A multi-use development in London has chosen VolkerFitzpatrick to deliver £27 million worth of construction works. The firm will refurbish and extend 77 Coleman Street, constructing 8,000 ft 2 of office space and over 16,000 ft 2 of retail and leisure space. “We are delighted to have been selected by
A school for children with special needs in Orpington has received a nice donation which will help it to transform its outdoor play area. Riverside School, which offers support to children and young people with a range of complex needs, received a cheque from Bellway Thames Gateway to help kickstart
A £15 million contract to deliver the new Central Library and Museum in Doncaster has been secured by Willmott Dixon. The project, designed by architect Bond Ryan, involves the transformation of four existing buildings into a cultural and learning centre that includes a new library, rail heritage centre, art gallery
Two new offices in Leeds and Birmingham have been announced by consulting engineers practice Brentwood, as part of its progressing national growth plans. This follows on from the delivery of new office bases in Manchester last year, and supports the company’s UK growth strategy. “We are delighted to announce our
When the Cheltenham Festival begins each year, hundreds of thousands of people flock to the town of Cheltenham and, in particular, the racecourse, to catch a glimpse of what could be the next big name in horse racing. Each year jockeys and trainers battle to become the best in the
Kent-headquartered national building contractor, United Living, has secured more than £25 million worth of housing maintenance and refurbishment contracts across the South East region. The business, which works in partnership with housing providers throughout England and Wales to build new homes and refurbish existing properties, has made a strong start
The ground has been broken on a new £300 million state-of-the-art physics laboratory and shared facilities hub at the University of Cambridge. Bouygues UK was joined by members of the university to celebrate the beginning of construction. “This is a great step in the development of physics research and learning at
SIX NEW classrooms and a 690 m2 sports hall at Henlow Church of England Academy, Bedfordshire have now completed, completely reimagining the 600 pupil school’s teaching facilities and sports opportunities. PCMS Design designed the modern, new extension to the original school site, with Building Services Design (BSD) providing mechanical and
Construction work on a major residential scheme in Digbeth, Birmingham is expected to begin this summer, as plans get green light. SevenCapital’s Connaught Scheme will include 70 spacious new apartments, including a 27-storey landmark tower, circa 42,000 sq ft of commercial space, a community gymnasium and boxing academy. “Connaught Square
A new housing development in Edenbridge is set to throw open its showhome’s doors to home-hunters in the area. The Aldwych showhome at Bellway’s Oakley Park development, off St Johns Way, is being unveiled to the public on Saturday, February 2. This outstanding four-bedroom property will showcase all that’s best
A multi-use development in London has chosen VolkerFitzpatrick to deliver £27 million worth of construction works. The firm will refurbish and extend 77 Coleman Street, constructing 8,000 ft 2 of office space and over 16,000 ft 2 of retail and leisure space. “We are delighted to have been selected by Kajima, to deliver this exciting project in central London. Utilising our high quality construction and fit out capabilities, 77 Coleman Street will be a significant addition to our portfolio of multi-use developments in the capital,” said Stuart Deverill, managing director of VolkerFitzpatrick’s Building division. VolkerFitzpatrick’s involvement in the project includes fiting the office spaces out to a CAT A specification, including the shell and core structures, ceilings, floors and installation of key services. Meanwhile, the retail and leisure units will feature a complete base build, concrete walls, flooring, lighting and installation of fire alarms. The units will be fitted with retail frontages at ground floor level and terrace areas will be constructed around the upper floors. A new four-metre high reception and breakout area will also be delivered as the building’s main entrance and a new public street, named Nun Court, linking Coleman Street with Moorgate. “This is a technically complicated development and a really important project for us in terms of the expected quality and programme, so we’re delighted to place its delivery into the reliable hands of the VolkerFitzpatrick team,” commented James Starkey, project director for Kajima. The multi-use development project was first launched in April 2018, and is scheduled for completion in Q4 of this year.
