Building Design & Construction

Prologis UK has secured a 10-year lease with Cainiao, a global ecommerce logistics provider and part of Alibaba Group, marking a significant expansion of its UK operations. Prologis Apex Park DC4’s recent refurbishment was delivered with a strong focus on sustainability, featuring advanced LED lighting, a solar PV array and EV charging infrastructure, resulting in an EPC A rating and supporting lower carbon operations. The 150,911 sq ft DC4 enables rapid operational ramp-up with the installation, through Prologis Essentials, of wide aisle racking providing 20,028 pallet capacity. This allows Cainiao to move in quickly and handle high-volume operations from day one. Sun Beibei, Vice President of Global Supply Chain at Cainiao, said: “By signing a 10-year lease at Prologis Apex Park, we are making a clear, long-term commitment to the UK market. This significant investment reflects our confidence in continued growth and reinforces the stability and reliability of the logistics services we deliver to customers across the region. Prologis Apex Park offers the location, specification and flexibility we need to support our continued growth in the UK. The ability to move quickly through leasing and into a facility that is already optimised for high-volume operations was a key factor in our decision. We look forward to working with Prologis as we expand our network.” Tom Price, Leasing Director at Prologis UK, said: “Cainiao’s decision to locate at Prologis Apex Park reflects the strength of the Midlands as a core logistics location, as well as continued investment from Chinese ecommerce businesses into the UK. As an existing global customer, we were able to move quickly on commercial terms, enabling this transaction to complete” The letting brings Prologis Apex Park to full occupancy, following the recent leasing of DC3 to DHL. The park is home to major global customers including CEVA Logistics, XPO Logistics, Cummins and Hankook, reinforcing its position as one of the Midland’s premier logistics locations with strong connectivity and access to an established labour pool within the Midlands’ ‘golden triangle’. A final opportunity remains at the park, with DC11 offering a 91,000 sq ft build-to-suit unit with full planning consent. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals The post Prologis signs Cainiao at Prologis Apex Park DC4 appeared first on BDC Magazine.

Plans have been submitted for phase one of East Bank Urban Village – one of Hull’s largest ever regeneration projects – which is set to breathe life back into the East Bank of the River Hull through the creation of a sustainable new neighbourhood. Hull City Council, working in collaboration with lead development partner ECF (the partnership between Homes England, L&G and Muse), has submitted detailed designs for phase one of East Bank. The hybrid application also includes outline plans for the wider neighbourhood which, once complete, will deliver around 850 new homes on the site opposite the Old Town. Once an important part of Hull’s maritime industry, use of this area has seen a significant decline since the mid-20th century. Today, the site is primarily occupied by surface parking and vacant brownfield land. Over the next 15 years, East Bank Urban Village will introduce a mix of affordable houses and Build-To-Rent (BTR) apartments alongside shops, restaurants, leisure and other neighbourhood uses. An interconnected network of streets, plazas, green spaces and a new riverside promenade will improve connectivity, creating active travel routes that encourage walking and cycling throughout the site. Phase one will establish the core of the new neighbourhood, delivering 37 townhouses and 78 apartments across two buildings. All of the homes will be affordable, helping to meet local demand and ensuring East Bank is inclusive and accessible to a wide range of people.  Phase one will also include the landing for the Scale Lane bridge on the eastern bank of the River Hull and the connection to the existing Trinity Buoy Shed – a much-loved local heritage building – which will be brought back into use as part of the long-term vision for the neighbourhood. Later phases will deliver more than 700 Build-To-Rent (BTR) and affordable apartments across the wider neighbourhood, improving connections to nearby areas including the Fruit Market. In addition to the new homes, there are plans to revitalise the area around the Drypool Basin, as a contemporary community space.  In September and October 2025, the council and ECF led a series of community conversations, where local people had the opportunity to offer constructive suggestions which fed directly into the masterplan. This included the need for more green community spaces, parking and traffic management, enhancing biodiversity and finding new uses for existing historical landmarks including the former Lock Keeper’s Cottage. Raife Gale, senior development manager at ECF said: “Local people have been supportive – and so insightful – in offering their feedback, and this has all fed into the final planning application we’ve submitted. “Our plan is to deliver a sustainable new neighbourhood where people want to live, work and spend time – and key to this is creating quality homes, attractive public spaces and new leisure and business opportunities. East Bank will kick-start a new chapter for this part of the city’s riverside, ensuring it continues to play a role for future generations. “The council has an ambitious programme of regeneration which is already helping transform the city centre, as seen with the recently completed redevelopment of the Museums Quarter and Old Town, and we are using our knowledge and expertise in delivering complex schemes across the UK to help unlock the next phase of the city’s development.” The project is supported by £9.8m in government-backed Levelling Up Partnership funding, underpinning enabling works and early infrastructure delivery. East Bank Urban Village will also make a significant contribution to the council’s ambition to deliver 2,500 new homes within Hull city centre as part of its Local Plan. It will also act as a catalyst site for Hull’s recently endorsed City Centre Vision. By using state-of-the-art materials and technologies, including sustainable drainage systems, throughout the neighbourhood, East Bank Urban Village will also follow the principles of Hull’s “Living With Water” project. Chris Jackson, director of regeneration and partnerships at Hull City Council, said: “It is pleasing that the council has been able to submit plans for phase one of East Bank Urban Village. “This is a significant regeneration project which will help to meet the council’s housing targets, revitalise a long-term brownfield site and also support both Hull’s Old Town and city centre economies. “We have already welcomed extensive public feedback on draft proposals for East Bank ahead of this planning submission and look forward to hearing their thoughts on the updated plans.” East Bank Urban Village has been selected as a national case study by the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) which is held annually in Leeds in May. The video case study, which is now live, captures how Hull City Council and ECF are working in partnership to accelerate delivery, attract investment and showcase Hull’s broader regeneration strategy to the national market. The project’s inclusion is expected to further boost investor confidence as East Bank moves toward delivery, if planning approval is achieved. For more information go to www.eastbank-hull.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals The post First plans submitted for East Bank Urban Village in Hull appeared first on BDC Magazine.

