Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £7.2 million project to design and construct a new retail office development in Wolverhampton as part of a £139 million project to rejuvenate the city centre.
Working with Wolverhampton City Council’s partner, developer Neptune Developments, Balfour Beatty will complete construction of the shell and core of the four floor development, known as Block 10, which will comprise a ground floor of six retail units and three upper levels of office space.
The project will provide the first ’Grade A’ office space in the city and will be the most energy efficient building in Wolverhampton, aiming to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating for sustainability. A high quality, energy-efficient glazing system will maximise energy retention in the building, exceeding the standard energy efficiency requirements by 20%. The mechanical and electrical package has also been designed to be energy efficient, and high performance plant and LED lighting will be used throughout the development.
BIM (building information modelling) has already been used in the design stage and will continue to be to carefully coordinate the installation of complex mechanical and electrical services and steelwork ensuring that a stringent programme schedule is achieved.
Balfour Beatty’s commitment to employing local SMEs is being ensured on the project with spend focused within a 15 mile radius of Wolverhampton. Balfour Beatty will also work with the local university to provide work experience and placements for students.
Councillor Peter Bilson, Wolverhampton City Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration and Prosperity, said: “The appointment of Balfour Beatty to design and construct Block 10 is a major milestone in the redevelopment of this key site. The Interchange is a main gateway to the city centre and is therefore a strategic regeneration priority for the council.”
Jon Adams, Balfour Beatty Managing Director for Northern Major Projects, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this landmark development in Wolverhampton city centre. Balfour Beatty has extensive experience in delivering retail and office developments, having constructed Snowhill in Birmingham and recently being awarded Barons Quay in Northwich. I look forward to working with Neptune Developments and Wolverhampton City Council in bringing our leading sustainability and programme management experience to this project.”
Work will start on site in September and the project will be completed in just over one year.
