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Archives 2009 - 2010
BCIdiligence TAKES OFF
14th February, 2010
Since the formation of BCIdiligence in February 2009 we have seen excellent uptake for our consultancy and reporting services. We are currently busy working for a series of developers and tenants, UK and Europe-wide and are pleased to announce BCIdiligence has recently completed its largest commission for an international blue chip company looking to expand its overseas operations in Ankara and Cairo. In addition due diligence studies have been carried out in Romania, Estonia and Serbia.
Samuel Kirk, who leads this division of BCIdesign commented, “I believe a good due diligence report should give the client confidence in the following areas… Appropriateness of site location in context to city, amenities, transportation etc , the suitability of the site for the client’s current and future needs and an appropriateness of the building’s layout, construction, installed building management and fire and life safety systems and its sustainability record. We also match these criteria with helping the Client understand Local Authorities requirements for anticipated future zoning, planning and/or building code restrictions. In countries where EuroNorms do not apply and local codes are less strict, a comparison and analysis is undertaken relating to British Building Regulations and CIBSE and/or ASHRAE codes. It’s a comprehensive service.”
For more information on these services please contact Sam on +44 7795 160904
PALM GALLERIA, NEW CAIRO UPDATE
13th February, 2010
BCIdesign’s client, Egyptian real estate developer, Palm Hills Developments (PHD) officially announced on 13th February that all of its assets in the country are intact and the company has resumed operation, (Daily News Egypt). The firm is set to proceed with a planned construction build-out this year, despite any short-term interruptions to construction work or lost sales, PHD said.
Palm Galleria is currently under construction and the project is up to roof level with all internal walls under construction. The Interior Design package is currently out to tender and internal finishes will commence on site in two months.
RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL, PALM HILLS, CAIRO
7th February 2011
Following delays caused by the recent political changes in Egypt, this prestigious project is already back on track and Haitham Elmoheen, Director is co-ordinating the project. The full package will be finalised in the third quarter of 2011.
BCIdesign was appointed by Palm Hills Developments and Ritz-Carlton last year to create the signage package for the new 160-key resort hotel in 6th October, West Cairo. Part of a golfing and spa resort, the luxury hotel is due for opening in 2014.
BCIdesign AT MIPIM 2011
26th January 2011
BCIdesign will again attend the annual MIPIM trade fair in March in Cannes.
Directors, Sam Kirk (+44 7795 160904) and John Burrows (+44 7718 911120) will again represent BCIdesign. This will be their 7th and 18th visits respectively to MIPIM.
Sam and John will be looking to meet people with common interests in the emerging markets such as Russia, South America, Africa and Western Asia and will be promoting our key skills in the disciplines of office fit out and commercial development, retail and shopping projects and general mixed-use schemes.
BCIdesign EMPLOYS MORE ARCHITECTS
24th January 2011
Architects, Clara Penas and Jonathan Marsh have recently joined BCIdesign’s permanent staff. Clara Penas’s additional language skills give us more flexibility and easier communication with the clients of our Spanish-speaking South American clients.
Director, John Burrows said, “We are so pleased to have secured the services of Clara and Jonty, especially at this time of increased activity in the real estate and development sectors. Hopefully we will again add to our London workforce in the summer months but the stability of our JV architectural partners in Cairo, Ankara, Bucharest and Warsaw has given us great support during the recessionary years in the UK.”
BCIdesign’s RETAIL & LEISURE CONSULTANCY SERVICES
17th January 2011
Over the last six months, BCIdesign’s Retail and Leisure Consultancy has grown in stature. Residential developers know their market and what it demands. BCIdesign adds to this with our commercial perspective. We are committed to delivering schemes where all components complement each other and to informing the client when they don’t. Typical problems we come across are the constant use of irregular column grids, poor delivery and refuse strategies and poorly-placed shopfronts with a lack of visibility and inadequate zones for signage. Commercial unit sizes are usually unsuitable for lease and the retail mix is either non-existent or very weak with insufficient critical mass.
