Development OF THE YEAR


SPONSORED BY Hicks Baker WINNER Reading Station


Giles Blagden (centre) of sponsor Hicks Baker presented the award to Paul Newman (second right)


Jeremy Vine resumed the awards presentations following dessert, and London Irish and England international hooker David Paice accompanied Fiona Devine in ‘awarding’ the charitable table of the night with its bubbly prize.


The London Irish hospitality match package for four people in its Guinness Lounge raised a magnificent £1,000 when auctioned and bought by ISG, helping the final charity total to soar beyond £5,000.


Soon, however, the award for Development of the Year, sponsored by Hicks Baker, the Thames Valley commercial property advisers, was the centre of attention. Here the judges were focused on “future” commercial projects; buildings either recently completed or with consent to be built in the near future.


Three projects were shortlisted: 450 South Oak Way, 2 New Square and Reading Station.


Due to be completed in August, 450 South Oak Way is a refurbished building within the 195-acre Green Park south of Reading, and is part of owners Oxford Properties long-term vision for the park. Its ambition has been to rejuvenate the existing structure to a standard where it can compete with, and exceed, new-build development. Architect Barr Gazetas has created a dramatic double-height entrance, atrium walkways, a spiral staircase, and an external terrace with spectacular views overlooking a lake.


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – JUNE 2014


2 New Square, within the thriving business community of Bedfont Lakes Office Park, is a substantial extension and refurbishment scheme by Scottish Widows Investment Partnership for the tenant BP. The unique nature of the development is that the building configuration has been created around BP’s work strategy, incorporating space planning and sub-divisibility. The project is managed by JLL and involves Comprehensive Design Architects, Long & Partners and ISG.


Finally came Reading Station, already an iconic landmark development that is helping transform an integral part of Reading town centre – and a significant project being completed while the trains still run. A key factor in the transformation has been the good collaboration between Network Rail and the supplier teams within Costain/Hochtief, Carillion, Siemens and their subcontractors.


This redevelopment is also a vital part of the future growth of the entire Thames Valley region. Network Rail’s transformation of the Reading Station area is an £850 million investment that will serve 14 million passengers a year, and is due for completion in 2015.


Giles Blagden, managing director of Hicks Baker, announced the winning development: Reading Station.


Paul Newman, senior sponsor for Network Rail on the Reading Station Area Redevelopment team, was delighted


www.businessmag.co.uk


with the Development of the Year Award, particularly as the project is not yet completed.


“It is fantastic that this redevelopment has been recognised and awarded within the Thames Valley, and that we are seen as not only a very large construction project but also as a general catalyst for the development of the Thames Valley.


Despite the redevelopment being track and signalling orientated it will also provide major station improvement in terms of capacity and performance.


Newman explained that the project has gone well, despite spanning a difficult economic period for the UK. “We have been able to say, we are doing things, building things, and people have seen our work coming out of the ground.


“It has been a fantastically collaborative approach in terms of key working with our designers, contractors, planners, and construction staff. They have done some great work and we are really proud of them.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52