Goodman lays foundations for new British Gas Building at Oxford Business Park
22 November 2011
Leading business space provider Goodman has started construction work on the new 81,000 sq ft British Gas Business head office at Oxford Business Park, which will become the benchmark for sustainable out of town office developments.
Earlier this year the two companies entered a pre-let agreement for the bespoke building with a 17-year lease and secured planning approval from Oxford City Council. The building will house up to 1,000 employees and visitors to British Gas Business, the business to business division of integrated energy company, Centrica.
The official start of construction was marked by a ground breaking ceremony today where The Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Oxford Councillor Elise Benjamin joined leading representatives from Goodman and British Gas to celebrate this significant milestone.
With the shell and core designed by architects Frank Shaw and the fit-out by Scott Brownrigg, the building will showcase British Gas’ commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency, and will create a unique environment for employees and visitors alike. The state-of-the-art building will carry a BREEAM Excellent rating and include many energy saving features, setting a new benchmark for this type of development.
British Gas’ commitment to Oxford Business Park will further enhance the vibrant business community and deliver long term economic benefits for the whole region, by retaining a significant employer in the City.
Kier Moss is carrying out the construction work on the building, which is expected to be open for business in March 2013. It will feature formal and informal meeting and conference facilities, an on-site restaurant with dining for around 200 people, training rooms, an innovation centre showcasing British Gas technologies and secure cycle storage and showers on site.
Speaking at the ground breaking the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor Elise Benjamin said: “This building further enhances the City’s position as a leading business location and I am confident that it will act as a catalyst for attracting further businesses to the City and help drive economic growth in Oxfordshire. I welcome British Gas’ extensive use of energy efficient technologies, which demonstrates how they can be used within buildings but also the wider work place. I look forward to developing strong links with the company in the future and commend the firm’s encouragement of employees to ride to work in this cycle city. It’s a great example of the type of buildings we want to see.”
Jim Johnston, Managing Director at Goodman, said: “The success in reaching this exciting milestone is testament to the partnership between Goodman and British Gas to develop a bespoke, fit-for-purpose headquarters building. It will be a leap forward in terms of building and environmental design and we believe will become the benchmark for sustainable office developments for the out-of-town market.”
Kanat Emiroglu, Managing Director of British Gas Business said: “This Ground Breaking event marks a significant step forward in this exciting project and demonstrates Centrica’s and British Gas’s commitment and confidence in Oxford as a key location for our business. Our new office will feature many of the energy efficiency technologies that British Gas will be able to showcase to our customers and will be a place that our people will really enjoy working in. We are delighted to be working with Goodman to realise our vision.”
Rory Briggs, a British Gas Business employee said: “The new site has given a real boost to employees, as we can now see the vision of the new offices coming to life. It will be exciting seeing the daily progress over the next 18 months. The state-of-the-art building will hopefully be a talking point in the months to come, with the offices being a flagship for energy efficiency.”
Oxford Business Park provides a workplace for more than 69 companies employing over 5,500 people. The park comprises 88 acres, offering high quality office space and on-site amenities including a hotel, restaurant, day nursery and a health and fitness centre.
Oxford Business Park is one of 23 parks that Goodman owns, develops and manages nationally.
Top picture caption L-R: Kanat Emiroglu, MD BGB; Nicolas Grant MD BGB Corporate Markets; The Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor Elise Benjamin; Jim Johnston MD Goodman
Bottom picture caption L-R: Kanat Emiroglu, MD BGB; Nicolas Grant MD BGB Corporate Markets; The Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor Elise Benjamin; Jim Johnston MD Goodman