton. Work is due to start within weeks on a new 17,000 sq. ft flagship car dealership for Volvo Cars UK to be situated on one of the last remaining plots with frontage directly onto the A38. Volvo will join other established names at Horizon-38 including Sytner’s Car Shop, Selco Trade Centre, Village Urban Resorts and GKN Aerospace alongside nearly 400,000 sq. ft of speculative industrial warehouse development. Speaking about the deal Gareth Williams at St Francis Group said: “In these unprecedented times it is very pleasing so be able to make an announcement like this. Volvo and all other project stakeholders have shown a huge can-do attitude to ensure that this deal was done and we’ll be starting on site very shortly”. Speaking for the project itself and Horizon-38 scheme in general, this deal represents another piece of the jigsaw on this hugely popular and successful 60 acre site which continues to deliver. We are looking to continue with this momentum through the last two remaining plots where commercial discussions are underway with interested parties.” Avison Young advised the joint venture on the letting and will be retained on the investment sale. Horizon38 was acquired by a joint venture between St Francis Group and iSec late in 2015 and since then nearly 500,000 sq. ft of new high-quality warehouse space has been built in addition to a new Village hotel and trade counters. A new Sytner Car Shop is under construction as is a state-of-the-art Global Technology Centre for GKN Aerospace. For further information visit : https://horizon38.com/
A major capacity boost is expected to the rail freight network in the UK as work has begun on a major project at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal in Northamptonshire. The project is being led by Prologis UK and is being delivered by Winvic Construction Ltd and will see the construction of a new rail freight terminal with a new access road. Daventry terminal, known as DIRFT, is recognised as one of the most successful intermodal logistics parks in the UK. It is situated in the Golden Triangle, which spans from Northampton to East Midlands Airport, in the North, and is located near the M1, and of course the West Coast Main Line. Daventry is currently home to big names such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Royal Mail and DHL, and currently handles 12 freight trains a day. The latest phase of work includes the construction of a new terminal and enhancement to the current rail corridor which connects into the West Coast Main Line. Construction has already begun and is expected to be completed in 2021.
St. Modwen Industrial & Logistics has entered into a development agreement to create an 11.3-acre business park with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and leaseholder ITT Inc. The Basingstoke site, owned freehold by the Council and held by lessee and global multi-industrial manufacturers ITT Inc, is located within the wider Viables Business Park and will be known as St. Modwen Park Basingstoke following the grant of planning consent from the local authority in January 2020. As part of the agreement, St. Modwen will create new employment space in response to strong occupier demand and has permission to deliver up to 200,000 sq ft of industrial and logistics space. With full planning consent in place, construction of three high-quality speculative units of 36,987, 51,572 and 97,781 sq ft will commence in September 2020. As per the agreed timetable for the development, units at the site will be available as early as Q3 2021, creating up to 250 new jobs once occupied. Strategically located between Junction 6 and 7 of the M3 and within 2 miles of Basingstoke town centre, the development is well placed to capitalise on the town’s existing diverse economy, providing fast access to London and Southampton. David McGougan, Senior Development Manager at St. Modwen Industrial & Logistics, said: “St. Modwen Park Basingstoke forms part of our strategy to grow a high-quality industrial and logistics portfolio. After obtaining planning permission at the start of this year, our breakthrough development agreement reaffirms our intention to press on with these plans and deliver an industry-leading employment scheme for Basingstoke. The terms we’ve agreed will enable us to fulfil the local authority’s aspiration to deliver regeneration and drive employment.” Ravi Patel, Director of European Shared Services at ITT Inc, added: “We’re completely aligned with St. Modwen’s ambition to transform this site – their regeneration and industrial and logistics credentials speak for themselves. Now that terms are settled and the agreement is signed, we look forward to delivering an employment space that is fit for market demand together.” Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Property Cllr John Izett added: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement with St. Modwen which will enable the company to redevelop this site near the M3 for a new logistics park, creating 250 high quality local jobs once complete. “This investment and the new jobs it will bring is especially welcome at a time when the priority is on recovering from the effects of COVID-19. It demonstrates Basingstoke remains open for business.” Marketing agents for the site are London Clancy, Hollis Hockley and Savills. For more information, visit: stmodwenlogistics.co.uk/property/st-modwen-park-basingstoke
