Immediate release: 22 February 2008

New designs unveiled for visionary Leeds dance centre

Northern Ballet Theatre (NBT) and Phoenix Dance Theatre (Phoenix) revealed a stunning new vision for a centre of excellence for dance in Leeds last night at the launch of momentum, the campaign to raise the remaining funds required for the new building. HRH The Earl of Wessex attended the launch where new designs by the Strategic Design Alliance, a partnership of Jacobs and Leeds City Council's in-house architects, were unveiled. In addition, Leeds Metropolitan University announced that it is investing in the new dance centre in an exciting partnership with NBT and Phoenix.

The projected building cost is £12million and £10.5million is already secured from Leeds City Council [£6.765million] including a contribution from Yorkshire Forward, Arts Council England [£3.56million] and other donors [£175k]. momentum will raise the remaining £1.5million and, following last night's announcement, Leeds Met is leading the way in the momentum campaign. Dean of Leeds Met's Faculty of Arts and Society, Chris Bailey, said: “Leeds is associated with the best in dance and has the strongest tradition of dance-making of any city in England outside London. This opportunity will attract students from many disciplines, including performing arts, to work alongside the companies in the new centre, learning from them about best practice in their professions.”

Located in the thriving cultural quarter at Quarry Hill in central Leeds, the six-storey dance centre will be purpose-built to meet the demands of the two award-winning companies. Plans for the new building incorporate: seven dance studios including a 200-seat studio theatre, a health suite, wardrobe facilities, office space and meeting rooms and a public exhibition space.

It will be the only dance centre in the UK to accommodate a contemporary dance company alongside a classical ballet company with an associated school. The building will enable NBT and Phoenix to develop all aspects of their work, and provide much needed creative space where new productions will be developed and rehearsed and where previous repertoire can be revived.

NBT and Phoenix already provide an extensive array of education and community activities and the new building will provide greater capacity to expand this. The location of the building will make the work of both companies more accessible to the local community. The studio theatre will give the dancers of the future more opportunities to perform as well as being made available for groups in the community to stage their own performances. The exhibition space will further enhance people's experiences in the building and act as an additional public arts space for Leeds.

Speaking last night, NBT's Chief Executive Mark Skipper said: “All around Leeds it is clear to see the physical investment in the cultural life of the city, for example at the Grand Theatre and the Leeds Museum. The new dance centre, and more importantly what will take place inside it, will establish Leeds as a powerhouse for dance in the UK, adding to its already impressive arts portfolio. It will be a source of pride for the wider community, and everyone in Yorkshire and beyond who values our work.”

Leeds City Council and Arts Council England, Yorkshire, agree that there will be real benefits to the community:

Councillor Andrew Carter, Leader of Leeds City Council said:

“We are fortunate in Leeds to be home to two of the UK's most accomplished dance companies. NBT and Phoenix are important to Leeds' cultural community and we are very proud that the city has such a unique offering in dance. We are supporting the building project because it is a clear statement of our ambition for Leeds to become a national and international centre of excellence for dance.”

Andy Carver, Executive Director, Arts Council England, Yorkshire, said:

“As two of the UK's leading dance companies, NBT and Phoenix are great ambassadors for the Yorkshire region. We believe this new building will greatly improve both companies' working environments and enable them to extend their reach and impact within the community and beyond. We are excited to be key supporters of this project in partnership with Leeds City Council.”

Building work will start on site in spring 2009 and the new building will open in summer 2010. For further information about the momentum campaign visit www.building-momentum.co.uk or contact Melanie Aram at NBT on 0113 274 5355 or email: Melanie.aram@northernballettheatre.co.uk.

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For further information, media opportunities and images contact:

• Anita Morris Associates, PR agency
  • anita@anitamorrisassociates.co.uk
  • T: 01943 603311
  • M: 07976 584592
• Laraine Penson, Head of Media & PR, Northern Ballet Theatre
  • laraine.penson@northernballettheatre.co.uk
  • T: 0113 274 5355
  • M: 07812 078 087

Editors' Notes

1. NBT is currently located in temporary accommodation at West Park and Phoenix is based at Yorkshire Dance in Leeds. Together NBT and Phoenix have 65 years experience in dance. The two companies have performed to millions of people across the UK and provided opportunities for thousands more people to engage in dance activities.

