The RO Group has announced the major refurbishment of 49 Clarendon Road in Watford – rebranded as GNR8. With GNR8, the RO has delivered a flexible, modern office space in a prime location, meeting the demands of the 21st century. As part of the building’s redevelopment, industrial style finishes are complemented by vibrant, contemporary furniture offering practical and welcoming meeting and collaborative spaces.
GNR8 has also become the first building in Hertfordshire to secure a Fitwel Certification. Fitwel is a simple, easy to apply healthy building measure that is quickly gaining traction in the UK and Europe. GNR8 joins the rank of three other Fitwel certified buildings owned by the RO Group: the Dakota building in Weybridge, Surrey; One Dorset Street in Southampton; and One Suffolk Way in Sevenoaks, all achieving 2 star ratings.
Fitwel sets out evidence-based design and operational strategies that enhance buildings by addressing a broad range of health behaviours and risks. Based on the strength of evidence and the demonstrated impact on occupant health in the building, GNR8 received a 3 Star certification. It is only the second 3 Star Fitwel certified building in the UK.
Swiftly following the refurbishment, RO secured a new tenant, AS24 Fuel Card Ltd, who have taken 1,900 sq. ft. on the second floor. AS24 Fuel Card Ltd is a subsidiary of French oil and gas multinational Total SE. Approximately 10,000 sq. ft. remains available to let at GNR8, spread across a range of suites from 1,000 sq. ft.
GNR8 is located on Clarendon Road, an easy walk to the amenities of Watford town centre and very close to Watford Junction train station with great connections to London and surrounding areas. The building boasts a remodelled open lounge style reception and contemporary breakout space with Wi-Fi. Different spaces are provided including quiet zones, informal meeting booths, bookable meeting rooms, open-plan break out areas as well as outdoor meeting and amenity spaces. High speed fibre is fitted throughout the building. The building has shower and changing facilities, secure bike storage and lockers and four electric vehicle charging bays. Other benefits include a state of the art VRV air conditioning system and an attractive suspended ceiling with advanced LED LG7 lighting.
David Kershaw, Group Real Estate Director, the RO commented:
“Following the outbreak of Coronavirus, the future lies with suburban villages and commuter towns such as Watford. It lies in places commuters call home, where they can replace the ties of office with those of neighbourhood. Employee and employer interest in healthy working environments were already strong trends before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and a focus on workplace wellbeing has now been accelerated. Ample natural light and fresh air remain core components of the Fitwel model and we believe that building wellness accreditations which ensure these valuable qualities will be more in demand from employers and employees.
“We look forward to welcoming AS24 Fuel Card to GNR8 and are delighted to make a workspace available to them and their employees which they know contributes positively to occupant wellbeing in these turbulent times. Commuter-belt property hotspots such as Watford are seeing the biggest surge in demand after lockdown.”
