Posted on July 11, 2011 by John Cronin
A former live rock music venue in Birmingham that suffered a major fire several years ago has been converted into a speculative office scheme.
The famous Edwards No 8 venue had previously hosted live performances from rock bands such as Nirvana and Radiohead. The Grade II Listed building (pictured) was significantly damaged by a fire in November, 2006. The building has now received a multi-million pound renovation programme undertaken by city-based Birmingham Properties Group.
Located at 81 – 89 John Bright Street in the city centre close to the New Street Station extension, the building now offers 25,000 sq ft of floor space over 4 floors. The existing exterior of the building has been restored while the interior, that was completely destroyed in the fire, now offers large, open-plan floor plates of approximately 7,100 sq ft. The developers are marketing the offices as a headquarters-style building and will undertake a fit-out if required.
John Tebbutt, Managing Director of Birmingham Properties Group, said: “This is a beautiful stone terracotta and brick building which we have carefully restored over the past 18 months. It now offers potential as an office HQ building in a fantastic location”. The building is available on a long leasehold basis with an asking price of £3m.
Birmingham Properties Group are based in the Jewellery Quarter of city-centre Birmingham. The area, formerly home to many jewellery and coin manufacturers, is being promoted as a business hub for the creative and digital media industry. Significant office developments within the district include 40 St Paul’s Square and the £160m St Georges development.
Marketing agents for 81 – 89 John Bright Street are GBR Phoenix Beard.
Posted in West Midlands |
Tagged Jewellery Quarter, Listed Buildings, Renovations, Speculative Developments |
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Posted on July 8, 2011 by John Cronin
An award-winning architects company has announced plans to attempt to create a carbon neutral office.
Architectural practice Stride Treglown, which was last month named “Wales Architectural Practice of the Year” by Insider Magazine, has announced that it plans to spend an additional £65,000 installing 1,240 sq ft of photovoltaics on the roof and south facade of their new Cardiff office (pictured).
Stride Treglown occupy the energy-efficient Treglown Court offices located on a former industrial service yard. The futuristic office block is next to the NSPCC office building that they also designed. The BREEAM rated ‘Outstanding’ building achieved the highest UK rating at design stage of just under 90%. Once the new photovoltaics are installed the company believes the building will be the first privately-funded, carbon neutral office scheme in the UK.
Treglown Court is a 2-storey office building offering 5,400 sq ft of floor space. The building was constructed by Rowan Properties Partnership and was officially opened in January by Jane Davidson, the then Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing.
The NSPCC occupy the larger 15,000 sq ft headquarters style office. Both buildings are located on a brownfield site now known as Tolven Court, which is part of the larger Ocean Way development. Additional offices offering floor space from 9,000 sq ft to 43,500 sq ft are available (pdf link) on a design and build or pre-let basis.
Stride Treglown has worked on several landmark office schemes across the UK including Bristol office schemes One Glass Wharf and The Paragon and the 45,000 sq ft St James’s Place development in Cirencester.
Posted in South Glamorgan |
Tagged Awards, Business Parks |
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Posted on July 7, 2011 by Nell Frizzell
This week’s task, like the Piccadilly line and David Jason, begins in Enfield. In a wholesale warehouse. Imagine the drug dealing scene from the Bourne Ultimatum, but with fewer members of the Yakuza and more bulk-bought sponges. The Bourne Scrotum, if you will.
“There’s profit to be squeezed from every product,” says the voiceover-man. Good luck squeezing those chandeliers.
“This place brings back memories for me,” yaps Lord Sugardengnome, as his disciples sit around on cardboard boxes, like a particularly sombrely-dressed collection of tramps. Memories? Really? Did Lord Alanstrad spend his childhood skipping about on baggage cranes and feasting on duvet sets?
“I expect you to smell which one is the best-seller,” says the Monster Munch-headed manager. “Smell what sells,” is right up there with “Touching base” and “get the juices flowing,” isn’t it?
Susan is moved over to Venture, while Helen is thrust in to the mad twatters tea party that is Logic. Both teams are given £250 of wholesale goods, thrown in to a battalion of Addison Lee chariots and launched upon the wallets of the capital.
In Covent Garden, Greyhound Jim is selling nodding dogs to tourists like a Ryan Air stewardess selling life jackets. A nodding dog for £7.50? Ooooh yes.
Over in West London, meanwhile, Susan is trying to sell sponges and phone chargers door-to-door. Now, call me a snob, but I wouldn’t buy my own mother off a stranger standing on my doorstep. I doubt I’d even bother coming down to slam the door on them in person. Which is probably why door-stepping has worked precisely never in the history of The Apprentice.
