Former Fenwick store building sustainably converted into aparthotel

A local business has benefitted from the project.

Wood from The Gresham to be given to local businesses

Formerly Fenwick’s department store in the city centre, the iconic, reimagined Grade II listed building is being converted into a stunning, high-end 133-bed aparthotel.

The Gresham, as the building will know be known, will include a lobby bar/restaurant and top-of-the-range fitness suite, as well as four prime commercial units and 12,000 sq ft of state-of-the-art Grade A office accommodation and flexible meeting spaces.

The £17m redevelopment project is committed to upholding sustainable practices and supporting the local community. During construction, new owners Aimrok Holdings, have kept a strong focus on actively contributing positively to the environment and giving back to the local community by donating excess materials to local companies in a bid to reduce waste and support small enterprises. Ben Adams, owner of furniture business Rust Collections, collected wood from the site, to make high quality furniture with reclaimed materials that he usually has to hunt down for himself

A Rust Creations piece using excess wood from The Gresham

“Having the opportunity to repurpose the wood which came out of The Gresham redevelopment was great," Ben said. "Usually I have to source materials myself, so I was delighted to get a phone call and be able to collect the wood and take it for free to reuse, otherwise these pieces would have ended up in a dump. “Sustainability is important to our business, and it was refreshing to see a large business act responsibly too as the company was very proactive in trying to get rid of the wood in a way which was environmentally conscious.”

Snizhana Yesaulenko, director at Aimrok Holdings and Managing Director of Cube Construction said: “Through the entire process, we have wanted to give back to the local community as much as we can.

"We are all about community and being sustainable in our actions, so we're delighted that a local business has been able to put old wood which came out of the building to good use and repurpose into beautiful pieces. I can’t wait to see what will come of it." The Gresham is on track to open in Autumn 2021.