Case studies for design and build offices

When an occupier wants to relocate from an old property that has become aged and impractical – no longer reflecting current working practices and occupier demands – they are often in search of larger floorplates, better transport links and improved recruitment catchments. In today’s marketplace, in out-of-town areas such as Solihull, there is so little speculative development. This means that the only way to have a property that suits is to build it bespoke as design and build offices. This approach gives the occupier a building that caters for their choices, rather than a developer’s speculative specification.

Working with clients of ours that specialise in design and build projects, we can help identify the ideal development location, and provide properties on time and on budget, that are state-of-the-art – representing the most up-to-date requirements of the office occupier.

Severn Trent Centre

Location: Coventry

Client: Severn Trent plc

Size: 200,000 sq ft

Developer: Stoford Developments

For the Severn Trent Centre development, we were responsible for introducing the occupier, Severn Trent, to our client, property developer, Stoford Developments. Its new HQ, a £60 million flagship property, was built to have one of the lowest carbon footprints in the UK and house some 1,700 of Severn Trent’s staff.

At the time of our involvement, the requirement was in the marketplace but there was no existing office building in Coventry to satisfy their need to relocate from Coventry Road, Sheldon. We recognised their need for a solution of design and build offices, as their best option, and subsequently introduced them to our client, Stoford Developments. From there things moved quickly, with Stoford sourcing a site, meeting with their new client, Severn Trent, and taking a design brief.

The property, located in Coventry city centre, is shown to so many people, even now – for its BREEAM Excellent rating. When construction was completed, the offices were ahead of their time, with the specification delivering a higher efficiency level than developers were tending to build to. This aligned with Severn Trent’s drive for efficiency and eco-friendliness. At 200,000 sq ft, the property represented one of the largest ever transactions in the Coventry area.

Client feedback:

Stoford Development Director, David Brown, said: “Severn Trent Centre represented one of Stoford’s biggest achievements. It’s an exemplary, flagship office building. When KWB made us aware of Severn Trent’s requirement and put us in touch with them, it was at exactly the right time. Working with Severn Trent allowed us to create a landmark, BREEAM Excellent office property. The project fulfilled our aspirations as a developer to deliver innovative, industry-leading developments, and the results surpassed the client’s initial expectations for their new offices.”

Tsys House

Location: Coventry

Client: Tsys Managed Services

Size: 31,000 sq ft

Developer: Pettifer Estates

The critical factor in Tsys’s decision to locate to Coventry was their need to have a new bespoke call centre fully operational less than 12 months after being awarded a major contract. We were integral to what is now regarded as one of the fastest ever property transactions ever recorded in the city, with the resulting £8 million design and build offices specificied and designed to their particular requirements, approved and documented in a matter of weeks.

Swallowfield

Location: Junction 2 M5 Oldbury

Client: Centrica

Size: 110,000 sq ft

Developer: Stoford Developments

Working together with Stoford Developments, we were able to provide Centrica with the ideal design and build offices for amalgamating its group call centres under one roof into a new state-of-the-art call centre. Located at J2 of the M5 in Oldbury, a relatively short travelling distance of the existing centres, Swallowfield made it possible for the company’s trained staff to move easily to a much more pleasant working environment.

Topaz

Location: Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove

Client: Mercian Surgical Supply; Barnett Waddingham

Size: 45,000 sq ft

Developer: Maximus and Aequusland

KWB’s marketing of this contemporary business park in Bromsgrove resulted in over one-third of the development being acquired as a pre-let and pre-sale prior to completion – an achievement which was unprecedented in the economic climate at the time. Situated at Junction 1 of the M42, Topaz offers high quality office accommodation in a central location, acting as a draw to both regional and national businesses.