Team Logic, on the other hand, have struck upon the platinum-plated idea of selling their wares to pound shops. But these aren’t just any old pound shops. These are pound shops situated opposite a graveyard full of glue-sniffing, knife-sharpening Hackney dossers. They are trying to sell £50 watches to a man whose stock consists of multi-pack lighters, Rizla and paper plates. Forget bringing a gun to a knife fight; she’s brought an Aston Martin to a cake sale.
Tom, meanwhile, has been sent to the Southbank by Melody. “Sales are not what I’m best at,” admits the chinless wonder. What are you best at Tom? Apart from having a head the shape of a speech bubble? Oh, being out-haggled by six-year-olds. I see.
After a sleepless night (spent, presumably, staring at Black Swan Helen in the mirror) our business ballerina attempts to overthrow strimmer-voiced Melody. “I feel like I could give a better overview while you’re shifting stock.” Ouch.
Jim is selling umbrellas and dogs at Shepherd’s Bush market. Imagine Rodney Trotter, but with the cold, dead eyes of a killer. Surrounded by nodding dogs. “Come to Papa,” burrs Jim as ovaries across the nation spontaneously leap out of fallopian tubes in horror.
In Portobello Road, Susan is selling “pearl necklaces”. Sadly, Susan’s teeth are so white they they’re making the pearls look like strings of rabbit droppings.
“I’m being very directive” says Natasha, who’s wearing a jaunty hat. Now, I have a first class English degree and I have no idea what “I’m being very directive” means. “I think I’ve put a couple of people’s noses out of joint today.” With her level of testosterone I imagine Natasha has spent the morning knocking a couple of teeth in too, just for good measure.
And so, Helen goes on a jolly four hour round trip to not sell some duvet covers, Jim channels a thyroidic Gene Kelly by running around town with 23 unsold umbrellas and Natasha refuses to purchase any stock.
“Smelling what’s selling. That’s the point of this task,” honks Lord Sugaga. Smell what sells. That’s what my granddad always told me. Mind you, he was a vet.
So, Sugargoyle is understandably upset when it emerges that Venture didn’t smell what was selling. They didn’t smell anything. They basically filled their noses with the Vicks inhaler of commercial reticence and reinvested in a shedload of fuck all. “I purposefully put my neck on the line for this task” says Natasha. I can’t wait for her to say that she personally put her balls in a vice.
However, despite the £100 fine Venture receive for ignoring the rules of the task, they still managed to make £23 more profit than Logic. So, they invested nothing and made more money? Surely this proves that Lord Alanstrad’s business model is about as profitable as a grow-your-own-soil factory?
The winners are sent home without any supper, while the losers are sent to the Café de Despair, where Erik Satie is always on the jukebox, the coffee cups are modelled on toilet bowls and ketchup is delivered through a squeezy nipple.
Helen is getting extremely upset and anxious about losing. Lady needs an emergency biscuit, and fast.
Back in the boardroom Melody busts out some of the best corporate speak since Stuart Baggyballs Baggs. “They say the best things in life are free. But I believe the best things in life are earned,” says Melody, who presumably pays her family for affection and throws tenners in to the air every time she fancies some oxygen.
“You’re right up my alley,” S’r’Alanstrad tells Tom. If Lord Sugar told me I was right up his alley, I’d go hide in a Biffa bin. Indefinitely.
So, who’s for the chop? Is it duvet-dithering Helen? Nodding Tom? Of course not. It’s Melody who – according by her defence speech – has been running the UN since she was 13.
Well, at least the Dalai Lama will be pleased to have his assistant and inspiration back by his side.
Posted in Misc |
Tagged Apprentice Blog |
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Posted on July 6, 2011 by John Cronin
Additional floor space at a prominent offices scheme in Birmingham has now been released to market.
Hines Global REIT and Moorfield Group have announced that a second phase of refurbished office space, amounting to 20,000 sq ft is now available to let at their Four Brindleyplace building in the city centre.
Brindleyplace (website) is a mixed-use development offering a total of 1.2m sq ft of Grade A office accommodation along with restaurants, hotels and retail units. In 2000, the 114,000 sq ft building Four received the ‘Best UK Office Building’ award from the British Council For Offices.
Current occupiers at Four Brindleyplace include Deloitte, Mercer and Michael Page. The second release of refurbished office space is available on the 4th floor and offers flexible, open plan floor space that can be subdivided. Rental prices have not been disclosed.
Brindleyplace offers prime central Birmingham offices within several mixed-use buildings. Hines & Moorfield acquired 8 of the buildings in the development in July, 2010 for approximately £190m in the biggest ever offices deal seen in Birmingham.
