London Mayor Boris Johnson with Dame Vivien Duffield (Photograph by Jeremy Coleman)

Construction has now commenced on London’s first Jewish Community Centre, located on Finchley Road in Hamsptead, North London. The brainchild of Dame Vivien Duffield, the 35,000 sq-ft facility is the first development of this type in the UK undertaken by independent developer JCC Ventures. Davis Langdon, an AECOM company, is the project manager throughout construction of the £25m facility, which was designed by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands and is due for completion in 2013.

Davis Langdon’s project management team has worked closely with JCC Ventures for the past four and a half years to ensure that the project is realised. Davis Langdon has provided a full range of PM services, including management of the consultant appointments, planning and programming of the project and management of the process for selecting and appointing the main contractor. An earlier demolition and enabling works package was also procured. It concluded in May 2011.

Nick Viner, chief executive of JCC Ventures, said, “It is a reflection of the many passionate and dedicated individuals that we are finally seeing this project realised. I am confident that the Jewish Community Centre will become the hub of Jewish life in the capital and a catalyst for renaissance in our community.” 

Simon Lewis, an associate in Davis Langdon’s project management team, commented, “With construction now under way, the local community can look forward to a new state-of-the-art facility which will also be a landmark building in London.”

The mixed-use, three-storey Community Centre will play host to a variety of events and activities and will include 14 two-bedroom residential flats and a nursery with the capacity for 75 full-time places for babies up to five year olds. It has been designed with a number of sustainable aspects incorporated, including natural ventilation, a brown roof for encouraging bio-diversity, rainwater harvesting and solar panels.