A school for children with special needs in Orpington has received a nice donation which will help it to transform its outdoor play area. Riverside School, which offers support to children and young people with a range of complex needs, received a cheque from Bellway Thames Gateway to help kickstart the refurbishment of the school’s playground facilities. Members of staff at the developer’s divisional office, off New Mill Road in Orpington, raised £1,000 through auctions, raffles and dress down days. Their efforts were then matched by the housebuilder, resulting in a donation of £2,000 for the school. Sue Crane, School Business Manager at Riverside School, said: “We are so grateful that Bellway has chosen to make this generous donation to our school. “The money will help to fund brand new equipment for our outdoor learning area, which will be extremely beneficial to the children. “The children love learning in the outdoor environment, and they are already looking forward to using the new equipment when the refurbishment is complete.” Emma Hamlett, Sales Director for Bellway Thames Gateway, said: “We are so pleased to be able to help kickstart the refurbishment of the school’s new playground facilities. “At Bellway, we are committed to support the communities in which we build, so when we found out that Riverside School was in need of a funding boost, we were delighted to help.” Bellway Thames Gateway is building homes across London, Essex and Kent. More information on the homes available can be found at bellway.co.uk. CAPTIONS Getting behind Riverside School – left to right – Lynda Garwood, of Bellway, Sue Crane, Riverside School’s Business Manager, and Bellway’s Jemma Livesey
A £15 million contract to deliver the new Central Library and Museum in Doncaster has been secured by Willmott Dixon. The project, designed by architect Bond Ryan, involves the transformation of four existing buildings into a cultural and learning centre that includes a new library, rail heritage centre, art gallery and museum. “The new Central Library and Museum project is one of many schemes we are on the ground and delivering as part of our comprehensive and ambitious Urban Centre Masterplan. We are transforming Doncaster, making it a highly desirable place to live, work, visit and invest in,” said Cllr Bill Mordue, Doncaster Council’s Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Economic Development. Throughout the project, the central frontage of the former Hall Cross Girls School building will be retained and encased in a glass façade to showcase an iconic part of Doncaster’s architectural heritage. “Scape and Willmott Dixon have a strong and ongoing relationship with Doncaster Council, with a proven track record of delivering much-needed programmes in the area,” added Mark Robinson, Scape Group chief executive. “Our delivery partner, Willmott Dixon, has played a key role to support Doncaster Council in the regeneration of the local area, providing upgraded community facilities and affordable housing. By utilising our framework Doncaster Council has ensured cost-effective and efficient project delivery, while ensuring local suppliers benefit from the inward investment.” Located on the junction of Waterdale and Chequer Road, the new development is expected to open in summer 2020. This latest contract adds to a series of schemes in Doncaster by Willmott Dixon.
Two new offices in Leeds and Birmingham have been announced by consulting engineers practice Brentwood, as part of its progressing national growth plans. This follows on from the delivery of new office bases in Manchester last year, and supports the company’s UK growth strategy. “We are delighted to announce our expansion into Leeds and Birmingham. With a presence now in the three core business cities outside of London we can provide more physical connectivity with our local markets and indeed nationally. With this physical growth we are also expanding our team and capabilities having recently announced new principal specialists in lighting and building physics,” said Mark Johnson, Director at Brentwood. An ambitious three-year strategy has been set out by Brentwood, who aims to achieve 50% annual growth in both team members and turnover. It is currently on target to achieve an 80% increase in just one year as it works towards year end in March 2019. “Mechanical, electrical and public health design services are at the heart of buildings, providing sustainable, controllable and appropriate environments. As a single disciplinary consulting practice, we are gearing the business to be better placed for market growth and our longer-term business plan is to increase our UK and international presence,” added Mark Johnson. The new offices will be located in the Grade I-listed Leeming Building in Leeds city centre and the Historic Alpha Building in Birmingham City Centre. Brentwood provide Mechanical, Electrical & Public Health (MEP) design services, including low and zero carbon solutions. Working across all sectors of the construction industry, the company provides leading expertise at all stages of the project, from inception through to commissioning and post occupancy. All projects are undertaken in accordance with the company’s mandatory QA procedures which are certified to ISO 9001:2008.
