Willmott Dixon has successfully completed CAT B fit-out of the new HS2 head quarters which will be the base for 1,000 engineers and procurement specialists who will be managing the £50 billion project.
Willmott Dixon is pleased to have contributed in helping to move the High Speed 2 (HS2) another step closer to this reality. The six month CAT B fit-out of over 100,000 sq ft of space at Two Snowhill in Birmingham is just the start of the process that sees the city at the heart of the HS2 network when the phase One route opens in 2026.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughin:
“HS2 will rebalance our economy, helping make the Midlands an ‘engine for growth’. The headquarters in Birmingham is proof that HS2 is already boosting jobs and skills, and will continue to do so as we head towards construction.”
Specialists
Willmott Dixon delivered a fast track programme which was procured through the Constructing West Midlands Framework.
Central was a modern reception area, as well as good space configuration with partitioning, glazed moving walls, plus modifications and enhancements to existing M&E services. As the building already had tenants, Willmott Dixon agreed to specified hours to minimise disruption to other firms.
Peter Owen, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the Midlands:
“HS2 is such a strategically important project for our country’s ability to grow and compete globally that it was an honour to create the office for its team to take the plans forward. We have a large presence in Birmingham through our construction, housing and repairs activities, and are looking forward to creating another important part of the city’s business infrastructure.”
Further HS2 Work
Willmott Dixon is lined up to create two national colleges in Birmingham and Doncaster to train the engineers. Both have been procured via Scape Group’s Major Works framework.
The college in Birmingham was recently given the planning green light and will be a three-storey college next to the Digbeth Branch Canal at Birmingham Science Park Aston.
Biggest project in a generation
Expected to start in 2017 and open in 2026, phase one of HS2 will see new stations at Curzon Street and Birmingham Interchange, with connections north to Crewe opening in 2027. Line lines to Leeds and Manchester are scheduled to be completed by 2033.
The first phase between London and the West Midlands is estimated to support up to 14,600 construction jobs, 2,200 permanent operations and maintenance jobs, and 30,300 jobs supported by development around HS2 stations in Euston, Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange and Birmingham Curzon Street.