In today’s news, Coventry’s £68.2m office building is nearing completion. Two Friargate will be one of Coventry’s greenest buildings. In addition, 225 Bath Street in Glasgow was sold by AEW UK REIT for a price of £9.3 million. The structure is scheduled to be demolished and then replaced with student accommodation consisting of 527 individual units. Furthermore, nine of the world’s most reputable construction companies, along with the SCF, contributed their time, skills, and resources to the “Martian House” project in order to get humans ready to live on Mars. Moreover, the government has given the go-ahead for the construction procurement process to begin at the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital (CCRH), which will cost 300 million pounds.

Coventry’s £68.2m office skyscraper is almost done

Original Source: Coventry’s towering £68.2m office block nears completion

A £68.2 million office building in Coventry is nearly finished. Two Friargate, next to Coventry Railway Station, is a sustainable building.

The 12-story structure is designed to use energy effectively from sustainable sources. The first of its kind in the UK, it will turn garbage into low-cost, low-carbon heating.

The project is due in 2023. There are 130 construction workers on site and over 450 have worked on the project.

A Two Friargate representative told CoventryLive, “Once completed, Two Friargate will be a beacon for sustainability in Coventry and the West Midlands.” Designed to use energy effectively, the building aims for BREEAM Excellent, putting it in the top 10% for environmental performance.

The building will use sustainable energy, too. “It will be powered by Heatline Coventry, the first of its kind in the UK, which harnesses waste energy for low-carbon and low-cost heating.”

Coventry City Council and West Midlands Combined Authority donated £51 million to the plan, which would add Two Friargate to the city’s 37-acre business district. There’s been a lot of interest from potential tenants wishing to rent sustainable workspaces.

Councillor Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration, and climate change at Coventry City Council, said Two Friargate had produced significant local economic activity. It will boost the city and region once finished.

Working with our partners, we ensured the local economy benefited from the development. Local businesses and people are making Two Friargate a reality, and we’re proud of them as we reach completion.

Two Friargate will offer Grade A office space to boost Coventry’s economy once completed. Bowmer + Kirkland project manager Paul Kelly said construction was a “mammoth enterprise” that employed hundreds of locals to achieve “this fantastic development for Coventry”.

“We’re also engaging with West Midlands firms to ensure the development’s supply chain enriches the economy,” he said. “Through major investment and corporate activity, Two Friargate is boosting the local economy and promising to spur future city regeneration.”

Glasgow’s 225 Bath Street will be demolished for student housing

Original Source: 225 Bath Street: Glasgow city centre building to be demolished for student accommodation project

AEW UK REIT has sold 225 Bath Street in Glasgow for £9.3m. The building will be destroyed and replaced with 527-unit student housing.

The investment group said the transaction “realises a long-term change-of-use strategy for the asset, with contracts for the sale exchanged in October 2020.”

As indicated in AEWU’s February 11, 2022 release, IQ has planning permission to demolish the property and build a 527-unit student housing scheme.

AEW UK REIT said the sale deal requires them to “negotiate with tenants to bring the asset to vacancy.” After the sale, AEWU’s remaining portfolio occupancy rate will rise to 91.60% from 86.97% as of June 30, 2022.

It stated, “Reinvestment of sale funds into pipeline assets under exclusivity is expected to increase the company’s earnings due to higher income receipts and lower operational expenses.”

Laura Elkin of AEW UK REIT said: “We’re happy to see this sale go through after a long business plan.” The sale increases occupancy throughout the remaining portfolio, reduces operational costs, and boosts earnings once cash is reinvested. The sale proceeds are already under offer to assets in exclusivity, so we expect more purchase announcements in the coming weeks. “

Nine top contractors work on the Mars project

Original Source: Nine leading contractors collaborate on project preparing for life on Mars

The Southern Construction Framework (SCF) and a network of suppliers funded the construction of a full-scale ‘Martian’ house in Bristol to depict humans living on Mars.

Nine top contractors and architects worked on the project.

