Posted on November 28th, 2018 by liz
In 2016 the luxury hotel chain, the Leeu Collection, acquired the prestigious Linthwaite Hotel, which is set in 14 acres overlooking Lake Windermere in the Lake District National Park. With a major refurbishment project underway, the PBC loan monitoring team was appointed by the funder to carry out an initial construction appraisal report for due diligence purposes, followed by interim monitoring services to safeguard the bank’s interests.
The hotel was closed following its acquisition and work started in June 2017 on a high specification extension and renovation project to transform the property into a 5* luxury hotel with surrounding woodlands and a tarn. The project also included the addition of two three-bedroom woodland villas, a large events area and the redesign of all external hard and soft landscapes in the hotel’s extensive grounds.
This prestigious project is now completed, and the hotel and woodland suites are fully open to guests. www.linthwaitehouse.com
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Posted on October 22nd, 2018 by liz
PBC is delighted that One Elmfield Park in Bromley has been fully let to serviced office specialist Regus. This 24,700 sq.ft. office building was totally refurbished internally and externally in 2017, on behalf of CLS Holdings plc, and PBC project managed this upgrade.
The project included adding perimeter mounted heating and cooling units, new ceiling grids and raised floors internally, as well as the refurbishment of office, common areas and WC facilities. Outside, a new entrance canopy and cycle storage area were added, and the existing car park was extended and resurfaced.
On completion, the project achieved the prestigious SKA Gold accreditation, demonstrating how both sustainability and flexibility can be successfully incorporated into commercial refurbishment projects. The deal with Regus is reported to be the largest single letting in Bromley in the past five years.
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Posted on September 12th, 2018 by liz
James Bond made the Vodka Martini cocktail famous, always ordering it to be ‘shaken and not stirred’. Whilst many experts would argue that to achieve the best Martini it should be the other way around, the Lychee Martini Cocktails made by team PBC at their recent mixology masterclass would not be out of place in any Bond film!
Led by a top London mixologist at TT Liquor in Shoreditch, the PBC teams competed against each other making four cocktails, before creating their own PBC-inspired drink. Although the competition was very close, the winning entry, the ‘Proper Bitchin’ Cocktail’, was voted the best because of its colour (almost PBC purple), its taste (almost drinkable) and its presentation (they used a very nice glass and a matching slice of pink grapefruit).
Having mastered the art of cocktail making, a very enjoyable afternoon was then spent at The Flight Club, testing hand-eye coordination and the teams’ ability to throw darts at a very small target after a morning’s cocktail making! Surprisingly only a few darts went astray and the Top Arrows Award was won by Ben ‘Bullseye’ Hallowell, with joint second place going to Hannah ‘Killer’ Bealby and James ‘Double Top’ Gregory.
Well done everyone for a great day out!
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Posted on July 6th, 2018 by liz
It might not have been the British Grand Prix, but everyone who took part in the PBC PalmerSports Formula 3000 Experience at Bedford Aerodrome certainly enjoyed their day behind the wheel!
Alistair Slater and James Gregory from PBC were joined on the track by Ian Burdett and James Brownsdon of Investec Bank plc for a day of fun and competition. With the sun shining on them, team PBC raced PalmerSport’s famous Formula 3000, single-seaters around the challenging West Circuit, giving them a similar driving experience to that of an F1 car. Following this, the team’s performance was analysed against British F1 driver Jolyon Palmer’s times, and trophies were awarded.
Whilst none of the team intend giving up the day job for a new life on the circuit, it was clear that everyone had a fantastic time. Move over Lewis Hamilton …..
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Posted on June 28th, 2018 by liz
PBC has been appointed as Funds Surveyor by Aberdeen Standard Investments for the development of a brand new, 20,000 sqm production facility for an award winning, environmentally friendly materials technology company called ELeather.
The development, which is located on the Roxhill Development Ltd Gateway site in Peterborough, next to J17 of the A1M, is an 11.5 acre plot and will have a 50m external service yard, 210 car parking spaces (including 15 accessible spaces) and 45 external HGV parking spaces. The proposed building is a single storey production unit with three-storey integral office accommodation.
Work started on site in March and, including the tenant’s fit out works, is due for completion in December 2018. We will keep you regularly updated with the progress of this project
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Posted on May 14th, 2018 by liz
PBC is delighted to announce the promotion of Jack Dison to Associate Director within its Building Consultancy team.
Jack joined PBC in 2013 as a PBC Chartered Building Surveyor and since that time has specialised in providing contract administration and bank monitoring consultancy on a wide range of residential, commercial and industrial refurbishment projects.
