Issue #4
Luxury retirement community Stepnell appointed to build the final phase of an award-winning luxury Oxfordshire retirement community
Home Grown New offices for Brethertons Solicitors is now complete
New care development in Salisbury ÂŁ8.8m scheme for The Orders of St John Care Trust
State-of-the-art spa complex with gymnasium Designed by PRC Architecture, the luxury homes are being built within the village’s 36-acre grounds at a secluded location which is also close to the village centre with its wide range of facilities, including a state-of-the-art spa complex with gymnasium and pool and the village’s beautiful lakeside restaurant. All six new apartments – which are being built to the highest standards of quality and comfort incorporating ergonomically designed kitchens and walk-in showers – have already been reserved.
“Our team brings extensive experience in delivering superb retirement housing and we are thrilled to be working with Richmond Villages to help complete
Stepnell chosen for final phase of development at luxury Oxfordshire retirement community Stepnell has been appointed by leading retirement living specialist Richmond Villages, who are part of Bupa, to build the final phase of an award-winning luxury Oxfordshire retirement community. Work is under way by Stepnell on Mill Stream Mews, a £1.2 million development of six high-specification one- and two-bedroom apartments at Richmond Letcombe Regis, near Wantage.
the final phase of homes at this truly exceptional development,” Tom Wakeford, Director. Stepnell
“We are delighted to be working with local company, Stepnell. Their experience of developing high quality housing plus their helpful and professional attitude gives us great confidence that this will be a highly successful project.” Albert Josephs, Development Manager. Richmond Villages
Stepnell expands in East Midlands with new Nottingham office Stepnell has opened a new office in Nottingham following the continuing expansion of its business across the East Midlands. The office – at the Eldon Business Park, Chilwell – provides a new base for the company’s growing construction operations across Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire. The East Midlands business specialises in projects for the education, commercial, residential, student accommodation, retail and leisure sectors. Current schemes include a £1.8 million major refurbishment programme for Stratford upon Avon College which began in June 2014 and a £1.5 million newbuild housing development at Scraptoft, Leicester, where work is now getting under way.
And the winner is... Our Grantham team have recently been awarded an LJCC Construction Craftsmanship Award for a £1.1m extension and refurbishment scheme at Loughborough Grammar School. The Leicester Local Joint Consultative Committee (LJCC) Awards recognise good craftsmanship while the LJCC itself aims to promote best practice in the construction industry. The project comprised the full refurbishment of a two story teaching block (Pullinger) which included recladding the building along with a two storey extension and part refurbishment of a boarding house (Denton).
“We’re delighted to have opened an office in Nottingham which will support our expanding construction operations in the region and enhance the local delivery of projects.” Tom Sewell, Operations and Commercial Manager, Stepnell
“The judges considered that the high standard of workmanship and careful detailing of the new building had blended well with the much older building whilst creating pleasant and practical living spaces.
The new office is expected to create a number of new job and training opportunities in the region over the next 18 months, including trainee positions and construction apprenticeships.
We were particularly impressed at the positive comments by staff at the School about working with Stepnell during the construction phase and the enthusiasm for the finished buildings." John Cawrey - LJCC Craftsmanship Award Judge
creating three storeys along with a new connecting one-storey extension. Stepnell will also create new library areas and study rooms, flexible working spaces, a passenger lift, staircases and washing facilities. The new energyefficient building, which will be partially built below ground level and set in a sunken garden, will have a range of sustainable features including a green roof, environmentally-friendly heating, ventilation and lighting systems as well as landscaped areas and a paved courtyard. Disabled access will also be created for the first time throughout the library.
Stepnell awarded £5.9m Oxford college library scheme The Stepnell Wantage team has been awarded the £5.9m contract to refurbish and extend the New Library at Magdalen College, Oxford. Construction of the new scheme designed by Wright and Wright Architects, started in June this year and to complete in early 2016. Stepnell will extend, refurbish and reroof the 1850s-built Grade II* listed Victorian building which was originally designed by John Buckler and built as a single hall school. In 1932, it was converted into a library for the Magdalen community supporting 200 students and 35 Fellows. Student numbers have since tripled, and the library no longer has the space or capability of supporting modern-day user requirements. The basement of the existing Victorian building will be extended by Stepnell
“We are delighted to be working with Magdalen College and respected architects Wright and Wright on this stunning project which will provide much-needed new library facilities for the academic community. Stepnell has significant expertise in delivering specialist schemes like this for the university sector and we’re committed to ensuring that this project creates local jobs and brings other economic benefits to the community.” Pete McDonald, Contracts Manager. Stepnell
Low-energy design Designed by Rugby-based HB Architects, the 1,616 sq m building is sympathetic to the local Rugby School Conservation Area. It features an openplan flexible design with break-out rooms and individual client meeting rooms. The building is formed around a reinforced concrete frame, with concrete floors and a concrete roof, including pitched roof sections and concrete walls along with masonry walls, which incorporate elements of structural glazing with low emissive glass. As part of the low-energy design, the building’s exposed concrete elements absorb heat during the day with temperature-controlled motorised louvres
Home Grown
dissipating the warm air at night. Brise soleil sunscreens are installed to ground- and first-floor south-facing windows. The roof is fitted with photovoltaic panels. A high ‘B’ EPC Rating has been achieved, which meets the shared objective for the energy standard of the new building.
Stepnell hands over state-of-the-art office building heralding new era for law firm Brethertons
The existing vehicle access in Clifton Road has been closed and a new vehicle access
Stepnell has finished work on the new Rugby home for leading regional law firm
created in Moultrie Road to facilitate on-site
Brethertons LLP.
parking for 25 cars.
