OVER 25,000 sq feet of office space in Milton Keynes is to be turned into a brand new boutique hotel.
Milton Keynes Council has just given the go-ahead for a portion of 70s built Norfolk House to undergo a “change of use” conversion.
The owners of the property in the town centre say that significant parts of the four storey office building and sister property Ashton House have been hard to market and some of it has been empty since 2007.
Norfolk House and Ashton House were designed by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation which was responsible for creating the new Buckinghamshire town in the 60s and 70s.
An occasional closer look at period buildings with an interesting history that have been repurposed as business centres.
Situated on the corner of The Broadway and Queen’s Road in Wimbledon town centre is their old town hall.
The three storey building was built at the end of the 1920s and was designed by the architect Arthur John Hope. Atherton-born Hope was a traditionalist designer and at one time president of the Manchester Society of Architects.
Buildings designed by “AJ” Hope include Atherton Cenotaph, Chesterfield Town Hall, Bolton Town Hall and an extension to Lewisham Town Hall.
As part of the Bradshaw, Gass & Hope practice he designed a neo-Georgian new town hall for the municipal borough of Wimbledon, replacing the previous town hall on the Broadway which has since been demolished and was where the Centre Court mall now is.
London’s local government was reorganised in 1965 and the Surrey boroughs of Wimbledon and Mitcham became the brand new London Borough of Merton with a new administrative headquarters in Morden.
Since the council left the premises, this important local building has found new life and includes a branch of Tesco at ground level and also is home to a serviced office business centre with a variety of professional office space in various sizes.
A NEW office development in London’s Victoria is the recipient of the 2017 Carbuncle Cup.
The two office buildings at Nova Victoria, designed by PLP Architecture, have been named by Building Design’s panel of judges as the ugliest building completed in the UK in the last 12 months.
The panel of judges for the prize said that the office development was ‘crass’, ‘over-scaled’ and ‘a hideous mess.’
The mixed used scheme from Land Securities includes two office buildings – 12 storey tall Nova North and 16 storey tall Nova South.
Marketing materials from Landsec describe Nova North and Nova South as “two distinct, architecturally daring buildings.”
Previous “winners” of the award which was established in 2006 as a response to the Stirling Prize include the Drake Circus shopping mall in Plymouth, the restored Cutty Sark in Greenwich and the Walkie Talkie building at 20 Fenchurch Street.
A SERVICED office business centre in Newcastle-Under-Lyme has announced a major new expansion.
The office centre at Copthall House on King Street is taking over additional floors in the building, making desk space available for a further 100 people.
Citibase’s expansion – the fourth in a year – means the business centre can now accommodate 325 people.
Citibase’s Marketing Director, Alasdair Farrimond commented: “Our fourth expansion in little over a year since we welcomed our first customers, is a testament to how popular our hassle-free work space has proved to be.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer over 100 more businesses affordable and flexible offices without them being tied down to long term contracts. We take away all the hassle of running their office needs, leaving them to focus on what’s really important – running and growing their business and boosting Newcastle-under-Lyme’s economy in the process.”
ONE of London’s most distinctive office buildings has sold for a record-breaking price.
The Walkie Talkie skyscraper has been acquired from joint developers Land Securities and Canary Wharf Group by the property arm of Hong Kong-based Lee Kum Kee Health Products Group.
The sale price for the building, officially addressed as 20 Fenchurch Street, is the largest amount ever paid for a single building in the UK.
Robert Noel, Chief Executive of Landsec – the new brand name for Land Securities – said: “Our decision to sell 20 Fenchurch Street at an exceptional price and return cash to shareholders reflects our disciplined approach to the use of capital.
The building has been an immensely successful project for Landsec and our partners. Its development in 2010 was part of Landsec’s major speculative development programme in the capital, which has seen the completion of 3.1 million sq ft of office and retail space, thousands of jobs sustained in the construction industry, and considerable improvements to public spaces. This sale crystallises the significant value we have created at 20 Fenchurch Street.”
The 37 storey building, designed by Rafael Viñoly, includes a “Sky Garden” at the top and famously made headlines when the heat from reflected sun rays caused damage at street level.
In 2015, 20 Fenchurch Street was awarded the Carbuncle Cup for being the ugliest new building that year.
89% of available space at British Land’s 4 Kingdom Street at Paddington Central is now let or under offer following the developer’s most recent signing.
Software developer Finastra has signed a 10 year lease for the first, second and third floors at the property which was completed in April and is the first building to be developed by British Land at the 11 acre Paddington Central campus.
The letting totals 42,400 sq ft of space for Finastra, which was formed by the combination of Misys and D+H, and which counts 48 of the world’s 50 largest banks as clients for its software developed for financial institutions.