Congratulating Jack on his promotion, PBC Director Alistair Slater said: “Jack has become an invaluable member of the Building Consultancy team. His professionalism and commitment is exemplary, and he is regarded extremely highly by both his colleagues and clients. I am delighted that his hard work has been recognised, and wish him every success in his new role.”
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Posted on March 14th, 2018 by liz
The M25’s fourth service area at J9-J10 of the M25 at Cobham, Surrey, opened in September 2012 having been project managed by PBC. It has since provided much needed fuel, rest and refreshment facilities for road users travelling on the south-western section of London’s orbital motorway.
PBC is therefore delighted to have been retained by the facility’s owners, Extra MSA Cobham Ltd, to project manage the development of a new 28-bed extension to the site’s existing Days Inn Hotel in order to produce a new Ramada facility. This project also includes extending a two-storey link block between the hotel and amenity building, to create a new destination restaurant for visitors, and a new layout for the hotel including a breakout facility and gymnasium. Such alteration will also facilitate upgrade and representation of the adjacent Starbucks Coffee offer.
This latest phase of the development is due to start on site in late April 2018, and will be handed-over later in the year, so we will keep you updated on the project’s progress.
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Posted on January 24th, 2018 by liz
John Nassari Photography
PBC is pleased to announce the appointment of Liam Horton as Senior Chartered Building Surveyor.
Liam has extensive experience in contract administration, design and project management, having worked on commercial and residential portfolios, as well as a number of public-sector schemes. Most recently, he took the lead on several complex flood and fire reinstatement projects, as well as the external renovation of mansion blocks in West London.
Liam also has experience of providing technical and cost advice in connection with planned maintenance forecasting of expenditure over 10 – 25-year cycles. He has also regularly acted as both adjoining owners surveyor and building owners surveyor in relation to Party Wall matters, and has advised landlord clients on matters relating to leaseholder licences to alter.
Commenting on his appointment, PBC Director Alistair Slater said: “We are delighted that Liam has joined our Building Consultancy Team and welcome his expertise and skills, which further strengthens our offering to clients.”
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Posted on December 11th, 2017 by liz
The PBC Project Management team was appointed to manage the fit out of a new London office for leading international brokering, banking and financial adviser Charles Schwab, U.K., Ltd.
As the entire project was directed by a team in the Charles Schwab office in New York, different time zones had to be taken into consideration when scheduling meetings and working hours. With UK build specifications also differing from those of the US, the PBC team had to ensure the fit-out met UK planning and building regulation requirements. PBC recommended a turnkey design and build procurement route to meet the 18-week deadline. This included installing new heating and cooling systems, a new passenger lift, decoration, joinery, flooring, illuminated signage and glazed partitions and doors for the offices. All WCs were completely refurbished, a new disabled toilet was added and the new reception area was fitted with a bespoke reception desk.
Despite significant challenges, and the tight deadlines, the London office of Charles Schwab is now open for business.
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Posted on November 26th, 2017 by liz
One Elmfield Park
When property investment company CLS Holdings plc needed a team to manage the total refurbishment of a five-storey, 1980s office block in Bromley it commissioned PBC as it knew the company had the expertise – through its Project Management team and SKA rating assessor Simon Garrard – to ensure the project would be completed to a CAT A finish and a SKA Gold standard.
Achieving SKA Gold sustainability accreditation for a refurbishment project takes total commitment from the entire project design and delivery team. The process requires transparency at every level, so receiving the Gold standard means that rigorous sustainability challenges and targets have been met.
The Elmfield Park office in Bromley had been occupied by the same tenant for many years, so required a complete refurbishment to upgrade it externally and internally. The brief to PBC included the stipulation that SKA Gold sustainability standards and maximum lettable internal area and floor to ceiling heights needed to be achieved, even though a new ceiling grid and raised access floors would create significant issues.
Working with the design team and main contractor Overbury to meet the quality and sustainability standards required, PBC ensured that the correct materials and practices were specified and used throughout the project. In addition, to meet the space and height requirements stipulated by the client, PBC worked with the design team to provide a workable solution by the use of perimeter-mounted heating and cooling units to supply all of the internal office areas, whilst still offering maximum layout flexibility to future tenants.
Externally, a new entrance canopy and cycle storage area were added and the existing car park was extended and resurfaced. Internally, in addition to the office floorplates and new raised access floors, common areas were comprehensively refurbished, with the WC facilities being remodelled and refurbished with completely new layouts to enable disabled and shower facilities to be provided on every floor.
To allow flexibility for different tenants to take individual floors, if required, a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system with floor-by-floor metering and controls was installed. Due to the efficiency of the new HVAC systems installed, only two of the building’s existing four boilers were required to be retained. Therefore; the other two were not disposed of but were put to good use in another CLS office refurbishment project, which was also being managed concurrently by PBC.
