ARUP INVESTS IN NEW BRISTOL OFFICE SPACE AT EQ

Global engineering and consultancy firm, Arup, is taking the entire 27,377 sq ft second floor of CEG’s EQ development at 111 Victoria Street, Bristol on a ten-year lease.

The development is Bristol's first new build office to commit to deliver Net Zero Carbon in Operation in accordance with the UK Green Building Council’s framework approach, says CEG (formerly Commercial Estates Management).

Austin Smith, Arup’s Bristol Office Leader, said: “Our decision to move to EQ underlines our commitment to Bristol city centre, which has been our home in the South West for more than 45 years. EQ’s balance of public, private, and shared spaces, along with the capacity to bring all our people together on a single floor, complements our creative, collaborative, and flexible approach to our work.

EQ is a 200,000 sq ft office development being built in Bristol. When construction began a year ago, it was the largest speculative development underway in the south of England. Completion is anticipated in the first quarter of next year.

At the heart of EQ, the developers are building an auditorium to help bring people together, along with a rooftop lounge offering a 3,864 sq ft working environment for tenants during the day. In the evening this space will transform into a restaurant and bar.

Former Coventry pub now a 5G digital space

A £1.1 million project to convert a former pub in Coventry city centre into a 5G digital space for the Belgrade Theatre will o cially open this month.

Regeneration specialist Complex Development Projects secured planning permission in spring last year to convert the premises of the un-used Jaguar Pub on Corporation Street into an immersive digital space for

Wates Construction relocates South West HQ to Newbury

Wates Construction has relocated to Newbury from its old site at Basingstoke.

The new office is the first Wates has opened since the start of the pandemic and has been designed to accommodate post pandemic working, after it became one of the first construction companies to support flexible working across its entire business last year. The building features several breakout spaces for wellbeing, including a golf putting green.

Its innovative biophilic design – a concept aimed at increasing occupant connectivity to the natural environment by using natural conditions such as green and open spaces – is similar to the concept launched at Wates’ headquarters in Leatherhead last year. The design supports employee mental health and creates a dynamic space where people will want to return to offices. In line with Wates’ target to achieve zero waste and carbon by 2025, all furniture from the old office has been recycled using Recycled Office Solutions.

The relocation will support Wates in the delivery of major projects in the South West, including Project Brunel, an office building in Bristol’s rapidly growing Temple Quarter, as well as a new data hall at Ajax Avenue in Slough, and the redevelopment of several schools in the Thames Valley area for the Department for Education.

the nearby Belgrade Theatre with two apartments for visiting performers.

The legacy project from Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture involves creating a shared working space where visitors can borrow or plug-in their own computers to access Wi-Fi to develop their own streaming content.

The project is a partnership with

Coventry City Council which has provided funding through the Cultural Capital Investment Fund as part of UK City of Culture. It has been delivered by CDP for the Belgrade Theatre on a pro bono basis to support the theatre. CDP acquired the long leasehold property in 2017 and have funded and delivered the conversion whilst the grant funding has been put in place.