Breaking Ground at Brooklands

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Thursday 27th May to officially mark the start of Brooklands, a sustainable business campus in the centre of Cambridge. 

From left to right – Farid Zadeh, Contracts Manager at SDC; Carl Bennett, Director at SDC; Luke Jordan, Associate at CPW; Jamie Garrett, Director at Wrenbridge; Will Jarman, Associate Director at Wrenbridge; Oliver Unwin, Associate at Allies & Morrison; Vicky Stratigi, Quantity Surveyor at Stace; Jonathan Conway, Building Surveyor at Bidwells; Ewan Morrison, Director of Technical Design at Allies & Morrison; James Morton, Engineer at Ramboll; Govinder Sandhu, Senior Project Manager at Stace; Paul Burns, Divisional Director at Stace; and Dan Coston, Partner at Bidwells. 

Designed by Architect Allies and Morrison, the finished scheme will provide 67,000 sq ft of Grade A office space across two buildings. Building B, a four-storey structure, will sit at the rear of the site whilst a smaller two-storey Building A will occupy the front. Access will be gained from a covered walkway off Brooklands Avenue, and there will be basement car parking along with 300 secure cycle spaces.

As a future facing campus in the heart of one of the UK’s greenest cities, sustainability was the driving force behind the plans for Brooklands, and as such, the buildings are designed for net zero carbon, fossil free operation, and target a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. Outside collaboration space has been a key feature of the development, and a tranquil courtyard will bridge the gap between the buildings, whilst roof terraces can be let with the office space.

The ceremony was attended by members of the project team and started with a guided tour of the site. SDC’s Project Manager for the build, Farid Zadeh, led the walk round and explained the progress of the project thus far. The scheme launched back in January with the demolition of the original Lockton House. The Block B piling works have since commenced and will see the installation of over 400 secant piles and over 100 CFA piles. Meanwhile, 1-2 Brooklands has undergone some extensive gable wall retention temporary works to facilitate the demolition which will then allow the build of Block A.

The event culminated with Oliver Unwin and Ewan Morrison from Allies & Morrison, and Jamie Garrett from Wrenbridge (Project Manager for the scheme) breaking ground on the project which is due to complete in 2024.

Read more about this scheme here https://workatbrooklands.co.uk/