Hines & Moorfield released the first office suite to market after the acquisition in February. A self-contained office suite of 4,300 sq ft at building Nine was the first vacant floor space made available since the completion of the building in 1999.
Igor Mathias of Hines, commenting on the available suite at building Four said: “This latest office opportunity provides potential occupiers with the opportunity to relocate their business to an exceptional property located within the award-winning Brindleyplace estate.”
Joint marketing agents are GVA and Colliers.
Posted in West Midlands |
Tagged Brindleyplace, Renovations, Serviced Offices |
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Posted on July 4, 2011 by John Cronin
A refurbishment scheme that has transformed an old office block in Manchester has been shortlisted for a national construction award.
The £27m refurbishment scheme by Ocon Construction of Piccadilly Gate (pictured – source) in Manchester, formerly known as Rail House, is shortlisted as ‘Project of the Year’ by Construction News magazine. The awards are being held next week.
The 10-storey, 1960’s office block had been taken back to just the external concrete walls before being completely renovated. The building is being described as a pilot “office hotel” scheme which the former Office of Government Commerce describes as being (pdf link): “short-term space to work for short periods of days or weeks”.
It is suggested that Piccadilly Gate features: “in-built future proofed flexibility and quality workspace whilst avoiding unnecessary opulence”. The offices are now occupied by several Government offices including The Highways Agency and the Training and Development Agency for Schools.
The revamped offices have achieved an impressive BREAAM rating of ‘Excellent’ and the refurbished building is amongst the top 10% of Government buildings for energy efficiency.
The former Rail House office block, located next to the Piccadilly railway station, was considered by many as being a city centre eyesore. The facade of the 125,000 sq ft building has been completely changed by the installation of a new cladding system. It is believed that the building has the longest escalator in Manchester, leading directly to the railway station concourse.
The project, completed in March, is one of 8 shortlisted in the ‘Project of the Year £10-£50 million’ category. The Construction News Awards take place on July 12.
Posted in Manchester |
Tagged Public Sector, Renovations |
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Posted on July 1, 2011 by John Cronin
A commercial property developer has launched a large, speculative office development in the centre of Cardiff.
Wales-based developer JR Smart has announced that it is to start the speculative development of Number One Capital Quarter (artists impression pictured) in the centre of Cardiff.
The development consists of an 8-storey office block offering around 73,000 sq ft of Grade A office accommodation. Construction work is scheduled to start within the next few weeks.
The office block will be the latest addition to an area within Cardiff known as the Capital Quarter. The 700,000 sq ft development is a mixed-use scheme including retail units, a hotel, student accommodation and office space. JR Smart has recently completed the Driscoll Buildings, a 36,000 sq ft, 2-block speculative office scheme. The offices are available on either a whole-building basis or on a multi-let basis with suites starting at just over 4,000 sq ft.
JR Smart is pressing ahead with the speculative development as it believes that there is sufficient demand for quality office space within the city centre. Commenting on the development, company chairman John Smart says: “As market conditions improve there will be increased demand for quality [Cardiff office space] which is both competitive in rental terms and in the best location possible.” He adds: “There is virtually no available new office space within walking distance of the capital’s main railway station and retail heartland”.
Headline rental prices for Number One Capital Quarter are expected to be around the £15.75 / sq ft charged for the Driscoll Buildings. All the office buildings have BREEAM ratings of ‘Very Good’.
Joint marketing agents are Knight Frank and Fletcher Morgan.
Posted in South Glamorgan |
Tagged Rental Prices, Speculative Developments |
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Posted on June 30, 2011 by Nell Frizzell
It is Sunday, the day of rest. Which means that Natasha has slapped on a pair of fingerless leather gloves and is running like a pig in an abattoir. Well, nothing makes me relax like a bit of squeaky-handed physical punishment, dressed as the lovechild of Fagin and Freddie Mercury.
But who’s this at the door? Who’s finger could that possibly be, turning the bell in to a pile of unemployment dust with just the tap of a tip? Why, it’s Lord Crystalline-Carbohydrates of course.
“I want you to create a new brand of biscuit,” announces the Greydi Master. Biscuits? Is next week shoe repairs? “I want you to create a whole new load of cobblers.” Apparently, the biscuit market is already “very crowded.” Maybe they should invest in a little international E-coli? That certainly seems to have cleared out the sprout market?
Over at Team Venture, cheek-boned wunderkind Helen is elected team leader on the basis that she used to sell “bakery products.” Wow. They sound delicious. So much more appetising than, say, “cakes” or “biscuits.” I wonder if a “bakery product” is a bit like a “foodstuff”. They’ve always sounded exceptionally tasty too.
