CMB are pleased to have successfully handed over 71/72 Kingsway to Swansea City Council, after 2 years of providing the £6 Million Mechanical & Electrical services on the project.

 

The development proved to be a challenge throughout construction due to the nature of the build, with Bouygues UK inheriting an existing two storey basement and foundations, which needed to be retained, strengthened and built upon. The difficulty and fragmentation of this work dictated the sequence of the installation programme throughout. CMB worked closely with the Bouygues team to ensure we could maximise the amount of MEP installation work we could carry out around the restrictions imposed by the casting of the concrete floor structures and shuttering.

 

Located on the site of the former Oceana nightclub, 71/72 Kingsway now includes 114,000 square feet of commercial floorspace, providing flexible co-working and office opportunities for innovative tech, digital and creative businesses. The five-storey development is worth a remarkable £32.6 Million a year to Swansea’s economy and will house 600 workers across the building. It features state-of-the-art digital connectivity, a landscaped roof terrace with trees and shrubs, balconies overlooking the city centre and Swansea Bay, a gin bar with an outdoor seating area, events rooms for hire, versatile ground floor retail space and more.

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MEP works include a Hybrid VRF system to provide the zoned heating and cooling with heat recovery ventilation throughout, in addition a PV array is provided on the two roof plant areas as part of the net zero design philosophy.

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The whole of the MEP installation is on show, as the building is designed with minimalist fair faced concrete walls and soffit construction and full height glass elevations.  This required a great level of detail and early engagement for CMB to ensure the hidden infrastructure works, such as cast in conduits, were correct and the subsequent quality of the exposed services installation were to a high standard to match the finished aesthetic.

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Sustainability has been at the forefront of this project with solar panels distributed across the roof, as well as heat recovery systems in place to minimise energy usage. The building also accommodates 69 bike spaces and electric bike charging, as well as extensive shower and changing facilities and has successfully achieved operational Carbon Net Zero.

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The Kingsway was not only well received by the client, but also by the wider industry. The project won the Digital Construction Award at the Wales Constructing Excellence Awards, with Constructing Excellence CEO, Cat Griffith-Williams commenting:

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“You have every right to be proud of this fantastic achievement, not only because you are all outstanding but, because you were up against some very stiff competition this year. Congratulations on such a great achievement”.

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The project also later went on to win the National Award for Digital at the Construction Awards in London for the BIM Builders Work and Passive Fire Stopping Golden Thread Solution.

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Peter Davies, CMB West Director, commented:

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“The project has been a challenging one from the start due to the restrictions throughout the construction and weather issues due to the complexity of the construction interfaces. The CMB team along with our wider supply chain have stepped up to provide a first-class installation in difficult circumstances and the completed building will be a great addition to the CV of everyone involved”.