2. Northern Ballet Theatre is a touring narrative dance company whose distinctive blend of classical dance and theatre is renowned for captivating new audiences. For up to 30 weeks of the year NBT's Company of 40 dancers tour a combination of new work and acclaimed repertory pieces throughout the UK and overseas. This extensive touring schedule demonstrates NBT's commitment to providing opportunities for people of all ages to have access to excellence in dance performance and participation.

   NBT is the only Centre for Advanced Training for classical dance in the UK.

   NBT's Hamlet, a new ballet by David Nixon, is currently touring nationally, following its world première at Leeds Grand Theatre on 16 February.

   www.northernballettheatre.co.uk

3. Over the last 26 years Phoenix Dance Theatre has grown to be one of Britain's leading contemporary dance companies. From its home in Leeds, Phoenix tours nationally and internationally, bringing inspiring and entertaining dance to the widest possible audience. Under Artistic Director Javier De Frutos, the Company develops exciting new contemporary dance theatreboth in-house and by selected choreographers of the highest calibre, with a top-flight company of ten dancers hand-picked from all over the world.

   Phoenix is currently rehearsing a new piece Cattle Call, which receives its world première at the West Yorkshire Playhouse on 9 April before touring nationally.

   www.phoenixdancetheatre.co.uk

4. Generous donations towards the new building have been received from The Garfield Weston Foundation, The Foyle Foundation, The Wolfson Foundation and The Audrey, Stanley Burton Charitable Trust and The Duchess of Westminster.

5. Leeds Met enjoys a strategic partnership with NBT. The Company toured Madame Butterfly in China in 2007/08 with the support of Leeds Met, Leeds City Council and Yorkshire Forward. In 2006 Leeds Met's support enabled NBT to tour La Traviata to China. In 2007 the partnership was awarded the Prudential Arts & Business Employees Award at the 29th annual national Arts & Business awards and the Arts, Business and Employees Award at the 2006 Arts & Business Yorkshire awards. Partnerships have been established with staff and students across both organisations.

6. The Strategic Design Alliance

   The Strategic Design Alliance is an award-winning partnership involving employees from Leeds City Council's architectural design services working alongside those from Jacobs Architecture. The partnership began in July 2006 to ensure the council has access to the best architectural services for its wide range of construction projects across the city. Since its formation the SDA has won many awards, most recently for its restoration of The Tiled Hall at Leeds Central Library and notably for its inclusive approach to the design of New Bewerley Community School and Children's Centre in Beeston.

23 May 2008

For immediate release

Preferred contractor for new Leeds dance building announced

Leeds City Council has announced that it will be working with Wates Construction as the preferred participating contractor for the new £12 million city centre dance building for Northern Ballet Theatre (NBT) and Phoenix Dance Theatre (Phoenix), which will be built at Quarry Hill.

As the project moves through the design process, Wates will work with the architects, the Strategic Design Alliance – a partnership of Jacobs Architecture and Leeds City Council's in-house architectural consultancy, to develop the design proposals, solve any potential logistical problems and cost the building construction. The contractor for the building project will be confirmed towards the end of 2008, and work will start on-site in spring 2009 with completion in summer 2010.

Throughout this process NBT and Phoenix will continue with momentum, the campaign to raise the final £1.5 million required to complete the £12million project. £10.5million has already been raised from Leeds City Council, Arts Council England and Yorkshire Forward. In February Leeds Metropolitan University announced that it would be supporting the momentum campaign. For further information visit building-momentum.co.uk

Councillor Andrew Carter, Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council, welcomed the news:

“This is an important step forward in our vision to put Leeds on the map as a national and international centre of excellence for dance, and provide a fitting home for our two renowned dance companies.

‘Many partners have been working closely together on this scheme, and we are all determined to deliver a first class building.”

