The Brinell Building, a speculative office development in Brighton, has been fully let ahead of completion in June 2019. The newly developed 65,253 sq ft Grade A, seven-storey office building, is being delivered by developer and contractor McAleer & Rushe. The Brinell Building achieved record rents for the city with
Wates Residential is to deliver a new £27 million housing development at Shuttleworth Road in Wandsworth. The project includes 71 affordable new homes in the borough, supporting Wandsworth Council’s target to build 1,000 homes for local residents. At the ground breaking ceremony Paul Nicholls, Managing Director of Wates Residential, said:
ISLAND Road West, a new prime urban logistics scheme in Reading, has seen the second phase of development completed this month on a former domestic landfill site off the A33. Providing civil and structural engineering designs, BE Design has delivered a five-unit, industrial scheme over two phases, transforming a site
Demand for housing in the UK’s capital has never been higher, as such there are a number of development projects underway. A major development project taking place along the River Thames will see a collection of high-quality and it is PRS & affordable rent built incorporating modern mechanical, electrical and
A £17 million redevelopment is planned for a former prison in Northallerton, starting in spring 2019. The plans to turn the former prison into a new retail, residential, leisure and office space were approved by Hambleton District Council’s Planning Committee on the 15th of November. The Treadmills project will also
With the new school year now underway, Richard Werth, CEO of Troy Homes has taken a look at the impact that ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rated schools have on house prices. According to data from the Land Registry, Department of Education and Ofsted, the connection between family sized homes and proximity to
While you may not think it, courier companies actually provide an invaluable service to construction firms and the industry as a whole. This rule even applies before work has started on a particular site, as companies are often required to submit time-sensitive tenders to win work and often use professional
Wetherby’s newest care home, Windsor Court, welcomed the Mayor and Mayoress of Wetherby for a sneak peek of the brand new facilities last week. The 66 bed home on Sandbeck Way is coming up to completion and the Mayor marked the occasion by laying the last external ground stone on
WORK has started to deliver state-of-the-art facilities as part of a new £60 million development for the King’s School – one of the largest independent day schools in the UK. Pick Everard – the independent property, construction and infrastructure consultancy – is providing full design and engineering services for the
A SUITE overlooking cathedral gardens, original fireplaces and character windows are just some of the features included in a new £1.8m boutique hotel in a historic location in Leicester. Two empty office buildings in Peacock Lane and New Street – adjacent to the site of the car park where King
The Brinell Building, a speculative office development in Brighton, has been fully let ahead of completion in June 2019. The newly developed 65,253 sq ft Grade A, seven-storey office building, is being delivered by developer and contractor McAleer & Rushe. The Brinell Building achieved record rents for the city with each pre-let transaction, topping out at £32.00 per sq ft. Unity Technologies, the ApS video game development company based in San Francisco with a market cap in the region of $2.5Bn (May 2017), has become the final occupier to take space at The Brinell Building. The tech company, who will be the anchor tenant, has committed to 37,398 sq ft over the first to fourth floors on a ten-year lease. Unity Technologies joins other standout occupiers including Diversified, the leading technology integrator delivering innovative digital media, broadcasting, electronic security and OTT solutions, which has pre-let 8,272 sq ft on the ground floor on a 15-year lease. As well as professional services firm Dehns which has pre-let the top two floors covering 18,514 sq ft on a 15-year lease. Angus Monteith, Property Development Director at McAleer & Rushe, said: “McAleer & Rushe successfully developed CityView in 2016 and we saw the opportunity to bring forward additional office space to meet untapped demand in central Brighton. Our decision to speculatively develop The Brinell Building has been rewarded with 100% pre-lettings to a first class tenant line-up six months ahead of practical completion.” Jack Riley, Associate, National Offices Knight Frank, said: “The Brighton occupier market has historically been underpinned by corporate giants like L&G, American Express and BUPA but the letting success at The Brinell Building highlights demand from the ever-expanding TMT sector. Brighton’s amenity offering coupled with a young, skilled labour force and growing tech sector is making it a hotbed for talent. With vacancy rates at an all-time low, speculative schemes providing Grade A office stock, such as The Brinell Building, are crucial for the continued growth of Brighton’s thriving business community.” Emma Lockey, Associate at CBRE, said: “We have worked alongside Unity for a number of years, advising on its original offices at CityView. We are delighted to have secured The Brinell Building for one of Brighton’s rapidly growing businesses in what is one of the largest office pre-lets for many years.” Knight Frank acted jointly with SHW for McAleer & Rushee and CBRE acted for Unity Technologies.