4 Kingdom Street boasts a glass pod on every floor and a roof terrace with a cafe, outdoor seating and London’s highest basketball court.
Tim Roberts, Head of Offices and Residential at British Land, said: “It is a tremendous achievement to be 89 per cent let or under offer as we formally present the space to market.
“The commitment from Finastra and strength of interest in the other floors is an endorsement of our decision to re-configure the building to deliver greater flexibility, more collaborative spaces and a truly unique roof space, along with the substantial improvements we’ve made to the campus environment.
“We believe the delivery of 4 Kingdom Street is well-timed given the lack of supply in the West End market, and the arrival of Crossrail at Paddington in 2018, and hope to announce further occupier commitments in the near future.”
Cushman & Wakefield and CBRE are the joint agents on 4 Kingdom Street. CBRE advised Finastra.
DEVELOPERS British Land have launched a new workspace brand called Storey providing flexible offices for companies employing between 20 and 70 people.
Storey will operate within the company’s existing London portfolio of campuses at Broadgate, Paddington Central and Regent’s Place.
Aimed at growing businesses and large firms that require additional space, Storey will allow clients to have branded workspace within a modern campus environment where there’s a focus on wellbeing that supports growth and productivity.
Storey’s tenants will be able to benefit from simple, jargon-free leases, secure, fully backed-up WiFi, reception service, cleaning and maintenance and office furniture. Storey will offer shared facilities including showers, bike racks, shared kitchen areas and meeting and collaboration space.
Chris Grigg, Chief Executive, British Land, said: “British Land concentrates on three core principles: understanding our customers so we can respond to their needs; creating great environments both within our buildings and their broader environments; and using our scale, expertise and long-term outlook to deliver value across our portfolio.
“Not only does the combination of these differentiate us, it also led us to develop Storey for a different customer base. By understanding the needs of ambitious SMEs and project teams, providing the right space for them and removing the hassle of running an office, it allows them to focus on their own businesses.
”We have the benefit of owning the buildings in which Storey will operate giving us much greater control of the service and experience customers receive, such as the quality of the technology and continuity of the Wi-Fi, one of the top frustrations identified in our research.”
THE SECOND tallest building in the City of London has been sold for £1.15 billion.
Contracts have been exchanged between joint developers British Land and Oxford Properties and purchaser CC Land for the sale of the 46-storey Leadenhall Building.
Tim Roberts, Head of Offices and Residential, British Land, said: “British Land and Oxford Properties took a bold step at the early stages of the UK’s economic recovery to develop The Leadenhall Building to generate a high quality, long term income stream. It’s a decision which has really paid off. Through a strong, collaborative partnership, we have delivered an iconic, award-winning building let to high calibre occupiers at record City rents. This sale shows continued investor appetite for best in class, well located property in London.”
The 736-feet tall skyscraper, which provides 610,000 sq ft of office space, is often referred to as the Cheesegrater because of its striking, sloping design. The three-year construction of the tower was completed in 2014 and it has attracted tenants including insurers Aon and MS Amlin.
The sale still needs final approval from the shareholders of Hong Kong-based C C Land which has an existing development portfolio mainly in Western China.
A “rooftopping” video has appeared online showing a daredevil gaining access to the iconic One Canada Square office building in Canary Wharf.
The YouTube video appears to show Harry Gallagher, also known as Night Scape, get past security gates in the skyscraper before taking a lift to an upper floor and then using the stairwell to get on to the roof.
Supporting himself one just hand, Gallagher appears in the vertigo-inducing video on the famous pyramid atop the 230 metre tall building.
The act of “hacking” a building to gain access to its roof space has become known as rooftopping.
A Canary Wharf Group spokesperson is reported to have commented: “We are actively investigating unauthorised entry into One Canada Square, on the Canary Wharf Estate.
“Current arrangements have been tightened, while our security procedures are being reviewed and an internal investigation conducted.
“We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police on this matter. Our priority is to ensure the safety of our tenants, employees and those visiting the Estate.”
One Canada Square at Canary Wharf is the second highest tallest building the country.
MCKINSEY & Co are to move their London headquarters from St James’s to a newly-refurbished former Royal Mail Sorting Office near Holborn .
The global consulting firm has announced it has pre-let space at the The Post Building, due for completion in 2018, on the corner of Museum Street and New Oxford Street.
A deal for 100,000 sq ft of office space has been signed with the option for a further 130,000 sq ft.
McKinsey’s UK and Ireland Managing Partner Vivian Hunt commented, “The Post Building gives us the flexible and modern office space we need for our growing operations.”
Built in the 1960s, the sorting office is currently undergoing a major refurbishment and extension with the finished mixed-use scheme offering 230,000 sq ft of office space and 37,000 sq ft of retail and restaurants.
