HBD to develop 100,000 sq ft Island speculatively
Construction & Build
The developer and its joint venture partner the Greater Manchester Pension Fund will not wait for a pre-let before starting to build the £66m city centre office, appointing Bowmer + Kirkland to get to work this month.
“This is a real statement of intent,” said Adam Brady, executive director at HBD.
“The decision to speculatively develop Island reflects our confidence not only in Manchester but for the future of workspace. The time is right to bring forward a development where people can come together in a healthy, progressive, and sustainable way.”
HBD won planning approval for the 100,000 sq ft John Dalton Street scheme last year and Brady said that considerations around ESG are “high on the agenda”.
“We have worked hard to embed the latest industry thinking into the building’s design and technology. Our buildings are designed around people from the ground up and we believe Island will attract progressive organisations, those that are adopting a more fluid way of working in order to attract and retain the best talent.”
Cllr Brenda Warrington, chair of GMPF said: “The start of work on site at Island is a major landmark for the development and the Manchester city centre office market.
“As the next generation of office accommodation reflecting new ways of flexible working, our ambition is to achieve zero carbon and provide the highest levels of accessibility required by future occupiers. Funding from GMPF to projects such as this meets our twin aims of achieving a good return for our member’s pensions, while also delivering a positive economic and social regeneration impact on the city.”
Avison Young is advising GMPF and is also the planning consultant for the project, which was designed by Cartwright Pickard. Joint letting agents for the scheme are OBI and Avison Young.
Bowmer + Kirkland is scheduled to begin work this month, with practical completion due in summer 2024.
The appointment of the Belper-based contractor is the latest in a string of large Manchester job wins for the company.
The construction firm is also building Gary Neville’s long-awaited St Michael’s mixed-use scheme, while B+K has been chosen as the preferred contractor for the first 288,000 sq ft of offices at THG’s Airport City campus.
Written by Dan Whelan - North West Place.