- Ends -

For further information, media opportunities and images contact:

• Laraine Penson, Head of Media & PR, Northern Ballet Theatre
  • laraine.penson@northernballettheatre.co.uk
  • T: 0113 274 5355
  • M: 07812 078 087

Editors' Notes

1. Wates is one of the UK's largest family-owned construction services and development companies. Established in 1897, it remains privately owned by Wates Family Holdings. Wates employs more than 2,200 people and had a turnover of £949 million in 2007. The company works across a range of sectors, including education, public sector frameworks, affordable housing, retail fit out and refurbishment, office interiors, land development and commercial buildings. Safety is a top priority within Wates Group, and our excellent safety record has resulted in RoSPA Gold Awards for Occupational Safety and the British Safety Council Awards for the past five years. In mid 2007 Coutts Bank named the Wates Group as the ‘Best UK Family Business’, which follows on from the 2006 win of the JP Morgan award for Overall Excellence in the Family Business Honours awards.

2. The Strategic Design Alliance is an award winning partnership between Leeds City Council's architectural design services and Jacobs Architecture. The partnership began in July 2006 to ensure the council has access to the best architectural services for its wide range of construction projects across the city. Since its formation the SDA has won many awards, most recently for its restoration of The Tiled Hall at Leeds Central Library and notably for its inclusive approach to the design of New Bewerley Community School and Children's Centre in Beeston.

“The new, as yet un-named building, will be the only centre in the UK to house a contemporary dance company alongside a classical narrative one, with a school and a dance degree course. NBT's orchestra will also benefit from the new facilities with the chance to do in-house recordings of commissioned scores and the possibility of lunch-time recitals by the musicians. Mark Skipper (NBT Chief Executive) adds: ‘The new dance centre and more importantly what will take place inside it, will establish Leeds as a powerhouse for dance in the UK… it will be source of pride for the wider community, everyone in Yorkshire and beyond who values our work.’”

Read the full article at yorkshirepost.co.uk

24/7/08

The search is on for an artist to create an artwork especially for our new building.

An exciting part of the plans for NBT's capital project is the commissioning of a piece or pieces of Public Art to be incorporated within the building. The commission forms part of Leeds City Council's ambitious Public Art plans and, along with the exhibition space, extends even further what the new building will have to offer the communities of Leeds and the north of England.

There is a broad brief for the Public Art commission, it could be anything and use any medium, other than water. There are three potential locations identified by the design team for the public art:

• the entrance area,
• the glazing to the south façade &
• the projecting balconies to the south façade.

Leeds City Council has started the procurement process and an artist should be appointed in October. For artists wishing to enter the procurement process the deadline for expressions of interest is 5pm on Monday 11 August, visit http://scms.alito.co.uk to sign up.

Enquiries about the tender website/process to Julie Brennen, Procurement Unit:

• Email: julie.brennen@leeds.gov.uk
• Tel: 0113 24 74088

15/9/08

Cultural and business sector working together to showcase Leeds in Milan

The cultural sector in Leeds is looking for a boost from the city's business community tomorrow (Tuesday 16 September), as it hosts a private viewing of George Stubbs' renowned works ‘Whistlejacket & Scrub: Large as Life’, at the Leeds City Art Gallery.

Tomorrow's event – at the new home of the two classical paintings, courtesy of Kevin Linfoot – is in support of momentum, the fundraising campaign by Northern Ballet Theatre for a new centre of excellence for dance in central Leeds.

The evening's viewing will also include the local launch of Leeds in Milan – a five-day festival of commerce and culture, organised by Marketing Leeds, in conjunction with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) – which takes place in the Italian city next month.

Leeds in Milan, the first destination in the series of Leeds in… events, gets underway on Monday 13 October and is designed to showcase Leeds' cultural and business strengths, featuring seminars, conferences and networking opportunities from business communities across the city, plus performances from the city's cultural sector.

The week's centrepiece will be ‘Live from Leeds’, a series of performances, by Leeds-based Northern Ballet Theatre, Opera North and the anateresa project, taking place at Milan's Triennale Theatre on Thursday 16 October.

Mark Skipper, chief executive of Northern Ballet Theatre, said:

“We are delighted to be working with Marketing Leeds which has shown an impressive commitment to culture. It recognises the benefits the arts bring to a city, how they contribute to creating a desirable destination for business and tourism and the role they play in attracting the very best talent to the region.

“I believe Leeds has a magnificent cultural offer which includes Northern Ballet Theatre, Opera North, Phoenix Dance Theatre, the art gallery, the museums and the theatres. I can't think of any city in England other than London that can boast this. Northern Ballet Theatre will add to this with our new building for dance in central Leeds created in partnership with Phoenix Dance Theatre, for which we are fundraising at this joint event with Marketing Leeds.”

