黑洞社区

Mace has replaced Laing O鈥橰ourke on a 拢200m office scheme in London more than two years after it was originally beaten to the job.

O鈥橰ourke won the Timber Square deal for Landsec in autumn 2020, promising that the plan to turn a 1950s printworks into 350,000 sq ft of grade A offices, affordable workspace, roof terraces and new public realm would see much of it built at its Explore offsite factory in the East Midlands.

But 黑洞社区 understands that delays to the project, which was initially expected to finish next March, and the resource being taken up by O鈥橰ourke鈥檚 other jobs elsewhere, meant the project team opened up discussions with Mace about carrying out the next phase of work which has been begun by demolition and groundworks contractor Erith.

In a statement, Landsec told 黑洞社区: 鈥淲e are on site with Erith progressing the basement works and have engaged Mace to provide construction procurement and logistics advice for the next construction stage of the project. Laing O鈥橰ourke were originally appointed to provide pre-construction advice which was completed in the autumn of 2022.鈥�

The covid-19 pandemic and, more recently, the faltering economy and rising borrowing costs have put question marks over the job and last November Landsec said it would only make a limited start on Timber Square because of worries over rising finance costs.

Another delayed Landsec scheme, to refurbish a 1960s office block called Portland House in London鈥檚 Victoria under a new 拢380m plan drawn up by Buckley Gray Yeoman and which McLaren is set to carry out, is also only due to make a limited start this year as well.

Landsec said it would spend a 鈥渕odest鈥� 拢55m on early works for the pair marking an 鈥渋nitial commitment [and so] keeping flexibility on the residual c. 拢400m capex [capital expenditure] until mid-next year while markets remain unsettled鈥�.

The Timber Square win cements Mace鈥檚 position as the biggest contractor in London with the firm having picked up two jobs in the capital recently 鈥� the 拢150m Merck life sciences building at King鈥檚 Cross and a 拢150m office scheme on Berkeley Square called Lansdowne House on which it also beat O鈥橰ourke.

But O鈥橰ourke has picked up a huge cancer treatment centre scheme in Oxford, thought to be worth north of 拢300m and due to start in earnest this summer, and is also carrying out work on a life sciences scheme elsewhere in the city for Stanhope.

Designed by Bennetts Associates, Timber Square will be built at 25 Lavington Street in Southwark close to the Tate Modern.

It comprises two buildings of 10 and 15 storeys and replaced a previous proposal by Allies and Morrison to build a 10-storey commercial building along with three residential blocks of eight, 13 and 21 storeys which was ditched after Landsec bought the site from that scheme鈥檚 developer Gaterule in 2018.

Others working on the project include structural engineer Heyne Tillett Steel, QS Alinea, M&E engineer Hoare Lea and principal designer Gardiner & Theobald.