Now successfully completed, the PBC team is delighted that the Bromley project has achieved the SKA Gold accreditation, demonstrating how both sustainability and flexibility can be successfully incorporated into commercial refurbishment projects.
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Posted on November 1st, 2017 by liz
When CLS Holdings was looking to acquire four, prestigious properties in Middlesex, Surrey, Kent and Berkshire, the company needed to commission due diligence inspections and reports very quickly to allow the purchase to progress.
With completion imminent, PBC was commissioned to inspect and provide executive summary reports for over 107,000sqft of offices to be acquired, and was given a seven-day deadline to complete the work.
The surveys of the properties were all successfully undertaken by the PBC team, led by Alistair Slater, and the acquisition went ahead as planned.
Commenting on the acquisition CLS said: “We are delighted to have acquired these new properties in Reigate, Teddington, Maidstone and Maidenhead. They fit perfectly into our portfolio, and the purchase further reinforces our continued commitment to, and confidence in, the UK economy and, in particular, in the South-East.”
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Posted on October 30th, 2017 by liz
It is said that first impressions count, and this is certainly true in business.
The first time a potential new customer walks through the front door of a company’s office building, it is vital that they not only feel welcomed, but they also get a clear sense of the organisation they could be working with.
Creating the right impact, therefore, needs two key elements; the people and the surroundings. The latter is where leading London-based surveyors PBC excel, which is why the company was commissioned by FTSE250 commercial property investor CLS Holdings plc to oversee the refurbishment of one of their prestigious office blocks in Surrey.
The brief was to completely update Cassini Court in Leatherhead both externally and internally, bringing it up to a CAT A standard office refurbishment in just 14 weeks. In addition to repairing windows, roofing and the M&E system to the ground and first floor, and upgrading all of the toilets and common parts, PBC was also responsible for project managing the complete redesign of the building’s reception area.
As the double-height reception benefited from plenty of light and space, it was decided to create large feature walls to give it a contemporary and stylish feel. This was achieved by cladding the main wall in a timber “jungle block” finish and an adjacent wall in a specialist Tektura vinyl wall covering. The vinyl wall was particularly challenging for PBC and the design team, due to the large surface area and the need for a “seamless” finish that would blend from section to section once installed.
With the entire project completed on time and to budget, the modern reception and office areas at Cassini Court will certainly create the right impression for not only its new tenants, but also their customers.
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Posted on October 24th, 2017 by liz
Designed in 1891 by Alfred Waterhouse, The Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile is an exceptional example of the Victorian Gothic architecture. Similar in style to the Natural History Museum and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors headquarters, which were also designed and built by Waterhouse, the Cathedral has long been an iconic feature of Capital’s architectural heritage.
PBC was instructed to undertake a survey of the building, to report upon its general condition and to advise upon repairs required to the main building, external fabric and services.
The Cathedral consists of four, separate Grade II listed properties which have been adjoined to form the church ‘building’.
Its location on a busy one-way system in Mayfair in Central London, prohibited the use of elevation platforms and hoists. Consequently, inspection of the facades was undertaken from ground level only, or where suitable vantage points were available through opening windows internally. The remaining ‘high level’ areas were surveyed using aerial photography.
This is the first stage of instruction of this landmark building, so we look forward to updating you on this project as it progresses.
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Posted on June 13th, 2017 by liz
PBC were appointed by Investec Bank Plc to appraise and monitor this development which they are funding.
Kellogg Tower, formally a 1970s multi storey office HQ, is undergoing a conversion and refurbishment to provide 270 contemporary residential apartments, with a mixture of studios, 1 bed and 2 bed flats. The building extends to 185,000 sq.ft net area, set in 8 acres of land with mature woodland and 400 car parking spaces. It is in a prime location for excellent transport links to London on the Piccadilly line, with Sudbury Station close by. The first phase of this £26million landmark development is currently under construction and due for completion later this year.
The building is arranged in four wings around a central glazed atrium and the project involves the careful removal of an enclosed atrium to create a communal courtyard, with public realm space. In order to achieve this, extensive structural scaffolding was required to support the atrium and open up the centre of the property.
Due to the stringent requirements of Premier Guarantee, the building defects warranty provider, careful management and coordination was needed to implement their requested changes during construction, including re-glazing rather than repairing the external windows and glazed screens. New balconies were also introduced to all 270 apartments.
New utilities are required with the removal of the existing electrical substation and switch room. This work is currently on programme, with the installation of new supplies in a different location to follow.