In return for a modest fee our residential clients are receiving an on-site survey and visual inspection for completed schemes, a critical analysis of base-build drawings and specifications, an evaluation matrix of architectural, MEP, structural, civil engineering and traffic constraints and space-planning exercises to inform landlord design and attract tenants. We also provide preliminary cost appraisals, building management and fire and life safety systems reviews and our recommendations for improvement.
Our clients have recognised the added value BCIdesign’s commercial expertise brings to their residential projects. For a small fee, BCIdesign’s Retail and Leisure Consultancy reviews schemes from the feasibility pre-planning stage, carries out retail reviews of existing developments and looks to increase commercial value on challenging sites. Examples of recent projects include appraisals for Arsenal Football Club, private developers at New Brighton, Wisbech, Trinity Walk Wakefield, Polus Centre Romania, Golden Square Warrington. For more information on these services please contact Sam Kirk and John Burrows.
PALM GALLERIA, NEW CAIRO
3 November, 2010
BCIdesign’s interior design concept and scheme design for the new shopping centre in East Cairo has been approved by the developer Palm Hills Developments. BCIdesign was originally selected out of a list of international architects and designers. Palm Hills Developments, Egypt's premier real estate developer, announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with award-winning specialist retail property fund managers Pradera to form a joint venture to manage and own shopping centres in Egypt. With its extensive retail asset management expertise, Pradera will manage PHD’s retail projects under the umbrella of the new company.
PHD and Pradera's first joint project is the Palm Galleria located in New Cairo. Palm Galleria is a 350,000-square-foot (33,000 sq m), three-level shopping mall that will offer a quality of retail development never before seen in Egypt. Unlike many of the other proposed centres in Cairo, Palm Galleria is already well under construction and plans to open at the end of 2011. Palm Galleria will be home to 100 retailers, 17 restaurant and food outlets, and a 1,200 seat 6-screen cinema, as well as offering 650 parking spaces.
Director, John Burrows is co-ordinating the project together with Haitham Elmoheen and the full interior design package for the 28,000 sq m GLA project will be finalised in December 2010.
MAPIC 2010
November 2010
BCIdesign again exhibited at the annual MAPIC trade fair in Cannes and attracted a lot of attention to their stand on Aisle 18. BCIdesign has exhibited at MAPIC since our establishment in 1998 and have increased the size of our stand exponentially.
Concentrating on our established marketplaces such as Turkey, Egypt, Romania and the UK we highlighted our Palm Galleria Centre in Cairo and our recent work on retail parks and FOCs. With over twelve delegates on our stand we were able to generate some significant new projects in Russia, Egypt, Serbia and Colombia.
BCIdesign AT EXPOREAL
October 2010
Sam Kirk and Mara Vasilache attended a busy EXPO REAL in Munich in October and reported back on the positive attitude amongst the international developers.
For the first time since 2008, EXPO REAL is signalled the recovery of the industry: around 37,000 participants, including 21,000 industry professionals, attended the 13th International Trade Fair for Commercial Property and Investment.
Based on the number of visitors, the top ten countries visiting the exposition after Germany were: the UK, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia, the USA and Luxembourg.
A total of 1,645 companies from 35 countries exhibited at EXPO REAL 2010, 65 more companies than in 2009. The increased demand for space came primarily from outside of Germany, with a focus on central and Eastern Europe. Poland, Austria, Russia, Serbia and the Czech Republic increased their number of exhibitors.
POLUS, CONSTANTA
3rd September2010
The latest addition to BCIdesign’s Due Diligence portfolio is ImmoEast’s Polus Shopping Mall in Constanta. Mara Vasilache and John Burrows headed up a team to ratify existing design documentation and carry out a full due diligence study together with Peter Brett Associates.
ImmoEast purchased 85% of Polus Center Constanta from TriGranit. The company also took over €40m in debts associated with the scheme, including the €38m loan from OTP. The 50,000 sq m project is still under construction. Originally, ImmoEast was supposed to pay €185m for the asset upon completion.
Our recommendations together with our engineering partners Peter Brett Associates were submitted at the beginning of September.
BCIdesign In Ankara And Istanbul
October 2009
Sam Kirk visited Ankara and Istanbul for site visits for major client. Potential new contracts in a positive market.
