In today’s news, we will look into the construction company Legendre UK has been appointed by W.RE to work on the Parsons Green office complex. In the meantime, geospatial innovation is making it possible to install wind turbines offshore. Also, has the Building Safety Act caused the building business in the United Kingdom to become more fragmented?
W.RE Hires Legendre UK for Parsons Green Office Projects
Original Source: W.RE appoints construction firm Legendre UK on Parsons Green office scheme
Construction firm Legendre UK has been appointed by developer W.RE and joint venture partner Taurus UK to lead the development of a new 46,000 sq ft high-quality office scheme at 14-16 Peterborough Road in London’s Parsons Green following a single-stage tender.
Designed by TateHindle architects, the proposed sustainable commercial office development will feature six floors of flexible office and amenity space, spanning from the basement to the fourth floor. The building will include accessible roof terraces on the third and fourth floors, with planting across levels two to four. Fitted out to CAT A specification, the new building will emphasise sustainability with a robust, independent energy strategy, including air source heat pumps, PV panels, and abundant natural light.
The site will be delivered in line with W.RE’s commitment to sustainability through design, ensuring that the building is built to last and equipped to meet future demands. These high sustainability criteria are aligned with the growing tenant demand for high-quality office spaces.
The project will involve the demolition of the existing office block on site, with the new development retaining the existing party walls and targeting BREEAM Excellent.
Situated in the heart of Parsons Green, the building offers South West London residents high-quality, well-connected office space, catering to the growing demand for workspaces within walking distance of home and local amenities. The site is in a prime location, with easy access to New King’s Road and Parsons Green, including green spaces, leisure and retail facilities, and transport links to Central London.
Legendre UK will act as the main contractor on the scheme and will also be a co-investor with works starting on site in August this year. Completion is scheduled for Q3 2026.
Andrew Haines, COO of W.RE, said: “This investment will transform a prominent site in Parsons Green, providing much-needed high-quality office space in a sought-after South West London location. Partnering with Legendre UK we will deliver a best-in-class, sustainable building that meets the growing demand for workspace outside of central London’s historic core.”
Nick Jacobs, Managing Director of Taurus UK, said: “We are really pleased to be committing our investment to great partners to create a relevant and much-needed development.”
Thomas Vandecasteele, Managing Director at Legendre UK, said: “This appointment builds on Legendre UK’s expertise in delivering complex commercial schemes across London, continuing to strengthen our co-investment strategy alongside key and trusted partners, which we started in 2021 on Dockley Road and continued in 2022 on Sheepcote Road. Acting as both contractor and co-investor demonstrates the added value that Legendre UK can bring.”
Tanguy Guerer, Head of Pre-Construction at Legendre UK, said: “We are delighted at the opportunity to work with W.RE, following a competitive single stage tender. Our proposed value engineering included in our tender were well received by W.RE, allowing us to maximise cost efficiency on the project whilst still ensuring a high-quality outcome.”
Innovative Geospatial Technology Enables Offshore Wind
Original Source: Geospatial innovation paves the way for offshore wind
With its “Whole of Seabed” approach, the Crown Estate plans seabed use in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. A world first, geospatial innovation simplifies complex and competing needs, improving planning decisions.
Seabeds and shorelines in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are managed by the Crown Estate. Through green energy, economic growth, and biodiversity and marine environment protection, it aims to create the world’s most sustainable and attractive marine economy and environment.
Whole Seabed uses Esri’s GIS (Geographical Information System) technology to develop scenarios that consider offshore wind, carbon capture, telecoms, and minerals on the seabed up to 2050 while safeguarding the environment.
Global offshore wind leader
The Crown Estate has helped the UK become a global leader in offshore wind development, which powered 50% of UK homes last year.
The government established a Crown Estate-Great British Energy agreement in July to produce 20-30 GW of offshore wind power.
The decision accelerates sustainable energy infrastructure delivery, helping millions of households and businesses nationwide.
Prioritising data ensures the Crown Estate spatial planning system accurately represents environmental, industrial, and social interests and restrictions.
To assess cost, constraint, displacement, and other criteria, scenarios are contrasted in a dashboard.
Crown Estate Marine and Digital teams built the system, which combines data from over 250 sources for scenario planning for a variety of marine sectors.
Based on solid facts, development decisions
According to Michelle Moore, Crown Estate spatial planning director, “Advanced Esri spatial analysis tools allow us to tackle complex, multidimensional problems in an open and transparent way.” Development decisions must be based on robust data as the seabed becomes busier.
„Our unique capacity to plan for the long term and engage a wide range of stakeholders helps us balance all interests to achieve the best net zero, ecological, and economic growth outcomes.”
One of the world’s premier geospatial industry events, the Esri annual User Conference in California, awarded the Crown Estate initiative a Special Achievement in GIS Award.
Esri founder and president Jack Dangermond chooses award recipients for geospatial leadership and GIS innovation.
The marine spatial planning pioneers are a worthy winner because their work is vital to the nation.
