Skanska wins £240 million City of London contract

Skanska has won a £240 million contract to construct 20 Ropemaker Street in Central London for its customer, Great Elm Assets Limited, in association with Old Park Lane Management Limited and their Development Partner CO—RE.

Skanska will also install mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering services in the 25-storey commercial project, due to start construction in the first quarter of 2020 and complete early in 2023. Currently the existing buildings are being demolished in advance of construction commencing.

The scheme will consist of 419,093 sq ft of office space, while 11,785 sq ft of retail space will be located at ground level.

The building sits at the junction of Finsbury Pavement and Ropemaker Street, and will rise to 112m high above pavement level, with a double-height retail unit within a ‘street block’ along Finsbury Pavement. It will include a double-height entrance and lobby along Ropemaker Street close to Moorgate Tube Station, with a separate dedicated cycle entrance. A single storey of business space will be located at mezzanine level within the ‘street block’. Occupiable office space will cover 22 floors, with five accessible roof terraces. Three basement levels are provided for retail servicing, plant, facilities management, cycle and shower facilities.

Steve Holbrook, Managing Director, Building, said: “We are delighted to win this contract and welcome Great Elm as a customer. We will use our knowledge and skills to deliver a building that uses the latest sustainable techniques to enhance user experience, protects the environment and creates a safe workplace.

“By listening to and understanding our customers and their bespoke requirements we can deliver projects on time, within budget and to a high standard.”

High environmental targets have been established for the project, aiming for BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ and WELL Building Standard Version 2 – Platinum, the latest iteration of the scheme.

Sustainable techniques will be used including the efficient use of water and energy, sending zero waste to landfill, using materials that mitigate the impact of our operations on ecosystems, and minimising the impact of our operations on water, land and soil quality.

Designed by Make Architects, other consultants on the scheme include WT Partnership (quantity surveyors), Waterman (structural engineer) and Hilson Moran (services engineer, including sustainability).