71/72 Kingsway - Bouygues UK

Bouygues UK is regenerating Swansea’s city centre by building a major new high-tech, sustainable office development that will provide space for 600 jobs.

£32.6

million to Swansea’s economy

114000

square feet

600

jobs

Located on the site of the former Oceana nightclub, 71/72 Kingsway will include 114,000 square feet of commercial floorspace, providing flexible co-working and office opportunities for innovative tech, digital and creative businesses.

Once complete, the five-storey development will be worth £32.6 million a year to Swansea’s economy. It will feature state-of-the-art digital connectivity, a roof terrace, greenery and balconies overlooking the city centre and Swansea Bay.

Two underground levels will also be included. Public access is planned, as well as a new link between 71/72 Kingsway and Oxford Street.

Completion of construction is anticipated in early 2024.

CHALLENGES

71/72 Kingsway is not only under construction within the busy centre of Swansea, but it is also located adjacent to the site of another project where a new 16 storey building is being constructed. Built less than a mile from Swansea Bay, the project is also subject to the winds from the Bristol channel.

Given the locational factors mentioned above, coupled with the size of the site at 71/72 Kingsway, the project presents a number of complexities that our expert team must navigate:

The footprint of the project is only 2100m2, with no external storage space available outside of this area.
The first 2 storeys have been built within an existing basement of the building previously situated at the now construction site.
Bouygues UK was required to preserve the four existing retaining walls during construction until the ground floor slab was complete.
New and existing temporary steel props were installed to retain these existing walls. The props had to be carefully located to ensure that the piles, pile caps and slabs could still be installed in between the props.
With only one means of access onto the site for deliveries, the team is fully dependent on tower cranes and hoists for distribution of materials.
All concrete is special finish, which requires immense attention to detail and additional measures to ensure none of the concrete is aesthetically contaminated.

Sustainability & Social Value

As part of its work on the build, Bouygues UK will be working with and supporting local voluntary organisations, providing training, work placements and opportunities for local people, in addition to significant supply chain opportunities for local businesses.

The site team at 71/72 Kingsway has been extremely motivated to find as many ways as possible to reduce any negative impact on the environment.

As part of our commitment to sustainability and social value, we have installed our Wall of Kindness as well as working directly with the community on a number of other initiatives.