The £10 million refurbishment of 33 Wellington Street in Leeds will create one of the finest working environments in Yorkshire, according to leading global property consultancy Knight Frank.
The Leeds office of Knight Frank is working in conjunction with a high-quality project team including GMI Construction, Richard Boothroyd Associates and DLG Architects.
The team are aiming to create the perfect working and leisure environment for Yorkshire law firm Walker Morris, who have taken the whole of the 76,000 sq ft building on a 15-year lease in the largest pre-let office deal in Leeds in 15 years.
The property, which was bought by Knight Frank Investment Management for Lancashire County Council Pension Fund from MEPC in 2010 for £20 million, was occupied by PWC for 20 years before PWC moved to new headquarters in the city at Central Square in October 2016.
Walker Morris is relocating all its 500 staff from nearby Kings Court and Bank House in King Street to 33 Wellington Street.
Eamon Fox, partner and head of office agency at Knight Frank in Leeds, who advised KFIM, commented: “The property is a flagship office building in a superb city centre location and it is fitting it will be now be home to one of Yorkshire’s finest law firms.”
“We have been working on plans to comprehensively remodel and refurbish the interior for the past two years and the results will be spectacular and magnificent. They will create open plan, state-of-the-art offices, fit for the modern working practices of the 21st century.”
The new-look 33 Wellington Street will also feature a superb 11,700 sq ft green garden area at the back, providing a perfect space for relaxation and contemplation. Walker Morris is planning to move into its new home in the summer of 2019.
Tom Ward, Director at Richard Boothroyd & Associates, said: “It’s fantastic to be involved in the reinvigoration of such a prominent Leeds building as 33 Wellington Street. The commencement of work on site is the culmination of many months of hard work by a large number of parties and when construction works are completed the scheme will offer truly outstanding accommodation for the whole Walker Morris team.”
Andy Bruce, Managing Director, GMI Construction Group PLC added: “We are delighted to be part of this exciting project. We are looking forward to working with the team to transform this flagship office building and bringing it back to life.”
Meanwhile David Bailey of DLG Architects explained: “The workplace of tomorrow is changing, the £10million reinvention of 33 Wellington Street, originally designed in the 1990s, will improve collaboration, efficiency, communication and innovation. It is a workplace for the future.
“Full-height and full-width glazing will maximise daylighting and blur the boundary between office and city, while raised access floors and generous ceiling heights will improve communications and wellness. Meanwhile high-speed internet connections and clear acoustics are just a couple of the critical items that contribute to the BREEAM excellent score
“Bikes and cyclists will be welcomed with secure parking, a repair station, drying facilities as well as showers and changing areas, while new entrances to Wellington Street will help the building engage with visitors on Wellington Street and Place.
“Finally a new landscaped courtyard, an outdoor office, with tables, chairs, lighting and landscaping, will be perfect for lunch, meetings, catch ups and working. It’s a private park in the middle of the city,” said Mr Bailey.
Malcolm Simpson, Managing Partner, Walker Morris said: “The move will mark a new chapter in our Firm’s history and will provide an office environment fit for a successful, forward-thinking, progressive law firm.”
Mr Fox added: “The legal sector is changing fast and law firms of the future will flourish on the triumvirate of skills, productivity and innovation, rather than simply on scale. A flexible, comfortable, attractive and dynamic working environment is absolutely crucial to ensure this change is embraced.
“The law firm of the future must be innovative, nimble, lean and technology-focussed and it must have offices which reflect this ethos. The refurbished 33 Wellington Street will do exactly that, providing Walker Morris with the perfect working environment to tackle the new challenges the legal profession faces today,” said Mr Fox.