Better goals. Better places.
Our Story
Solaris was founded by Preet Gandhi and Josh McGuinness, who came together while each working on the same, particularly challenging, development project. Their initial bonding was over a common interest in trainers.
Preet and Josh share a vision for aligning the real estate development process around residents and developing long term sustainable communities.
Convinced of their ability to create this, Solaris strive to deliver communities superior both in living experience and sustainability adopting a resident-centric approach to place making, integrating outdoor areas into the home and adopting technological innovation, whilst simultaneously championing environmental responsibility”.
In this way, we create future-proofed, sustainable, income-generating assets that cater to the needs of an upcoming generation, while satisfying the thematic requirements of investment funds.
Our track record demonstrates that strong economic and social returns can co-exist, and that our mission to achieve these drives positive outcomes
Our Values
Creative Conflict
Creating environments where ideas and innovations flourish to be brought to fruition for the betterment of the project.
Foster Entrepreneurship
Adopting left-brain logic with right brain creativity and unorthodox approaches to bring about unconventional and disruptive opportunities and lasting collaborations.
Positivity
Maintaining the positivity necessary to create amazing spaces while simultaneously decarbonising the construction impact.
Our Team
Brought together by a shared commitment to decarbonising the delivery of resident-centric living spaces, our team strives to challenge, inspire and create sustainable communities with aligned capital partners. We’re always looking to add to our small team and we’re interested to hear from you if you’d like to find out more.
Preet Gandhi
Commercial Director
Accountable for raising capital and acquisitions, Preet believes the development community must do better in terms of both place creation and prioritising sustainability, with all stakeholders sharing a responsibility to leave behind the next great legacy of buildings.
Currently pursuing a Masters program in Entrepreneurship at Cambridge, with a focus on impact investing, Preet fell into development when a casual encounter introduced him to a business partner with whom he would go on to acquire and develop a number of Grade II listed buildings in Manchester and Birmingham, re-vitalising these as quality student accommodation. While working on one of these projects, Preet first met and worked alongside Josh.
An impressive cook with a passion for all things cultural, a new found love of padel complements Preet’s longer term appetites for diving and 6-a-side football.
Preet believes that true change in development can be achieved only if all parties involved are prepared to go beyond ‘minimum requirements’. With Solaris being a new build developer, he recognises our inherently increased burden of responsibility for sustainability. An admirer of Le Corbusier’s combination of clean lines and natural light, Preet also draws inspiration from the architectural design of the Art Deco period.
Joshua McGuinness
Development Director
With responsibility for development delivery at Solaris, Josh sees the reluctance of the real estate industry to embrace change as both a frustration and a defining opportunity for the company, with its dynamic, sustainability-driven approach.
An MRICS accredited surveyor with a degree in Construction Management, Josh began his career in construction consultancy, where he found himself seconded to a developer specialising in purpose-built student accommodation. Eventually leaving to join his former client, Josh went on to deliver over 3000 beds in total, at sites across the UK, with them and his subsequent employer.
Having met on a development during this period, Josh has worked in partnership with Preet since 2019
With a surprising affinity for axe throwing, Josh (who shares his home with our Environment Consultant, Dozer) confesses to the greatest admiration for Sir Christopher Wren who, when instructed by a client to include more columns in a structure than he knew to be required, reluctantly complied while leaving each one just a little short of the height required to meet the load above.
Bedour Almulla
Investor Relations
As the Investor relations at Solaris, Bedour Almulla combines her entrepreneurial spirit with a keen insight into the economic shifts affecting real estate. She views the industry’s slow adaptation to change not just as a challenge, but as a pivotal opportunity to advance Solaris’ mission of pioneering build-to-rent accommodations with a sustainable, forward-thinking approach.
An accomplished holder of a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship from Cambridge University—where she also formed significant connections, including meeting her colleague Preet—Bedour’s career trajectory has been significantly shaped by her dual role as an investor and an entrepreneur, which enables her to understand both sides of the investment table.
Her deep passion for real estate, driven by evolving economic conditions, motivates her to continuously seek innovative solutions that benefit not only current but also future generations. At Solaris, Bedour is pivotal in identifying and securing investment leads, ensuring the company stays at the forefront of the build-to-rent sector.
