Victoria Square, Woking Explained

Victoria Square
Highest Region:Woking
Highest Start:September 2019
Highest Prev:Export House
Location:A320 Victoria Way, Woking, England
Coordinates:51.3183°N -0.5609°W
Status:Topped out
Start Date:June 2017
Completion Date:August 2022
Building Type:Residential
Hotel
Retail
Roof:117m (384feet)
Floor Count:34
Cost:£700 million
Architect:Benoy
Main Contractor:Sir Robert McAlpine
Developer:Woking Borough Council
Moyallen Group

Victoria Square is a residential skyscraper complex and wider town centre redevelopment project in Woking, Surrey, England. Upon topping out in September 2019,[1] Tower 1 of the complex became the tallest building in Woking, overtaking Export House.[2] Construction commenced in June 2017 and, following delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic,[3] completed in August 2022. The total construction cost of the project was £700 million.[4]

Construction

Victoria Square was constructed on the site of a seven-storey office building known as Circle 7, on a site bounded by Victoria Way to the west, the railway line leading to Woking railway station to the south, and Woking town centre to the east and north. Three towers were constructed as part of the development. The tallest two skyscrapers, Tower 1 and Tower 2, are both residential in nature and consist of 34 and 32 storeys, rising to a height of and respectively.[5] [6] The third building, Tower 3, contains a Hilton Hotel rising to 23 storeys and a height of .[7] The two buildings taller than make Woking the smallest settlement in the United Kingdom to have a skyscraper.

Additional construction as part of the Victoria Square development included a plant-covered multistorey car park containing the tallest spiral ramps in the United Kingdom,[8] a ground-level shopping centre extension named Victoria Place (formerly The Peacocks) linked to the nearby High Street,[9] a flagship Marks & Spencer food hall on the ground floor of Tower 1,[10] new bus stops at the western end of the High Street Link Road, and public spaces including a square.[11]

History

During Storm Aurore on 20 October 2021, three cladding panels from the under construction Hilton Hotel blew away from the façade of the building and fell to the street; there were no injuries.[12] Victoria Way was closed as a precaution until February 2022 while more than 2,000 cladding panels on the hotel received additional reinforcement, further delaying construction of Victoria Square.[13] [14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Victoria Square tops out . Retail Destination . 23 May 2022.
  2. Web site: Tallest buildings in Woking . https://web.archive.org/web/20200203153904/https://www.emporis.com/statistics/tallest-buildings/city/103711/woking-united-kingdom . dead . 3 February 2020 . Emporis . 23 May 2022.
  3. Web site: Seymour . Jenny . Opening of Woking Victoria Square delayed by six months . Surrey Live . 23 May 2022 . 17 September 2021.
  4. Web site: Armstrong . Julie . Woking council must address £1.84billion debt and 'excessive risk' as Government fires warning shot . Surrey Live . 23 May 2022 . 18 May 2022.
  5. Web site: Victoria Square Tower 1 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200203153916/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/1250057/victoria-square-tower-1-woking-united-kingdom . dead . 3 February 2020 . Emporis . 23 May 2022.
  6. Web site: Victoria Square Tower 2 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200203153915/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/1250060/victoria-square-tower-2-woking-united-kingdom . dead . 3 February 2020 . Emporis . 23 May 2022.
  7. Web site: Hilton Woking . https://web.archive.org/web/20200203153921/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/1250061/hilton-woking-woking-united-kingdom . dead . 3 February 2020 . Emporis . 23 May 2022.
  8. Web site: Clarke . Chloe . Behind the scenes look at Woking's Victoria Square development with Hilton hotel and plant-covered building . Surrey Live . 23 May 2022 . 14 August 2021.
  9. Web site: Lemieux . Hannah . Woking's £700m development opens first phase with Victoria Place's M&S anchor store . Surrey Live . 23 May 2022 . 23 March 2022.
  10. Web site: Wright . Georgia . M&S opens flagship store in Victoria Square development . Retail Gazette . 23 May 2022 . 23 March 2022.
  11. Web site: Clarke . Chloe . Woking's Victoria Square has been transformed - latest pictures as project nears completion . Surrey Live . 23 May 2022 . 4 February 2022.
  12. Web site: Prior . Grant . Cladding panels "dislodged" from McAlpine hotel job . Construction Enquirer . 23 May 2022 . 25 October 2021.
  13. Web site: Clarke . Chloe . Victoria Way finally reopens as Woking Shopping centre reveals name change . Surrey Live . 23 May 2022 . 10 February 2022.
  14. Web site: White . Steven . Hilton Woking having half its panels reinforced with temporary fixings as Victoria Way reopening reviewed . Surrey Live . 23 May 2022 . 20 December 2021.