HBD, part of Henry Boot, working in a joint venture with Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF), has announced the practical completion of Island, the 100,000sq ft net zero carbon, smart enabled office scheme in Manchester city centre.
The milestone comes just weeks after the announcement of a 46,000 sq ft pre let to telecommunications giant, Virgin Media O2 which has signed a 10 year lease at Island.
Located on John Dalton Street in the heart of Manchester city centre, Island has been built by Bowmer + Kirkland who commenced work in 2022 and have now achieved the on budget completion of the landmark building.
Designed by Cartwright Pickard, Island is targeting an array of industry leading sustainability credentials including BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and an EPC A rating. It has already achieved a 5* NABERS Independent Design Review rating. By harnessing smart technology and by working closely with occupiers, Island is targeting further energy reductions to reach a 5.5* rating.
Resilient technology has been incorporated into its infrastructure to support occupiers’ ESG objectives and its energy consumption will be 46% lower than the 2020 Real Estate Environmental Benchmark.
The pre let to Virgin Media O2 means that only the remaining four floors of 10,000sq ft are available to let, as well as a food and beverage spaces at ground floor level. It is expected that now practical completion has been achieved Virgin Media O2 will commence fit out of its space in early 2025 with a view to relocating staff from several regional sites into Island later in the year.
Speaking about the building reaching practical completion, Ed Hutchinson, Managing Director at HBD said: “Island is so much more than just an office; it is a highly intelligent, collaborative working environment, designed to meet people’s health and wellbeing needs as well as helping businesses to achieve optimal operational efficiencies. Island’s technology will inform and educate its occupants providing analytical data which enables them to assess performance, wellbeing and energy efficiency every step of the way. With practical completion now complete and Virgin Media O2 joining us next year we are looking forward to hopefully securing the next tenants at Island in 2025.”
Jonathan Stanlake, Director at CBRE, property advisors to GMPF, added: “It’s great to see Island complete, especially so soon after welcoming Virgin Media O2 as our first tenants. Investing in the development of net zero carbon schemes like Island is central to our ethos and we’re proud to have partnered with HBD, who shared our vision to deliver such a highly sustainable scheme.”
Bowmer + Kirkland Regional Director, Paul Sykes, said: “Island was delivered on time and on budget because the entire project team collaborated and worked together to ensure a positive result.
“It’s a one of a kind building that we are all very proud to have been associated with.”
OBI and CBRE are joint agents for Island.