Building Briefs: Toronto’s top rating; Refurbishment is key; Hotel moves forward
HIGHCROSS’ Toronto Square office scheme in Leeds is on course to achieve an ‘excellent’ BREEAM rating when work completes this June.
The developer said the achievement was particularly significant because the scheme was a combination of an existing office building and new build.
Highcross has added three new glazed floors to the original building, plus a full height extension to the rear, creating more than 90,000 sq ft of grade A office space.
To improve the environmental performance of the building, Highcross opted for renewable energy technology.
Air source heat pumps have been installed, which extract the heat from the air around the building and convert it into energy to drive the building’s heating and cooling system.
External lighting at the scheme has been designed to reduce light pollution and the building has used locally sourced products, including stone from Huddersfield.
Highcross has also invested in initiatives to improve the site’s ecology, providing areas of green roofs; nest boxes to encourage black redstart, swifts and house sparrows, plus a landscaping scheme using native species of plants.
Agents for Toronto Square are CB Richard Ellis and Knight Frank.
::::
REFURBISHMENT is the key for commercial property landlords to maximise the capital value of their assets as the downturn gathers pace, property consultants King Sturge has said.
Recent Leeds city centre office take up figures show that even in today’s climate, tenants still need space, with more than 100,000 sq ft being taken up in quarter one of 2009 – only slightly down on the long term average.
Refurbishment carries a much smaller development risk and the combined benefits of rental uplift for better quality space and an increase in lettable floor space can, given the right location, make these schemes more valuable to investors, according to King Sturge’s Leeds-based investment partner, Andrew Summergill.
Mr Summergill said: “Multi-let offices are always going to be preferable to single lets as they enable investors to reduce their risk. There is scope to work with tenants who may either be downsizing or increasing their business and, if one tenant leaves, or goes into administration, it doesn’t leave a gaping hole.”
::::
BRADBURY Hall Developments has broken ground on its site in Chesterfield which will see a £20m hotel and office project built.
Once completed, ‘Casa’ will be the only large four star hotel in Chesterfield and one of few venues in the borough that offer both indoor and outdoor civil ceremonies.
The hotel’s general manager, Stuart Downham, said: “Casa will be an unrivalled, multi-purpose venue which will attract corporate, conference and leisure markets. It will provide a welcome boost to the local economy and create 500 jobs.”
A unanimous decision from Chesterfield Borough Council’s Planning Committee meant work could begin on the multi-million pound project, which was designed by architects Careyjones.
As well as boasting 100 luxurious bedrooms, the hotel will feature conference rooms with outdoor terraces, a banqueting suite and landscaped areas.
