B&K picks up latest project on £750m Circle Square

4 January 2018 08:00 Charlie Schouten Comments (0)

Bowmer & Kirkland has won the latest project on Bruntwood and Select Property Group’s £750m Circle Square development in Manchester, making it the fourth main contractor to work on the scheme.

B&K has started work on the 18-storey Building 9 at the site off Oxford Road, formerly home to the BBC. The 90,000 sq ft building will provide 384 student beds, primarily aimed at mature students through Select’s Vita Student brand.

Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley, the project is scheduled to complete in June 2019, in time for the 2019/20 academic year. Piling works have already commenced on site on the scheme, which secured planning permission from Manchester City Council in March last year.

B&K will work alongside a professional team which includes Ridge as project manager; Curtins as structural and highways engineer; Deloitte as planner; Appleyard & Trew as cost consultant; and Planit IE as public realm designer.

B&K becomes the fourth main contractor to be working on the wider Circle Square project, after Wates, John Sisk & Son, and Russells.

Wates is delivering the neighbouring Building 10 and 11, which includes 604 apartments over two blocks, having started on site in the first quarter of 2016.

John Sisk & Son started on the development’s commercial buildings in November last year, which includes two buildings of 17 and 14 storeys in height. Overall, these will deliver 400,000 sq ft of office space, and are due to complete in early 2020.

Sisk is also the main contractor for the £247m Affinity Living development, which split is across two buildings, and includes 16,000 sq ft of amenity space alongside 677 apartments. This includes shared lounge areas, co-working spaces, gyms and private entertaining spaces.

Russells is set to start on the project’s 150-bedroom hotel and 1,100 space car park later this month, having been named main contractor last summer. Completion is scheduled for January 2020.

The wider Circle Square masterplan includes a further 600,000 sq ft of commercial space, due to be delivered between 2022 and 2025, and an additional 150-room hotel.

Bowmer & Kirkland has been contacted for comment.