GMI Construction Group has reached practical completion of a record-breaking 133,117 sq. ft office building at Thorpe Park Leeds.
Developed by leading property regeneration and placemaking specialist, Scarborough Group International (SGI), B3 extends over seven floors with two levels of underground podium parking and amenity below.
B3, the latest state-of-the-art workspace to be delivered at Thorpe Park Leeds, hit the headlines last year when SGI pre-let the entire building to leading 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.
Aside from its size, B3 is notable for its strong ESG credentials, having been delivered in line with the very latest human health and wellbeing standards, with an environmental performance rating of BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and an EPC ‘A’ rating.
The ‘fabric first’ design approach also features hidden elements in the construction process and the structure of the building itself that have helped significantly reduce its embodied carbon footprint.
Interventions include the use of 75 per cent post-consumer recycled aluminium in the building’s envelope, up to 50 per cent reduction in the use of concrete for pile foundations and building slabs, and 25 per cent of the British-made steel used in the structure is from recycled content.
These achievements are testament to the commitment by SGI and its partners to continue delivering best in class buildings for the next phase of development at Thorpe Park Leeds.
An event took place on site to commemorate the building’s practical completion and give thanks to the delivery team, which includes: principal contractor GMI Construction Group PLC, architect, CJCT; 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.”
Thorpe Park Leeds is a well-established business location, strategically located with its own dedicated access at Junction 46 of the M1. More than 900,000 sq. ft of office space is already built, and The Springs retail and leisure park sits at the core of the mixed-use business community with a line-up of major high street brands including Next, M&S, ODEON Luxe, Pure Gym, Boots, H&M and TK Maxx along with a growing range of smaller, independent, niche retail and leisure businesses.
Further development plans include the delivery of a 113-acre public park with sports and wellbeing facilities for the community of the Leeds City Region and beyond. The phase two development at Thorpe Park Leeds was enabled following a unique investment deal with Legal & General Capital in 2015.
Since then, a transformational 1.35 million sq. ft mixed-use expansion has progressed bringing exceptional new business opportunities to the Leeds City Region. It has also enabled the delivery of the first section of the ‘East Leeds Orbital Route’ (ELOR), a key piece of transport infrastructure connecting north and east Leeds to Junction 46 of the M1. This road also unlocks land for the future construction of over 7,000 new homes on the East Leeds area.
The award-winning development has also been chosen for a new railway station and associated Park and Ride, connecting directly to Leeds city centre in less than eight minutes. This forms part of a £270 million infrastructure investment into Leeds by the Department of Transport.