Vanguard Self Storage, one of the UK’s leading independent self-storage companies, has confirmed significant progress on its new Maidenhead branch, scheduled for handover in August and opening in September 2026 – exactly one year after the project was first announced. This development marks Vanguard’s tenth location in England, expanding its growing portfolio of high-quality storage facilities across the country. Since the announcement in September 2025, key works completed at the site have included the following: The project remains on track for an August handover, with final works underway to ensure the branch meets Vanguard’s high standards. Once open, the branch will feature: The Maidenhead branch is expected to generate four new jobs, while supporting broader employment in associated local and surrounding businesses, reinforcing Vanguard’s commitment to the neighbouring community and economy. Will McCullagh, Managing Director of Vanguard Self Storage, said, “This facility represents a major investment in the local community, providing high-quality, secure storage solutions and creating new employment opportunities.  We look forward to opening in late summer and to supporting the needs of the Maidenhead residential and business community. For more information about Vanguard Self Storage, please visit https://www.vanguardstorage.co.uk/. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals The post Vanguard Self Storage Maidenhead Branch on Track for September Opening – One Year After Original Announcement appeared first on BDC Magazine.

McLaughlin & Harvey has completed the construction of a major new academic facility at the University of Edinburgh, marking another milestone in the ongoing transformation of the institution’s King’s Buildings Campus. The new Engineering Forum building, which will house the School of Engineering’s Institute for Energy Systems, provides 6,500 sq m of high-specification teaching and research space. Delivered via the SCAPE Scotland Framework, the five-storey, steel-framed development has been designed to support both advanced research and hands-on learning in key areas such as renewable energy, power systems and electronics. Positioned as a ‘living lab’, the building has been developed to facilitate real-world experimentation and innovation, enabling students and researchers to engage directly with emerging technologies. The facility reflects a growing emphasis within higher education on experiential learning environments that bridge the gap between academic study and industry application. The project also demonstrates the increasing role of modern construction techniques in delivering complex academic buildings within operational environments. Working within a live campus presented logistical challenges, requiring careful coordination to minimise disruption while maintaining programme efficiency. Dougie McCusker, construction director at McLaughlin & Harvey, highlighted the collaborative approach taken throughout the scheme, noting that close engagement with the University and design partners was key to delivering a high-quality outcome. He added that the project represents the contractor’s seventh development for the University of Edinburgh, underlining a long-standing relationship between the two organisations. The Engineering Forum forms part of a wider programme of investment across the King’s Buildings Campus, aimed at enhancing the University’s research capabilities and academic infrastructure. McLaughlin & Harvey has played a significant role in this transformation, having previously delivered the Nucleus Building, which opened in 2022, as well as contributing to other major schemes including the Usher Institute and the Roslin Innovation Centre. The completion of the new facility reinforces the continued investment in education-led development, with a focus on delivering future-ready environments that support innovation, sustainability and technical excellence. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals The post McLaughlin & Harvey delivers flagship engineering hub at University of Edinburgh appeared first on BDC Magazine.

Between December 2025 and February 2026, UK GDP grew by 0.5%; however, unlike services and production, which grew by 0.5% and 1.2% respectively, construction fell by 2.0%.  Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said: “The economy is in a stronger place than many presumed; however, growth in construction is proving elusive and where growth has occurred, it remains way below the 2023 baseline it is set against and in areas where public funding has been strong.”  Over a three-month period, output in infrastructure and public works rose by 2.1%, but the highest growth was in private repair and maintenance, which grew by 6.7%.  Output in all new housing fell by 2.5%, with productivity in new public housing hitting lows last seen in July 2019. This has coincided with a steady drop in monthly brick deliveries, a useful indicator for industry health, which were 34.5% lower relative to February 2019.  Rico Wojtulewicz, Director of Policy and Market Insight at the NFB, said:   “The winter period is when projects are gearing up for delivery, so growth is rarely certain. However, construction insolvency is up, brick deliveries are down and material prices continue to rise. Industry confidence remains low.  It was very pleasing to see growth in private housing repair and maintenance, and it warrants further investigation into what the drivers were, as it could signal a green economy growth.  The impact of the war in Iran has not yet been fed into the GDP figures, but industry is already expressing concerns. We would therefore hope that the Government’s proposed procurement and planning reforms are put into law as soon as possible, particularly those to support SMEs, such as the Medium sized site.”  Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals The post RMI bucks the trend of construction industry contraction appeared first on BDC Magazine.