Case Studies
Customer: Hackney Borough Council Value: £97.5m Duration: ongoing
Scope of Works:
Two projects being delivered simultaneously for the City of London Academy Shoreditch Park: a brand new Leisure Centre and a secondary school and sixth form.
Set over four storeys, the stacked leisure centre features swimming facilities, fitness suites, indoor sports halls and outdoor rooftop tennis courts.
The academy consists of 4 and 5 storey construction with a basement under half the building. The building includes 2 large full height atrium areas, a rooftop playground including an artificial grass MUGA pitch and a 615m2 triple storey height sports hall.
Delivered a brand-new leisure centre and secondary school to Hackney Borough Council, and worked with the council to deliver five key objectives focusing on the social value and wellbeing the new additions brought to the community.
We wanted to create more than a ‘just a new leisure centre’. We wanted to empower our team to create a legacy that was completely aligned to the council’s five unique objectives.
Here’s how we responded to the challenge.
Objective: Maximise opportunities for disadvantaged groups and improve employability skills in the borough.
To support Shoreditch Trust in their fight against inequality across the borough, the team sponsored and attended the Elders Fest. This is a special, festive event created for 40 people from the community with different physical and mental disabilities, who would normally be socially isolated.
The team learnt a lot from the residents during this time, and helped us view our work in the community differently. A few attendees even helped our the team to learn a few new dance moves!
Thanks for a lovely evening yesterday. I was most touched by the care and attention that staff and volunteers gave every person present particularly to those, like myself, who were on their own. It was much appreciated to be made to feel so welcome.
Objective: Enrich the school curriculum
The team reached out to students and pupils of the local area to understand what they actually wanted out of their education experience. There were over 1,000 engagements accounted for throughout their time on the project. Armed with this insight and knowledge, the team ensured careers fairs were as important as our on-site deliveries, and we worked closely with the school and colleges in the area to ensure online events continued throughout lockdown. The team also helped to arrange work experience interviews for candidates for Hackney Works
I wanted to say a huge thank you for attending our Discover Apprenticeships Event this week! It was such a great atmosphere and student feedback has been amazing!
Objective: Partner with employment and training providers
The team worked with Women in Construction to support 60 women as part of a wider employability programme. This included speed interviews and seminars. They also worked with Women at the Well, a charity that helps women whose lives are affected by prostitution.
It not only boosted personal hope to forge a career in the industry and enthusiasm for the varied roles available but also expressed so much gratitude for the million pieces of advice and insight knowledge that was provided to each mentee.”
Objective: Seek innovative solutions to ensure environmental sustainability
One of the team’s most innovative projects was to utilise London’s Cycle Superhighway’s cargo bikes to make deliveries to the site, as they had a hub located next to it.
There were on average three bike deliveries per week and TfL captured this as best practice, recognising that the team were the first contractor in London to make use of this approach.
These little changes led to big savings, as the team found that not only did their carbon output for van deliveries go from 17.1 kg to 0kg, but they increased productivity as cargo deliveries could be made to the site in half the time they would take in a van.
Objective: Work with the community to define and coordinate activities
The commitment to making positive change was driven even further, when in March 2020 the UK entered its first lockdown.
The team persisted with their plan and adapted their residents’ meetings and careers fairs to be online - and quickly. This meant they could still continue and exceed their social value objectives during what was a difficult time for the community.
The final result - £78.1 million created in social value, 79% of the project value (£98.7million)
While reminding ourselves that the stats are impressive, as are the systems such as the Social Value Portal and Local Multiplier 3, what really matters are the individual people that the project has continued to have a positive impact on. That’s what has been the most rewarding for the team.
Customer: Liverpool City Council Value: £35m Duration: 103 weeks
Part of £1bn development known as Paddington Village, The Spine is located in the Knowledge Quarter of Liverpool and is the new Northern Home for the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). The team delivered the shell & core of the 14-storey, 160,000 sq ft commercial building and provided CAT B fit out to level 6.
The RCP occupy the top 7 floors which have been designed specifically to their requirements. This includes facilities for high quality research, medical training, examination and conferencing with open plan office space and meeting rooms. The remaining floors provide flexible workspaces for like-minded industries.
Representing Liverpool’s first Grade A office space offer in a decade, which also creates a new northern headquarters for the Royal College of Physicians, we developed a 1.8m sqft space of architectural innovation and design excellence.
The landmark building needed to create an environment that promotes a healthy and happy workforce, while also playing home to some of the world’s largest players in the science, technology, education and healthcare sectors.
This involved working to the WELL Standard which consists of seven concepts - air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind.
At every stage of the project, we had to work towards the scientific and medical research principles established in the international WELL Standard. For Platinum status, a building requires at minimum 80 of the proposed features.
Not set with meeting the minimum requirement for WELL Platinum status, we installed 101 out of a possible 110 features to create the first WELL Platinum scheme in the UK - 87 of which were within the shell and core of the building.
The design of the building itself was based on the narrative of the human body and its abstract representation through architecture and biophilia.
Taking influence from the human skin, the façade has a striking Voronoi pattern that includes 23 million individual polygons applied to the building’s glazing. This mathematical pattern is found in biology, medicine and epidemiology and assists in the building’s solar control.
Natural light that enters through the biophilic design inspired façade generates unique shadow patterns on the inside of the building - helping to create an ever-changing environment that promotes productivity and stimulates the mind.
Between the building’s floors with helical stairs, there are a rich mix of plants and trees to reduce both carbon dioxide and toxin levels - while also producing oxygen, promoting salutogenic properties and adding to the overall appearance.
Instead of an atrium, The Spine’s series of double height spaces are known as vertical villages which are made to represent lungs.
Natural materials, textures and finishes are used wherever possible and all furniture is responsibly sourced to ensure the air quality is kept to a high standard and in keeping with the WELL Standard principles.
It’s fantastic to see first-hand just how inspiring this biophilic workplace is. From the distinctive Voronoi panels to the striking geometric staircase; the trabecular columns to the abundant internal space - the innovation throughout has reflected the ambitious and pioneering nature of this new northern home for the RCP. We’re delighted with the results and look forward to seeing the impact the positive and healthy workspace has on its occupants.
