Skanska and Morgan Sindall win £277m duo of Cambridge jobs

Skanska’s twin office Botanic Place proje will also preserve a pub on the siteRailway pension fund manager Railpen has named Skanska and Morgan Sindall as main contractors for its first two major developments in Cambridge.Skanska has taken the biggest of the two schemes, clinching a £200m contract to build what is set to be the most sustainable speculative office scheme outside of London.Architect AHMM has designed the 540,000 sq ft Botanic Place project, which is to achieve BREEAM Outstanding, WELL and Wired Scored ‘Platinum’ ratings.The workspaces will use 70% less energy than traditional office buildings and will be powered using renewable energy sources.When work gets underway in July, Skanska will also preserve the historic public house, The Flying Pig, located on the development site.The other Cambridge scheme being brought forward by Railpen with its development manager Socius is a mixed-use development known as Devonshire Gardens, near the city’s railway station.Morgan Sindall has secured the £77m contract to build the project which involves 150,000 sq ft of work space and 70 build-to-rent flats, all set around a landscaped public park.Homes have been designed to meet the city’s net-zero carbon ambitions and will be powered by electricity from renewable sources with no reliance on fossil fuels. Work will start in April.