Commercial Office
Working for some of the UK’s leading commercial developers we have played a key role in the planning, design and implementation of numerous office projects, ranging from high-rise city centre HQ buildings to edge-of-town business parks incorporating multiple mixed-use buildings. Our involvement in development projects frequently commences at scheme feasibility stage, prior to site procurement, and progresses through the land acquisition, planning application, detailed design and building construction phases.

The diverse range of specialist services we provide includes facade engineering design and thermodynamic modelling expertise. This enables us to provide an holistic approach to building design, whereby energy efficiency and low-carbon materials and construction techniques are considered in tandem with structural form and buildability issues.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is now routinely incorporated into our traditional civil and structural engineering design service, such that all project professionals utilise the same building model to improve efficiency and minimise clashes and conflicts.

Education
BWB has substantial experience in the planning, design and implementation of a wide variety of both new build and refurbishment projects across all categories of the education sector.

We have undertaken numerous school and college projects under the BSF and Academies Frameworks, together with extensive work in the Higher Education sector for Universities across the UK.

Our experience ranges from projects to provide a single new classroom for a school, to the conversion and refurbishment of existing listed buildings for a technology college, to the design of iconic new university buildings within either city centre or campus settings.

Whilst the majority of projects have been solely for academic purposes, such as teaching and research, we have also helped to deliver a wide range of ancillary projects such as sports and leisure facilities and medical centres, performing arts centres, libraries, nurseries and student union facilities.

Healthcare
Our extensive experience of building projects for the healthcare sector has been gained on a wide variety of projects ranging from new surgeries and medical centres for GPs, LIFT procured regional drop-in centres, private hospitals and major new NHS facilities built using the Procure 21+ framework.

We also have experience in the increasingly important “retirement village” and nursing home sector. We have utilised the full range of our broad engineering expertise in taking healthcare projects from feasibility/inception stage, through the planning process and then through detailed design and construction.

We understand and remain cognisant of the varied and often sensitive requirements of all stakeholders in a new build or refurbishment project within an existing healthcare facility. Phasing and decanting considerations, health and safety planning, and effective stakeholder engagement are vital concepts that we actively embrace when working on healthcare projects.

Heritage
We have, over many years, played a crucial role in numerous high-profile projects to conserve, refurbish or facilitate sympathetic change of use for a wide variety of heritage projects. The diverse consultancy services we provide include survey and investigation, structural assessment, planning support and detailed civil and structural design of listed building refurbishment works.

Notable exemplar projects include:

The National Galleries of Justice in Nottingham
Blackpool Tower, Winter Gardens and Piers
The conversion of the derelict Adams Building, a former lace factory, into the flagship building for New College, Nottingham.
Derby Roundhouse

The latter project, involving sympathetic and expert conversion of a derelict Grade II* listed former locomotive works into the iconic main building for Derby College, scooped the RICS “National Project of the Year” Award in 2009.

In undertaking this culturally important work, we have developed a thorough understanding of the strict regulatory compliance and comprehensive consultation required to obtain the necessary consents and approvals needed from national bodies such as English Heritage.

Industrial & Distribution
We have delivered numerous bespoke industrial and distribution projects for some of the UK’s leading manufacturers, retailers and specialist logistics companies. Our diverse range of specialist disciplines means we are often appointed as lead engineering consultants to provide a fully integrated, multi-disciplinary service. We have a long and proven track record in the planning, design and procurement of enabling infrastructure for major distribution and industrial business parks. More recently we have developed an expertise in regionally important road and rail serviced “inland port” type developments.

We have established an enviable reputation for the planning, design and procurement of highly serviced national distribution and e-commerce centres for international retailers, with ground floor footprints of circa 1m sq ft and eaves heights of up to 25m, some containing up to five floors of mezzanine storage space.

Residential
Our diverse portfolio of residential development schemes ranges from traditional family housing projects for major “volume housebuilders” through to bespoke high-rise student accommodation projects in city centre locations.

The scope of our service provision for residential projects ranges from feasibility and planning support work through to detailed design of new buildings, both low-rise and high-rise, and conversion and/or refurbishment of a wide variety of existing buildings.

We work for many of the UK’s best known private residential developers, a broad range of Housing Associations, retirement village operators and most of the high profile student accommodation developers.

Low energy and low carbon sustainable development is at the forefront of Government Policy and BWB’s advisory and design services have evolved accordingly, thereby enabling us to remain a Consultant of Choice for developers operating in the residential sector.

Retail
BWB’s experience in the retail sector extends from routine maintenance and refurbishment of existing high street stores to the planning and design of major urban shopping centres.

Many of our city centre regeneration projects incorporate a significant element of retail development in a variety of forms, ranging from shopping arcades to regional shopping centres containing large department stores, “metro” type food stores, boutiques, ancillary leisure outlets and on-site multi-storey car parking.

We have extensive experience in the planning and design of “edge-of-centre” retail parks, usually anchored around major non-food retail stores. These projects often incorporate under-croft or multi-storey car parking supplemented with appropriate and essential public transport facilities.

Acting directly for developer Clients, we also have solid experience in the planning and design of a wide range of food supermarkets, either as stand-alone stores or as part of larger mixed-use schemes.

Sports & Leisure
Projects within this diverse and wide-ranging sector have formed an important component of BWB`s workload since our practice was formed in 1990.

We have worked on an eclectic mix of leisure-themed development projects during this time, including bars and nightclubs, restaurants, theme parks, health and fitness clubs, swimming pools, multiplex cinemas, bingo halls and bowling alleys.

Many of these projects have been undertaken in traditional seaside resort towns where existing facilities have been systematically upgraded and extended over the years in response to public demand and demographic change. For example, routine maintenance inspection and repair/renewal programmes for Blackpool Tower, the Winter Gardens and the town’s piers have been undertaken on a continuous basis over the past 20 years. A current “flagship” project is the Resorts World @ NEC development in Birmingham, which is a major mixed-use leisure project with a regional casino as its primary attraction.

We have also recently undertaken high profile projects associated with both amateur and professional sports, including football, rugby, tennis and cricket. This has encompassed new state-of-the-art training facilities for Premiership football clubs, new stadia for rugby league and non-Premiership football teams, and a new national tennis centre at Edgbaston Priory.

Bridge Engineering Services