Bristol property students get sneak preview of new Imperial Tobacco HQ5th April 2013

A group of postgraduates who have been studying surveying have been given a sneak preview of one of the most exciting construction projects in Bristol in recent years, which is being constructed by BAM Construction.

The students, who are all based at the University of the West of England, were given a guided tour of Imperial Tobacco’s new headquarters in the Ashton Vale area of the city organised by property firm CBRE Limited.

CBRE managed the construction work at the ultra-modern building on Winterstoke Road. The office block is one of the biggest construction projects to be completed in Bristol this year and the occupants are due to move into their new home shortly.

The four storey 10,000 sq m building has been built on the site of a former cigar factory and is the largest owner-occupied property to be constructed in the city for more than six years.

Henry Parkinson, from CBRE Bristol, led the tour for the students and was delighted to show off the project to the group. He said: “The group we took around the building are due to finish their studies this year and will be looking for work in the industry in the near future.

“This is exactly the type of work that they could be involved in and we were more than happy to give them an insight into the way the construction and property industry operates.”

Philip Morton, Head of Agency and Development at CBRE Bristol, said: “This was a complex project, which had to be completed to the highest industry specifications and we were able to give the students an insight into the challenges posed by such a challenging and demanding scheme. We were also able to talk about the state of the property market here in Bristol and in the South West and the career opportunities within the industry.

“At CBRE we have always believed in working closely with the educational institutions in Bristol and further afield. We believe in the importance of building close links with the academic world, both the students and the lecturers.

The new office block will house 550 staff and will be the international headquarters of one of the world’s largest tobacco companies.

The development covers the northern part of the site alongside an existing office of the firm. The existing office will shortly be refurbished to the same high standards as the new building to add around a further 3,600 sq m of office space to the headquarters development.