Building ConsultancyBuilding Consultancy

King Sturge is an independent LLP of Chartered Surveyors and Property Consultants. The Building Consultancy Group, which includes Building Surveying, Project Management and Architecture is a core part of our business.

King Sturge has one of the largest and most respected Building Consultancy Groups. The range of services that we provide is offered throughout the UK and mainland Europe by a dedicated team of 140 staff committed to interpreting and meeting our clients’ needs in a considered and creative way. Each year we advise in excess of 900 clients, representing a cross-section of developers, investors and end users, in both the private and public sectors.

We never lose sight of that fact that our clients engage us to assist them in achieving success, whether property represents their core business or is a facilitator of that business. This demands more than just an understanding of our clients’ needs and their business; it demands a commitment to their priorities and a genuine desire to add something to their business.

It is only through the development of successful long-term relationships with our clients that we see our own success being measured.

Introduction

Alexandra Palace, London

Front cover image: Head Office for Renewable Energy Systems Ltd, Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, the UK’s first zero carbon emission building.

Project Management on behalf of Renewable Energy Systems Ltd.

King Sturge strives to ensure that the advice we give is of the highest standard, delivered in a commercial and responsible manner.

Our success is founded on a desire to constantly improve the way in which we undertake our business and to distinguish ourselves from our competitors. It is only through listening, questioning, analysing and understanding our clients’ needs that we can deliver advice that truly informs.

What distinguishes us from our competitors is our staff and in particular their energy, enthusiasm and ability. We invest considerable effort and care in the selection of the best people in the business, in their training and welfare, and in ensuring that they are committed to working in our clients’ best interests. We truly believe that ‘our people make the difference’.

We also give careful thought to matching our clients’ needs to the specialist technical expertise and personal strengths of individual members of our team, regardless of their location. Through this approach we ensure that our staff perform at their optimum level.

This approach is applied to each and every aspect of our work, as illustrated in the following pages which describe our approach relating to the acquisition, optimisation and rationalisation of property.

Our approach

Paternoster Square, London

Whether acquiring a building for investment or occupation, as part of a business merger, joint venture or for loan security purposes, we understand the need for considered advice delivered in a commercial way tailored to suit our clients’ needs. We also recognize that no two clients are the same and the need for flexibility in our approach.

Our experience of property acquisition, whether this involves an existing building or a project that is still on the drawing board, is second to none. Each year we advise on in excess of 500 acquisitions and 100 development projects, totalling over 2 million square metres of floor space. The advice that we give is about identifying risks, quantifying those risks and ensuring that our clients are aware of their implications.

Our approach is not simply one of technical appraisal; it is about putting the advice we give within a commercial context, recognising both current market demands and future expectations. Neither is our role a passive one: it is one of interpretation, facilitation and communication that enables problems to be identified and resolved at an early stage.

Services Offered: Building Surveys

Condition Surveys

Defect Diagnosis and Analysis

Fire Insurance Valuations

Feasibility Studies

Development Monitoring

Acquisition

1 One Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester; Private client2 BMS House, Uxbridge; Bristol Myers Squibb3 Luton Innovation Centre; East of England Development Agency 4 Parkridge PDC Dabrowa, Poland; Morley Fund Management5 Colmore Gate, Birmingham; The Church Commissioners for England & DEKA

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Whether in monetary or occupational terms, neither clients nor their buildings exist in a static environment. Our clients’ needs, and the demands they place on their buildings, are constantly changing.

We work with our clients to ensure that we maximise the value of their asset or investment. This is achieved through the preparation and implementation of robust feasibility studies and estate strategies, properly considered improvement projects and by mitigating long-term liabilities through planned maintenance regimes. King Sturge was one of the first practices to develop an integrated database for planned maintenance surveys, which enables us to accurately profile future capital and revenue expenditure from which investment decisions can be made. Once a decision has been made we can lead the implementation process, from overall management to the detailed design.

We also understand the increasingly onerous nature of the regulatory environment within which our clients operate and we are continually monitoring future trends. This includes the Disability Discrimination Act, Health and Safety Legislation, Asbestos Regulations and Fire Precautions Acts. We can help ensure that our clients’ buildings fully meet the needs of their occupants and the rapidly developing suite of environmental legislation, satisfy statutory requirements and meet best practice standards.

