REAL ESTATE
Class – 6 Centre Square is the latest Grade A office building to be completed in Middlesbrough .
HOME WIN
New development means Teessiders can stay local and still go far
Six Centre Square – the stunning addition to Teesside ’ s skyline – will welcome its first employees in a few weeks ’ time .
Hundreds of people who work for the insurance giant AXA UK will enjoy some of the best office facilities in the North-East , as well as easy access to Middlesbrough ’ s rail and bus links , shops , restaurants and bars .
Teesside University , the award-winning Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art ( MIMA ) and the Holiday Inn Express are also just a short walk away .
Six Centre Square – which was constructed on the site of a vacant derelict building – was completed on budget and on time by developer Ashall Projects .
AXA UK has taken up more than half the space and it is now being fitted out in advance of the arrival of 450 of its staff .
But there is still room for more occupiers . Office suites from 2,500- 10,000 sq ft are available on the ground and top floors .
The top floor provides clear views of all of the major local landmarks – including Roseberry Topping , the Transporter
Bridge and the Riverside Stadium – and throughout the building a light , airy working environment has been created .
Six Centre Square has a BREEAM Very Good rating and was built with a number of energy-efficient and sustainable features .
It has photovoltaic panels on the roof , a solar hot water system , a rainwater harvesting system and heating and cooling and mechanical ventilation systems with heat recovery .
As a result , energy usage is projected to be less than half that of older office buildings in the region .
Ashall Projects ’ managing director Mark Ashall thinks it will not be long before 6 Centre Square is fully occupied , with businesses – perhaps needing a headquarters or office space to support one of the many projects underway at Teesworks or the wider Tees Valley – joining AXA .
In January , Ashall Projects handed over the keys of 6 Centre Square to the Tees Valley Combined Authority , which has invested £ 9.7m in this latest phase of the development and now owns the building .
Middlesbrough Council has also contributed £ 2m of its £ 21.9m Towns Fund allocation from central government to the project .
“ We are hugely grateful to them for recognising that this project could play a key role in regenerating the town centre ,” said Mr Ashall .
“ We faced a lot of challenges – the tail end of Covid restrictions , supply chain difficulties and , latterly , the impact of inflation – so we are particularly proud to have delivered this fantastic new asset for Middlesbrough .”
Ashall Projects has already delivered two other Grade A office buildings in the first phase of the Centre Square project .
They are now 90 per cent occupied and the seven companies who have moved there employ around 1,000 people , including many new members of staff .
Since relocating to Centre Square the XPS Pension Group , for instance , has increased its number of employees from 80 to 140 . The company said its growth would not have been possible without the move .
Mr Ashall said : “ That ’ s a realisation of the vision we shared with Middlesbrough
124 | Tees Business