Wates Residential is to deliver a new £27 million housing development at Shuttleworth Road in Wandsworth. The project includes 71 affordable new homes in the borough, supporting Wandsworth Council’s target to build 1,000 homes for local residents. At the ground breaking ceremony Paul Nicholls, Managing Director of Wates Residential, said: “Today’s ground breaking event marks an exciting milestone in our delivery of much-needed affordable new homes for local people at Shuttleworth Road. It follows months of collaboration with the Council, members of the community and other local stakeholders to really understand their vision for the area and how we can realise this, both through the design and construction of these homes and looking at ways we can create wider local economic and social value. We look forward to strengthening these relationships as we continue to progress on site.” Wates has been undertaking preparatory works on the site since May 2018. This latest development marks the official beginning of the site’s main construction phase, with completion of the scheme due in the Summer of 2020. “This is another demonstration of our commitment to build 1,000 new homes on our larger development sites, which will help people in the borough buy or rent a home that is right for them. We’re delighted to partner with Wates Residential on this scheme and look forward to strengthening our relationship with them to provide quality housing for local people,” added Wandsworth Council Leader, Ravi Govindia. All social housing that is demolished as part of the regeneration will also be replaced with affordable homes. The completion of these new homes will directly support the borough’s wider Winstanley and York Road Estates regeneration programme by providing affordable homes for those needing to move.
ISLAND Road West, a new prime urban logistics scheme in Reading, has seen the second phase of development completed this month on a former domestic landfill site off the A33. Providing civil and structural engineering designs, BE Design has delivered a five-unit, industrial scheme over two phases, transforming a site which features domestic landfill with a depth of six metres. More than 34,160 sq ft has been delivered across two phases, with a global logistics firm pre-letting one of the units delivered in the second phase. Director at the engineering and architecture practice BE Design, Stephen Oakden said: “There is a real demand for space to build residential and commercials schemes, and that is only on the increase. Developing on greenbelt land can be somewhat contentious, so we are seeing more and more former landfill sites and brownfield land around the UK being earmarked for redevelopment – meeting the demand and protecting greenbelt land at the same time. “This move towards sustainable regeneration means that sites, such as Island Road West, now provide businesses with the real potential to turn dead-end land into usable – and profitable – space.” First phase completed in 2017, with the second phase starting on site in 2018. During both phases of development, ground consolidation techniques – including rapid impact compaction – were employed to minimise the ongoing settlement and subsidence that can occur on landfill sites. As well as this, multiple safety measures have been employed to safely release gases from the decomposing landfill matter into the atmosphere. “Of course, landfill sites present a lot of unique challenges when it comes to construction, which have to be considered at the very base of any design service but, as long as the environmental challenges are met with practical and safe solutions, construction on sites such as Island Road West in Reading can be just as successful as developments elsewhere. “By taking careful measurements both before and after ground improvement techniques are applied to sites, we are able to measure the amount of consolidation achieved, and this data is likely to prove invaluable in the future are more former landfill sites are earmarked for regeneration.” Two of the five units delivered across the two phases delivered by BE Design remain available to let. Find out more about BE Design at www.bedesign.co.uk or join the conversation on Twitter @B_E_Design.