The contractor, Shaylor Group Plc employ over 200 staff on this project. With only one means of access in and out of the site, this has been a demanding aspect for site management!
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Posted on May 11th, 2017 by liz
PBC were instructed to project manage the development of this new 85,000sq.ft. high bay roasting facility on behalf of Prologis who had entered into an agreement with Costa Coffee to create a new roastery to service the UK and overseas markets, representing a significant investment by Costa. A considerable amount of liaison and interface between Costa and a full design and project team was required to successfully deliver the development. The challenges to PBC included implementing change control procedures for agreeing changes to the specification with all the parties and allowing early access by Costa for its fitting out works. Costa then managed its own roastery equipment installation and office fit out, which was designed and constructed by Morgan Lovell.
The Product
Costa Coffee has opened what will be one of Europe’s largest coffee roasteries, this sustainable plant, based in Essex will be able to produce 45,000 tonnes of coffee a year, four times more than it currently produces in its Lambeth plant. Costa’s location is just 14 miles from Tilbury Docks where the beans arrive, this further reduces their carbon foot print now taking half the time to reach their new site. Costa has also achieved a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating at design stage assessment by installing solar PV roof panels capable of producing nearly 250,000 KWH of energy, rain water harvesting and solar thermal technology to heat water. The roastery was also shortlisted for the 2017 BREEAM Awards and aiming to receive a further ‘Outstanding’ certification at the final stage assessment.
Paul Philips, PBC Managing Director commented:
“We were delighted to be involved with this prestigious project to develop one of Europe’s largest coffee roasteries”
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Posted on March 29th, 2017 by liz
The Brief
When the tenant of 52-54 St John Street decided to relocate, the owner Columbia Threadneedle, took the opportunity to consider their options for refurbishment of this office building. The property consisted of two separate buildings, a three storey building to the rear and a 5 storey building at the front, with a central open courtyard.
PBC Project Management team along with The Manser Practice architects and TPS Building Services Consultants were appointed to carry out a number of feasibility studies to alter, extend and refurbish the property to provide modern offices with showroom to the front.
The Solution
Extensive consultations with the local planning authority were required, together with Rights of Light and Party Wall advice. Following Feasibility advice the client opted for a comprehensive refurbishment of the existing building to provide over 17,000 sq.ft. of Grade A Office Space with a contemporary look and feel.
The project involved a complicated structural “cut and carve” to relocate the central core and lifts, in order to provide improved space utilisation on each floor as well as a new glazed walkway to link the front and rear buildings and enclose the previous external courtyard.
Design features include good natural light, exposed iron columns, ash timber flooring, new air conditioning throughout, new LED linear lighting to the front building and “industrial” style high bay lights to the rear. The front elevation brickwork was enhanced with a specialist paint treatment and a new spiral steel stair case was installed to link the ground floor and basement showroom area.
Project Challenges
Due to the location of the building, adjoining the Grade II listed Charterhouse Square to the rear, the PBC Project Management team needed to manage communications with the neighbours. This included a number of meetings and finally a presentation to the Charterhouse, outlining our proposal. As the Structural works involved cutting into the Party Walls and also needed excavation for new lift bases, PBC’s Party Wall Surveyor agreed Party Wall Awards with the Adjoining Owners on either side of the property.
The spiral feature staircase was added late into the Project, so PBC ensured all the necessary details were managed to guarantee the quality and safety of the installation.
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Posted on January 18th, 2017 by hannah
PBC are instructed to Project Manage the conversion of a vacant 56 bedroom care and nursing home in North West London into 27 residential apartments including secure underground parking and landscaped gardens.
A key consideration of the scheme is the design and layout to minimise the impact on the surrounding neighbourhood and a strong sustainability requirement. Following design and cost workshops with the project team, it was elected to proceed with a pre-planning application with further consideration given to ensure the construction and future life of the building has a positive impact on the environment.
The project is currently at the Planning stage and pending approval, detailed design is to progress later this year.
For more information please contact Paul Philips BSc MRICS on 020 3478 0626 or pphilips@pandbc.co.uk.
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Posted on January 9th, 2017 by hannah
PBC were appointed as project manager and employers agent by Columbia Threadneedle Investments for this multi-storey/multi-let office building, occupying an island site in Southampton.
The client’s brief was to provide a Landlord’s CAT A refurbishment of the 1st floor vacant offices, the addition of two new shower rooms on the 1st and 5th floors, as well as the reconfiguration and enhancement of the main entrance, reception area and lift lobbies. The works also included a new reception desk, new feature lighting, new flooring and improvements to the building entrance.