Deborah Green, chief executive of Marketing Leeds, commented:

“We are particularly proud to be working alongside our fantastic cultural sector here in Leeds. The city's showcasing event in Milan next month will be the first opportunity that we've had to really demonstrate the significance and strengths of both the cultural and business sectors, to an international audience.”

Leeds in Milan will be the first in a series of Leeds in… events, designed to showcase Leeds on an international stage. Next month's event will include a series of events and delegations led by Leeds Chamber, Leeds City Council, Leeds Financial Services Initiative, Leeds Legal, Leeds Hoteliers Association, Visit Leeds, Conference Leeds, University of Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University, Northern Ballet Theatre, Opera North, the anateresa project and the city's property sector.

momentum is Northern Ballet Theatre's fundraising campaign for a new building in central Leeds in partnership with Phoenix Dance Theatre. The purpose-built dance centre will bring together the UK's leading classical and contemporary dance theatre companies. It will allow them to develop their work, expand their reach and deliver a range of benefits to existing and new audiences. Through the momentum campaign Northern Ballet Theatre will raise the remaining £1.5million of the £12million building.

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Notes to editors:

15 September 2008

• Leeds In Milan is a five day festival of commerce and culture, showcasing Leeds' business, cultural and educational strengths.
• Organised by Marketing Leeds and supported by the British Consulate in Milan, the British Chamber for Commerce in Italy and UK Trade and Investment, the event is a series of seminars, conferences, networking activities and cultural performances which will take place in Milan, 13 – 17 October 2008.
• This is the first Leeds In… event, which will include contributions from Leeds City Council, Leeds Chamber, Leeds Legal, Leeds Financial Services Initiative, Leeds Hoteliers Association, Visit Leeds, Conference Leeds, University of Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University, Northern Ballet Theatre, Opera North, the anateresa project and the city's property sector.
• For more information about Leeds in Milan, please contact Rachel Hadfield [Rachel.hadfield@marketingleeds.com] or Michay Matthews [michay.matthews@marketingleeds.com] at Marketing Leeds on 0113 214 5203.
• For more information about momentum, please contact Laraine Penson [Laraine.penson@northernballettheatre.co.uk] on 0113 274 5355.

13 October 2008

For immediate release

New Building For Dance Given Green Light By Planners

Planners at Leeds City Council have given the green light to plans for a new centre of excellence for dance in Leeds. The new building will be home to Northern Ballet Theatre (NBT) and Phoenix Dance Theatre (Phoenix) and will be built on Quarry Hill next to the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Yorkshire Dance, the BBC and the Leeds College of Music. The designs by the Strategic Design Alliance, a partnership of Jacobs Architecture and Leeds City Council's in-house architectural consultancy, were passed at a planning meeting earlier today.

The ambitious plans are for a six-storey building consisting of seven dance studios including a 200-seat studio theatre, office space, a health suite and a costume workshop. Alongside the two professional companies the building will eventually house a full-time classical dance school as well as Leeds Metropolitan University's dance degree courses. The building will open in summer 2010.

In February NBT and Phoenix launched momentum, the campaign to raise the remaining £1.5million of the £12million building. To date the campaign has raised more than £800,000 from a number of trusts, foundations and individual donors.

Mark Skipper, NBT's Chief Executive is spearheading the momentum campaign:

“The planning decision means that we have reached a key milestone in this project's progress. With building work due to start on site in four months time we are now looking for a number of businesses and individual donors to step forward and help us meet our fundraising target and achieve our ambitions.”

Anyone wishing to support the momentum campaign should visit building-momentum.co.uk or contact Melanie Aram at NBT at melanie.aram@northernballettheatre.co.uk.

The new building has received wide support from across the region with Leeds City Council investing £6.7million, including a contribution from Yorkshire Forward, and Arts Council England, Yorkshire investing £3.5million through the National Lottery.

Andy Carver, Executive Director of Arts Council England, Yorkshire said:

“It's great news that this exciting project has reached such a significant milestone. Two of the country's leading dance companies will have a state-of-the-art new home in Leeds, bringing great dance to many more people in Yorkshire and beyond.”

