Like our scaffolding systems, Burflex Scaffolding is founded on quality, integrity and consistency. Our head office is based in Hull, we also have contact offices in Sheffield and Leeds.
Work has begun on the construction of the Kangaroo Works project in Sheffield, a major city centre apartment scheme that will transform a former industrial site into new homes.
The scheme was commissioned by partners Angelo Gordon and Ridgeback Group, with Henry Boot Construction delivering the new 14-storey block. When finished, it will feature 365 apartments and five commercial units.
However, while the development will contain much that is modern and in keeping with a 21st century city centre, it will also preserve elements of the industrial and architectural heritage of the old Kangaroo Works that had stood on the site, mainly through its brick façade, built in the historical style of the old works.
As well as maintaining aspects of the heritage of the location, the development will include a number of futuristic eco-friendly elements. This will include a sustainable rain garden, four electric vehicle charging points for public use and plans to connect the site to the city centre’s district heating system to ensure homes are heating using renewable energy.
Welcoming the start of construction work, director at Henry Boot construction Tony Shaw said: “We have significant expertise in delivering residential-led urban development projects, and we are committed to creating environmentally-friendly buildings where people can live and thrive.”
He added: “As a major local employer, we will deliver life-changing social value outputs through our local supply chain, subcontractor orders with local businesses and site-specific employment and training initiatives.”
That comment will come as music to the ears of scaffolding contractors in Sheffield, who may be heavily involved in the project.
Construction work is scheduled to be completed in 2023. The project is one of two Henry boot is involved with, the other being the Cambridge Street Collective and Elshaw House, located nearby.
These developments mark another step in the continued development of Sheffield City Centre, which is following the likes of Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds in being developed as an area mixing the commercial, retail, social and transport amenities to be expected of such a district with high-density city centre living, chiefly among students and young professionals.
Major 21st century residential construction projects in the city centre have included St Paul’s Tower, which was completed ten years ago and is the tallest building in the city at 101 metres (331 ft), making it Sheffield’s only official skyscraper.
Since then, the growth of the city centre as a residential area has been rapid. According to the Office for National Statistics, the population of the City ward on Sheffield City Council has soared from just over 5,500 in 2001 to nearly 20,000 at the time of the 2011 census and over 31,000 by 2019.
If the Kangaroo Works project is a further sign that this growth is continuing to come in leaps and bounds, there may be many more projects to follow in the years ahead, ensuring that the heart of the steel city continues to be a place of residential and commercial growth and offering many more opportunities for firms in the construction sector.
