Building briefs : Ribble Valley Homes’ new HQ; new Altrincham Travelodge; £5m college buildings complete; and more

HOUSING association Ribble Valley Homes has opened its new £1.6m office building in Clitheroe.

The three-storey De Lacy House building has allowed the association to bring all of its employees under one roof, as well as providing a drop-in centre and a community resource for tenants.

The building was designed by local architects Croft Goode Associates and was built by Tameside-based Bardsley Construction.

Christine Grimshaw, managing director of Ribble Valley Homes, said: “Previously, our people were based across two offices in York Street and King Lane, but the new building will accommodate them all, as well as providing a fantastic resource for our tenants and other community members.”

The new building sits within a conservation area close to Clitheroe Castle and the design process involved significant consultation with local stakeholders, including sessions with the RIBA-coordinated Places Matter panel.

Architect David Croft said: “The building is a mix of glass, zinc and natural stone.

“Though contemporary in design, the stonework has been selected to match the surrounding streetscape and the sawtooth roof design is a nod to the rich industrial heritage of the area,” he said.

Building work began on the 8,500 sq ft offices towards the end of 2010 and was completed in August.

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BUDGET hotel chain Travelodge has agreed a deal to install a 91-bed budget hotel at the Grafton Centre in Altrincham.

A spokesman for the budget hotel chain, which is owned by Dubai International Capital, said that the building work will be carried out by Miller Construction.

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A new £5m sixth form facility at Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College in Altrincham has just completed, with the first set of students now using the facility.

The building was designed by Altrincham-based Pozzoni Architects, which won the work through an architectural design competition process. 

The building is based on the school’s objective to create an inspiring learning environment for up to 300 Sixth Form students, and to provide a facility that compliments the existing school campus .

It has been designed around various activity spaces, with a regular solid form housing the main learning spaces, while a glazed free-form element contains the more informal learning spaces.

Externally, a copper ‘skin’ provides protection to the internal spaces and acts as a visual screen between the new building and the Astroturf sports pitches.

The building has achieved a BREEAM “Very Good” rating due to its incorporation of natural ventilation, high levels of daylighting and a range of low-energy techniques.  It was 90% grant-funded from the Learning & Skills Council.

The school’s chair of governors, John Mulholland, said: “The end product is one we can all be both proud of and thankful for. My own view is that the building is so striking and aesthetically pleasing  – as well as being very user friendly – that it deserves to be nominated for an appropriate design award.”

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RUSSELLS Construction has been appointed to three new projects in the North West worth a total of £500,000.

The three latest wins include the £250,000 refurbishment of a unit at the Chancery Gate Business Centre in Trafford Park for health food supplements manufacturer Au Naturel, an £80,000 refurbishment project at Ashton-Under-Lyne College and a £180,000 new-build extension of a shop unit at Princess St in Knutsford for the Heesom Green Partnership.

The unit is occupied by WH Smith.

Andrew Russell, managing director of Russells Construction, said: “We have been working very closely with clients in both the retail and leisure sectors, as these are two areas still able to secure funding and for whom investment is vital to the success of their customer offering.

“Consumer brands have more to gain from updating their premises in order to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace, and we are seeing an increase in retail refurbishments along with several new supermarkets across the North West seeking to increase their own market share.Big brand budget hotels are also proving popular.

“Commercial office developments, however, are still suffering a lack of investment for development as bank lending on speculative schemes has all but disappeared.”

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Oldham’s new £5m five-storey Regional Science Centre is set to be opened at a ceremony later today.

The building houses houses 21 laboratories and several IT-based study areas. Its construction was project-managed by AAA Projects, while Tameside- Roland Bardsley was main contractor.

The Regional Science Centre is a joint venture between Oldham Council and Oldham Sixth Form College. It has been built on the 35,000 sq ft Kings Point site.

The centre will serve as the location for all of the college’s science teaching and will cater for more than 1,000 students. It will also be made available to local schools to encourage adopting an interest in science at from a young age.

Jim McMahon, Oldham Council leader, said: “The Regional Science Centre Oldham is a first-class venue and I know that staff and students are already enjoying using these cutting-edge facilities.

“I am proud of our partnership with Oldham Sixth Form College because it has delivered an inspirational environment that will help to raise the aspirations of those young people who are striving to become the scientists, dentists and doctors of the future.

Roly Bardsley, chairman of Bardsley Construction, said: “We’re delighted to be working with such a blue chip client as Oldham Sixth Form College to provide this Science centre with state-of-the-art laboratories and a canteen.  

AA Projects director Chris Thorpe said: “We are very proud to have been involved in the delivery of the centre and are extremely excited about the opportunities it presents for scientific education and research within Greater Manchester.”