Focused Construction News’ Post

Bouygues UK Celebrates Topping Out Milestone in Fourth Phase of Hallsville Quarter Regeneration Bouygues UK is thrilled to announce a significant milestone in the fourth phase of the Hallsville Quarter regeneration project in Canning Town, London. The project, part of the £3.7 billion Canning Town and Custom House Regeneration Programme, recently held a topping out ceremony to mark reaching the highest point of the 11-storey development, well ahead of its expected completion in summer 2026.  This phase of Hallsville Quarter, developed in a joint venture between Crosstree Real Estate Partners and Bouygues UK’s development arm, is set to become a vibrant home for London students. The purpose-built student accommodation, designed by PRP Architects with interiors by Holloway Li, will feature 375 state-of-the-art student rooms, modern amenities, a roof terrace, and a beautifully landscaped public realm. Bouygues UK, as the developer and main contractor, is committed to a low-carbon, sustainable approach, aiming for BREEAM Excellent certification, and is incorporating features such as fully pre-fabricated bathrooms and self-delivering the building’s concrete frame and internal finishes.  Oliver Campbell, Managing Director of Bouygues UK’s development arm, said at the event, “We are proud to have reached this topping out milestone, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team. This phase of the Hallsville Quarter regeneration represents a significant step forward in creating a dynamic and sustainable living environment for students. https://lnkd.in/eqT8CGph

Plans submitted for £70m Greater Manchester Passivhaus Low Energy scheme A two-tower residential development, designed by London and Manchester-based AEW Architects, has been submitted to Stockport Council as part of the town's ongoing regeneration plans. The £70m project features two connected blocks of eight and 20 stories, designed to meet The Passivhaus Institute Low Energy Building Standard. The focus is on creating sustainable homes that enhance the local neighbourhood and create a vibrant new community for the people of Stockport. Located in a busy area in Stockport town centre, the development will transform a derelict office building and car park into much-needed new homes in one of the North West’s most up-and-coming areas. The design puts people first, with features that make everyday living better. These include clever positioning to make the most of natural sunlight, bright and airy staircases, shared laundry areas, and a rooftop garden with community allotments and solar panels. At the heart of the development sits a 100m² flexible space which can be used for various events and workshops for residents and non-residents. https://lnkd.in/ehEfqg5c

Octagon soars to new heights, as Birmingham counts down to its new tallest building The world's first pure octagonal high-rise residential building is now just months away from claiming its place in Birmingham’s history books. With the core reaching level 40 and floorplates reaching level 35, Octagon has already begun offering unparalleled views of the city below. On completion, the Octagon will stand proudly at 155 meters (410 feet) tall, as a testament to Birmingham's burgeoning skyline. The pair of tower cranes have now reached their final height, allowing main contractor Midgard to construct the remaining 10 floors of the building core ahead of its practical completion, scheduled for summer 2025. The Octagon isn't just a feat of engineering; designed by Howells Architects, it's a testament to innovation in architectural design. As the world's first pure octagonal high-rise residential building, it stands as an example of progress and possibility in Birmingham. This milestone marks a significant leap forward in Paradise’s commitment to deliver a world-class estate and with a true mixed-use proposition by providing 370 spacious new Build to Rent (BtR) homes. Birmingham is the second fastest-growing city centre population in the UK, ahead of cities like Manchester and Leeds, with 7,000 new residential units either being built or planned across the city centre. Backed by global real estate investor City Developments Limited (CDL) https://lnkd.in/eBihckum

Secret to converting up to 670,000 redundant historic buildings into homes revealed. Historic England guidance sets out key design considerations when transforming heritage properties into residential in bid to tackle the housing crisis. https://lnkd.in/eNKCZjMC #Housing #Planning

Planning Awards 2024 - Shortlisted! Now that made my day. Not only has the sun come out, but the joint submission by Urban Place Lab and Avison Young on the ‘Whitehill & Bordon Project Structuring Plan - Collaborative Masterplanning’ process, has been shortlisted in the category of planning for increased housing delivery in the 2024 Planning Awards! We've been working with landowners the DIO, Development Managers the Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company (JV between Taylor Wimpey and Dorchester Regeneration) on this multi-faceted community regeneration since 2014, and the project Structuring Plan has been both a constant and a flexible tool to allow so much more to be delivered than (accelerated) housing alone. Developed in close collaboration with East Hampshire District Council (+ their design advisors Feria Urbanism) and Hampshire County Council, the Structuring Plan review has allowed us to revise parcel structures for individual components of the site, assisting in accelerated phasing, integration with site services and a more nuanced approach to site clearance supporting the delivery of community infrastructure. Loosely following the German Bebauungsplan (B-Plan) model of a technical parameter-led masterplan / regulating plan (and associated text document), the process has encouraged a more organic evolution of place, ‘learning by doing’ and providing valuable exercises in collaboration and place making. https://lnkd.in/ezT4-Tiv

