Shepherd wins £42m contract to build luxury docklands flats

Shepherd Construction has won a £42.4m contract to design and build 185 luxury apartments and penthouses at a site overlooking Canary Wharf in London's docklands.

The 22,000m2 building will form an L-shape, comprising a corner storey tower of 23 storeys, with two wings of 15 and 17 storeys respectively.

The apartments will feature a ground floor gymnasium, a swimming pool and a cold room for grocery deliveries. There will also be landscaped gardens and 190 car parking spaces.

As part of the construction process, Shepherd will lift into place 8-tonne pre-cast concrete cladding panels. Delivery of these will be timed to ensure minimum disruption to the site, which is located close to the Docklands Light Railway.

Shepherd's expertise in the sector was a deciding factor in the winning of the contract. It is currently carrying out the £13.4m conversion to luxury apartments of the former Swan House office block in central Newcastle and has just completed the luxury Fishergate House apartment complex in York.

The contract, for client the Capital & Provident group, is due to be completed in spring 2005.