OCON’S PICCADILLY GATE SCHEME SHORTLISTED FOR NATIONAL AWARD
A 10-storey 1960s office block in Manchester that has been transformed into a landmark contemporary commercial development has been shortlisted as ‘Project of the Year’ by Construction News magazine.
A testament to this era of sustainable design and recycling, Piccadilly Gate has seen Ocon Construction complete a £27 million transformation of the former ‘Rail House’, completely recycling the building to create a striking high quality “office hotel” pilot concept for the Office of Government and Commerce. Achieving a BREEAM “Excellent” rating and an EPC certificate of 43.1, the refurbished building is amongst the top 10% of Government buildings for energy efficiency. Featuring in-built future proofed flexibility and quality workspace whilst avoiding unnecessary opulence, the building’s sustainable performance exceeds that of many new build projects, demonstrating what can be achieved with older buildings.
Located adjacent to Piccadilly railway station with an entrance directly onto the concourse, Piccadilly Gate was one of the city’s most high profile projects in 2010 and has now become the new home of several Government offices in the Northwest, who are benefiting from the quality working environment which Ocon’s designers achieved after extensive thermal modelling and the enhanced category A infrastructure installation.
Manchester-based construction company, Ocon Construction, was main contractor on the scheme and the project is one of just eight from around the UK to have reached the finals of the construction industry’s most coveted awards in the ‘Project of the Year £10-£50 million’ category.
Piccadilly Gate was shortlisted for the prestigious award following an interviewing process in which Ocon and it’s mechanical and electrical contractor, SES (Shepherd Engineering Services) were consulted on the features of the building. The companies will find out whether their project has scooped the award on 12th July.
Comments managing director of Ocon Construction, Andy Barker: “Ocon may be best known for its work in the student accommodation sector but this project demonstrates our skills, understanding and experience over a wide range of sectors. The project involved stripping the original building back to its concrete frame and completely re-building it whilst maintaining a critical West Coast Mainline operations facility housed in the basement. We are proud to have been involved with the prestigious scheme, which has enabled us to demonstrate Ocon’s sustainability credentials. Whatever the outcome on 12th July we are excited about our achievements on Piccadilly Gate and delighted to have reached the Construction News Awards finals.”
