Tower Works reaches milestone
TENANTS are being sought to move into Tower Works, the historic former pin factory that is being redeveloped as part of a major regeneration scheme.
The latest milestone in the complex’s rejuvenation has been marked with a topping out ceremony following the installation of the last section of copper cladding to link the old and new elements of the building.
Due for completion in January, the restoration and conversion of the Leeds industrial heritage building will provide 18,000 sq ft of office space which is aimed at the burgeoning digital and new media industries.
The redevelopment is being funded and managed by Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) with additional funding support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which has invested £1.9m into the project.
Topping Out: (l-r): Roger Quarmby of Quarmby Construction; Coun Richard Lewis, executive board member for development and the economy for Leeds City Council; Julie Kenny from Yorkshire Forward; Irena Bauman, of architects Bauman Lyons; and Naz Parkar, head of area for Homes and Communities Agency.
Mr Parkar said: “This milestone is particularly significant given the climate of cuts and economic uncertainty through which the construction has continued.
“Tower Works, with its three striking Italianate towers, has a rich industrial history dating back to 1864 when it was a steel pin factory. An important architectural legacy, the building once again will become a creative place of work, for a new generation of digital and media industries.”
The redevelopment is designed by Leeds-based Bauman Lyons Architects and construction and restoration of the listed site has been commissioned from Ilkley-based Quarmby Construction.
Managing Director of Quarmby, David Jones, said: “It is almost exactly a decade since Quarmby Construction first arrived on site at Holbeck and we are immensely proud of the part we have since played in its redevelopment and regeneration, specifically the Round Foundry Media Centre and now Tower Works.”
Creative Space Management (CSM) has been appointed as managing agent and lead commercial lettings agent for Tower Works, extending its role at the Round Foundry Media Centre and as commercial agent for Igloo Regeneration’s Round
Foundry and Marshall’s Mill developments and ISIS Waterside Regeneration’s Granary Wharf scheme.
Paul Taylor, co-founder and director of Creative Space Management, said: “Having worked for 10 years with creative and digital media businesses in Leeds and in other core cities we know that there is a demand for accommodation from companies that have outgrown the space in which they started out or who require better quality facilities.”