Demand for housing in the UK’s capital has never been higher, as such there are a number of development projects underway. A major development project taking place along the River Thames will see a collection of high-quality and it is PRS & affordable rent built incorporating modern mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) services. Parker Bromley, the building services contractor on the site, has specified Spelsberg’s innovative IBT system of junction boxes. Parker Bromley is a well established, family owned business specialising in MEP systems. As part of the London development project it has been tasked to deliver embedded MEP solutions including heat recovery (MVHR), smoke ventilation and fire alarm systems as well as an ‘Energy Centre’ to service each apartment block. It was tasked with minimizing installation time to help keep the overall development project to deadline. Jody Parker, Director at Parker Bromley, explains the challenges involved: “Concrete construction is a fast, effective and aesthetic method for building apartment blocks such as the ones being built here. However, when casting panels onsite it is important that considerations are made for the necessary wiring and electrical connections. We chose to specify Spelsberg’s IBT system of junction boxes, which fit to the metal formwork before the concrete is poured. When the concrete is set and the formwork removed, the face of the IBT housing is visible. All the required housings and conduits are then in place, ready for cabling and installation.” A key element of the IBT system is the integral sealing, which prevents concrete fines from getting inside the electrical components. This uses a patented diaphragm system which, after the conduit is inserted, returns to its original position and provides strain relief and sealing without the need for special grommets. Conventional housings do not have such a seal, a sealing arrangement would have to be fitted in-situ, a difficult and costly process. The IBT products are made from halogen-free, high-temperature resistant material which is designed for a long, trouble-free life. The range is available in a wide range of sizes. With more and more projects now requiring extra low voltage (ELV) transformers for LED lighting, loudspeakers and network communications cables, Spelsberg has also developed the complementary IBTronic range. ’Jody continues: “We first approached Spelsberg at the recommendation of another one of their customers. We knew the solutions we were looking for, we just needed to find a supplier that we could trust to deliver quality housings to the right time frame. The customer service from Spelsberg has been perfect, helping us to stick our company ethos of total customer satisfaction.”
A £17 million redevelopment is planned for a former prison in Northallerton, starting in spring 2019. The plans to turn the former prison into a new retail, residential, leisure and office space were approved by Hambleton District Council’s Planning Committee on the 15th of November. The Treadmills project will also incorporate five Grade II listed buildings, which were retained when the remainder of the prison site was demolished, as well as the construction of a large public square. The project is being delivered by the Central Northallerton Development Company (CNDC), a joint venture between Hambleton District Council and developers Wykeland Group. “This is a very exciting project not just for Northallerton but for the area as a whole. It will generate more activity in the town centre with people coming to visit the shops and enjoy the leisure experience we will offer through the restaurants and cinema,” said Chairman of the CNDC Board, District Councillor Peter Wilkinson. So far, Lidl has been confirmed as the retail anchor for the project, while Hull-based C4DI – the Centre for Digital Innovation – has been confirmed as the operator of the digital tech office space. Negotiations are underway to finalise operators of the remaining retail and leisure units. “We’re delighted this transformational redevelopment has gained planning approval and will soon move into the construction phase. This scheme will respect and conserve the heritage of the site while delivering many economic, social and community benefits for Northallerton, the wider area and local residents,” concluded Dominic Gibbons, Managing Director of Wykeland Group, and CNDC Board Member.
With the new school year now underway, Richard Werth, CEO of Troy Homes has taken a look at the impact that ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rated schools have on house prices. According to data from the Land Registry, Department of Education and Ofsted, the connection between family sized homes and proximity to a school with an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating (state or private; primary or secondary) can be as much as 28% and, even at the extremities of the schools’ catchment areas, it can remain around 20%. Given that some schools’ catchment areas can span 20 miles in each direction from the school’s gates, an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ rating can affect a huge swathe of property. Whilst living within a school’s catchment area does not guarantee a place, it certainly helps. For example, living within the catchment area of a Grammar School is often essential to securing a place. The premium for homes within 5 miles of popular private schools is often much higher than 28% – particularly in University cities where demand outstrips supply. So, as there is usually no formal catchment area, there is a temptation to live further away from the school. But, it is worth bearing in mind that if you live 10-15 miles west of the school, then your child’s best friend could easily live the same distance to the east of the school, making sleepovers and parties very complicated! Choosing the right schools is highly individual and can change as your children develop. It can be a complex and daunting process but, in the end, it very often comes down to ‘gut feel’ – you just know when you have connected with staff, students and atmosphere and if it just feels right. Buying to be in a catchment area is one thing, but the family home still has to meet the demands of all the family’s lives. Affordability, design, layout, size, commute, local facilities are just a few of the criteria that should be considered; after all, life outside school is just as important. But, for everyone’s benefit, the shorter the school run, the better.
