An £8 million industrial scheme has been completed by Caddick Construction in Knowsley, Merseyside, boosting the provision of warehouse space in the area. The scheme called Element is part of a bigger development at Network Space’s Alchemy Business Park, which will provide three highly specified industrial warehouse units of 22,900
Apartments complete with floor-to-ceiling glazing, stunning views and luxury resident facilities including a swimming pool and cinema, have sold in London. Riverlight occupies a prime central London location directly fronting the River Thames and comprises a group of six pavilions ranging from 12 to 20 storeys in height. As part
Property developer Futureal Group has sold its Advance Tower located on the Váci road office corridor to Erste Real Estate Fund. This is the first transaction in the Hungarian market, which includes a WELL pre-qualified office building having a beneficial impact on employees’ health and comfort. The real estate fund
More than three in four small business owners (76%) say business worries keep them awake at night. Whilst sleepless nights are most prevalent among owners of businesses that in serious decline (96%), the new research from Hitachi Capital Business Finance found that even those predicting growth for their business admit
The importance of placing people at the heart of home building is one of the key messages being delivered to over 1000 senior industry representatives attending the Annual Lunch of trade body Homes for Scotland in Edinburgh later today (Friday 17 May). Highlighting examples where such focus has delivered tangible
When patients are allowed to recover in a more comfortable environment studies show there is a positive impact on their healing and well-being. Effective building design has been widely used to help patients recover more quickly and hospital staff to work more efficiently. Evidence-based design (EBD), the process of making
While most affordable hotels are bland and impersonal, Qbic hotel celebrates individuality. Branding agency Ragged Edge partnered with Qbic to redefine their brand, creating a bold and distinctive platform with the power to bring their unique vision to life, all over Europe. A brand built to deliver an ambitious goal
The largest ever Built To Rent (BTR) scheme has been announced by Legal & General, who is set to bring around 1,000 homes and 85,000 sq ft of commercial space to London. Two adjacent sites in Wandsworth will combine for the scheme, providing purpose-built rental homes with long leases for
The Mayor of Dawlish has officially opened Cavanna Homes’ latest show home at Barley Meadow community in Dawlish with a ribbon-cutting. The development, located off Secmaton Lane, has already secured four reservations. Councillor Lisa Mayne was joined by Andy Addison, Head of Operations, Lauren Pybus, Sales Manager, and Anne Beadle,
Weston Homes is due to deliver a project that will transform a historic military hospital site in Aldershot into a new £60 million residential area of 140 private sale homes. The former Cambridge Military Hospital and ancillary buildings will be converted into the new homes, commercial/community facilities and grand communal
An £8 million industrial scheme has been completed by Caddick Construction in Knowsley, Merseyside, boosting the provision of warehouse space in the area. The scheme called Element is part of a bigger development at Network Space’s Alchemy Business Park, which will provide three highly specified industrial warehouse units of 22,900 sq ft, 35,200 sqft and 45,450 sq ft. “Element offers a prime location in Knowsley and enjoys exceptional transport links. This latest speculative development demonstrates the high level of confidence that developers have in Knowsley as a place to invest and do business,” said Dale Milburn, Knowsley Council’s Executive Director for Regeneration and Economic Development. The development, which was supported by a £1.8 million Local Growth Fund grant, has been designed to appeal to a wide range of logistics and industrial occupiers and feature generous self-contained yards, office and car park provision, separated office and yard access with 10m eave heights and dock level access provision on the two larger units. Once let, the Element units could accommodate up to 250 jobs and produce a net additional GVA per annum of £9.90 million for the region. “This is Network Space’s fourth self-financed scheme to complete within the last 12 months, taking the total space delivered within that period to just under 400,000 sq ft across 14 units. Within that same period, we have already let nearly 60% of the space and have good prospects for the remaining units. There remains a shortage of industrial warehouse space across the region and this coupled with the prominence, accessibility, quality and presentation of this scheme makes Element a compelling prospect for future occupiers,” commented Stephen Barnes, Managing Director (Development) at Network Space. B8 and CBRE are the appointed agents for the scheme and both have reported encouraging interest from a range of prospective occupiers.