Dozer
Environmental Consultant
Joining Solaris as a consultant with a specialist understanding of good places to go for a walk and the ergonomic placement of lampposts, Dozer advocates on sustainability and, in particular, the importance of minimising construction carbon.
A bulldog by birth, Dozer studied urban planning during his formative years in Essex, taking inspiration from his observation of the built environment during lengthy strolls with Josh, whose approach to development, commitment to sustainability and jacket pocket full of gravy bone treats he admires greatly.
Endowed with relatively short legs, and challenged genetically by distinctive breathing characteristics, Dozer maintains particular interest in both accessibility and air pollution. Fond of the architecture of many of the towns of his native Essex, Dozer’s favourite remains, unsurprisingly… Barking.
Preet Gandhi
Accountable for raising capital and acquisitions, Preet believes the development community must do better in terms of both place creation and prioritising sustainability, with all stakeholders sharing a responsibility to leave behind the next great legacy of buildings.
Currently pursuing a Masters program in Entrepreneurship at Cambridge, with a focus on impact investing, Preet fell into development when a casual encounter introduced him to a business partner with whom he would go on to acquire and develop a number of Grade II listed buildings in Manchester and Birmingham, re-vitalising these as quality student accommodation. While working on one of these projects, Preet first met and worked alongside Josh.
An impressive cook with a passion for all things cultural, a new found love of padel complements Preet’s longer term appetites for diving and 6-a-side football.
Preet believes that true change in development can be achieved only if all parties involved are prepared to go beyond ‘minimum requirements’. With Solaris being a new build developer, he recognises our inherently increased burden of responsibility for sustainability. An admirer of Le Corbusier’s combination of clean lines and natural light, Preet also draws inspiration from the architectural design of the Art Deco period.
Joshua McGuinness
With responsibility for development delivery at Solaris, Josh sees the reluctance of the real estate industry to embrace change as both a frustration and a defining opportunity for the company, with its dynamic, sustainability-driven approach.
An MRICS accredited surveyor with a degree in Construction Management, Josh began his career in construction consultancy, where he found himself seconded to a developer specialising in purpose-built student accommodation. Eventually leaving to join his former client, Josh went on to deliver over 3000 beds in total, at sites across the UK, with them and his subsequent employer.
Having met on a development during this period, Josh has worked in partnership with Preet since 2019
With a surprising affinity for axe throwing, Josh (who shares his home with our Environment Consultant, Dozer) confesses to the greatest admiration for Sir Christopher Wren who, when instructed by a client to include more columns in a structure than he knew to be required, reluctantly complied while leaving each one just a little short of the height required to meet the load above.
Bedour Almulla
As the Investor relations at Solaris, Bedour Almulla combines her entrepreneurial spirit with a keen insight into the economic shifts affecting real estate. She views the industry’s slow adaptation to change not just as a challenge, but as a pivotal opportunity to advance Solaris’ mission of pioneering build-to-rent accommodations with a sustainable, forward-thinking approach.
An accomplished holder of a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship from Cambridge University—where she also formed significant connections, including meeting her colleague Preet—Bedour’s career trajectory has been significantly shaped by her dual role as an investor and an entrepreneur, which enables her to understand both sides of the investment table.
Her deep passion for real estate, driven by evolving economic conditions, motivates her to continuously seek innovative solutions that benefit not only current but also future generations. At Solaris, Bedour is pivotal in identifying and securing investment leads, ensuring the company stays at the forefront of the build-to-rent sector.
Dozer
Joining Solaris as a consultant with a specialist understanding of good places to go for a walk and the ergonomic placement of lampposts, Dozer advocates on sustainability and, in particular, the importance of minimising construction carbon.
A bulldog by birth, Dozer studied urban planning during his formative years in Essex, taking inspiration from his observation of the built environment during lengthy strolls with Josh, whose approach to development, commitment to sustainability and jacket pocket full of gravy bone treats he admires greatly.
Endowed with relatively short legs, and challenged genetically by distinctive breathing characteristics, Dozer maintains particular interest in both accessibility and air pollution. Fond of the architecture of many of the towns of his native Essex, Dozer’s favourite remains, unsurprisingly… Barking.
”Solaris come to the table armed with viable and feasible projects that will not only meet our criteria for ROI, but will do so in a way that we can all take pride in.“
Adam Yates,
FullSphere