While you may not think it, courier companies actually provide an invaluable service to construction firms and the industry as a whole. This rule even applies before work has started on a particular site, as companies are often required to submit time-sensitive tenders to win work and often use professional couriers for this purpose. Once work has commenced, couriers provide an even more invaluable service to construction firms, particularly those that are undertaking large scale projects. Here are some of the main benefits of partnering with a professional courier: Prevent Workflow Disruptions One of the biggest benefits of using a professional (and reputable) courier is that they can play a pivotal role in preventing workflow disruptions. This works in two potential ways. Firstly, it ensures that you do not have to pull an employee from one project to deliver a package to an alternative site, enabling you to optimise each individual’s productivity and overall contribution. At the same time, you can also arrange for crucial items and components to be delivered on-time and directly to the project site. This is particularly important when managing time-sensitive projects, which can easily be disrupted by delivery delays. Access a Truck Delivery Service When you hear the term ‘courier service’, your thoughts are probably drawn to small transit vans and relatively minimal hauls. However, professional services often lay on large trucks and vans too, which are capable of transporting both a high volume of items and big pieces of equipment. This is extremely important, as it negates the need to reassign employees to load and unload items when travelling between different destinations. Similarly, this also allows you to have pieces of machinery delivered on-time and anywhere in the UK, whether this is required from the start of the project or to replace a broken item. Create Additional Storage Space for Supplies One of the main issues associated with building sites is that they often become cluttered, and this can create significant issues in terms of health and safety and the integrity of expensive pieces of equipment. Professional couriers may be able to help with this, however, as they often retain additional space that can be utilised by clients for the purpose of storing supplies. This serves as a kind of logistics warehouse, which stores and organises your supplies until such a time that you need them. You should also be able to secure a competitive price and deal from your courier, especially if you have an existing relationship or have completed a lot of business with them. Another benefit of this is that it minimises the risk of materials being stolen overnight from your construction site, delivering long-term cost savings that will help the project to maintain its profitability.
Wetherby’s newest care home, Windsor Court, welcomed the Mayor and Mayoress of Wetherby for a sneak peek of the brand new facilities last week. The 66 bed home on Sandbeck Way is coming up to completion and the Mayor marked the occasion by laying the last external ground stone on the site. Councillor Galan Moss and his wife Sandra Moss donned their hard hats and high visibility jackets to take a tour of the building with Home Manager Paula Mountjoy and Site Manager Graham Frost. Councillor Moss was impressed with the spacious social spaces which once the home is finished will become bright and airy garden rooms, luxurious lounges and dining areas and an opulent cinema room. As they walked around the two storey home which is due to open in January, Paula revealed her plans for residents including clubs, trips, activities and community events. As the tour progressed to the large en suite bedrooms, Graham explained the environmental design features and sustainable aspects of the home such as ground source heat pumps, underfloor heating and LED lighting. The Mayor said, “This was a visit that I was particularly looking forward to and it didn’t disappoint. I was very impressed with the facilities and the build, but especially the jobs and community benefits that Windsor Court will bring to Wetherby. I was honoured to be asked to be a part of the build and lay the last stone and I look forward to returning to see the home once it is complete.” Paula who is dedicated to developing Windsor Court as a key part of the local community, said, “We were so pleased to welcome the Mayor and Mayoress of Wetherby to our new home. This takes us one step closer to completion and we can’t wait to open the doors to the people of Wetherby and beyond. With a luxurious, safe and innovative environment and exciting social calendar for our future residents, Windsor Court is so much more than just a care home and I know local people will be impressed.” Windsor Court will be operated by Ideal Carehomes and has been designed to embrace social activities and aspirational lifestyle choices for their future residents. The home will offer high quality residential and dementia care to older people who will live at the luxury home on an inclusive fee basis, enjoying the modern facilities without the worry of additional costs. Local people will be able to view Windsor Court from the end of December to meet the staff team, have a look round the home and reserve rooms.