Apartments complete with floor-to-ceiling glazing, stunning views and luxury resident facilities including a swimming pool and cinema, have sold in London. Riverlight occupies a prime central London location directly fronting the River Thames and comprises a group of six pavilions ranging from 12 to 20 storeys in height. As part of the multi-million pound project, air distribution products were supplied by expert manufacturers, Waterloo Air Products plc. Each building featured bespoke glazing and inverted balconies to increase daylight and maximise views of the river. To create the perfect living environment for new owners, Waterloo’s air terminal devices were fitted inside five of the six buildings. Waterloo delivered aesthetically-pleasing linear bar grilles which were integrated at a high level in every room. The APM plasterline grille was chosen so that the surrounding frame could be plastered into the wall with only the central core visible. Special clip fixings were developed so that the frame could be installed first. After the room was decorated, the core was then fitted. Diffusers were fed via thermally-lined plenums which were sized to give good throw patterns at various fan coil air volumes. Before the installation of any products, Waterloo created working mock-ups in the test lab to ensure perfect air performance and specified noise levels could be achieved. Waterloo’s variable ventilation controllers deliver the exact amount of air flow to enhance the luxurious feel of each of the residential and retail blocks. Once Phase One was completed, the same format was created through to the other blocks. Over the course of several months, hundreds of apartments were installed with a state-of-the-art air distribution system. As well as this, other onsite facilities, which included restaurants, a gym and virtual golf, all needed specialist air distribution. Maximising space and ensuring each grille was finished to a high specification was of paramount importance to Waterloo. Consideration had to be given to each of the separate apartment blocks and, in a bid to minimise disruption, work was carried out in organised phases. Waterloo staggered manufacture and delivery to the London site to facilitate the needs of the developer. Speaking about the project, Andrew Mildon, sales office manager at Air Systems (SW), said he enjoyed being involved. He says: “This project was really exciting. Our aim was to deliver excellent air conditioning and air distribution throughout each apartment. When one block was complete, we literally moved on to the next.” From initial design stages, developers were keen to create something truly unique within this area of London. Considering the central location, it was paramount to conjure up a unique flagship development. And it seems buyers could not wait to invest.
Property developer Futureal Group has sold its Advance Tower located on the Váci road office corridor to Erste Real Estate Fund. This is the first transaction in the Hungarian market, which includes a WELL pre-qualified office building having a beneficial impact on employees’ health and comfort. The real estate fund has acquired the first phase of the complex developed by the group, while the second phase could join its portfolio under a forward deal. The first phase of the Advance Tower has already been occupied by tenants with 1,400 employees last year. The 8-storey, category “A” office building has been chosen by prestigious companies such as KPMG Global Services consulting company and Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world’s leader in serving science. The second phase with a GLA of 8,000 sq m will expand the complex to a total GLA of over 20,000 sq m, handover is expected in the second half of 2019. The transaction of the first phase of Advance Tower was completed in April this year, and the parties entered into a pre-agreement to purchase the second phase. Advance Tower has been awarded BREEAM certificates and the office complex has been designed and will be operated according to the WELL Building Standard™. Futureal Group is the first European property developer with three projects receiving WELL Platinum Precertification at the same time. The purpose of the WELL certification is to create office buildings that, in addition to protecting the environment, have a beneficial impact on employees’ health, well-being and comfort. Washington-based International Well Building Institute’s system examines buildings’ impact on the human body, health and wellbeing, rating them based on 7 categories – air, water, opportunities for healthy nourishment, natural light, fitness, comfort and mental freshness. “With the current transaction, we are realizing the second successful deal with Erste Investment Fund. The acquisition of Vision Towers and Advance Tower proves the high standard of quality of Futureal Group’s developments that we will continue to guarantee for our partners in the future. Futureal Group has been committed to developing all of its future office buildings according to WELL Building standards, since the health of the employees working in the building must be a key priority during planning,” said Tibor Tatár, CEO of Futureal. “The recent agreement is a new milestone in a tried and tested professional relationship that will further strengthen our unique real estate portfolio. State of art solutions provided by Advance Tower and its international tenant portfolio provide us with innovation and stability for long-term,” stressed Balázs Pázmány, Chairman of the Managing Board at Erste Asset Management Ltd.