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• Press contact:
  • Ruth Burke Kennedy, Media and PR Manager, Northern Ballet Theatre
  • Email
  • Tel: 0113 274 5355

Notes to Editors

• Northern Ballet Theatre and Phoenix Dance Theatre

  NBT is a touring narrative dance company whose distinctive blend of classical dance and theatre is renowned for captivating new audiences. In 2009 NBT will celebrate its 40th anniversary. Over the last 26 years Phoenix has grown to be one of Britain's leading contemporary dance companies. NBT is currently located in temporary accommodation at West Park and Phoenix is based at Yorkshire Dance in Leeds. Together NBT and Phoenix have 65 years experience in dance. The two companies have performed to millions of people across the UK and provided opportunities for thousands more people to engage in dance activities.

• The Strategic Design Alliance

  The Strategic Design Alliance is an award winning partnership between Leeds City Council's architectural design services and Jacobs Architecture.

  The partnership began in July 2006 to ensure the council has access to the best architectural services for its wide range of construction projects across the city.

  Since its formation the SDA has won many awards, most recently for its restoration of The Tiled Hall at Leeds Central Library and notably for its inclusive approach to the design of New Bewerley Community School and Children's Centre in Beeston.

Friends and Patrons of NBT, supporters of our building project as well as members of the Board, staff and dancers from NBT and Phoenix gathered together on Quarry Hill in central Leeds to witness the ground breaking ceremony. As the sun shone down Andrew Carter, Leader of Leeds City Council got proceedings underway with the ceremonial shovel and both Andrew and Andy Carver, Executive Director of Arts Council England, Yorkshire, gave speeches celebrating the partnerships coming together to make one of the most important cultural developments for Leeds a reality.

Dancers David Ward and Rym Kechacha dressed in costumes from A Midsummer Night's Dream enjoyed clambouring all over the JCB digger - I think everyone wanted to have a go at driving it but common sense prevailed. Mark Skipper spoke on behalf of everyone at NBT when he thanked all our partners and supporters who have given so generously to make our dream a reality. It does mean so much to us.

Click here to see the blog post which includes photos from the event

On a site visit on 16 June, 2009, we saw the progress being made on the build and learned more about the schedule for the next two months…

Work to date includes:

• Completion of the access road onto the site
• Completion of the piling mat which consists of 450mm stone and forms a level field for the piling rig
• Completion of 190 Continuous Flight Augered Piled foundations which consist of columns being drilled deep in to the ground and then filled with concrete to ensure a stable base for the building
• Commencement of load testing of the piles

Work schedule for remainder of June into July includes:

• Breaking down of the piles to a set level in preparation for the next stage of the ground works
• Further excavation and concreting of the pile caps and ground beams (another form of foundations)
• Following on from this the next stage will actually see the building moving out of the ground as the commencement of the four concrete core towers will begin, these will house the stairs and lifts for the building along with providing stability to the structure

This is Sharon's last week at NBT, we would like to thank her for her contribution over the past 10 months and wish her good luck for her new role. We look forward to working with you in the new building Sharon!

Selina McGonagle, NBT's Director of Learning & Access will be returning from maternity leave in July.

Sharon becomes the seventh Artistic Director of Phoenix, which in 2011 celebrates its 30th anniversary. Speaking about her appointment she said: “I feel both honoured and privileged by the company's faith in me. Since 1989, when I first joined the company as a dancer, Phoenix has been a huge part of my life. This appointment is a wonderful opportunity for me to play a crucial role in the future of this proud and great Yorkshire dance institution.”

A graduate of London School of Contemporary Dance, Sharon worked as a dancer with some outstanding British dance artists such as Michael Clark and Darshan Singh Bhuller prior to joining Phoenix as a dancer in 1989. Sharon remained at Phoenix for nine years where she took on additional roles as teacher and choreographer. She was Artistic Director with her own company ABCDance and has undertaken a large number of diverse commissions from the Royal Armories to Scottish Millennium Festival. Sharon is a fellow of the Clore Leadership Programme, Creative Producer of Arts Beyond Contemporary Dance and has also served as a Lecturer at Northern School of Contemporary Dance for an extensive part of her career.