Hospitality design expert Dexter Moren Associates (DMA) has announced the completion of the new Hampton by Hilton on the Uxbridge Road in Ealing, close to the planned Crossrail station. Designed by DMA with a sympathetic exterior of soft autumn shades, the new hotel replaces two tired 1960s office buildings and features 181 guest rooms, as well as bar and restaurant fronting onto a generous boulevard-style public realm. Mark Wood, Partner at DMA, says: “This project continues DMA’s experience in delivering the Hilton Hampton brand, following the successful completion and opening of our 297-bed Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo. This latest development, located bordering a leafy conservation area along the bustling Uxbridge Road, will help reinvigorate the area with a high-quality, elegant design and engaging streetscape.” The nine-storey hotel is unified using a reconstituted stone frame incorporating an infill of three colours of zinc “fish tail” shingles. The combination of colours creates a subtle gradation of autumnal shades, similar in colour and tone to London stock bricks, and references the green open spaces of Ealing and the immediate context. The buildings are stepped back from one another to open out the landscaped area at the front and provide increased visual interest. To the rear, DMA’s attentive design has reduced the massing and impact on properties to the south by stepping the building back four times, whilst flat roofs will feature sedum planting to promote increased biodiversity. As a car-free development, the old, uninviting hard standing previously used for car-parking space has been transformed into a new high-quality boulevard, with refined paving and additional trees. The restaurant will face on to this generous landscaped public realm with an outdoor seating area, enriching the atmosphere and activity along the high street. DMA worked on a unified design for the two original plots, 109 and 111 Uxbridge Road, which were purchased separately and subject to two separate planning submissions, granted in 2014 and 2015. Work started on site in May 2018, with DMA working closely with main contractor MB McNamara Construction on the delivery of the project – this proved particularly important towards the latter stages of the project due to COVID-19-imposed site restrictions. Project Team Client: Chart Forte Court (UK) Ltd Project Manager: Virtus Project Management Main Contractor: M.B. McNamara Construction Architect: Dexter Moren MEP Consultant: Ferguson Brown Sustainable Engineering Ltd Structural Engineer: Barratt Mahony Consulting Engineers Planning Consultant: Smith Jenkins
Mountpark Logistics, a leading developer of industrial and logistics property, today announced that it has leased a 307,807 sq ft distribution centre at Mountpark Warrington Omega II, to leading recipe box company, Gousto. Following strong trading from the start of the year, with revenues for the first quarter reaching 70% year-on-year growth, the lockdown has accelerated the growth of the online grocery market and demand for Gousto’s recipe boxes is rapidly increasing. Revenues for the first six months of 2020 surpassed the £83m of sales reported for the whole of 2019. Gousto is therefore expanding its distribution network, helping it to at least triple capacity by 2022, with this new facility being a key part of the expansion programme. “The recent lockdown accelerated structural trends which were already firmly underway, opening up the recipe box market to a far larger audience. Now, even as lockdown eases, we’ve maintained record sales, with new customers won over by our market leading choice and variety, and the convenience of having fresh ingredients delivered to their door with no hassle or food waste” said Timo Boldt, CEO and Founder of Gousto. “We’re excited to open up this new energy-efficient facility at Mountpark Warrington Omega ll to help us step change capacity, enabling us to deliver even more Gousto boxes to households across the country, as we get closer to our mission of becoming the UK’s most-loved way to eat dinner.” The transaction is the first letting at Mountpark Warrington Omega II and was signed before practical completion. Mountpark is now working with Gousto to integrate elements of the company’s fit-out specification within the build programme. The Gousto facility is planned to go live at the end of 2021, and will bring over 400 permanent new jobs to the region, once fully operational. “We are delighted to welcome Gousto to Mountpark Warrington Omega II and to be working with the team to adapt the facility to meet the company’s exact operational requirements,” said Tom Kilmister, Development Director, Mountpark UK & Ireland. “Our aim is to offer customers the best property opportunities on the market and at Mountpark Warrington Omega II we are developing high quality units at one of