More than three in four small business owners (76%) say business worries keep them awake at night. Whilst sleepless nights are most prevalent among owners of businesses that in serious decline (96%), the new research from Hitachi Capital Business Finance found that even those predicting growth for their business admit they seldom get a good night’s sleep (84%). The Business Barometer findings come at a time when concerns have risen over the mental health of small business owners across the UK, with reports of anxiety and depression rising at the end of last year. Hitachi Capital’s study reveals that it’s not just businesses that are already struggling that have nightmares, fast growing ones are just as likely to be taking their business worries to bed with them (84%) – they just have different nightmares. For small companies predicting growth over the spring and summer months, red tape (40%), compliance (28%) and dealing with skills gaps in a growing workforce (20%) were their top concerns. For those decision makers expecting their business to decline, the key worries related to market uncertainty (44%) and how to retain business (26%). The Business Barometer survey – which has now run for five years – asked 1,177 small decision makers to share some of the issues that they were currently worrying about and kept them awake at night. The biggest worriers London emerged as potentially the worst place to run a small business in terms of sleepless nights, with almost nine in ten business leaders in the city (87%) saying business worries kept them awake at night. Those in London were most likely to start the working day with bags under their eyes in the country – with night-time business worries in the capital rising by 14% since the start of 2018. Retail was the sector most likely to give business owners nightmares. More than four in five small business owners (87%) within the retail sector admitted to being kept awake at night by business concerns – rising from 75% a year ago. Others sectors where entrepreneurs were more likely to experience sleepless nights included transport (78%, up from 69% at the start of 2018), real estate (80%), and education (76%). Resting easier The Business Barometer also indicates not all owners have been letting their business concerns come to bed with them. Entrepreneurs in Yorkshire reported getting a better night’s sleep over the course of the 12 months (31%, Q1 2019 vs. 25%, Q1 2018).
The importance of placing people at the heart of home building is one of the key messages being delivered to over 1000 senior industry representatives attending the Annual Lunch of trade body Homes for Scotland in Edinburgh later today (Friday 17 May). Highlighting examples where such focus has delivered tangible results across a wide range of areas (including customer satisfaction, quality and placemaking) Chief Executive Nicola Barclay will say: “I talk about homes all the time, but today I’d like to talk about people. We build homes and great places to live but it is people who bring them to life – by living in them, designing them, consenting them, funding them and constructing them. So we are, by any definition, a people business. “And what I hope today will demonstrate is that it simply doesn’t matter what size of company you are – if you put people at the heart of it, you’ll get great results.” With the industry having been challenged on a number of fronts in recent months, Barclay will also add: “We are often told that as an industry we must evolve. I believe that evolution is well underway and will continue to gather pace as we move towards a decarbonised society. As we compete for talent and the future pipeline of people to work within our industry, it is vitally important that we continue to innovate and create flexible, attractive environments for our people to work in as well as for our customers to live in.”
When patients are allowed to recover in a more comfortable environment studies show there is a positive impact on their healing and well-being. Effective building design has been widely used to help patients recover more quickly and hospital staff to work more efficiently. Evidence-based design (EBD), the process of making changes to the built environment based on research to improve outcomes, has helped lower the incidences of hospital-acquired infections, medical errors, patient accidents, and staff injuries. “The environment’s influence on a patient’s well-being was first, scientifically, explored by professor Roger Ulrich in his 1980s study that sought to determine whether there was any measurable positive influence in a patient’s recovery when they were given rooms with different views,” commented Gareth Rees, Head of UK Strategic Market – Healthcare Siemens Smart Infrastructure. “The research showed that patients who had views overlooking nature [rather than that of a building] experienced shorter stays, needed fewer pain medication and were more optimistic about their prospects. These findings paved the way to a greater awareness and understanding of how space and hospital architecture can affect our physical condition and state of mind.” Using EBD techniques today architects and designers have been developing solutions for better healing environments. Healthcare facilities often have unique individual requirements with specialised hospital rooms requiring bespoke implementations for patient recovery wards, operating theatres, pressurised rooms and laboratories. Careful design can improve safety and productivity, reduce staff stress levels, lower resource wastage and enhance environmental sustainability. There is a delicate balance between providing the ideal recovery conditions in patient rooms and an optimal work environment for staff to deliver the best possible care. The provision of WiFi and personal control over room conditions are important elements for patient satisfaction. Room automation controlled by a patient’s smartphone or tablet allows the precise control over temperature, ventilation and other functions