The recent Explore Offsite Awards shone a spotlight on our latest student living scheme – 31 High Street in Southampton, which received two industry awards, including the coveted Winner of Winners Award. 🌟   This scheme is a pioneering regeneration project in Southampton, which represents a £12m investment by Stelling to develop a prominent and highly constrained city centre site using advanced modular technology. 🏗 The original listed stone façade of the former Bank of England building has been restored and a five-storey modular extension has provided 121 high specification, self-contained studio apartments to help meet the critical undersupply of student accommodation in the city.   Jose Ignacio Alvarez, our Founder and Executive Chair: “31 High Street demonstrates the enormous potential of our offsite construction solutions and the technical capabilities of our teams – from architectural design to manufacturing, offsite fitout and on-site refurbishment of a locally listed building."   “This site is completely enclosed on three sides and would have been extremely difficult to develop using traditional construction methods.” “To deliver a scheme of this scale in just a few months and to such high quality, sustainability, energy efficiency and architectural standards, is an incredible achievement."   “It also showcases really well how offsite construction can be applied to regeneration and refurbishment schemes, as well as to new build residential developments.”   Read more here - https://lnkd.in/e6q9xXTd   #studentaccommodation #mmc #offsite #offsiteawards #residential #studentliving

urbanest UK unveils 769-bed PBSA scheme for London Vauxhall site: https://lnkd.in/ebn-h_Mv cc London Borough of Lambeth, Hopkins Architects and Hotchkiss Ltd #pbsanews #pbsa #residential #residentialproperty #residentialdevelopment #studentaccommodation #builtenvironment #vauxhall #london

The design of residential buildings needs the input of future residents to create an optimal living environment.

A new project delivered in the heart of London’s West End! This summer, Legendre UK successfully delivered Shorts Gardens (Arclight Development), a carefully planned retrofit and redevelopment project revitalising historic buildings in Covent Garden. Commissioned by SGLLP, a joint venture between Span Group Ltd and Pearl & Coutts Ltd (Part of Structadene Group), project designed by Buckley Gray Yeoman, the scheme has transformed a former electricity substation⚡and warehouse into a mixed-use development.   The project spans 50,000 square feet, providing 30,000 square feet of office space across eight floors and four high-quality residences, including a penthouse with a private rooftop terrace.   Delivered in a challenging environment, the project involved working with 100-year-old structures, navigating the proximity of a Crossrail tunnel 🚇, and managing narrow streets and multiple party walls. 🏗️ Construction included dividing the basement into two levels, adding new floors, and restoring the original façade to increase natural light and enhance the streetscape.   A central feature of the development is the Dynamo Hall, a four-storey space that previously housed generators for London’s theatre district. It now boasts a 13.5-metre-high atrium and a bespoke light sculpture, bringing natural light into the building while honouring its industrial heritage.   Sustainability was a key focus throughout, with the project achieving a BREEAM Very Good certification. Reclaimed materials, including original bricks in the façade 🧱, were integrated alongside features such as cycle storage 🚲, shower facilities 🚿, and a green roof to create a building that balances heritage and modern functionality. 🎥 Want to see more? Check out the video of this remarkable project here: https://lnkd.in/eMmub5Fk   Congratulations to our team and all project partners for bringing this significant project to completion. 👏   HUSH Project Management & Consulting Limited #Construction #CoventGarden #WestEnd #Sustainability #MixedUse

🏢 🌿 The Toronto Green Standard results in cleaner, more energy-efficient, and longer-lasting buildings. Working with Sustainable Buildings Canada, BDP Quadrangle and Hullmark show how developers are not just making it work; they're embracing innovation and improving our city by considering buildings holistically. "They show developers that, with a few modifications to a design, they can move up a Toronto Green Standard (TGS) tier to unlock substantial savings," writes architecture columnist Dave LeBlanc at The Globe and Mail. That's a good reason to support the City of Toronto and its authority to implement green standards. https://lnkd.in/gsdesymc #TorontoGreenStandard #GreenStandards #GreenBuilding #EnergyEfficiency