Case Studies

There are three case studies in this section, please select one to read by clicking on the links below:

Heritage Protection and Environmental Stewardship during Construction Works - Finsbury Circus, London

Overview

PRUPIM’s redevelopment of the Grade II listed 16-18 Finsbury Circus, near Liverpool Street Station in the City of London presented a range of heritage and construction challenges. Working closely with our development partners (including construction contractor Bovis Lend Lease and John Robertson Architects), we were able to successfully address these challenges.

What we did

The development will see the existing Finsbury Circus building and another building on Eldon Street brought together behind a classical Edwardian façade increasing floor area to almost 27,000 m².
Redevelopment work commenced in April 2005. The first priority was to allow the Museum of London’s Archaeological Services (MOLAS) to carry out a six month long archaeological excavation and monitoring programme in several trenches. Amongst the finds in the trenches were Roman deposits as well as numerous human remains also of Roman origin.

Throughout the project, it was of paramount concern to PRUPIM and its construction contractor Bovis Lend Lease to ensure environmental impacts were minimised wherever possible. Bovis Lend Lease therefore implemented a range of sustainable construction practices, including:

• Segregation of demolition materials.
• Construction waste minimisation and recycling. In particular, steel and concrete were actively recycled into the piling mat using an on-site concrete crusher. Correspondingly, fewer trips by lorry to and from the site meant reduced air pollution and congestion (vehicle movements were reduced by as many as 60 a day in the most intensive four-week period of demolition).
• Dust, noise and vibration were constantly monitored by external sensors. Recycled water was also used to damp down the dust created.
• The use of FSC certified timber for site hoardings and internal floor fit outs.

In the construction works themselves, and in accordance with Bovis Lend Lease’s own corporate commitments, emphasis was placed on collecting detailed environmental data, and monitoring and reviewing to ensure that the site specific targets set were achieved.

Community needs were also respected as Bovis Lend Lease only carried out noisy demolition work outside designated quiet periods, enabling our neighbours to continue their business without interruption or disturbance. A community day was also organised for Bovis Lend Lease employees who repaired and repainted St Mary Moorfields, a local church.

The benefits

In an area of such high density and significant daytime activity, neighbourliness and maintaining community goodwill were crucial in ensuring the project’s success. In recognition of community liaison and neighbourliness, the site won a number of awards from the City of London’s prestigious Considerate Contractors Scheme, including a Gold Award and a Highly Commended Environment Award.

‘Own Your Own’ – Brownfield Development for Small Industrial Firms

Overview

PRUPIM’s joint venture with Ravenbourne is established to regenerate small plots of brownfield land as well as creating jobs for local communities in industrial areas, along with an unusual pension tie-up for freehold occupiers who choose to purchase an industrial unit.

What we did

In 2005, Ravenbourne (a UK based industrial developer) and PRUPIM agreed a £70 million joint venture to enter the small unit industrial freehold market. Both recognised the growing demand for relatively small industrial units which can be sold to small businesses for their own use and occupation.

Built on brownfield sites in established industrial areas such as Dagenham (Essex) and Belvedere (Kent), the schemes are aimed predominantly at industrial Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) wishing to own their own premises rather than rent. This provides small business owners with control of their own premises.
Furthermore, the involvement of PRUPIM has enabled the possibility of a pensions tie-up for freehold occupiers, who can buy their business premises and reap the tax benefits by putting them into self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) – in effect allowing the owners to create their own pension fund from the premises. This is particularly beneficial to SME owners who are not part of occupational or other pension plans.

Each unit is built to a good institutional standard and to a high specification, and sustainability issues are addressed as they would be on any other development undertaken by PRUPIM. At the Belvedere site in North Kent for instance (still waiting to be developed) an eight metre sterile area running along the boundary of the site will remain undeveloped to encourage the habitation of water voles (at the request of the Environment Agency). Measures to encourage the rare black redstart to nest have also been incorporated.

The benefit

The schemes generally find favour with the local planning authorities because of their sustainability as a result of the employment generating uses. For instance, typical large industrial units will employ relatively small numbers of people. However, given that the units jointly developed by PRUPIM and Ravenbourne will accommodate up to 20 units in a small area, job creation is significantly increased.

A Model for a Sustainable Urban Village – GreenPark Village, Reading

Overview

The redevelopment, by our new joint venture, St Edward Homes, of 60 acres of brownfield land to the west of the existing GreenPark business park (owned by Prudential), southwest of Reading is set to incorporate far-reaching sustainability commitments.

What we will do

GreenPark village’s vision is to create a community that is an exemplar of modern living - in essence, a 'Sustainable Urban Village', integrating housing and commercial uses with community facilities and a range of amenities.
A significant proportion of the site has previously been subject to commercial development, mineral extraction or waste transfer activities, so its redevelopment is in line with Government aspirations for intensification and using land efficiently. Other key sustainability features include: 

• The production of 20% of energy through on-site micro-generation (including solar hot water panels and biomass boilers). 
• A strong emphasis on green travel, including the creation of a new railway station in the south of Reading. 
• A target to achieve Level 3 in the Code for Sustainable Homes (resulting in a 25% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions per home, and water-usage savings of 21 litres per person per day).

For more information, visit: http://www.greenparkvillage.co.uk/