that affect comfort. Wearable tags can also be deployed to monitor the vital signs of patients to automate control of a recovery environment. Circadian lighting that follows a patient’s natural daily rhythm or sleep/wake cycle reduces tiredness and enhances recovery sleep while audio levels can be improved through the use of sound-absorbent materials installed in ceilings and flooring. Acuity-adaptable spaces lessen the movement of patients reducing stress on both patients and staff. Operating theatres are complex environments that need to be spacious, hygienic and well-lit (with overhead surgical lights). Generally windowless temperature and humidity levels are tightly controlled. Pressurised rooms are designed to isolate a patient with infectious diseases and require air management and filtering systems. Medical or clinical laboratories where approximately 70 percent of treatment decisions are made require stable conditions with exact controls over temperature, humidity and sometimes, pressure. Smart infrastructure and IoT technologies are an expanding area of interest to healthcare planners and allow owners and operators of hospitals to leverage more from their existing assets which are becoming more intelligent- producing and using data to perform better throughout their lifetime. Total Integrated Power and lighting control systems, air, space and asset tracking solutions all improve energy usage, space utilisation and real-time location usage. Concluded Rees: “Hospitals are never going to be places that any of us are going to particularly enjoy visiting but through better physical environments designers can speed up our recovery and alleviate a lot of the stress and fear. Better performing buildings can provide higher comfort levels and well-being for all occupants.”
While most affordable hotels are bland and impersonal, Qbic hotel celebrates individuality. Branding agency Ragged Edge partnered with Qbic to redefine their brand, creating a bold and distinctive platform with the power to bring their unique vision to life, all over Europe. A brand built to deliver an ambitious goal “Qbic was already doing something remarkable. Our London and Amsterdam hotels were the greenest in their respective cities,” says Julie Fawcett, Managing Director, Qbic Hotels. “But to achieve our ambitions, we knew we needed to build a rich, meaningful brand with the power to drive the whole business.” Welcome Character Ragged Edge helped create a strategic platform that could inform every part of the Qbic hotel experience, internally and externally. “We wanted to take Qbic’s desire to do good, and amplify it into something bigger and more emotional” says Max Ottignon, Co-founder, Ragged Edge. “This led us to ‘Welcome Character’, a brand idea that’s as distinct in the category as it is relevant to guests who want to be treated as individuals, not room numbers.” An identity that celebrates individuality The new visual identity is inspired by the hotel’s physical layout, and the coming together of different people and ideas. And the tone of voice celebrates guests’ quirks and eccentricities: weird is welcome. Introducing Motley While Qbic’s rooms are for overnight guests, the shared space is for everyone. So Ragged Edge and Qbic created a sub-brand with its own distinct character: Motley is a place for locals and guests to come together to eat, drink, work or play. Spreading good character The brand gave Qbic the platform to relaunch its London and Amsterdam hotels, followed by imminent new openings in Brussels, Manchester and beyond. “The result is so much more than a visual identity,” Julie explains, “it’s a platform that enables us to bring our unique character to new cities, and new people, all over Europe.”
The largest ever Built To Rent (BTR) scheme has been announced by Legal & General, who is set to bring around 1,000 homes and 85,000 sq ft of commercial space to London. Two adjacent sites in Wandsworth will combine for the scheme, providing purpose-built rental homes with long leases for all ages, demographics and social groups. “As renting continues to become a tenure of choice in the UK, the delivery of high density, high quality developments with vibrant communities is becoming more and more important. To do this, we need to deliver schemes which offer well connected housing options, which are carefully integrated into the public realm, maximising our existing infrastructure and supporting economic growth. This latest development in Wandsworth, our largest BTR acquisition to date, is a perfect example, offering 1,000 new rental homes alongside improving the station infrastructure and offering commercial real estate space to support local businesses,” commented Paul Miller, MD Principal Investing at Legal & General Capital. Located within Zone 2 and adjacent to Wandsworth Town train station, the £500 million development will include a new entrance to the platforms and will form part of the major regeneration of the local area. It will also include 35% affordable housing. Through the creation of a BTR asset class, Legal & General is looking to use its sources of long term capital to help address the chronic lack of housing supply and meet the increasing demand for affordable, quality rental accommodation. “This latest acquisition is another great example of Legal & General investing in a location with significant urban regeneration potential and providing large scale sustainable rental schemes which will have a positive socioeconomic impact. The location is highly desirable for renters and, with 1,000 units planned for the site, demonstrates Legal & General’s ambition to make a real impact on the delivery of new homes within the UK. Representing our largest scheme to date, this flagship BTR development is another step forward towards tackling the severe housing crisis facing both London and the UK, offering homes for all ages and social groups, as well as reduced living costs thanks to economies of scale,” said Dan Batterton, Head of Build To Rent at LGIM Real Assets.