BCIdesign In Bucharest
October 2009
Mara Vasilache and John Burrows spent a week in Bucharest meeting new clients and servicing existing contracts.
ICSC Romania
30th September 2009
John Burrows attended the ICSC Conference in Bucharest and was a Speaker on one of the panels. The conference recognised the reality of the economic crisis in Romania but generally there was a positive belief that there were still opportunities around.
BCIdesign in Budapest
September 2009
Directors, Samuel Kirk and Mara Vasilache, spent a week in Budapest renewing associations with existing clients and meeting new developers.
BCIdesign In Association With Jones Lang LaSalle
15th September 2009
BCIdesign formed a one-off association with Jones Laing LaSalle in Poland to prepare feasibility and design studies on behalf of Tesco. The prime suburban site in Warsaw is to be redeveloped by the owners, Tesco.
BCIdesign Annual Camping Trip
2nd June 2009
BCIdesign embark on their Annual Camping Trip on the weekend 5th to 7th June. The 21 intrepid campers will descend on Cove Castle on the Dorset coast in search of sun and happiness. Slim chance… the sun that is!
Due Diligence Reports and Conditional Surveys
22nd May 2009
BCIdesign announced their new division BCIdiligence specialising in Due Diligence surveys and reporting. Director, Samuel Kirk, will lead this division and made the following statement, “Our services can be summarized as a full on-site survey and visual inspection and critical analysis of base-build and tenant specifications, followed by the production of a written report including analytical analysis in the form of an evaluation matrix from an architectural, MEP, Structural & Civil Engineering, Traffic & planning perspective leading to an informed recommendation on building suitability. In addition we like to carry out preliminary space planning exercises for retail, leisure and/or office space to ensure that the prospective tenant or landlord receives an accurate test-fit measured against an assessment of local and international code compliance. Linked to the test-fit drawings is a full assessment of current build quality and necessity for short and long term upgrade works leading to a development cost appraisal.”
For more information and a detailed list of services please contact Sam by email at skirk@bci-design.com or by telephone on +44 207 0210217 (bus) or +44 7995 160904 (mob)
Contract Signed Between Baneasa Developments And BCIdesign
4th June 2009
SC BANEASA DEVELOPMENTS SRL today appointed BCIdesign as Executive Architects for the entertainment and leisure extension to the east of Baneasa Shopping Centre. The complex will include full digital cinema, bowling arcade and restaurants, bars and cafes providing connectivity to the existing centre. The required programme is extremely fast-track to ensure the leisure activities are open as soon as possible.
LPF Annual Dinner
28th April 2009
The Leisure Property Forum held its 12th Annual Dinner on 28th April 2009 at Herbert Berger’s Michelin star restaurant, No. 1 Lombard Street in the City. John Burrows is the Acting Chairman of the LPF.
Mace International appoint BCIdesign for Blue Chip Office Fit-Out
20th March 2009
BCIdesign have been appointed by Mace International to assist them on a new project for a major blue-chip client in Ankara. BCIdesign and their local Ankara team of consultants will undertake a Due Diligence study and office fit-out for this international client’s new premises in Ankara.
BCIdesign Attend MIPIM
16th March 2009
Sam Kirk and John Burrows attended the MIPIM trade fair in Cannes last week. Although numbers were significantly lower than previous years, the quality of decision-making participants was unprecedented.
BCIdesign Move Into New Premises
2nd February 2009
BCIdesign relocated from Clipstone Street to Blackfriars Road in London. All Directors’ mobile phones have remained the same but all other details have changed.
BCI Design Ltd (formerly Burrows Cave International) appoints new Directors
2nd February 2009
BCI Design Limited (trading as BCIdesign) today appointed Ania Fudali, Haitham Elmoheen, Ian Little, John Burrows, Mara Vasilache and Samuel Kirk as Main Board Directors. This follows the departure of Richard Cave from Burrows Cave International originally established in August 1998. John Burrows stated, “This move is a culmination of thought processes and decisions taken in the second half of 2008, when Richard and I re-evaluated the company’s goals and succession planning. The expansion of the directorate is a logical consequence of our plans and allows us to compete for projects on a much broader front. Even in these difficult times there are still excellent opportunities to be taken.”