When the Cheltenham Festival begins each year, hundreds of thousands of people flock to the town of Cheltenham and, in particular, the racecourse, to catch a glimpse of what could be the next big name in horse racing. Each year jockeys and trainers battle to become the best in the business and lift the Gold Cup, seen by many as the grand prize of the festival. As the number of visitors to the festival increased year on year, the outdated facilities and layout were struggling to cope with the sheer number of people coming through the gates. With this in mind, the decision was taken to redevelop the racecourse and from 2013-2015 Kier developers were contracted to modernise the course so that it could handle the influx of people. The construction involved building a new grandstand on request of the Jockey Club, who were financing the ambitious redevelopment. The new grandstand was to replace the current “A&R” block, which was over 90 years old at the time the project was commissioned. The project comprised of 14 sectional completions and 18 separate projects, all the while ensuring that events such as the Cheltenham Festival were unaffected during the construction. It took 19 months to construct the five-and-a-half storey grandstand and it was unveiled in November 2015 by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne. The capacity of the new grandstand was increased on the previous one to 6,500 and a royal box and new hospitality boxes were included in the build. On the top floor there is a premium superclub. The redevelopment of the racecourse was not limited to the building of the grandstand as in the plans there was also a new crescent walkway which was designed to help spectators’ movement while also allowing for the spectators to have a good view of the parade ring. The total cost of the redevelopment was £45 million, £25 million of which was raised by the Jockey Club. They achieved this total through the Jockey Club Racecourse Bond, which made history by becoming the first retail bond in British sport. The remaining £20 million to fund the project came from multiple sources including HSBC, AIB and RBS as well as a Horserace Betting Levy Board capital fund loan. The Jockey Club’s cash flow and commercial deals made up the rest of the funding. People who attend the Cheltenham Festival 2019 will have the opportunity to view the grandstand as well as appreciate the facilities that were built alongside it. The Jockey Club will hope that this latest redevelopment of the facilities at Cheltenham will last for many decades to come as they have already invested £80 million in the facilities at the racecourse. As one of the most popular events in the racing calendar, the Cheltenham Festival is well worth the upgrade and with improved bar and toilet facilities as well as more public viewing areas, Cheltenham will appeal to more people and in turn, the racecourse will be able to handle further increases in spectators to one of the biggest festivals of the year.
Kent-headquartered national building contractor, United Living, has secured more than £25 million worth of housing maintenance and refurbishment contracts across the South East region. The business, which works in partnership with housing providers throughout England and Wales to build new homes and refurbish existing properties, has made a strong start to the year, with a host of client wins for its 152-strong southern refurbishment team. They include: An appointment to a £6m contract with the University of Essex to refurbish a high-rise student accommodation block with external groundworks, in Colchester A £2m remodelling and refurbishment contract for Network Housing at Colebrook Court, a vacant building in Cuffley, Herts, which will create 11 new, modern standard homes in the roofspace An award to undertake kitchen and bathroom replacements to various homes managed by Metropolitan, with an initial value of around £1m Works to support Anchor Housing with various improvements to sheltered housing schemes across London and the home counties Installation of new class A2 aluminium cladding and insulation across an occupied block in Croydon on behalf of Firstport LLP The first stage award for design development and planning for replacement cladding across two properties managed by Lewisham Homes Fire protection improvements and installation of new sprinkler systems to three buildings managed and owned by Canterbury City Council, in Whitstable and Herne Bay Further works to upgrade kitchens and bathrooms across homes managed by Stevenage Council Daren Moseley, managing director for refurbishment (south) at United Living, said: “Housing providers and local authorities continue to face the challenges of a broken housing market with very stretched resources. We have the expertise to help them ensure their existing stock has longevity and surpasses regulatory standards. But more importantly, we’re trusted as a partner because of the added value we strive to bring to our projects; whether that’s through our training and skills programmes, or how we support the communities in which we work.”
The ground has been broken on a new £300 million state-of-the-art physics laboratory and shared facilities hub at the University of Cambridge. Bouygues UK was joined by members of the university to celebrate the beginning of construction. “This is a great step in the development of physics research and learning at the University of Cambridge. We look forward to moving in to our new facilities and opening our doors to the wider research community and the public to increase understanding and foster discovery,” commented Professor Andy Parker, Head of Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge. The development will provide a purpose-built centre for world-leading physics research, bringing together all of the Cavendish Laboratory’s research groups under one roof. Located at the West Cambridge campus off Madingley Road, the flagship building of the development will be named the Ray Dolby Centre to recognise a £75 million gift from the estate of sound pioneer Ray Dolby. It will house a range of laboratories, offices, clean rooms, workshops and multiple lecture theatres. “Bouygues UK and our sister company Bouygues Energies & Services have been involved from the start on this exciting scheme, working alongside the University of Cambridge’s existing project team to develop proposals for a new world-class laboratory. It is exciting to break ground on this project that will see us bringing innovation, a collaborative approach and our technical expertise to create a new home for major academic research,” said Fabienne Viala, Chairman of Bouygues UK and UK Country Manager for Bouygues Construction. The new facility is expected to be completed in 2022.
