Development Finance Today’s Post

There are so many things to consider on high rise structures. Water pressure to deliver water up the building, water and waste out of the building ensuring traps and stacks are properly designed to maintain trap seals and stop deadly pathogens, vents to atmosphere where a rooftop is also accessible as a garden or social space and so much more! When you introduce multiple manufacturers you ultimately introduce risk as the inevitable grey area where the materials connect results in finger pointing and lack of ownership. Shaggy said it best when he said "it wasn't me!" A potential costly risk on a project of such importance. Aliaxis UK manufacturer modern products ideal for #highrisebuildings so you have a single source manufacturers guarantee from underground to above ground giving you peace of mind for the lifetime of your building. Contact me directly for product and design guidance. Aliaxis High-Rise Building Solutions leave a legacy your proud to put your name to.

We are delighted to hear that Regal's redevelopment of 100 Chalk Farm Road has been unanimously approved by London Borough of Camden.   Volterra authored the Economic Regeneration and Employment and Skills Statement, and Full Health Impact Assessment on this project. There is a pressing need for purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) throughout London, in particular within Camden.  Some key aspects of our reports we'd love to share:   Community benefits: This report outlined the importance of student expenditure in supporting local businesses, particularly relevant given the prominent location of Chalk Farm Road in Camden. It highlighted specific local venues that are likely to experience substantial benefits resulting from the new students living at 100 Chalk Farm Road. Students also bring significant community benefits, beyond their local spending. Evidence suggests that 6% of students in PBSA typically volunteer for local charities or foodbanks. This suggests that up to 20 students at the 100 Chalk Farm Road development may take part in local volunteering opportunities.   Local partnerships: 100 Chalk Farm Road is located next to the Roundhouse music venue. Regal partnered with the Roundhouse Trust to enhance opportunities for young creatives in the local community. Through a number of different initiatives, Regal will support young creatives at the Roundhouse, including through integration with the Roundhouse employability programmes, mentoring, and working with the talent at the Roundhouse to develop vibrant new content. This reflects the benefits that come with building local partnerships.

This article is making clear that this mode of construction will not solve the serious problems we face in housing. There needs to be a complete rethink about space and design and clustering to achieve density sustainable land use, AND community building. This use of land and construction approach as per this image is unsustainable. We need ‘shared community green space’ thinking in new developments to preserve our future. Europe has many answers. #housingcrisis #sustainablehousing #constructionmethods #greendesign

🏢 Dublin's 8th Lock: A Jewel in Urban Living 🌿 In Union Investment’s Places & Spaces Magazine, Bellier Communication’s Steve Hays delves into Dublin's 8th Lock project—showcasing how this €200 million development is setting new standards in sustainability and modern living.   Union Investment unveils the 8th Lock project in Dublin’s Ashtown district—435 apartments featuring A2 energy ratings and cutting-edge sustainability technologies like solar panels, heat pumps, and CarbonCure concrete. The project, managed by Irish family development company Ballymore, utilised off-site manufacturing of building components to streamline the process, saving nearly a year in construction time.   “We consider 8th Lock to be a jewel in the crown of our residential portfolio with its impressive sustainability credentials and high-quality facilities for residents,” says Christiane Bührsch, Head of Asset Management Europe at Union Investment.   Discover more about this standout project in Places & Spaces: https://lnkd.in/eqbrCZJF   #Sustainability #RealEstate #Dublin8thLock #UnionInvestment #GreenLiving