For more information on Northern Ballet Theatre, press images or to arrange interviews please contact the Press Office on 0113 274 5355

On a site visit on 14 July, 2009, we saw the progress being made on the build and learned about the build schedule…

Work this Month

• Completion of the load testing to the pile foundations
• Commencement of the ground beam foundations
• Crawler crane brought to site
• Commencement of concrete cores

Work Planned

The project is now in its 11th week and as you can see from the photographs below the works are now well underway. For the rest of July and in to the beginning of August we will carryout the following works:

• Construction of the concrete cores. These cores will be six stories high, standing an impressive 24 metres tall. These cores provide the structural stability to the building along with housing the stairs and lifts to each floor.

On a site visit on 8 September, 2009, we saw the progress being made on the build and learned about the build schedule…

Construction of the concrete cores consisting of lift shafts and stairwells are now complete. The fixing plates for the steel structure are being fitted to the cores and the steel beams are starting to arrive on site. For the next 10 weeks it will be like a giant Meccano set as the steel structure is pieced together. Also during the next few weeks the stairs will be fitted into the stairwells giving greater access to the upper levels as they begin to take shape.

The construction team building the new Northern Ballet Theatre (NBT) and Phoenix Dance Theatre headquarters in Leeds city centre put on their dancing shoes to take part in a sponsored ballet lesson to raise money for The Prince's Trust.

15 of the site team were taught to plié, jete and pirouette by one of NBT's dance education officers, Caroline Burn, as part of Wates Construction's annual Community Day, which sees employees ditch their day jobs for local community and fundraising projects.

The builders learnt ballet moves and explored some of the themes from A Midsummer's Nights Dream before putting their work together to share with colleagues and NBT Academy students. More used to lugging bricks and concrete, the bending and stretching proved tutu much for some.

BBC Look North was on hand to capture the builders doing ballet… [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8262012.stm]

Work Progress

The concrete cores are now complete and work has begun on the steel work. Work continues on the steel frame for the building, which is now taking shape ready for the floors, roof and walls.

Striking hoardings featuring dancers from Northern Ballet Theatre and Phoenix Dance Theatre have been revealed around the site of the new home for both Companies on Quarry Hill in the centre of Leeds.

Northern Ballet Theatre and Marketing Leeds have worked together to develop the hoardings which have been designed to raise profile of the new centre for dance, and for momentum, the campaign to raise funds for the completion of the building. The hoardings run along York Street and celebrate Leeds' status as an important city for dance.

Mark Skipper, Chief Executive of NBT explained:

“We wanted to let people know that the building taking shape on Quarry Hill is going to be an important centre for dance in the UK. Our new building is a symbol that Leeds is a bold, creative and diverse city with the foresight to invest in the country's fastest growing art form. The artwork is a great opportunity to celebrate this and to acknowledge the people who have supported the momentum campaign so generously. We're delighted Marketing Leeds has added their support to this venture.”

The new centre for dance will be completed in August 2010 and open officially in January 2011. It will be the headquarters for Northern Ballet Theatre and Phoenix Dance Theatre as well as the Northern Ballet Theatre Academy and will also be home to Leeds Metropolitan University dance degree courses.

We literally took our first steps in the studios. The first layer of concrete is completed and we able to actually appreciate the scale of the building from within. The views from the top floor across Leeds are quite stunning. The steel structure is scheduled to be completed over the next 2 weeks and then the roof goes on during the second week of December. At the same time the internal structures of the external walls are being installed.

Artistic Director, David Nixon made his first official visit to the site this morning.

“I was amazed at the size and scale of what is the largest dance space outside of London. Although I have been saying for months that the future possibilities are unlimited this visit has only reaffirmed this as a reality.”

Despite the cold weather delaying the laying of concrete floors excellent progress is being made in all areas. Bernard Atha, Chair of NBT and other Board members paid a visit to the site to see for themselves. All were impressed at the scale of the building and at how much had been achieved.

Here dancers and members of staff from Phoenix Dance Theatre explain exactly what the move will mean to the company.

• More information on Phoenix Dance Theatre
• View this video on YouTube

Under leaden winter skies work is progressing apace on the new building. Floors are lain, wiring is being installed and spaces are really beginning to take shape.

These new pictures from the site show how much progress has been made with the insulation & cladding giving the building definition and inside the vast reception space, the office areas and more…

Click here to view the video on YouTube