SIX NEW classrooms and a 690 m2 sports hall at Henlow Church of England Academy, Bedfordshire have now completed, completely reimagining the 600 pupil school’s teaching facilities and sports opportunities. PCMS Design designed the modern, new extension to the original school site, with Building Services Design (BSD) providing mechanical and electrical (M&E) engineering support for the project. “The six classrooms and sports hall are a standalone block,” explained Adam Middleton, senior electrical engineer at the national M&E practice, BSD. Adam continued: “The new sports hall comprises four new Sport England compliant courts, which are to be used for both the school’s own netball, basketball and hockey teams as well as for community hire; making it an incredibly inclusive space – and one which will support not just the school but the wider Henlow population. “There are also attached changing rooms as well as a 88 m2 storage facility.” BSD provided technical support to PCMS Design to ensure that the delivery of the M&E engineering services for electricity, gas, water and the fire alarm system ran smoothly and to specification. “There were a couple of challenges on this project; time constraints meant that the scheme had to be completed for the beginning of term but, through working closely with the delivery team, we managed to complete the project on time and on budget. “The new building is a standalone building, separate to the main school. Services had to be provided to the new site and connected to existing services without impacting on the school’s day to day operations,” added Adam. The sports hall has a standing seam zinc roof, which is curved to the hall and pitched to the storage room, as well as architectural louvres which allows for air flow through the area. Alex Bond, PCMS design director and project manager said: “PCMS Design engaged BSD to advise on the performance specification for the mechanical and electrical installation on a large educational sports hall and classroom block project at Henlow Church of England Academy. “We found its services to be invaluable in the early planning stages, and throughout the specification process when specialised M&E skills and knowledge were needed.” Head teacher Caren Earp said: “Thanks to the incredible design team, we now have a fantastic new building which is going to be of huge benefit to our children, increasing the number and range of opportunities for sport that we can now offer.” The project was funded by Central Bedfordshire Council and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
Construction work on a major residential scheme in Digbeth, Birmingham is expected to begin this summer, as plans get green light. SevenCapital’s Connaught Scheme will include 70 spacious new apartments, including a 27-storey landmark tower, circa 42,000 sq ft of commercial space, a community gymnasium and boxing academy. “Connaught Square is already one of the most significant and talked about regeneration projects to date in Birmingham, as it bridges the gap between the main city centre and the growing creative quarter. So throughout the entire design process it has been imperative that what we create and deliver is the right fit for the area, the city and importantly right for the community that will form as a result of Connaught Square,” said Damien Siviter, director at SevenCapital. Part of the city’s wider plans to regenerate Digbeth, the development will further cement the area’s position as Birmingham’s Creative Quarter. The 5,000 m² Connaught Square will be constructed in two phases, incorporating a new riverside walkway and terrace alongside the River Rea, which runs through the middle of the development and will be opened up as a feature to the public. During the construction period a number of jobs will be created, with the project also set to support apprentices at the nearby South and City College. “Digbeth has recently been listed as one of the coolest places to live by The Times, but through Connaught Square and the wider future regeneration works currently in planning or construction within the area, we want to make sure that it goes beyond cool, to become one of the best places in the UK,” said Damien. “We’ve been working tirelessly over the past few years to design a scheme that will enhance the city and create a new destination where people will want to live, work and spend their leisure time, and what we have now, we believe will deliver that,” he added. The date for the completion of the first phase of the development is expected to be March 2022, followed by the whole site in August 2023.
A new housing development in Edenbridge is set to throw open its showhome’s doors to home-hunters in the area. The Aldwych showhome at Bellway’s Oakley Park development, off St Johns Way, is being unveiled to the public on Saturday, February 2. This outstanding four-bedroom property will showcase all that’s best about the spectacular mix of two, three, four and five-bedroom houses as well as one and two-bedroom apartments at the development. Work on Bellway’s landmark site began in late 2017 and will be made up of 300 homes. The development will also feature public open space featuring a children’s play area, walkways and wildlife areas. Mark Harrop, Sales Director for Bellway’s Kent division, said: “We are very excited to be opening our new showhome at Oakley Park on February 2. “It will give people seeking their dream home an excellent insight into the beautiful properties we are building here. “It looks set to be very busy on the launch day because there has been such intense interest in Oakley Park from people keen to move into the area and we’re gearing up to meet high demand. “Our development offers a wide range of homes to suit everyone from first-time buyers looking to get on to the property ladder to families who’d like more room and those looking for the ideal place to downsize. “Our properties at Oakley Park have already been going down well so I’d urge anyone interested in making this their home to come along and view our showhome so that they don’t miss out.” Bellway will be ploughing almost £1.5 million into local infrastructure and facilities as part of the Oakley Park planning agreement. There is currently a range of two-bedroom apartments and three, four and five-bedroom houses available to buy. Prices for two-bedroom apartments start at £264,995. More information on the homes being built at Oakley Park can be found at bellway.co.uk.