Services Offered: Project Management

Project Sponsorship and Control

Design Services & Supervision

Estate Strategies

Planned Maintenance Programmes

Disabled Access Audits

Party Wall Advice

Sustainability & Environmental Advice

MaximisingValue

1 Envoy House; Guernsey Post Limited2 La Rondin Special Needs School; States of Guernsey3 Barts and The Royal London PFI; Skanska 4 Clarendon Road, Watford; Henderson Global Investors5 Whitelodge Business Park, Norwich; The Crown Estate

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We work in a constantly changing environment. Investment strategies evolve as markets mature or in response to a change in investment criteria. Our occupational clients’ demands also, whether linked to a production facility, an office portfolio or a University campus, are constantly developing.

King Sturge is alive to the issue of change in the environments within which our clients work. Frequently, these issues will be outside our clients’ direct control. We understand however the need to evaluate alternative solutions on a common basis and be able to respond quickly to our clients’ needs. We endeavour to take a proactive approach by ensuring that information is up to date, that it is managed efficiently and that we are aware of current trends, whether that be in terms of investment criteria or occupational guidelines.

Once an informed decision has been made we endeavour to mitigate our clients’ liabilities. Each year we advise on in-excess of 700 dilapidation disputes, from which we have assembled a comprehensive database of settlements. This data helps inform the negotiation process, or supports our position in the event of litigation.

Services Offered: Feasibility Studies

Option Appraisals

Estate Strategies

Dilapidation Assessments and Negotiations

Expert Witness

Space Planning

Pre-Divestment Surveys

Rationalisation

1 Chester City Centre; Orange2 Barbirolli Square, Manchester; Hermes & DB Real Estate3 Knorr-Bremse; New headquarters building 4 Ealing Broadway; London W5; Prudential Property Investment Managers5 Crescent Theatre; The Arts Council for England

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Clients Our clients comprise a wide cross section of both investors and occupiers.

Typically, we act for:-

Financiers: where we provide advice on building condition and residual liabilities. We also monitor development projects to ensure that construction risks are properly identified, allocated and managed. Clients include: Royal Bank of Scotland; HBOS; NM Rothschild; Credit Suisse and HSBC.

Developers and Investors: again, we advise upon building condition and provide strategic advice on capital projects to enhance asset value and in the management of buildings and portfolios including dilapidation advice. Clients include: Morley Fund Management; Hermes; Prudential; The Church Commissioners and the Crown Estate.

Corporate Occupiers: We offer a complete range of building consultancy advice, including services such as space planning, project management of base build and fit out projects and advice in relation to statutory compliance. Clients include: Orange Plc; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Philips Electronics and Cable & Wireless.

Central Government We are on the Office of Government and Commerce’s framework panel. We frequently act as both Project Sponsor and Project Manager in relation to major relocation and consolidation projects and in the technical support of those projects. Clients include: the Department of Trade & Industry; Competition Commission; Ofsted; DEFRA and The National Audit Office.

Local & Regional Government We advise in relation to estate strategies, condition, budget, capital and revenue projects. We act on behalf of every UK Regional Development Agency and a substantial number of local authorities. Clients include: The States of Guernsey; East of England Development Agency; Wiltshire County Council; One Northeast; Advantage West Midlands and the Probation Board for Northern Ireland.

Education Our experience in the education sector is second to none. We survey, assess condition and project manage both revenue and capital projects in schools, further and higher education sectors throughout the UK. Clients include: University of the Arts London; London School of Economics and Political Science; Oxford University; Bracknell & Wokingham College; University of Bristol and Bath College.

The Building Consultancy Group:

1 Operates from a network of sixteen offices in the UK and four in Mainland Europe

2 Comprises 28 Partners, 85 professional, and 30 support staff.

3 Manages or advises upon approximately £1.5bn of construction projects at any one time.

4 Acts for 41 of the FTSE top 100 companies

5 Advises over 50 colleges of further education and 20 Universities

6 Is Ranked no. 6 in ‘Building’ Magazine 2004 List of Consultant Surveyors

7 Was Rated no. 25 in The Sunday Times ‘Best Companies to Work For 2005’.

8 Has been QA accredited since 1994 and is an accredited ‘Investor in People’

Key Facts

Villa Street Surgery, London SE17;Project Management on behalf of the Church Commissioners for England.

+44 20 7493 4933

LOCATIONS

UK

England • Scotland • WalesKing Sturge LLP

Part of the King Sturge International Group:

THROUGHOUT EUROPE

including:

Austria • Belgium • Croatia • Czech Republic • France

Germany • Greece • Hungary • Ireland • Luxembourg

Netherlands • Poland • Serbia & Montenegro • Spain

NORTH AMERICA

A member of

ASIA PACIFIC

www.kingsturge.com