The ‘10s’ are quickly coming to an end – the end of another decade, and we will soon be welcoming the ‘20s’! Calco have been operating over 4 decades, so we have seen tremendous changes and key moments over the years within the sectors we operate in; construction, engineering and property.
We have decided to review 5 of the most high profile projects over the last decade, some also lead us nicely into the new decade - all picked by a few of our Calco consultants!
1. Olympic Park
In 2005 it was announced that the 2012 Olympics would be held in London, as the host city we had to deliver on a sporting complex ready for the iconic games, the eyes of the world would be on us! In 2008 the construction began on this project in Stratford, East London – with works being complete in 2011. During construction there was 80,000 workers bringing this mammoth project to life! Upon completion the Park was made up of the Olympic Village which housed the athletes, as well as the London Stadium and London Aquatics Centre. Once the Olympic Games had come to an end the park was then renamed in celebration of the Queens Diamond Jubilee and is now known as the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and the legacy was turned into residential and a New Stadium for all!
2. Woolwich Development
Woolwich is located in South East London and has made our iconic project list due to the redevelopment of the area during the decade – with more work still in the pipeline for the coming decade. The area of Woolwich benefits from major new transport infrastructure including the Docklands Light Railway and Crossrail which bring Docklands, the City and the West End within easy reach so boasts excellent transport links in and out of the area and to all the well-known London sites! Woolwich has seen a number of high – spec residential developments over the decade, including Trinity Walk, these developments have given Woolwich a whole new lease of life.
3. Thames Tideway
The works for the Thames Tideway Scheme began in 2016 and is scheduled to be complete in 2024, an iconic project that links both the ‘10s’ and the 20s’! The Thames Tideway Tunnel, when complete will run under the Thames, mainly the tidal section of the river and through Central London. The purpose of this tunnel is to capture and store the raw sewage and rainwater that currently overflows into the river itself. By the time this scheme is complete it will stand at a cost of £4.9 Billion! There are many environmental benefits to the Thames Tideway Tunnel once it is complete, one being there has been a commitment made to move as much material by river as possible. This will reduce the number of HGVs on our London roads minimising the impact on the road network, on vulnerable road users and improving London’s air quality. In a decade where climate change and the effects of air pollution have been a trending topic, the benefits of utilising our river is vital!
4. 101 George Street Modular Tower
We had to include an iconic project from where Calco is based – Croydon! In 2017 the plans where approved for this modular tower to be built, with work expected to be finished in May 2020, so not long to go. Once complete this project will comprise 2 modular towers made up of 546 ‘build to rent’ flats in two towers, one of 44 storeys and the other of 38. It will become the world’s tallest modular building – we are proud to have this iconic project right on our doorstep. Modular construction is a method used involving constructing sections for the project away from the building site and these sections then being transported to the site. For the Croydon project each modular section has been put into place using a large crane one by one. This method of construction will be seen more and more in the 20’s – watch this space.
5. Southbank Place
Last on our list, but by no means is least Southbank Place in the heart of London. This mixed-use development based in London SE1 began in 2015 and when complete will be made up of health and fitness facilities, places to eat and drink, retail and office space as well as 868 homes – including care homes for the elderly and disabled. The development of Southbank Place is a joint venture between Canary Wharf and Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company. The vision behind Southbank Place is “To create a location where residents feel they have truly arrived”.
This decade has seen so many iconic projects being started and completed and we look forward to seeing what 2020 and the new decade brings!
To all those who have read our blogs, connected with us on social media, applied for a role, worked with us in any way or hope to work with us in the near future – from everyone here at Calco we hope you have a great Christmas and all the best for the New-year!