As part of a group led by SCF Construct, BAM, Galliford Try, ISG, Kier, Morgan Sindall, Sir Robert McAlpine, Wates Construction, and Willmott Dixon committed time, knowledge, and resources worth £170,000 to bring the art project to life.

After Ella Good and Nicki Kent asked SCF to help them with their five-year project, the firms jumped into action.

The M Shed Square project in Bristol has brought together space scientists, architects, engineers, designers, and the public to study how we live now and inspire new methods of living on Earth and on Mars.

The team worked with Lucy Berthoud, Bob Myhill, and James Norman from Bristol University.

The Martian House must handle travel and harsh conditions.

Hugh Broughton Architects and Pearce Plus designed the modern 53 sqm house with an outdoor staircase and a platform lift to the upper level.

The upper level is powered by solar panels and made of pressurised inflated gold-coated foil, making it lightweight enough to transport to Mars.

The basement level of the house is made of Martian lava tubes to simulate living on Mars.

On this level is a flexible, private living space that can be utilised as a bedroom, VR area, or built-in environment.

Preparing for Mars by studying our lives

Emma Bull, SCF Senior Framework manager, commented:

Collaboration is at the heart of Southern Construction Framework, so we’re thrilled to have helped create the Martian House by bringing together top contractors.

The way Southern Construction Framework’s supply chain worked is likewise remarkable, and nine independent bodies working on an artistic endeavour is unprecedented.

The artists behind Martian House, Ella Good and Nicki Kent, thanked the contractors and discussed how the project can inform Earth-based housing decisions.

Nikki Kent stated, “Imagining life on Mars makes us rethink our existence on Earth.” Mars is a planet where you must live wisely and responsibly, highlighting how we live today. Our effort illustrates that we can all shape our future.

Building a Martian House is open from August 17 to October 30, 2022, in Bristol.

A three-month programme of workshops, presentations, and activities for all ages will include a design team panel debate.

Cambridge’s £300 million cancer hospital contractor search begins

Original Source: Contractor search begins for Cambridge’s £300m cancer hospital

Actual building of the seven-story 26,000 sqm facility on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, near Addenbrooke’s hospital, is scheduled for late 2023.

The New Hospital Programme has granted the project the green light to solicit expressions of interest from the construction industry.

The CCRH is a collaboration between the government’s New Hospital Programme, Cambridge University Hospitals, and the University of Cambridge to develop a new regional cancer hospital. It will combine NHS clinical space with three new research institutes to complement the government’s Life Sciences Vision and NHS Long-Term Plan.

In spite of government promises to develop additional hospitals, financing is not yet in place. The CCRH needs charitable assistance to make it happen. The University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust are raising money for the project.

In November 2021, the Department of Health & Social Care, NHS England, and NHS Improvement approved CCRH’s strategic outline case. This won government support as one of 40 hospital building projects by 2030.

In October, the CCRH project will submit the outline business case.

Brick Visual created a virtual tour of the hospital (below).

Summary of today’s construction news

Talking about Coventry’s skyscraper, the twelve-story building is designed to make efficient use of energy derived from environmentally friendly sources. It will be the first of its type in the UK, and it will convert waste into warmth that is both inexpensive and low in carbon emissions. The deadline for the project is set for 2023. There are currently 130 people working on construction at the site, and over 450 people have contributed to the project overall.

Meanwhile, according to a press release issued by AEWU on February 11, 2022, IQ has been granted permission to destroy the property and construct a student housing scheme with 527 individual units.

Also, the full-scale “Martian” house in Bristol was built with funding from the Southern Construction Framework (SCF) and a network of suppliers to simulate the conditions that humans would face if they settled on Mars. SCF sprung into action after being approached by Ella Good and Nicki Kent, who needed assistance with a five-year project.

On top of that, construction of the seven-story, 26,000-square-metre structure is expected to begin in late 2023 on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, not far from Addenbrooke’s hospital. This project has been given permission by the New Hospital Programme to seek bids from the building sector.