John Sisk is main contractor for the construction of a £150m office campus in Milton Keynes, to be called Unity Place, which from late 2022 will be the new UK headquarters of Spanish bank Santander.
The 81,650 m2 eight-storey scheme comprises four blocks connected by three atria. The basement will include a market area open to both Santander staff and the public. Enabling works have started and contiguous piling for the basement area is due to start later this month before a 150,000 m3 bulk excavation begins.
The project is being developed by Osborne & Co, the architect is LOM, the engineer is WSP and Turner & Townsend is the project and cost manager.
Byrne Bros managing director Alastair Smyth said: “We’ve worked in partnership with the project team from an early stage in the project lifecycle to drive value and efficiency in the final engineering solutions strategy, which will help Byrne Bros to boost productivity, minimise waste and achieve the highest standards of safety.”
Sisk managing director Ajaz Shafi said: “We are delighted this week to mark the start of the construction phase on Unity Place with Byrne Bros, who will be delivering the basement and superstructure package… Both Sisk and Byrne Brothers have worked together collaboratively through these Covid conditions the past few months and are pleased to have achieved this project milestone even in these challenging times. We are excited to have the opportunity to deliver this stunning project together.”
Byrne Group, which itself turns over about £200m a year, is these days majority owned by WBHO (originally Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon), a £2.2bn turnover South African listed construction business.
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