WORK has started to deliver state-of-the-art facilities as part of a new £60 million development for the King’s School – one of the largest independent day schools in the UK. Pick Everard – the independent property, construction and infrastructure consultancy – is providing full design and engineering services for the 80-acre, Derby Fields development in Macclesfield, which is expected to be completed in May 2020. The school’s current three sites will be united into one area, creating a new 16,000m2 academic building with 350 rooms, in addition to a new sports centre – which will include: a six lane, 25m swimming pool; a six-court sports hall and a dedicated indoor cricket centre. Externally, five new rugby pitches, one rounders field, two AstroTurf hockey pitches and six netball courts will be created. Duncan Green, managing partner at Pick Everard said: “We are delighted to be working on such a major project for both the King’s School and Macclesfield as a town. We’ve been working with the school consolidating its estate onto a single site with brand new buildings so we’re pleased that work has now begun to realise this vision.” Natalie Clemson, associate director said: “As well as including fantastic educational and sporting facilities, the new building will be highly energy efficient and sustainable with a BREEAM rating of ‘very good’. It will also score highly on environmental management, responsible construction, resource efficiency, low energy and water use with a reduced carbon footprint, as well as efficient heating and lighting systems and controls, among other sustainable features.” The new development – the most ambitious project in the school’s 516-year history –will supplement, and sit adjacent to, the school’s existing Derby Fields campus. The project has been funded by the school selling its existing two sites in Fence Avenue and Cumberland Street to housing developers, which will provide sustainable and affordable homes in the area along with retirement and assisted living options. Natalie added: “The school selling its existing sites to fund the project has freed up valuable land in the town centre for housing, which in turn will address the town’s need for additional housing and provide significant economic growth. “We also worked with the school to deliver a series of value engineering workshops, which contributed savings of up £6 million, as well as providing design solutions to maximise teaching space while meeting the client’s budget.” The King’s School, which has 300 employees, provides education for more than 1,200 students from pre-school through to sixth form. John Kennerley, chair of governors at King’s School said: “We are delighted to be able to launch our 2020 vision for King’s. It will deliver not just a fantastic campus for our pupils, but enable us to develop further community use of the school beyond the 27 organisations that already share our facilities.” Headmaster Simon Hyde added: “We are extremely keen to ensure that our legacy is a positive one both for the school and Macclesfield in general. The development of a mix of sustainable housing close to the town centre will hopefully continue to bolster the attractiveness of Macclesfield as a place to live and support the many excellent new shops and businesses currently taking root.” John Roberts, regional director at Vinci Construction UK Ltd, the project’s lead contractor, added: “We are proud to be delivering the new campus, which will provide the very best educational facilities available for the school, its pupils and for the wider community.” Pick Everard employs more than 500 staff across its 11 UK offices, providing a range of project, cost and design consultancy services.
A SUITE overlooking cathedral gardens, original fireplaces and character windows are just some of the features included in a new £1.8m boutique hotel in a historic location in Leicester. Two empty office buildings in Peacock Lane and New Street – adjacent to the site of the car park where King Richard III’s remains were discovered – have been converted into the 28-bedroomed St Martins Lodge, which opened in October. Building Services Design (BSD) provided mechanical and electrical engineering services for the Grade II* listed Georgian buildings, with many of the original features being retained – including the hallway, with its chandelier and staircase. Joel Sawyer, director at BSD, the lead designer on the project, said: “We’re delighted to be involved in a project that has created modern, elegant accommodation while at the same time, honouring the heritage of the important site and its surroundings.” As 40% of the hotel – located directly opposite Leicester Cathedral – is of listed status, all original internal cornices, ceilings and floors are having to be retained, meaning BSD had to design the building services around the structure of the existing building. Joel said: “We provided a design that is a mix of traditional and modern installation, meaning some of the building services run through the floors and into the ceiling. To meet listed status building regulations, air conditioning equipment has also been moved to the roof where it is out of sight. “In order to make the spatial challenges work, we held regular on-site visits in order to overcome and catch any potential problems before they happened.” The plantroom has been designed to fit within the existing basement, which has height restrictions due to a vaulted ceiling. Joel added: “To ensure the heating system would fit within the confinements of the basement, it has been designed as a modular system for better efficiency and ease of installation. “The domestic water and hot water systems have also been centralised in the basement and we have made provisions within the design to allow for a possible connection to the Leicester District Energy Scheme, which supplies low-cost, low-carbon energy to major buildings across the city. The future advantages of this will mean energy efficiency and lower running costs.” Richard III was buried more than 500 years ago following his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. His remains were discovered by archaeologists in 2012 underneath a Leicester City Council car park. The king was reinterred in Leicester Cathedral in 2015. Nick Quinn, director of St Martins House, said: “With our neighbouring conference and events centre, St Martins House, located only a few steps away, we are now able to offer a 24-hour conference rate – including overnight accommodation with breakfast – alongside our function run hire and catering facilities. “This is frequently requested by conference and wedding hosts so St Martins Lodge is now meeting a known demand and adding to the room capacity available for business and for tourism in the city.” BSD is also working with the Diocese of Leicester to bring a new monastic community – called the Community of the Tree of Life – in the heart of Leicester, next door to the hotel. For more information about BSD, please visit bsd.co.uk.