North West’s premier logistics locations.” Construction at Mountpark Warrington Omega II started earlier this year and the first two units of 307,807 sq ft and 203,180 sq ft are on schedule to complete in January 2021. The third unit, totalling 225,000 sq ft, is programmed to complete in summer 2021. Designed to help occupiers become Carbon Zero, each building at Mountpark Warrington Omega II has a rooftop Solar PV array and battery storage system that will meet around 50% of the facility’s regulated energy. Mountpark Warrington Omega II is at the gateway to Omega South, part of the 575 acre mixed use Omega scheme at Junction 8 of the M62 north of Warrington, midway between Liverpool and Manchester. The first phase of Mountpark Warrington Omega is let to Royal Mail and the Delivery Group. Other occupiers at Omega include Brakes, Hermes, Travis Perkins, ASDA, The Hut Group, Dominos and Amazon. CBRE and JLL acted for Mountpark and Gousto was represented by SBH.
The total value of construction contract awards in July 2020 was £6.3 billion which compares to £3.1 billion in June and £1.6 billion in May, underlining the magnitude of the growth trend for contract awards over the last two months. The number of awards has also increased in July to 860 which is an increase of 80.3% on June. The residential and infrastructure sectors accounted for over 50% share of total contract awards. The latest edition of the Economic & Construction Market Review from industry analysts Barbour ABI, highlights levels of construction contract values awarded across Great Britain. Every sector had at least 33% growth in July, compared to June, with up to 98% growth in certain sectors. The residential sector contract awards increased by 65.9% on June, Infrastructure climbed 75.4% and education contract awards increased by 43.5%. London was the leading region in July accounting for 18.5% of awards. The second largest region was Scotland with attributable share of 17.1% and was followed by the South East with a 12.8% share of awards. Commenting on the figures, Tom Hall, Chief Economist at Barbour ABI and AMA Research said, “While the economy entered a recession, the construction industry has seen significant increases in activity over the last two months. This could potentially be due to the restarting of activity that had stalled in previous months. A strong planning pipeline could suggest the industry will continue to strengthen but at what rate remains to be seen.” Download the full report here: http://ubm.io/2FRLrwm
With the country on the receiving end of unrelenting bad news since the Coronavirus began to wreak global havoc in March, reports that the construction industry has seen a sharp upturn in business provides a much welcome shard of positivity. As reported in online trade magazine, Construction Enquirer, the index which measures annual business expectations for the building sector climbed to its highest level since February. June figures recorded by the bellwether HIS Markit/CIPS UK Construction Total Activity Index showed 46% of its survey panel anticipated a rise in building trade business, compared to 28.9% in May. Residential work is said to have fuelled the majority of the building resurge, with commercial work and civil engineering activity also helping the return to growth. Tim Moore, Economics Director at IHS Markit, which complies the survey told Construction Enquirer that the building trade’s post-lockdown rebound gave ‘hope’ to other sectors which had suffered as a result of the Coronavirus crisis. “Looking ahead, construction firms are more confident than at any time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. Investment boost In other good news, the government this week announced UK industry would receive around £350m to reduce carbon emissions as part of its overall target for the country to become net-zero by 2050. It’s reported that the construction industry will receive a £26m slice of the funding to support ‘advanced new building techniques’ in order to cut the sector’s build costs and resulting pollution levels. Although the sum being pledged isn’t enormous in the grand scheme of things, it shows the government hasn’t lost sight of its environmental commitment despite the monumental challenge posed by COVID-19. As a company founded by the desire to innovate building products which facilitate healthy, sustainable living and work spaces, we at Baumit welcome this latest financial investment. Crucial phase As our politicians and health experts remind us daily: ‘we are not out of the woods yet’. The following months will be crucial, not only to determining whether we are to suffer a second wave of the virus, but whether the recession is likely to cut as deep as predicted. As with any financial downturn, it will fall to the construction industry to inspire recovery. Initial signs indicate that the sector has once again not been found wanting. Speaking of IHS Markit’s sunnier-looking business forecast, Duncan Brock, Group Director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, told Construction Enquirer: “Builders were the stars of the UK economy in June.” We couldn’t agree more.