A handover of the keys by Stepnell Group development director Peter Wakeford
Significant investment
to Brethertons partner Trevor Dyer marked the completion of the new Montague House office in Clifton Road and the start of a fresh era for Brethertons, which
Brethertons senior partner Richard
was originally founded in Rugby over 200 years ago.
Pell says: “The new offices allow us to accommodate more staff, including
The new three-storey building has enabled the firm, one of Warwickshire
specialist Commercial and Private Client
and Oxfordshire’s largest firms of solicitors, to bring together its entire Rugby
departments, but still keep us at the heart of
team – over 100 people which were based in three offices - under one roof.
the Rugby community.”
“It has been highly rewarding to help create this state-ofthe-art low-energy office building which will enable this progressive law firm to operate in a much improved working environment for clients and staff. The site includes provision for further expansion when needed.” Peter Wakeford, Director. Stepnell
Brethertons staff have just moved in. See photos of the finished project
£2.7m refurbishment and new-build scheme for Oxford college is now complete
been converted to glass doors which open out on to the new sunken terrace facing the quad. The overall scheme has doubled the catering capacity of the College as well as enhancing its conference, fine dining and corporate event facilities. To create the sunken terrace, the building required extensive temporary
Our Wantage team has recently completed a major £2.7m refurbishment and new-build scheme for Grade II* listed Mansfield College at the University of Oxford.
propping to facilitate excavation and demolition works and then allow for new
The project, designed by Rick Mather Architects comprised extensive
Wider refurbishments included tutor rooms, hallways and stairwells.
foundations and steelwork to be constructed. Following the excavation masonry repairs to the Grade II* Listed building were carried out.
alterations and refurbishment of the east wing of the College’s main building and construction of a two-storey concrete frame extension as well as a workshop building and sunken terrace. The extension houses the new kitchens and features an atrium with a frameless glass roof light, feature stairway and lift which link the extension to the rest of the College. The structure itself utilises a stone and glass façade. The refurbished ground-floor of the existing building has been remodelled to create a new student refectory and café/bar. Two stone-framed windows have
See photos of the finished project
£8.8m care home in Salisbury gets underway
The project is due for completion early 2016.
Working with Brackley Investments for long term client The Orders of St John Care Trust, the Poole team have recently begun construction of a 120 bed, three-storey care home in Old Sarum, Salisbury. This is the largest single care home that Stepnell have built to date and will be OSJCT’s flagship facility. The 120 beds include provision for 48 beds for specialist dementia care and 72 beds for nursing care. The building itself is of traditional masonry construction with a combination of finishes including brick, render and flint stone panelling. The facility also features a large glazed entrance foyer which is unlike anything we have incorporated into previous care homes. Internally, rooms and layout is based on OSJCT’s standardised household concept with some minor improvements from the design team. One of the stand-out features of the facility is the first floor mall, a large communal space with dining and socialising areas - the biggest of any care home Stepnell have built.
“Although the design is quite different, we have been able to implement lessons learned from previous care home projects.”
“We are currently in the process of pouring the concrete slab for the dementia wing along with the strip foundations for the nursing wing. Drainage is
Matt Sargent – Head of Design Management
also in progress as is the blockwork for the beam and
Due to the relative close proximity of noisy industrial facilities, the building will
block floor.”
utilise a ‘white noise generator’ –a clever device that helps diminish unwanted distracting noises by emitting white noise that will go unnoticed by the care home residents.
Derek Middleton, Director. Stepnell
News in brief Our Rugby office is currently working on a £1 million
Additional educational schemes for our Wantage office include
remodelling and refurbishment scheme at Woolaston School
a £5.5 million redevelopment for Bayards Hill Primary School in
in Wellingborough as well as a £448k alteration and extension
Oxford, a £500k refurbishment project for Swindon’s Commonweal
project to create a modern new funeral home in Nuneaton for Co-
School (which is complete) and a £217k remodelling contract for
operative Society. They have recently completed an extension
Down House School, Thatcham.
scheme for Jelmac Properties. The £300k project consisted of the creation of two new wings to a commercial building in Leamington
Also in progress for our Wantage team are two care homes – a
Spa.
£5.9 million Abingdon care home for BPHA and £5.5 million facility in Devizes. They have also just handed over a £1.2 million
Earlier in the year our Nottingham team completed a £1.1 million
extension to a medical centre in Aylesbury and a building a
scheme to re-clad and refurbish the Hampton building at The
pharmacy for a medical centre in Toddington.
Sixth Form College, Solihull. They are also just finishing off a £1 million six storey office block refurbishment in Leicester. Also
In addition to the £8.8 million care home mentioned earlier in
in Leicester the team have reached the half-way point of a £1.5
the newsletter, our Poole office has been working on a range of
million sheltered accommodation scheme.
refurbishment schemes spanning education, health and community
Recently our Grantham team have been working on two education schemes – a £1.4 million extension to Oakham School’s Merton Building and a £1.4 million extension and refurbishment project to create a new performing arts centre and performance hall at Stamford Endowed School. Currently under construction for our Wantage office is a range of projects at Oxford University colleges including a £3.8 million scheme to create a new third floor with associated refurbishments at Oriel College.
Head Office
Grantham Office
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Stepnell House
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Grantham
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Grove
Rugby
Lincoln
Nottingham
Wantage
Warwickshire
NG31 6HT
Nottinghamshire
Oxfordshire
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OX12 OAB
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01235 772772
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01476 564726
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