Following the demolition of the printing works that had been on the site, the project is evolving simultaneously with a larger scale redevelopment and investment in the surrounding northern area of the city.

With the projected figure of 400,000 people expected to move to the greater Norwich area over the next five years, investment is pouring in to regeneration projects, housing, retail and office developments. While initially concentrating on Phase 1 of the development, this new level of interest has meant that Phase 2 and potentially Phase 3 are starting work much sooner than initially anticipated and Davis Langdon’s role is expanding rapidly.

The £40m site redevelopment plans include 200 homes, 60 of which will be affordable housing, 20,500m² of office space, 1500m²  for retail, restaurants and cafes, cycle routes and footpaths, a pedestrian bridge across the river, a hotel and an urban square, as well as landscaping and amenity space.

Phase 1 of the works is already under construction and comprises two office buildings (D1 and D2) which are 3000ft² and 4000ft² respectively. Completion is on schedule for September 2008 and both buildings already have full tenancy agreements in place.

Building D1 will be the first commercial development in Norwich to be built to the BREEAM Excellent standard and is designed to incorporate leading green technology. This should result in a 17% energy saving and 70% water saving. Specific measures will include:

• A solar collector to provide hot water requirements
• A rainwater harvesting/ recycling system and water efficient fittings, which will reduce water usage by two thirds
• A natural ventilation system, which consumes a negligible amount of electricity and requires little maintenance. This will lower running costs, reduce the carbon footprint of the building.
• An earth duct air cooling system, reducing energy consumption.

Building D2 is also targeted to achieve a BREEM ‘Very Good’ classification which is above average for new builds.

The second phase of the works will comprise three more office buildings (F1, F2 and 3 St James’ Court) that will mirror D2, with a third phase planned for further office buildings. In the interim period the infrastructure and remaining demolition works will take place.

The part of the site earmarked for residential development has been sold to a developer, who has outline planning permission for 200 residential properties. Anticipating that work will commence by mid 2008, it is expected that the construction of the 200 properties will take three years. As one of the conditions of sale, the developer must provide car parking facilities for the whole site within a semi-basement. The site of the temporary car park could then be developed and plans are in place for four or five more office buildings.

One of the main challenges of these works has been the contamination of the site. An extensive removal and cleaning programme was necessary to be able to begin construction and to make the site fit for use.
As well as the contamination issues, the site itself is on a flood plain, as a result buildings D1 and D2 incorporate an undercroft car park which raises the ground floor above the flood risk level. The basement can be flooded and then pumped out. This protection is based on a 1 in 100 year storm and the buildings also have storm protection.