Ask and BAM appointed for new city centre head office

One of the UK’s largest housing associations has announced the developer and contractor who will create its new head office in Newcastle City Centre.

Home Group has appointed Ask Real Estate and BAM Construction to deliver its purpose-built home in Strawberry Lane.
The north east-based organisation was given planning permission earlier this year to build the 70,000 sq ft building which will be set over six floors in the fast developing St James’ part of the city. Close to 700 of its 2,600 strong workforce will move into the new building in 2022.

Home Group’s board approved Ask’s appointment last week (July 30) and work is set to start on site in early Autumn. The board said key areas which stood out in Ask’s bid were its collaborative approach and how they demonstrated their record of working on complex projects on constrained city centre sites. Their approach to sustainable building was also key.
Ask is renowned for delivering high quality developments in urban centres right across the north of England.

The Manchester-based company has a portfolio of 20 current or completed projects, comprising over 3 million sq ft of floorspace and generating an end value approaching £1bn. Included in that is the proposed £260m 800,000 sq ft arena-led Gateshead Quays re-development between the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts and the Sage music venue in Gateshead and a 245 unit residential scheme at Tower Works in Leeds city centre.

The UK arm of international construction company BAM, which delivers high-level projects across the world, will build the new head office. They have worked closely with Ask on projects such as 100 Embankment in Manchester.

They impressed the board with their customer focused approach to construction and considered approach to delivering the building. The building, which will complement the growing development in this area of the city, will house Home Group’s administrative and customer service centre staff.

Joe Cook, Executive Director of Development at Home Group, said: “We are delighted with the appointment of Ask Real Estate. Their outstanding work, especially in city centres, speaks for itself. The project team and I are excited about working with them, and the excellent BAM.

“Ask’s track record in delivering high-quality, innovative and sustainable buildings was key in our decision to appoint them. The sustainability of the building, in particular, is extremely important.
“This is a highly significant project for us – one that benefits a wide range of stakeholders, including our colleagues, our customers, the voluntary sector, the city council and the city centre businesses. We are proud of our north east roots and this move to Newcastle City Centre strengthens those roots even further.”