Oxford-based multi-disciplinary consultancy Ridge & Partners has opened its first overseas office, in Shanghai, China, to serve what it sees as a growing market there for leisure projects.
The new Ridge office will focus on the niche business of projects for motorsport and automotive clients in China. In the UK, the 400-strong practice has worked for Jaguar Land Rover, as well as automotive museums, private car collectors and research and development facilities.
The firm has already won a commission on the Zhejiang Circuit, a motorsport destination in the city of Shaoxing on China’s east coast.
Working for lead consultant Apex Circuit Design, it will provide architecture, project management, quantity surveying and building services design on the development, which is due to open in 2016.
Graham Blackburn, partner at Ridge, told Construction Manager: “Planning policy in China currently is all about promoting leisure developments. There’s a huge number of people with disposable income and little for them to do with their time, so there’s a huge growth in the market.
“There is definitely demand for mixed-use leisure schemes within easy reach of the cities. In China, there are a lot of statutory holidays where everyone is on holiday at the same time – even the railway system usually shuts down – so they need leisure developments closer to the cities.”
"There is definitely demand for mixed-use leisure schemes within easy reach of the cities. In China, there are a lot of statutory holidays where everyone is on holiday at the same time – even the railway system usually shuts down – so they need leisure developments closer to the cities."
Graham Blackburn, Ridge
In particular, he believes that the motor racing sector would generate further work. “There’s also a growing appetite for autosport in Asia, there’s a huge amount of opportunity in China and also elsewhere in Asia. There are a lot of supercar owners and the roads are terrible, so where do you drive your car?
“This will be a high-end luxury development where people can take ‘track-time’ – for instance Jaguar Land Rover might take the circuit for a day for a press launch.”
The China office, which is a “Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise”, will employ staff members from both the local market and the UK, while being supported by a multi-discipline team at the Ridge headquarters in Oxford.
The longer-term aim of the China office is to support a wider range of local clients throughout Asia and to offer the comprehensive range of construction and property services that Ridge provides in the UK.
Paul White is leading the Shanghai office. He said: “Ridge brings a unique blend of British expertise, leading-edge design and technical excellence to the Chinese motorsport and automotive market. We also have a huge depth of skill in sustainability as well as a long history of delivering research and development facilities – including for University of Oxford institutions – which we believe gives us an edge in China. We’re looking forward to building on our existing niche, which we will do initially by expanding to target sports and leisure developments, which the Chinese government is encouraging.”
The Zhejiang Circuit scheme includes a luxury racing club for 500 supercar owners; a 50-bed luxury hotel, spa and wellness facility; 10,000 sq m of commercial development, including car showrooms and brand centres; and a 6,000-capacity grandstand and hospitality facilities.
