Time lapse video released as work on £7million Tombola HQ reaches halfway in Sunderland

Gaming giant Tombola is building a new £7million head office at Wylam Wharf on the River Wear.

The sleek new HQ is being constructed next to the company's existing head office in a former bonded warehouse dating from the 1700s.

The firm has released a timelapse video of the construction project to mark the progress on the project.

Phil Cronin, chief executive of Tombola, said: “We’re delighted with the progress on site and excited to see our new head-office really taking shape now.

"The construction is proving to be a real motivator for our employees who can’t wait to move in later this year in time for the arrival of the Tall Ships.

“Our new HQ is also attracting some of the best talent from the region and further afield to help us to have double the size of the tombola tech team by 2020.

He added: “We are nearly three years into our five-year 2020 strategy and ahead of our own projections to grow our business.

"The construction of our new HQ is an important element of our business plan for future growth and further international expansion in 2018."

The 25,000-sq. ft. new building has been designed by Ryder Architecture, and the company says it has aimed to create a "riverside campus feel" which will incorporate both the old and new buildings, as well as a new exterior landscaped area.

The firm said modern and technologically advanced open plan offices will be situated on the first and second floors, and an "eye-catching three-storey high atrium will flood natural light throughout the glazed building".

The ground floor will include a reception area, a bistro and gym for employees.

Construction started on the 56-week programme of work in the spring of 2017. The structural steelwork and placement of the giant concrete floor slabs is complete and work on the wall and roof cladding, brickwork and windows are well under way.

The firm employs more than 300 staff in the UK with another 70 across Italy, Spain and Gibraltar.

Tombola said it has one of the region’s largest tech teams and, unlike many other online gaming companies, the company's own designers and developers create all the games for its website and apps, including tombola arcade.