6 NSC
March 19
The multi-million pound University
of Glasgow Campus Development
is progressing with the steel frame
for the Learning and Teaching Hub
nearing completion.
Designed by HLM Architects, the
Hub will be an inspirational and
diverse learning space, allowing
undergraduate and postgraduate
students access to advanced and
useful learning spaces.
Construction work on the
£90.6M building started at the end
of October 2017 and is due to be
completed in the academic year in
2019/20.
Working on behalf of main
contractor Multiplex, BHC will
erect 950t of steel for the structure
100 Embankment: one
of the many commercial
schemes currently under
way in Manchester
that forms the centrepiece of the
development’s phase one.
The eight-storey building
comprises an in-situ concrete
frame and a steel-framed structure
within, forming the lecture theatres.
Externally, it will be clad with
curtain walling, precast panels and
weathering steel.
When complete, the building will
accommodate over 2,500 students,
including a lecture theatre with
capacity for 500 students. Interactive
teaching spaces will range in
capacity from 340 - 75 students,
while the hub will also have a
number of seminar/group study
spaces. There will also be a café on
the ground floor.
Working on behalf of main contractor
Land & Water, S H Structures has
fabricated and supplied a 35m-long bridge
for the Newlands Marina project near
Milton Keynes.
Designed by Knight Architects and
Cowi for Crest Nicholson Regeneration,
the firm behind a mixed-use development
beside the Grand Union Canal, the bridge
crosses the waterway at right angles,
aligned with the marina entrance, and
over the last third of its length, the deck
branches in two parts to form a Y-shape
in plan.
The bridge is made out of weathering
steel with a laser cut steel balustrade
system, featuring panels cut to resemble
riverside reeds and grasses.
News
Confidence among developers is
exceptionally strong across the UK’s
regional cities according to the latest
Deloitte Real Estate Crane Survey.
The survey monitored construction
activity in Belfast, Birmingham, Leeds and
Manchester during 2018. Each of these
cities saw a sustained or increased level
of development across a range of sectors
including offices, residential, hotels, retail,
education and student housing.
Commenting on the survey's findings,
Partner and Regional Head at Deloitte
Real Estate Simon Bedford said: “To
have construction figures this healthy is
somewhat of a surprise given a myriad
of market uncertainties. Developer
confidence is a key indicator for economic
health and to have this many significant
construction starts over the last 12
months, especially in speculative office
schemes, is testament to the resilience of
the regions and appetite for growth.”
Top of the list for construction activity
is Manchester, which has seen record levels
of development activity.
The city’s office sector has over
185,000m2 of office space under
construction across 13 schemes; a huge
increase on the consistent levels of
140,000m2 reported between 2015 and
2017.
Bedford commented: “If Manchester
had featured in the recently published
North American Crane Index, it would
have ranked number two - behind Toronto
but in front of Seattle, Los Angeles and
Chicago. That might have seemed like
a remarkable stat a few years ago given
Manchester only had one crane in the sky
in 2011, but today the figure is a massive
78 sites under construction.”
Across the Irish Sea, Belfast has 34
schemes under construction in the city
centre – with 21 schemes completed in
2018 and nine set for completion this year.
Birmingham saw 23 new starts last
year, with residential taking the lion’s
share. New office development is down
from a peak of seven new starts in 2016,
to just two new schemes today. However,
total office volume under construction
remains high at 130,000m2 and 2019 is
set to be a record-breaking year for office
completions.
Leeds has recorded the highest level of
construction in the city centre since the
Leeds crane survey began in 2002, with
21 new construction starts in 2018. This
includes seven new office schemes adding
to the record 78,500m2 office development
currently in the pipeline.
Survey shows
construction growth in
UK regional cities
Three-legged bridge for
canalside marina
Learning and teaching hub
takes form in Glasgow
/Braced_frames
/Education_buildings
/Construction
/Construction#Steel_erection
/Facades_and_interfaces#Curtain_walling
/Weathering_steel
/Leisure_buildings#Theatres_and_auditoria
/Design_for_steel_bridge_construction#Fabricating_the_steelwork
/Design_of_steel_footbridges
/Multi-storey_office_buildings#Mixed_use_commercial_buildings
/Weathering_steel
/Weathering_steel
/Construction
/Residential_and_mixed-use_buildings#Hotels
/Retail_buildings
/Education_buildings
/Residential_and_mixed-use_buildings#Student_residences
/Residential_and_mixed-use_buildings
/Construction#Tower_cranes
/Multi-storey_office_buildings