Green energy transition geospatial innovation
Gus Jaspert, Crown Estate managing director, marine, said geospatial innovation is enabling the estate to balance a green energy transition to net zero and nature recovery while establishing a vibrant maritime industry.
We’re thrilled to earn this award, which recognises our world-leading spatial analysis utilising Esri software and our continued investment in digital technology and capabilities. It helps make sense of complicated and competing seabed needs, improving national planning decisions.
The independent Crown Estate oversees a £16bn portfolio that includes the seabed and much of the coastline in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, urban centres, and development opportunities.
It manages its portfolio to address national issues like net zero, energy transition, biodiversity, and nature recovery.
Did the Building Safety Act Break the UK Building Industry?
Original Source: Has the Building Safety Act fractured the UK construction industry?
The Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) went into effect in April 2024 after the transitional period. It followed the Grenfell tragedy and sought to remedy the flaws revealed by the ensuing enquiry and deal with the legacy of dangerous high-rise residential structures developed over the years, which was difficult.
It also seeks building safety improvements. The implementation has been difficult for regulatory authorities and construction experts as they manage new standards and project ramifications.
It adds numerous new provisions, including:
- New Health & Safety Executive role: ‘Building Safety Regulator’ Broad powers include Building Control for Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs).
- Introducing a new regulatory regime for the design and approval of high-risk buildings with clear information flow and a ‘golden thread’ that runs through the lifecycle of a project allows all key decisions to be traced and information to be passed on from conception to delivery and maintenance and operation.
- New positions and responsibilities for construction project delivery, including a Principal Designer for Building Regulations.
- Building regulations approval and inspection reform.
- The introduction of these sensible policies is widely supported. However, they were placed onto an unprepared sector that is now battling to understand what is expected and how to meet it. We also found that many of these procedures and concepts apply to all building projects, not just high-risk ones.
Problems begin throughout design. Many experienced, qualified architects cannot obtain Professional Indemnity insurance (PI insurance) at fair commercial rates for fire safety and cladding design at renewal. They are writing to inform their clients and withdrawing specifics on these crucial elements.
The demand rise has left fire engineers busy if not overwhelmed. This is due to the shortage of certified fire engineers and rising demand for fire engineers earlier in the design and development cycle.
Fire engineers advise project teams on fire strategy and building requirements Approved Document B or BS9999. However, it is rare that they would provide explicit direction on how essential fire-resistant building fabric elements will interact and operate. Instead, specialist installers and suppliers are relied on more.
On passive measures, designers refer to manufacturer product information and test data, which the project architect must choose and specify (a genuine difficulty when they cannot secure PI insurance and exclude responsibility). On active systems, manufacturers and installers supply and install their items but do not advise or guarantee how they will affect the structure. Fire strategy will determine how these parts work.
There are many standardised systems for passive systems like fire-rated plasterboard ceilings and walls that have been tested for new builds, but few for major refurbishment projects, especially in historic buildings. Project teams must add structures to accommodate fire-rated components in these cases. Any ‘non-standard’ building technology, such as SIPs or glulam primary support structures, adds complexity and cost that can make many projects unviable.
Some argue that the business has fragmented because several parties to a project now take responsibility for individual parts. Project managers must weave these pieces together to ensure that all parts are covered and that the “golden thread” of information flows through a project to meet the fire safety strategy. BSA does not envision this position. The insurance sector won’t let the architectural profession lead, even though the government hoped it would.
BSA may have had the biggest impact on construction in a generation. It will be uncomfortable to adjust to the new standard. To ensure strong collaboration at all levels, the project team must work together more in this new reality. It necessitates closer collaboration with regulatory agencies and construction control than before. Teams should hire additional fire stopping/compartmentation and active fire suppression professionals early on. The design and fire strategy must include these from the start. Opening up old construction during pre-construction can resolve numerous refurbishment questions. Contractors no longer assume design-and-build risks with little knowledge. Clients must actively supply safe structures due to the risk profile and accountability.
Summary of today’s construction news
Overall, after just one round of bidding, developer W.RE and joint venture partner Taurus UK selected construction firm Legendre UK to spearhead the creation of a brand new, state-of-the-art office property spanning 46,000 square feet at 14-16 Peterborough Road in London’s Parsons Green. The sustainable commercial office building, planned by architects TateHindle, will include six stories of basement to fourth-floor flexible office and amenity space. On the third and fourth stories, there will be rooftop terraces that are accessible, and from the second to the fourth, there will be landscaping. At the same time, the Crown Estate oversees the coastlines and seabeds of the United Kingdom, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It seeks to build the most sustainable and appealing marine economy and environment in the world through the use of renewable energy, increased economic activity, and the preservation of marine life and ecosystems. In addition, during the transitional phase, the Building Safety Act of 2022 (BSA) was implemented in April 2024. It was an attempt to address the legacy of hazardous high-rise residential buildings that had grown over the years and to fix the problems found by the subsequent investigation into the Grenfell disaster.