“I like the idea of a kid’s biscuit, that you can give them after school,” suggest Helen, who looks like she hasn’t so much as sniffed a biscuit since Wet Wet Wet were at number one. And what shall we call these little sugared nuggets of additives? Fatty Fatty Bang Bang would be my suggestion. Jim, however, likes the name Munch Men, who I’m pretty sure are a male-only stripping troupe from Hull, but what the hell.
Over at Logic, Susie is smacked down like a “yapping puppy” by the human angle-grinder Zoe, in the competition to become team leader. Well, who wants a biscuit made by an aromatherapist? It’ll only be 0.0001% distillation of a biscuit, anyway. Or a biscuit tincture you can burn in an oil lamp.
“The first suggestion is Emer-crunchy,” suggests Chinless Tom. “It’s a biscuit for emergencies”. Brilliant! Maybe the Emer-crunchy could come wrapped in a huge silver foil blanket. You could eat them at major traffic incidents or during a nuclear winter.
Once they get to the factory, Tom and Melody start making biscuits with all the skill and precision of a club-fingered school child. Melody appears to be rolling her biscuits in to little turds, garnished with broken cornflakes and maggot-like marshmallows. “Biscuits are the new popcorn,” she proclaims, palming her flake nuggets against a board. I just called my local Odeon to check and it’s completely true. They are now selling big buckets of sweet and salted biscuits out of a glowing box with a huge cornflake-encrusted trowel.
Once the biscuits have been baked, some negligent maniac lets Jim focus group on a bunch of children. You give a man like Jim access to all those unprotected brains and they’ll melt in to little child-sized portions of Pedigree Chum. “If you got a star biscuit, would you feel that’s a good thing to have?” he asks. Star biscuits. How about Disco Biscuits? Forget children – you could sell them to hard-up media students looking for a cheap night out.
“Truth be told, I like Helen’s personality,” says Jim. “Probably because she’s passive.” Good, well, that’ll certainly quash those psychopath rumours.
Meanwhile, Swansea locals get to try Melody and Tom’s biscuits. The W.I. like the 2-in-1 concept. The perverts. So, it’s a go ahead for BisMix – the only biscuit that sounds like a brand of concrete.
And so, to the biscuit branding, which apparently happens in Windsor. Ah yes, Windsor, that international hub of design and marketing. “Our Special Stars take away the restriction of time,” explains Natasha. “We open up time.” I once ate a biscuit that opened up time. In Amsterdam.
Day two: time for the pitch. Oh sweet lord of mercy, Tom and Melody are doing a couples role play in a Sainsbury’s conference room. Please for the love of God, somebody make it stop. Biscuit-based role play: officially about as good an idea as tax form-based cake sex.
During Venture’s pitch the delegates from Waitrose point out that biscuits are pretty sugary. Who wouldathunkit, eh? To be honest, they’re probably just a bit confused as to why a synchronised swimmer is trying to sell them a star-shaped turd on a hobnob.
So, pitches are done, cookies are crumbled and it’s time to head back to the boardroom.
Unsurprisingly, Melody turns on Zoe. Zoe then defends herself with all the sonorous quality of a dalek-oboe hybrid. Somehow, despite the pioneering use of biscuit porn fantasy sketches, BisMix didn’t manage to get a single order from any of the three retailers.
And what of Venture? Well, like the woman for whom Troy fell, Helen managed to pull one out of the bag yet again with an order for 800,00 units. That’s one packet of biscuits for every person arrested for marijuana possession in the US every year. Hey, I bet some of those guys would like to remove the restrictions of time with a biscuit too.
So, it’s off to a country hotel for the winners and back to the Bridge Café for the losers. The Bridge Café is presumably named after the nearby bridge over the River Styx, leading directly in to the underworld. Sadly, none of the Bridge Café waitresses offer the Logicians a lovely BixMix to go with their polystyrene cups of coffee. Shame.
Once back in the boardroom of doom, Logic falls apart like a rich tea in a tumble drier. In a hopeless attempt to salvage her disastrous semi-biscuit, Zoe explains that the snap and share selling point was used to appeal to women. Oh yes, snap and share: that’ll appeal to women, the catty shameless bitches.
Attention is then turned on Tom for not recognising a luxury biscuit when he’s not told about one. “That’s not my problem. You don’t know the price of biscuits,” spits Zoe, halfway through a ferocious double-chin sulk. You don’t know the price of biscuits: The very words that ushered in my parents’ divorce.
