This new 83,500 sq ft building, which was secured on a 20 year pre-let lease, will ensure the highly regarded team have enough space to support continued growth. The headquarters will be ready for occupation at the end of 2012.
The topping out ceremony, usually performed when a building reaches its highest point, originates from a pagan ritual to drive out the evil spirits from a building.
Ian Vickers, Managing Director for the Home Counties at Wates, which is undertaking the construction of the new headquarters, said: “This event marks a major milestone in the construction of what will be a highly sustainable, landmark building. It is also a major milestone within the construction of the wider 1.6m sq ft mixed use development at the Cambridge New City Quarter.”
Sven Topel, Chief Executive of Brookgate, added: “Working alongside Wates, we are on schedule to deliver this new state-of-the-art headquarters for Microsoft Research, enabling the global leader to relocate to the City Centre. We look forward to welcoming the Microsoft team to their new building later this year.”
The CB1 masterplan will provide 800,000 sq ft of commercial uses, 800,000 sq ft of residential apartments, student rooms and other uses including retail, restaurants and bars. The project also provides a refurbished station concourse, a new public square and a new transport interchange.
Image: Sven Töpel, Chief Executive of Brookgate; Professor Andrew Blake, Managing Director of Microsoft Research and James Wates, Deputy Chairman of Wates Construction at the topping out ceremony.
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PRESS CONTACTS
Brookgate
Alexandra Tucker, FTI Consulting: 020 7269 9305
Sebastian Hanley, FTI Consulting: 020 7269 9537
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