As the building was multi-occupied, the vast majority of the works took place outside of office hours and over weekends. This required careful management by PBC and coordination with suppliers, sub-contractors, deliveries and the building occupants, to ensure key dates were met and minimal disturbance to the tenants. The overall contract period was ten weeks and despite the site being set in the middle of a roundabout on a main road, the project was delivered on time by Morgan Lovell contractors, within budget and to a high standard of specification.
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Posted on October 21st, 2016 by hannah
PBC have been assisting Columbia Threadneedle with the asset management life cycle of 40/41 Furnival Street, London, EC4, from their purchase of the building through to the recent completion of a full refurbishment.
Our building consultancy team were instructed in 2013 to carry out a pre-acquisition survey of this self-contained, five storey office building prior to purchase. We were subsequently retained in 2015 to prepare a terminal schedule of dilapidations, prior to expiry of the tenant’s lease and to negotiate a settlement. Our project management team were instructed to prepare a feasibility report for the complete strip out and refurbishment of the property to a good quality modern office space and subsequently, we managed the project through the planning, design, tender and construction phases to completion and handover. We also provided Party Wall and neighbouring property advice.
Due to our multi-disciplined building surveying and project management teams, we were able to provide the Client with a complete range of consultancy services to enhance the asset value of this building during it’s lifecycle.
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Posted on July 13th, 2016 by support
PBC were instructed to monitor the redevelopment of One Highgate, which is now completed.
One Highgate is a landmark residential development which now comprises of 15 contemporary 2 and 3 bedroom lateral apartments including a luxury 3–bedroom penthouse apartment spanning the entire fourth floor.
Read the case study here to find out more about the project.
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Posted on June 14th, 2016 by support
The new Costa Coffee roastery to be handed over to the client in July for the fitting out phase.
Watch the time lapse video below to get an idea of how far this project has progressed.
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Posted on June 11th, 2016 by liz
Following our appointment for a number of Private Clients at Cadogan Place, London, Project and Building Consultancy worked hard to identify and engage with the owners of adjoining freehold and leasehold interests, including complete houses fronting the historic square, apartments and the mews properties located within a metre of the basement excavations. The combined project culminated in the service of nearly fifty party wall notices and the appointment of six Adjoining Owners’ Surveyors, with whom it was necessary to negotiate the terms under which the works could proceed.
Party Wall and Neighbourly Matters were concluded following the preparation of extensive schedules of condition recording the historic fabric of the adjoining properties and the publication of seventeen party wall awards permitting the works to be undertaken. Terms negotiated and enshrined within the awards included movement monitoring to safeguard adjoining properties and security for expenses.
Notwithstanding their common approach to the scheme, we also had to procure formal agreements between the individual developing parties, each legally entitled to Notice of the others’ proposals. Agreements were prepared to ensure that no future conveyancing would be affected.
The project is now well underway and scheduled for completion in 2016.
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Posted on May 5th, 2016 by support
Following an instruction from St. Ermin’s Property Co. PBC has been working on 44 Gloucester Avenue as the project manager and employers agent.
The project comprises of a mixed use development of 39 high end residential Units, 1 high end detached private house with outdoor amenity space and communal landscaping, and approximately 700m2 of commercial b1 use.
Have a look at the case study to find out more about the Gloucester Avenue project
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Posted on April 5th, 2016 by support
PBC was appointed as project manager and employers agent for the 405 Kennington Rd development and has since successfully completed the CAT A and B Scheme.
We are proud to announce that PBC were awarded a gold SKA Assessment rating for the project.
The Ska Rating is a Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) environmental assessment method, benchmark and standard for non-domestic fit outs. This helps assess projects against a set of good practice criteria, known as Good Practice Measures (GPM).
A further award was presented under the Consideration Contractor Scheme. Both phases were delivered in accordance with the clients brief.
You can find out more about the project and read the case study, here.
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Posted on January 12th, 2016 by liz
The Fusion, Cygnet Street, Shoreditch is a mixed use development being undertaken by Galliard Homes, one of the UK’s leading premium-quality home builders.
On the edge of The City, the site originally comprised an open car park close to the vibrant shops, bars and restaurants of Brick Lane to the East and Shoreditch to the West.
The scheme comprises the excavation of a double storey basement and construction of a concrete framed block over ground and five upper storeys. The basement storeys are devoted to leisure use (gym) on a pre-let agreement with separate retail units provided at ground floor level. Thirty Nine residential units are to be provided over upper levels, with 13 units allocated to affordable housing and the remaining 26 units forming private, apartments for sale.
Works commenced on site in April 2015 with completion targeted in November 2016.
https://www.investec.co.uk/
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