RED Construction appointed to deliver visitor pavilion at £5bn Brent Cross Town

Farringdon-based main contractor, RED Construction Group, has been appointed by Argent Related and Barnet Council to deliver Brent Cross Town’s temporary Visitor Pavilion, which is the first building to be delivered as part of the £5bn town centre development in North London.

RED Construction Group commenced work in late December on an 8,000 sq ft , three-storey, temporary visitor centre on Claremont Way in Brent Cross to showcase Brent Cross Town’s masterplan and vision. It is expected to be open to visitors by the end of 2021.

Designed by Moxon Architects, the building will capture and communicate the ambitious scale of Brent Cross Town, which will become a new park town for London and will establish a new standard for large-scale urban regeneration.

The new development uniquely incorporates 50 acres of parks and playing fields which are central to the attraction for people to live, work and visit. Brent Cross Town will deliver 6,700 new homes for sale and for rent, alongside restaurants, sports and leisure facilities, and will be a major new office destination. With 3m sq ft of office space, it will create a business ecosystem for 25,000 employees. The new neighbourhood has pledged to be a carbon zero town by 2030 at the latest, and will connect to King’s Cross in 12 minutes via the new Brent Cross West station which is under construction and due to be completed at the end of 2022.

The Visitor Pavilion and associated landscaping was consulted on during events held in June and July 2020. The designs incorporate an exhibition space, flexible ground floor commercial space, as well as space available for community use. It will be constructed by RED Construction as a low-carbon, innovative Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) superstructure which eliminates the need for a steel frame and will feature a timber-clad façade. The building will sit alongside a line-up of temporary community uses including the Exploratory Park play area that opened in August this year.

Graham Sturge, Managing Director of RED Construction, commented on the appointment: “As RED Construction specialises in London developments, it is brilliant to be appointed to contribute our expertise to a scheme of this scale in the city, with an ambitious and highly sustainable vision. A pivotal space for all involved with Brent Cross Town, the Visitor Pavilion will also demonstrate RED’s in-depth knowledge of CLT, which has been implemented on previous projects such as Axtell House in Soho, London.”

Nick Searl, Partner of Argent Related and Joint-Lead for Brent Cross Town, says: “Delivery of the Visitor Pavilion centre is an important early step in Brent Cross Town’s evolution and will provide a wonderful space in which to share our vision. We look forward to working with RED Construction to bring it to fruition, and for the Visitor Pavilion to begin telling the story of Brent Cross Town, a park town that will support the future of London.”

The news follows the recent announcement of RED Construction Group’s appointment to deliver a six-story mixed-use commercial redevelopment of Townsend House in the heart of London’s Victoria district. In addition, RED Construction is also working on a landmark 16,170 sq ft residential conversion at Audiology House, in London’s SW12 conservation area, as well as a comprehensive Edwardian-inspired refurbishment project at 20-23 Greville Street in Holborn, London – all three projects totalling in excess of £33m.