Tower Works, Leeds celebrates topping out milestone

Construction of the historic Tower Works scheme in Leeds city centre has reached a significant milestone with a topping out ceremony.

The 245 unit build to rent (BTR) scheme, which sits within the historic Tower Works canal-side site, is being built by Sir Robert McAlpine on behalf of owner and funder, Legal & General and developers Ask Real Estate and Richardson in conjunction with Homes England.

Having now reached its highest point of construction, Tower Works is set to complete in Spring 2023.

Representatives from the project team gathered to mark the occasion which was led by a speech from Sir Andrew McAlpine.

In keeping with Sir Robert McAlpine’s Scottish roots, a piper led guests to the rooftop where an evergreen bough was secured at the building’s highest point, a tradition which dates back to Roman times to ward off evil spirits. A toastmaster officiated while Works Manager Kevin Carr and Ask Real Estate Managing Director John Hughes exchanged a ceremonial tankard and shared a traditional noggin of local ale to celebrate a ‘job well done.’

The topping out of Tower Works marks a significant milestone in the development of this historic site and a great opportunity to celebrate the fantastic work achieved by the whole project team so far. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Ask Real Estate and Richardson to deliver this exciting Build to Rent Scheme for Leeds, right next to Mustard Wharf which we completed last year.
Paul Quinn Regional Director, Sir Robert McAlpine

Taylor Pringle, Graduate Quantity Surveyor at Tower Works

My name is Taylor Pringle and I'm a Graduate Quantity Surveyor here at

Tower works in Leeds. It's a joint venture between Ask Real Estate and Richardson.

Its 245 apartments, spread over four blocks and two of the blocks

are combined into a single building. So there's three buildings in total.

We're currently standing in Block B and this is the second highest floor. This is level nine

and the highest this goes up to is Level 10 and the roof level is level 11.

Behind us you've got Block C which is a roof terrace on Block C that goes up to level five

and the rest of Block B goes up to level seven and then Block A goes up to level eight and then

on Block D goes up to level eight as well. So it's the quite tall buildings! The four plans

repeat and there's four duplex apartments which are unique to Block C. They're level one and level

two. I think it's probably about 15 or 16 flat types in total across the scheme and all the block

types are identical, depending on what blocks they're in, so yeah it's quite a big project.

The facade's ongoing and the substructures, sorry the inside concrete frame is just about there and

we're gonna be finishing up next month. From that point the envelope will continue up and we'll

start putting some of the roofs in. Then the internal finishes commence and we sort of follow

each other off the building. So the last operation will be the Hoist Apartments. These will be

completely unfurnished until the end because the use of the service route for transport materials,

they'll be the last sort of internal fit out to do. Then there's the external works. So we'll

hard planting and soft landscaping and just as well as a few planters on the roof terraces too

so that'll be the last operation that takes a right up to practical completion.

Commenting on behalf of Ask and Richardson, John Hughes, Managing Director of Ask Real Estate, added:

“Leeds is a key conurbation, but like many cities its housing supply is severely constrained. We have worked closely with Homes England to deliver a scheme which helps to meet that need and we are very proud to have been able to now mark such a significant milestone in the transformation of this historic site.”

Sir Robert McAlpine has developed the adjacent Mustard Wharf scheme, also funded and owned by Legal & General, with both schemes employing skilled local workers during construction. Recognising the prospect for rental growth in Leeds, Legal & General has acquired two BTR sites in the city centre; Mustard Wharf in 2017, and Tower Works in 2021. Both sites are central to the landmark South Bank regeneration area, and together deliver 500 homes alongside over 16,000 sq. ft. of commercial space.

Mike Powell, Head of Build to Rent Transactions at LGIM Real Assets, said:

“It is always important to pause and recognise success, and the topping out of Tower Works gives us the opportunity to do just that; congratulating the whole team on reaching this milestone, whilst also acknowledging the positive impact the development will have on the local community. This is our second Build to Rent project in Leeds, and shows our continued commitment to the City as well as the sector.”

The development, which is designed by Ryder Architects, will provide two new residential buildings with 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments and duplexes, ground floor commercial spaces and extensive new areas of public realm. Tower Works has also recently achieved WiredScore Platinum certification, making it the first residential development in Leeds to attain the globally-recognised verification of infrastructure connectivity. The accreditation means residents will know that their homes have been digitally future-proofed and have the best possible level of connectivity.

Tower Works has a rich industrial history. Established in the 1860s as a steel pin factory for carding and combing in the textile industry, the works closed in 1981 and have been earmarked for regeneration for many years. The original Victorian buildings, designed by Thomas Shaw, are famous for their Italianate influence which is most obvious in the three prominent towers: Verona; Giotto and Little Chimney, a much-loved element of the Leeds skyline and which will be a focal point of the scheme.

The delivery team also includes: engineering firm WSP and project managers and QS Faithful and Gould.

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