Project

UK-based construction company G F Tomlinson has completed the construction of Medical Technologies Innovation Facility (MTIF), a new dual-site facility for Nottingham Trent University (NTU).

MTIF, designed to serve as a research site for medical devices and technology, has been built across two sites: one at the Boots site of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone and the other at the university’s Clifton Campus.

The facility is expected to help NTU researchers innovate and collaborate with organisations and clinicians in order to quickly launch new ideas to market.

G F Tomlinson served as the main contractor for the site at the Boots Nottingham Enterprise Zone. This site is dedicated to the development, clinical production and commercialisation of new medical technologies and features laboratories and clean rooms.

The 1,687.4m² Boots Enterprise Zone site is intended to provide access to technologies and expertise for processing, prototype development and preparing manufacturing processes. It has been designed and built as per the BREEAM Very Good standard, with the clean rooms built to an ISO 6 standard.

The site at the Clifton Campus will mainly focus on the research and development of medical technologies.

Image credit: G F Tomlinson Group

Project

SITES Medical and Mach Medical open newly designed headquarters

SITES Medical and Mach Medical have opened a new advanced manufacturing headquarters in Columbia City, Indiana, US, designed by architectural, engineering and interior design firm Design Collaborative.

The new 36,000ft² facility has been designed with a focus on innovation, collaboration, and efficiency within supply chain delivery and enables cross-collaboration between the parent and sister entities.

With an emphasis on connectivity in a modern industrial environment, it also blurs the lines between office and manufacturing.

Following a recent acquisition behind them, both entities decided to connect in a new location that supported a culture of innovation and collaboration in a space that encourages adaptability.

Project

KBS concludes renovation of Granite Tower Class A office building in US

KBS has finished a series of renovations to Granite Tower in Downtown Denver, Colorado, US.

Built in 1984 as part of a four-tower block and formerly known as Stellar Plaza and Plaza Tower, Granite Tower is a 31-storey Class A office building owned by KBS REIT II. It covers two city blocks and features 593,527ft² of office space.

The renovations were aimed at activating the building’s street-level space to enhance interaction with the local community in Downtown Denver. It included the addition of a range of indoor, as well as outdoor, amenities to improve the experience of the tenants.

The company partnered with architecture, engineering, planning and interiors firm DLR Group and architectural company Alan Colussy Architecture for the renovation.

Project

Pennsylvania’s Alvernia University to begin CollegeTowne renovation project

Pennsylvania’s Alvernia University has started the $20m renovation and retrofitting project at its new downtown Reading location at 401 Penn Street in the US.

Being developed in partnership with RLPS Architects and Warfel Construction, the ground-breaking ceremony for the project has been held recently and the renovation works are set to begin soon.

The redesigned ground floor will house a community gathering place and lounge area, as well as space for the university’s business and communication programmes. In addition, the floor will host the O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship’s student-powered business incubator, which is being used by 50 local businesses.

The lower level renovations consist of a collaborative student gathering space, general-purpose classrooms, spaces for the university’s e-sports team and labs for three new engineering programmes. The fourth and fifth floors will be retrofitted for student housing, with initial designs to accommodate 66 students. The build outs are available to house up to 200 students in the future.

Galliford Try wins contract to build student accommodation in Coventry

Galliford Try’s building business has secured a £23m contract to build a 436-room student accommodation facility in Coventry in the UK for developer Cassidy Group. It will comprise 55 student clusters and 55 self-contained student apartments as well as community space.

Bouygues UK to deliver council homes project for east London

Construction company Bouygues UK has been selected by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to deliver Locksley D, the fourth phase of a £37.1m project to provide council homes. This £8.4m contract is expected to transform an unused patch of land called the Limehouse Triangle into a 17-unit affordable housing scheme spread over eight storeys.

PCL to design and build 16th Street Mall Improvement Project in the US

The City and County of Denver in Colorado, US, has selected PCL Construction Services to design and build the 16th Street Mall Improvement Project. Following the contract negotiation and approval phase, reconstruction of the mall is scheduled to begin this year, with completion expected by the end of 2024.

Skanska to invest in multifamily project in Sweden

Skanska has announced its plans to invest around $70.1m in a multifamily project in Barkarbystaden, Järfälla, Sweden. The project, called Parkkvarteret, will feature 220 rental apartments and will be developed by Skanska Rental Housing under a construction contract is valued at around $44.7. Located adjacent to the new Veddesta Bridge, the project will be connected to the commuter train station, future metro station and services, as well as park environments.

Audley Group appoints Graham Construction for retirement village in Surrey

UK-based retirement living specialist Audley Group has appointed Graham Construction for the development of an £80m retirement village in Cobham, Surrey, UK. Called Audley Fairmile, the retirement village will become Audley’s second village in Surrey, after Audley Cooper’s Hill opened in 2019. Audley Fairmile will feature 74 two-bedroom units based around central facilities in the Audley Club as well as a swimming pool, health club, restaurant and bar.

HH Smith starts Rochdale Town Hall restoration work

Contractor HH Smith has started work on the restoration of the UK’s Rochdale Town Hall, a grade I listed building often used as a filming location. Over the next few years, Rochdale Town Hall will be transformed with help from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. HH Smith will perform critical work over the next six months including electricals, drainage, wiring, and the stripping out of modern additions such as mezzanine floors and medium-density fibreboard partitions.