Balfour Beatty has been awarded an £87 million St James’s Market contract which forms part of the overall commercial redevelopment for The Crown Estate and Oxford Properties.
The scheme will provide 260,000 sq. ft. of new commercial and retail space across two eight-storey blocks between Regent Street and Haymarket.
The first block, situated along Regent Street, includes a retained heritage façade which will be repaired and restored as part of the contract. The second block, adjacent to Haymarket, will incorporate an aesthetic curved glass and Portland Stone wall that will be installed in four by three metre sections using a tower crane.
To manage the safe and efficient delivery of construction activity in a confined and densely populated location, sophisticated 4D Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology will be utilised to create a virtual environment. This will enable the project team to design out or mitigate potential risks and disruption to the public and other stakeholders before activity begins on site.
Off-site manufacturing capability will also be deployed to provide modular mechanical and electrical services. This modular off-site approach in a controlled environment reduces time on site, improves safety and reduces the overall construction programme.
Extensive public realm improvements on site will create a new 10,000 sq. ft. piazza including new seating, planters and wall mounted lighting, providing a new social space for visitors, and complementing Westminster City Council and Transport for London’s public realm improvement programme.