BUILDING WORK BEGINS ON £10.4M STUDENT SCHEME IN BIRMINGHAM
GB Building Solutions has started work on a scheme to re-develop land at the former Bristol Road Ambulance Station in Selly Oak, Birmingham into a futuristic £10.4m student accommodation scheme, close to the city's main university campus.
GB and Buile Developments Ltd have worked together from the earliest stage in the development process to deliver a smart solution that enhances and improves the quality and performance of the finished product at an affordable cost. The project team also includes Manchester-based JM Architects and structural engineers Patrick Parsons.
GB Building Solutions' contract includes the demolition of a number of 1960's style warehouse buildings and erection of a four-storey northern block and adjoining five-storey southern block, comprising 259 studio apartment-style rooms, with associated landscaping and access roads, and designated cycle spaces. Work is due for completion July 2015.
Buile Developments director Andrew Whatson said: "Early engagement with the team at GB meant our design team could work together to ensure best value was achieved prior to submitting our planning application. They have delivered on their pre-planning cost advice and we are confident the build process will also meet our high expectations; a significant achievement and one that leads me to recommend that all developers consider the early engagement of contractors."
On this scheme, GB Building Solutions' use of piled foundations and a lightweight steel frame offers significant benefits in terms of construction time scale and cost, as well as environmental performance.
GB Group's student accommodation sector specialist, Dan Spencer explains: "Buile's scheme is a perfect example of how our ‘should cost' approach works in practice. Early engagement means we can make sure the scheme is delivered using our system build solution in close collaboration with developers' design teams and our supply chain to deliver enhanced and affordable projects."
The new Selly Oak accommodation will provide 259 studios aimed particularly at postgraduate students who prefer a greater level of independence. Each studio will have its own en-suite facility and a small bespoke kitchenette housing a refrigerator, microwave and cooking facilities. A total of five disabled rooms will be provided. Additional accommodation will include a management suite, plant rooms and refuse stores. There will be 60 cycle parking spaces provided in the secure landscaped gardens, which will also feature communal courtyards.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
The GB Group is a privately owned, award winning and innovative complete property and construction solutions provider operating in a number of key industry sectors: care, student accommodation, residential (private and social), hotels and leisure, education and commercial. Property and construction solutions include site finding and development funding, full design, management and construction of new and refurbished facilities, improving operational efficiencies, through to aftercare and asset management. The 300-strong team is based in five regional offices: Surrey (Sunbury HQ); Tyne and Wear (Newcastle); Warwickshire (Rugby); West Yorkshire (Wakefield); and Cheshire (Stockport). Its specialist divisions include GB Development Solutions, GB Building Solutions, GB Care Solutions, GB Energy Solutions, Discovery Business Solutions, and GB Asset Management Solutions. For more information visit www.gbgroup.co.uk.
GB Development Solutions is the property development and investment business with an experienced and dedicated team focused on identifying appropriate sites in England and Wales across a number of sectors. The team brings a combination of strategic skills, specialist sector knowledge and key relationships enabling it to successfully secure the necessary consents, arrange innovative funding solutions and manage the delivery of a project. Prime assets include a £32m exclusive hotel development at the heart of Leeds city centre, the closest to the North's newly opened flagship entertainment venue Leeds Arena.
Media contact: Helen Kitchen, Ledgard Jepson 07870 213974