Balfour Beatty appointed for London office scheme

Insurance giant AXA Real Estate has appointed Balfour Beatty the principal contractor to deliver the final construction phase of London office development Sixty London.

The 215,000ft² scheme, designed by Kohn Pederson Fox Associates (KPF), is on site with completion due in summer 2013 with the contract awarded to Balfour Beatty believed to be worth around £57m.

The scheme is being speculatively developed by Development Venture III, a partnership between AXA Real Estate and Favermead.

Harry Badham, AXA Real Estate’s UK director of development said:  “Our team has worked incredibly hard over the past year to finalise and enhance the design and specification of Sixty London and to procure a construction programme – which began last summer – that meets our 2013 delivery timetable. 

“We are now very excited to hand over the final construction phase to Balfour Beatty, which has an excellent team and track record, to deliver this fantastic new prime office building.”

Sixty London, on a site by the Holborn Viaduct previously home to Bath House, is targeting a BREEAM ‘excellent’ sustainability rating and has been upgraded to achieve an additional 25% carbon saving.

In addition to the 215,000ft² of office space, the project will offer 20,000ft² of retail and restaurant accommodation on the ground floor and discussions are underway with a number of potential occupiers.

Elsewhere within the City of London, AXA Real Estate is developing 60,000ft² of new offices with 20,000ft² of retail and restaurant space and 10,000ft² of prime residential apartments at 1 St Paul’s, as well as 160,000ft² of new office space at 6 Bevis Marks in conjunction with MGPA and Eurohypo.