Work to Begin on £60m Bluewater Events Venue
Lend Lease, the UK’s leading integrated property company; today announced the appointment of BAM Construct UK to build the recently revealed Bluewater Events Venue, a unique 55,000 sq ft (5,200m2) events and exhibition venue. The announcement also marked the start of construction of the £60 million development, which is scheduled to host its first events in late 2011.
Directly accessed off Thames Walk through the existing Water Circus, the Bluewater Events Venue, designed by internationally renowned architects and exhibition experts Denton, Corker Marshall, will be centred around a 32,000 sq ft (3,000m2) plaza, and will include 43,000 sq ft (4,000m2) of catering/restaurants space, which will be reconfigured to enhance the casual dining and public areas, and includes a number of new units.
BAM Construct UK, which was selected following a tender process, has constructed a number of significant landmark buildings around the UK, including the Zaha Hadid-designed Riverside Museum in Glasgow, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and the Rolan Levinsky Building at the University of Plymouth.
BAM Construct UK also has strong experience in the North West Kent region, which includes the building of new campuses in Dartford and Gravesend for North West Kent College, and schools and health facilities in numerous locations across the county.
Richard Cable, head of Lend Lease’s development business in the UK, said: “We have appointed BAM Construct UK to build the Bluewater Events Venue not just because of their track record, reputation and ability to deliver against our brief, but because they understand the importance of working as a partner with the community. The company has consistently demonstrated that it is sensitive and responsive to the needs of the community, its employees, other contractors, sustainability issues, health and safety, and the environment, all of which are fundamental to Lend Lease’s philosophy.”
Nigel Comben, Regional Director, BAM South East, said: “The Bluewater Events Venue is a particularly exciting new building, and we are delighted that BAM is the company delivering this fantastic project. Bluewater represents an excellent opportunity to showcase the quality of our work. But we believe it is not just about what we build, it is also how we build that matters.
“We are looking forward to building our partnership with Lend Lease to ensure we bring lasting benefits for the local community. The events venue is a significant development for Bluewater and we are delighted to be part of this exciting initiative.”
Once complete, the Bluewater Events Venue will be the UK’s focal point for retail and leisure led events, shows and exhibitions. It will complement Bluewater’s retail offer whilst meeting the continued demand for specialist consumer events in a purpose-built environment.
The events venue will allow Bluewater to provide a year round, consumer oriented leisure experience and will function as a major attraction, further growing Bluewater’s status as Europe’s leading retail and leisure destination.
