Durham based developer, Arrow Commercial, has appointed the northern office of award winning design consultancy specialising in buildings transportation and environmental services, Faber Maunsell, to provide design services on an exciting £10million development proposed for Sunderland.

Arrow Commercial is to make significant investment in the area and subject to planning consent will create a stunning river front, mixed use development. The Edge, as it is to be known, situated at Scotia Quays on the River Wear, will raise the bar in the quality of combined commercial and residential accommodation in the region.

Working closely with Fitzarchitects , Faber Maunsell will work in a multi-disciplinary capacity delivering specialist design services including sustainability, geotechnical, environmental, civil and structural as well as mechanical and electrical engineering.

The five-storey development, will create 220sqm of self-contained exhibition space; 240sqm of open plan leisure space; 1,630 sqm of office accommodation, spit between the first and second floors; and finally, there will be 18 two-bedroom apartments and two penthouses. Each of the twenty units will benefit from a river view, thanks to the ‘z’ shaped design. The building will also feature a glass atrium. This will permits visitors, to the world heritage site, to have unobstructed views between the Quayside Exchange building and St Peter’s Church.

With regard to the residential element of the scheme, the developer is aiming to achieve level 4/5 of the Code for Sustainable Homes and a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ for the remainder of the building.

Speaking about this latest project, Faber Maunsell’s regional director, John Gill, said:

“We are pleased to be working on behalf of Arrow Commercial, on such an innovative and interesting scheme as The Edge given the nature of the scheme and its river front location, I am anticipating a number of challenges. However, I am confident that our experienced building services team together with our knowledge and past success of the BREEAM rating system and Code for Sustainable Homes will allow us to respond to these challenges with robust design solutions.

Arrow Commercial’s Philip Gibbs, added:

“Development of The Edge, signifies a major investment for us and one which, I am confident, will create a striking, multi-use building which will be the first of its kind for Sunderland. Apart from creating an exciting environment in which to live and work, The Edge will also be as energy efficient as possible thereby, making it an attractive investment proposition when compared to other developments in the area.”
Arrow Commercial has submitted a planning application to Sunderland City Council and a positive outcome is anticipated in early 2009.

Email: leigh.chelton@clothierlacey.co.uk