How to retrofit unsustainable commercial buildings and why landlords will be stranded if they don’t. From #housebuilding to hospitals, the industry is abuzz with new ideas about #sustainablebuildings. There is less talk about the UK’s existing, mostly carbon-unfriendly commercial buildings, particularly those unloved ones struggling to find tenants in a post-Covid agile age. When Watts Group Limited attended the zero carbon property conference FOOTPRINT 2024, the focus was firmly on new builds such as the Velindre Cancer Centre in Wales where local materials are being sourced for construction and the Sara Cultural Centre in Skelleftea, Sweden, which at 75m is one of the tallest timber buildings in the world and a carbon negative template for high rise construction. https://lnkd.in/egB58_Dx It wasn’t all about new builds. On Foot Print’s retrofit stage, we heard from John Christophers RIBA, a campaigning architect who has retrofitted 2,000 homes in his home town of Balsall Heath using a little-known pot of local authority money. These and other examples are seriously impressive, but what about commercial buildings? What can be done to #retrofit commercial stock in the UK, and why do #landlords and the industry need to face up to the challenge? https://lnkd.in/eAHPyPGH

This is super exciting!! #construction #architecture #rural #urban #buildingregulations #planningpolicy #buildingpassports #listedbuildings #materialpassports #reuse #recycle #nothinggoestowaste #infrastructure #terotechnology #seasonal #reuse #retrofitting #materials #retrofit #circulareconomy #buildingstock #retrofit #buildingstock #retrofit #sustainablearchitecture #sustainabledesign #sustainability

Great to see Westminster City embracing a retrofit-first policy, but what does this mean for future projects? To achieve their net zero carbon 2040 targets, the plan prioritizes retrofit, encouraging adaptive reuse and the recycling of construction waste over demolition and reconstruction. Arguably a design mindset we should all be living by already! Westminster hopes to incentivize this through a high carbon offset tax and pushing planning applicants to prove they have prioritized a retrofit approach in their designs. Still a little unclear how this might be realised. Hopefully the attraction of the cost-effectiveness of retrofit will increase the number of projects of this type in the area. Perhaps inefficient buildings of historic value will see sensitive renovations, heritage conscious yet sustainably innovative new leases of life. If physical and design limitations allow, retrofitting can help save cost and carbon whilst celebrating historic building fabric.

There’s never been a better time to convert commercial buildings into residential because of changes to Class MA residential development rights. On paper commercial to residential conversions present a favourable option for developers, as they are generally quicker to deliver and are therefore a more cost-efficient option. When designed well, conversions can offer a meaningful contribution to the housing shortfall as commercial areas are usually well connected to public transport and within walking distance of local amenities. Having an existing building skeleton to convert rather than building new also reduces associated embodied carbon, therefore often making conversion the more sustainable option. https://ow.ly/zMmo50Th6Ky

Following the adoption of Greater Manchester's Places for Everyone spatial strategy earlier this year, Shoosmiths brought together real estate experts for a roundtable discussion on the plan and approaches to new development, redevelopment, renewable energy provision, and decarbonisation. While the focus is on unlocking new regeneration and development opportunities, the plan also emphasises the ‘aim to maximise its economic, social, and environmental benefits simultaneously, minimise adverse impacts, utilise sustainable construction techniques, and actively seek opportunities to secure net gains across all objectives.’ This presents a challenge for developers, building owners, occupiers, and investors that are already navigating evolving legislation and broader environmental risks. Therefore, a balance must be struck between maintaining project viability and futureproofing Greater Manchester’s building stock – both new and existing developments. Here are some key snippets from the discussion delving into this further 👇 The full discussion can also be watched: https://lnkd.in/eCTej3dE Taking part: Alan Hall (Genr8 Developments), Caroline Wright (Trafford Council), Chris Hosty (CERT Property), Derek Griffin (Whitbread), Helen Gribbon (Renaissance), Kate McClean (Tetra Tech), Neil Pickup (Ask Real Estate), Warren Taylor (Cityheart), alongside Shoosmiths’ Lisa Tye, Richard Symonds, Ian Hardman and Patrick Duffy.

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑: 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 Another phase of town centre rebuilding starts this month as part of our work to rebuild the whole town centre. Not only are we 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 on our promises, but we’re radically transforming the way our town centre works - future proofing it and enabling incredibly high-quality public realm to compliment radical redevelopment. Public realm is far too often left behind, value engineered out and not maintained yet it makes all the difference.