Caddick Construction has completed on a flagship showroom on behalf of Stokers Ltd, owners of Lucas Furniture, on the outskirts of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. Work began in October, 2019, on the 7,150 ²m site and included external landscaping and parking facilities. The two-storey showroom will become the company’s largest, purpose-built, furniture outlet, whilst its headquarters remain in Southport. Caddick Construction Senior Contracts Manager Chris Allott said: “This has been a very exciting project to work on, with the impressive design and curved frontage creating a real wow factor as you turn into the development. We are delighted to hand over this impressive-looking showroom that has all the quality hallmarks you would expect for a brand such as Lucas Furniture.” Graham Schofield, Joint Managing Director of Stokers, added: “It is a very prominent site on the A41 next to Aylesbury Vale Parkway railway station and we’re confident its location, along with the quality and scale of the showroom, will quickly make it a retail destination in the region. “We are now looking forward to our official opening on Saturday 29th August where we will be showcasing the new facilities with all the very latest Lucas Furniture ranges.” “Working with Caddick has been a pleasure and despite the issues surrounding Covid 19 they have allowed us to keep to our opening date”. A family-owned business with 120 years of history, Stokers Furniture is one of the North West’s oldest furniture retail businesses and includes 10 stores, with three trading under the brand name in Chester, Ormskirk and Southport. Its Aylesbury showroom is part of ambitious expansion plans into the South East. Principal Designers on the build were Wilson Mason Architects, with engineering works provided by Thomas Consulting, and Quantity Surveyor by Identity Consult.
Building work has commenced at The Burgesses in Kinver, paving the way for the construction of 20 new homes for older people. The development is designed for people who want to live independently, with the reassurance of access to care and support provided by Housing Plus Group member Care Plus. Bungalows on the site which were outdated and no longer fit for their original use, have been knocked down to make way for a purpose-built three storey complex of modern, spacious self-contained apartments. A communal social space and roof terrace will also be provided, along with secure car parking. The project has received strong support from residents who previously lived in The Burgesses and from people living in Kinver who may need to move into more suitable retirement living accommodation in the future. Former Burgesses resident, Bev is looking forward to moving back into one of the new homes, “I really hope to be one of the first residents to live in the brand-new apartments. I have been involved right from the very start, so I’m going to enjoy watching my new home being built.” The new homes form part of Housing Plus Group’s ambitious pledge to start to build 2,000 much needed, new homes for rent, shared ownership and outright sale by 2023, helping to tackle the national housing crisis. Head of development at Housing Plus Group Sepp Sargeant said, “This development is a great example of working in partnership to regenerate out-dated housing stock to provide additional high-quality homes, much more suited to current and future housing need.” The new homes are scheduled to be completed late 2021 and will be available for social rent. Matthew Roberts, construction director at SJ Roberts Construction Ltd said “We are delighted to be working with Housing Plus Group on another very prestigious regeneration project. We look forward to providing the homes that this site deserves, being a prime location on Kinver’s High Street. During the build process we will work hard to engage with the community, including the local schools.” Throughout the project, Housing Plus Group has involved the local community and sought their views, including Kinver Parish Council. Parish Councillor Steve Anderson said “I am pleased that work is underway to bring about the new development on the Burgesses site. A lot of work has been undertaken to ensure that the building design complements the High Street and I look forward to the point when we can see new comfortable homes for our residents. The Parish Council will work with partners throughout the construction to ensure minimum disruption for neighbours and local businesses.”