So, who is for the chop? Is it spam-faced Tom? Mardy Melody? Alas not; Lord Sugarse decides to fire buzzsaw Zoe. Fired for failing to turn up at the factory, eh? It’s good that she’s starting early.
Posted in Misc |
Tagged Apprentice Blog |
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Posted on June 29, 2011 by John Cronin
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has called in the proposals for the redevelopment of the Saatchi & Saatchi offices in London.
Plans for a multi-million pound, mixed-use redevelopment (pictured) of the Saatchi headquarter offices in Fitzrovia, London were rejected by Camden Council last month.
The plans were rejected as the proposed scheme was considered to be an “over-development” and lacked both affordable residential accommodation and public space provision.
Developers Derwent London are proposing a £100m speculative development consisting of around 320,000 sq ft of prime, Grade A office space. Derwent, who own the 80 Charlotte Street site, want to replace the current Saatchi office building with a 30% larger office block.
Since 2008 the office of the Mayor of London has had powers to determine planning applications itself. A statement from the Mayor’s office quotes Mr Johnson as saying: “Redeveloping this prime location will contribute to the competitiveness of London’s wider economy bringing with it new jobs and business. This proposal clearly meets the test of a planning application of major significance to London and I therefore believe it is right that I scrutinise it in greater detail.”
The proposed scheme is not the only development that Derwent has undertaken in the area. Only last week Derwent announced the letting of one of the two connected office blocks scheme known as the Fitzroy+Maple building (website). Private equity firm Keyhaven Capital Partners Limited has taken the entire 11,500 sq ft Maple building on a 10-year lease, agreeing to a rental price of £41 / sq ft.
A date for a final decision on the Saatchi redevelopment plans has not been disclosed.
Posted in London |
Tagged Planning, Rental Prices, Speculative Developments |
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Posted on June 27, 2011 by John Cronin
Agents Savills have received instructions to market the iconic Express Building office scheme in Manchester city centre.
The striking Express Building (pictured – source) in Great Ancoats Street, Manchester was the former northern headquarters of the Daily Express newspaper and has more recently been used as offices for the troubled publisher Sport Media Group.
The Grade 2 Listed, black glass, Art Deco building, nicknamed the “Black Lubianka” once housed printing presses but is now a mixed-use development of offices and apartments.
The property was purchased in 2006 for £20m by Washington DC-based A&A Investments. It offers 75,599 sq ft of office accommodation over 7 floors. The interior has recently undergone a refurbishment programme.
Suites within the Express Building are being marketed as part of a scheme known as Express Networks (pdf link). Consisting of 4 adjacent office blocks, including 2 new-build blocks, office suites starting at 250 sq ft are available. Suites within the Express Building are marketed as Express One. Express Two offers 25,500 sq ft of floor space in a separate mixed-use building and Express Three offers 25,000 sq ft within the 2 new-build blocks.
James Evans, director at Savills, comments: “Express Building is a landmark building that occupies a prime position within Manchester’s renowned Northern Quarter. This, combined with the newly refurbished offices that offer high quality, modern and flexible space, makes it a very appealing opportunity for prospective tenants.”
Headline rental prices at the Express Building start at £13.75 / sq ft. Savills are now joint agents with Manchester based Edwards & Co.
Posted in Manchester |
Tagged Listed Buildings, Renovations, Rental Prices |
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Posted on June 24, 2011 by John Cronin
Plans have been submitted to convert a well-known Blackpool pub in to office accommodation.
The Oxford Hotel (pictured), in Oxford Square, Marton, Blackpool has been recently sold at auction for £120,000 and the new owners plan to convert the building in to offices. The premises have been vacant for several years.
Despite the wishes of the local pub landlords association, there is a presumption that councillors will approve the planning application. Dave Daly, chairman of the landlords’ group Licensees Unite, said: “It is a shame for the local community as even with Marton Institute across the road, there aren’t many pubs in the area. And it’s a great shame if the council can’t say no to the change of use”.
The new owners of The Oxford are Arena Digital who specialise in commercial audio and video productions. The company plan to extend the building by means of adding a first-floor extension, creating a new entrance and demolishing a storage building to create a car park. Arena Digital are to relocate around 25 staff from existing premises on the nearby Marton Industrial Estate.
Arena Digital plan to occupy approximately 6,000 ft of the office floor space leaving 2,400 sq ft available for sub-letting. The company has plans to offer serviced office facilities for local, small and start-up businesses. It is suggested that the serviced offices could accommodate up to 20 people who would use a central reception area and shared facilities. Indicative rental prices have not yet been disclosed.
A decision on the planning application is expected in early August.
Posted in Lancashire |
Tagged Planning, Renovations, Serviced Offices |
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