Tech campus transformation continues with construction underway on final building

DEVELOPMENT: An aerial view of the construction site for the final office building at the @TheDock tech campus in Hull’s Fruit Market

By Rick Lyon

Seven years of transformational development at Hull’s tech campus is continuing with construction underway on the final office building.

The building is the final phase of leading developer Wykeland Group’s @TheDock complex in Hull’s vibrant Fruit Market urban village. It will provide a further 11,000 sq ft of prime office space and bring 150 more advanced tech jobs to the area.

The building will complete a cluster of prime office space at the @TheDock development, which includes the Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI) tech hub.

The @TheDock development has regenerated a previously derelict waterfront site and become the catalyst and focal point for Hull’s fast-growing tech sector.

Yorkshire-based contractor Castlehouse Construction is delivering the works, with the final building having been designed by leading architectural practice The Harris Partnership, also based in Yorkshire. The developer’s agent for the project is LHL Group, again Yorkshire-based.

A total of around 300 workers will be on site across the various stages of the construction process, with the building scheduled to be completed in summer 2023.

John Gouldthorp, Asset Manager at Hull-based Wykeland, said: “It’s great that work is now underway on this exciting development.

TRANSFORMATION: Representatives from Wykeland Group, Castlehouse Construction, The Harris Partnership and LHL Group

“@TheDock has been a tremendous success and this latest phase underlines our confidence in the continuing growth of the tech sector in Hull and the wider region.

“Our previous investments on this site have generated dozens of new digital businesses and hundreds of highly-skilled tech jobs. This final building will create exciting new opportunities to be part of one of the UK’s most successful tech communities within a building with exceptional sustainability credentials.”

Site preparation and groundworks have been completed and piling work has now begun on site.

The piling is being carried out using a rotating, screw-type method which will minimise noise disruption while foundation works are carried out, before the steel frame of the building takes shape.

Founded in 2009, Castlehouse Construction has grown into a near-£30m turnover business, delivering projects in sectors including commercial, education, retail, healthcare and residential.

Castlehouse Construction was previously contracted by Wykeland to deliver the first phase of the £20m transformation of the former Northallerton Prison site in North Yorkshire into the award-winning Treadmills mixed-used development.

Phil Dewell, Construction Director at Castlehouse Construction, said: “We’re pleased to have been appointed to build what will be a high-quality, sustainable commercial development in a prime location in Hull.

‘DELIGHTED’: Work is underway on the final office building at the @TheDock campus

“Having previously worked with Wykeland on the first phase of The Treadmills development in Northallerton, we were delighted to be chosen for this project.

“Wykeland has a track record of delivering developments which have a significant economic impact on the area they serve. The @TheDock tech campus is a perfect example of that and we’re delighted to be finishing what has been a transformational development for the city.”

The new building will have strong sustainability credentials, making it one of Hull’s most environment-friendly developments as well as increasing its appeal to potential occupiers keen to reduce their carbon footprint.

The building will be powered by renewable energy generated via an array of roof-mounted solar panels. A green roof formed by flowering plants and a green wall section will also support biodiversity, while adding to the building’s insulation.

The building will be rated BREEAM “Very Good” – a sustainability assessment that will put it in the top 25 per cent nationally for non-domestic buildings.

It will have an EPC energy rating of A – the highest possible to achieve – and will be mechanically heated, cooled and ventilated by a system that uses air source heat pumps and takes heat energy from extracted air and uses it to pre-heat incoming air.

The undercroft car parking will feature electric vehicle charging points and cycle storage spaces, while energy efficient sensor lighting will also be installed within the building to reduce its carbon footprint.

The project is supported by funding received from the European Regional Development Fund.

The building is available for let to either a single business or multiple tenants, with suites from 2,250 sq ft to the full 11,000 sq ft.