Construction complete at record-breaking office building

Construction works to build a 133,117 sq ft office building at Thorpe Park Leeds have reached practical completion.

Developed by property regeneration and placemaking specialist, Scarborough Group International (SGI), B3, which extends over seven floors with two levels of underground podium parking and amenity below, is the latest workspace to be delivered at Thorpe Park Leeds.

Last year, SGI confirmed it had secured a pre-let of the entire building to credit management company, Lowell, making it the largest single out of town office deal ever recorded in West Yorkshire and the biggest property transaction in the Northern Powerhouse region over the last two years.

Measures to slash the property’s embodied carbon footprint include the use of 75% post-consumer recycled aluminium in the building’s envelope and up to 50% reduction in the use of concrete for pile foundations and building slabs. Also, 25% of the British Steel used in the structure is from recycled content.

The delivery team for the project includes: architect, CJCT; principal contractor, GMI Construction Group PLC; structural engineer, Buro Happold; cost consultant, BWF; building services engineer, KNG; landscape architect, Ares; funding partner, OakNorth Bank; highways engineer, Pell Frischmann; legal advisor, Walker Morris; and planning consultant, Zerum.

Adam Varley, head of commercial at SGI, said: “It is fantastic to have reached practical completion of this record-breaking office building, after a 20-month construction programme.

“B3’s industry leading, low-carbon features not only delivers an exemplary building that we can all be proud of, but also helps to set a new benchmark for future buildings at Thorpe Park Leeds.”

Andrew Hurcomb, GMI Construction Group’s divisional managing director Yorkshire, added: “The completion of B3 is testament to the dedication of our entire site team, having been delivered despite the many challenges created by the pandemic.

“We are extremely proud to have built a state-of-the-art office accommodation that sets a benchmark for future development at Thorpe Park.

“It also exemplifies the levelling up agenda representing, as it does, a huge investment in the infrastructure necessary to support and contribute to Yorkshire’s resilient and growing economy.”