The Mayor of Dawlish has officially opened Cavanna Homes’ latest show home at Barley Meadow community in Dawlish with a ribbon-cutting. The development, located off Secmaton Lane, has already secured four reservations. Councillor Lisa Mayne was joined by Andy Addison, Head of Operations, Lauren Pybus, Sales Manager, and Anne Beadle, Sales Advisor, for the ceremony. Cllr Mayne said: “It’s remarkable to see how this space has changed since the turf cutting back in November into a community of new homes for Dawlish. “It was a pleasure to officially open the new show home at Barley Meadow and to see this beautiful development coming to life”. Barley Meadow, offers a selection of two, three and four-bedroom homes close to the coast and the countryside, and is within easy reach of Dawlish town centre by car, foot, bike or bus. Andy Addison added: “It’s really positive to have four of our new homes already reserved before our show home was even opened. This development is bursting with energy and is surrounded by beautiful countryside. We would encourage anyone looking to move to the area to come and visit us”. The show home is a ‘Brook’ style three-bedroom detached property with a master en-suite bedroom, spacious lounge with large bay windows and double doors leading onto the lawned garden. Prices at Barley Meadow start from £225,000 for a two-bedroom home. The local area has two primary schools, a college, and local amenities including a post office, supermarket, banks, restaurants and a leisure centre. Dawlish train station is two miles away and provides links to Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol and London. As well as 74 new open market and affordable homes, the homebuilder will be funding a new cycle route to connect Barley Meadow to the town centre, and supporting recreation facilities and habitat improvements for the Cirl Bunting bird population. For more information about Cavanna Homes’ Barley Meadow development, please call the sales advisor on 01626 817424 or visit the website: www.cavannahomes.co.uk. The show home and marketing suite is open daily from 10am – 5pm.
Weston Homes is due to deliver a project that will transform a historic military hospital site in Aldershot into a new £60 million residential area of 140 private sale homes. The former Cambridge Military Hospital and ancillary buildings will be converted into the new homes, commercial/community facilities and grand communal foyers and spaces. The iconic site comprises a collection of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, which are being restored as part of Grainger’s Aldershot Urban Extension scheme, now known as Wellesley. “Weston Homes is pleased to be working alongside Grainger plc to reinvigorate the iconic Victorian and Edwardian military buildings of the Cambridge Military Hospital and transform them into a new residential address for Aldershot that local people will be proud to call home. With our proven historic building restoration expertise, Weston Homes will bring a new lease of life to these heritage buildings which are of national importance due to their military history, we will transform them into modern homes layered with the rich history and unique character of this historic site,” said Bob Weston, Chairman & Chief Executive of Weston Homes. The project involves a team of multi-award-winning architectural practices with the masterplan devised by Adam Urbanism, with detailed architectural design by Feilden & Mawson for the Cambridge Military Hospital; Omega Partnership for the Louise Margaret Hospital and former Nurse’s Residence; Adam Architecture for Gun Hill House & Gun Hill Water Tower; and Thrive Architecture for Cambridge House & St Michae’’s House, and Allen Pyke Associates for the landscape design. “We are delighted to have secured Weston Homes for this important heritage site and look forward to working with them to deliver 140 new homes within the historic buildings of the Cambridge Military Hospital. Weston Homes has proven restoration and conversion skills which will be essential for ensuring the preservation of the period buildings. This partnership underlines Grainger’s commitment to the wider Wellesley development and reinforces our role as a leading partner for major residential regeneration projects,” added Helen Gordon, Chief Executive of Grainger plc. Weston Homes will deliver both converted and new build homes, including one, two and three-bedroom apartments and two, three and four–bedroom houses set in landscaped grounds. Original features such as fireplaces, paneling and staircases will be retained and incorporated into the new homes that will become part of the new residential area. Work will begin this summer, with the project anticipated to be phased over several years.
