Contractor GMI Construction Group PLC celebrate the topping out of the new £52m office development at Thorpe Park Leeds, by installing final steelwork
Scarborough Group International (SGI), the developer of the project, hosted the topping-out ceremony, which included local councillors, guests from the project consultancy team and credit management company Lowell UK.
The ceremony, involving the centuries old tradition of blessing a yew tree with the four symbolic elements of wine, oil, corn, and salt, was held atop the building, and represents a major milestone in the phase two development at Thorpe Park Leeds – on track to become the largest mixed-use destination in the north of England.
The yew tree was then planted in Central Park, a 15-acre public green space that forms an essential health and wellbeing provision in the heart of Thorpe Park Leeds.
The building extends over seven floors, with two levels of underground podium parking and amenity below. It was designed by award-winning architects, Carey Jones Chapman Tolcher.
The office building is a new benchmark for future development at Thorpe Park Leeds, and is being constructed in line with the latest human health and wellbeing standards, with an environmental performance target rating of BREEAM ‘Excellent’ while also achieving an EPC A rating.
Its location and adjacent landscaped courtyard will create an anchor point for the next development plots that will be largely pedestrianised, providing easy access to The Springs retail and leisure centre, Central Park, and proposed 113-acre green park beyond.
‘Designed and built to meet new and modern ways of working’
Lee Powell, CEO of GMI Construction Group PLC, said: “Thorpe Park has become an integral and strategic part of Yorkshire’s economy and we are proud to continue our long-standing contribution to its development through the construction of this new office.
“Working in close collaboration with SGI, we are helping to increase the availability of high-quality offices in the Leeds area for businesses such as Lowell UK.
“We are confident that office space, such as this, which is designed and built to meet new and modern ways of working will be key to how businesses operate in a post-Covid world.”
‘A unique working environment’
John Pears, CEO of Lowell UK commented: “This week’s ceremony is an exciting milestone for the Lowell team as we continue the preparations to move to our new home at Thorpe Park Leeds in 2023.
“The move will provide us with a unique working environment designed to improve collaboration across the business, support colleagues to work in a more flexible way, increase wellbeing facilities, and meet the needs of our business, both now and in the future.”
Further plans to develop the space include the delivery of a 113-acre public park with sports and wellbeing facilities for the community of the Leeds City Region and beyond.
The phase two development at Thorpe Park Leeds was enabled following a unique investment deal with Legal & General Capital in 2015.
Since then, a transformational 1.35 million sq. ft mixed-use expansion has progressed bringing exceptional new business opportunities to the Leeds City Region. It has also enabled the delivery of the first section of the ‘East Leeds Orbital Route’ (ELOR), a key piece of transport infrastructure connecting north and east Leeds to Junction 46 of the M1. This road also unlocks land for the future construction of over 7,000 new homes on the East Leeds area.
The Award-winning development has been chosen for the new railway station ‘East Leeds Parkway’ and associated Park and Ride, connecting directly to Leeds City Centre in less than eight minutes.
