Boho 8, Middlesbrough
The project
Boho 8 is the latest phase of Middlesbrough’s Boho campus, the commercial quarter for the town’s digital media, digital technology and creative sectors.
Previously a car park, the £2.5million project, supported by the Local Growth Fund from the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority, will provide additional space for companies that are rapidly expanding elsewhere on the campus, and is intended to attract new digital and creative businesses to the area.
The award-winning concept by Seymour Architecture outlined high-quality facilities and a unique cantilevered design, with buildings ranging from 1,000 to 3,000ft².
The buildings will be complemented by a modern external communal space, with the aim of making it feel like a high street.
Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston said: “It’s a key step in £250million of investment that will propel Middlesbrough to become the UK’s number one digital city.
“Boho is a key digital and creative hotspot, and it symbolises the sort of aspiration and ambition that will deliver jobs and prosperity for many years to come.”
The partnership
Building on strong relationships and a teamwork ethic, CPC worked closely with Middlesbrough Council and its partner Faithful+Gould through the MB1 Modular Buildings Framework – which has seven appointed companies and three workstreams – resulting in modular specialists M-AR being appointed to deliver the project.
CPC Technical Support Manager Tony Maw said: “It’s all about collaborative working and early engagement with the client and appointed company, to show what our Modular Buildings solution can achieve.
“Our relationship provided a solid foundation in understanding how each other work, helping us to work in an effective manner to achieve the best quality results.
“I think Boho 8 is a great example what can be achieved by working side-by-side.”
Faithful+Gould Quantity Surveyor Mark Chicken added: “CPC are very interactive, which is something you don’t get from most framework providers. This interaction gives you confidence in using their services, and you know there is always someone there to talk to for advice.”
The solution
The ambitious modular offices project began in August 2020, with construction of the buildings being manufactured at M-AR’s site on the banks of the River Humber in East Yorkshire while the groundworks were being carried out.
Just eight weeks later, four office blocks consisting of 18 individual 49m² modules had been completed and quality checked. They were erected over a five-day period.
M-AR’s Partnerships and Business Development Director Amanda Grimbleby said: “This just demonstrates the speed in which off-site construction can accelerate the delivery of such projects, and this has all been able to happen during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The innovative design created by Seymour Architecture will provide light, bright and inspiring office spaces for ambitious and creative digital businesses in the region, and being part of making this happen is inspiring in itself.”
The project is due to be completed on 29th March, seven months after commencement.
