Willmott Dixon 2024 Spotlight

We’re accelerating urban regeneration in the Midlands by helping customers to transform towns and cities and make them destinations to live, work, study and visit.

Towns and cities up and down the UK are going through an evolution; one that has been driven by the changing needs, desires and behaviours of people.

With strong foundations in the Midlands, we’re helping customers in the East Midlands to regenerate their spaces and make them fit for the future – from helping them to create Masterplans, to building science and technology buildings to creating public realm spaces.

Find out how we’re transforming towns and cities in the Midlands here.

Green Heart: Creating a natural haven in Nottingham City Centre

What was once a rundown and dilapidated shopping centre will soon be an open, vibrant and welcoming space for local people and visitors to enjoy. With 20 acres of space ripe for regeneration, Broad Marsh is one of the largest development spaces of this nature in any core city in Europe.

We've already completed the demolition of the old shopping centre, and we're now on site delivering the public realm works. This will open up thoroughfares that have long been closed, and will provide a range of fantastic outdoor spaces for the public to enjoy.

It will also see the 'marsh' being put back into Broad Marsh, with new urban wetlands being reintroduced on the site that used to house a marshland ecosystem, bringing with it biodiversity gains.

Setting a new benchmark for custodial design at Nottinghamshire Police Custody Suite

We have created a state-of-the-art police custody suite. The building is underpinned by a number of impressive features: strategic design, technological solutions, modern methods of construction and even research into making the facility suitable for vulnerable detainees.

Sitting at the heart of the entire project is the safety and comfort of employees and detainees. The suite doesn't just meet the minimum requirements for a detainee’s environment; it goes far beyond it.

Alongside basic requirements, the suite is built to meet the needs of vulnerable detainees. Nottinghamshire Police worked closely with University of Nottingham to inform design decisions with research. This means important elements that make the facilities suitable for people with additional needs, such as autism, have been incorporated. The features help to minimise sensory overload such as programmable lighting to allow the harshness of the lights to be altered, as well as calming art on the walls.

Reducing carbon through innovative solutions at Bingham Arena and Enterprise Centre

Bingham Arena and Enterprise Centre is made up of a leisure centre, community hall and self-contained offices. The leisure centre incorporates a number of features that reduce carbon emissions by 78% compared with other leisure centres.

We carried out a low-carbon technologies assessment to identify the most suitable renewable energy sources. There are PV solar panels on the roof and combined heat and power (CHP) engines power the pool. Other measures include air source heat pumps, water efficiency measures and LED lighting.

The 25m Myrtha Pool also utilises a steel-frame; swapping concrete for steel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 45%!