The Store House, a new development at Briggate in Leeds, is starting to take shape.

We’re leading on the structural engineering requirements for the project, which will bring high-quality student accommodation and a renewed retail offer to 140-142 Briggate.

The 1950s building occupying the site – formerly home to House of Fraser – has now been demolished with the existing basement walls retained for use as part of the new ten-storey building. Work has begun to construct the basement and ground floor slab.

The project, which was given planning approval last year, is being delivered by Manner.

The development site is situated within a mile of both Leeds Beckett University and the University of Leeds, providing an ideal spot for high quality and much-needed student accommodation. It will entail a ten-storey building with accommodation for more than 360 students throughout the upper nine floors, which will be spread across a mix of self-contained studios and cluster flats.

The basement and ground floor of The Store House will offer more than 3,200 sq m of flexible retail space, which can be occupied as a single unit or split into two or three separate units depending on demand.

Our work on the project highlights our growing presence across Yorkshire. Our other recent projects across the region include one of the UK’s biggest zero carbon housing developments for the City of York Council, and both the Ironworks and Climate Innovation District projects in Leeds.

Thomas Audsley, senior structural engineer in our Leeds studio, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our team to make a positive and lasting impact on a growing part of Leeds city centre. From an engineering perspective, it presents some interesting problems to solve while working carefully with neighbouring properties, some of whom share land including party walls, a courtyard area, and part of the existing basement.

“The Store House will be located on a highly constrained site, and as such it requires very careful planning and collaboration. Challenges like these are the holy grail for professional engineers and we’re thrilled that Manner have sought our team’s expertise, knowhow and commitment to improving this part of Leeds. Above all, we’ll be looking to deliver the best possible combination of high quality, affordability and sustainability to the city’s communities.”

The Store House has been planned to respect the townscape and historical significance of the local area, while embracing contemporary city living. It is aligned to both Leeds’ and the Government’s Net Zero Carbon targets. The building aims to achieve high sustainability credentials in both design and operation and will be developed to a BREEAM Excellent standard – ensuring that the design and materials used have minimum impact on the environment.

We’ve provided civil and structural engineering services as well as temporary works design for the project, alongside Erith and HG Construction (appointed as the main contractor) and Corstorphine & Wright Architects who have designed the new building.

[Image credit: Corstorphine & Wright]