OAS Development Awards 2012
NovaLoca.com was at the OAS Development Awards last week, to celebrate the best office developments and deals across the UK in the past year.
NovaLoca.com founder and MD Miranda Munn presented the award for Best Deal Outside Central London to Richard Bains of Rockspring Property Investment Managers, for the pre-let to Saipem of 90,000 sq ft of office space in Kingston-upon-Thames at its refurbishment project at Kings House and Conquest House. The judges commented that this was the largest pre-let deal in the South East during 2011, and was completed within six months of purchasing the building. The deal was the largest in Kingston for 25 years.
The award for Best Development Outside Central London went to Birmingham Property Services for the development of the brownfield site at 10 Woodcock Street in Birmingham, consolidating various offices into a single building.
Best Development in the West End was awarded to UK & European Investments for 1 Kingsway, which the judges noted has provided 130,000 sq ft of office space in the West End seamlessly integrated with an Edwardian facade. In the City, Heron International’s Heron Tower won the Best City Development award. The building provides 440,000 sq ft of high-quality City office space over 46 floors in a highly sustainable building, the judges said, adding: “The fact that Heron International undertook this development on a speculative basis should also be applauded.”
Best City Deal went to British Land and Blackstone for their pre-let to UBS at the Broadgate complex, while Best West End Deal was awarded to Legal & General and Mitsubishi for the letting to Google at Central Saint Giles.
Peel Media won the Overall Developer of the Year award for the huge Media City regeneration project, which was also awarded a commendation in the Sustainable Achievement category. Winner of that category was Kier Property for Explorer House in Southampton, which the judges said was “a great example of a developer working with a local occupier for a long-term solution that addresses the social, environmental and economic inputs required for a truly sustainable solution.”
