Located just off Great Suffolk Street in thriving Borough, leading South London Developer Tailored Living Solutions’ bold office of the future, Great Suffolk Yard, is due for completion in Q4 2021. Part new-build and part sensitive restoration of an eclectic assortment of 19th Century warehouse style buildings, the flagship office will provide 66,936 sq. ft. of Grade A commercial space across six storeys for up to 750 workers in SE1 and benefits from secure cycle parking for more than 100 bicycles.
Positioned as the perfect headquarters for an aspirational mid to large sized company, Great Suffolk Yard comprises a collection of heritage buildings, The Works, Sea Building and the Engineering Building, showcasing the latest in modern design to create a healthier, cleaner office environment, whilst maintaining the industrial charm, character and personality of Borough.
Acquired by Tailored Living Solutions in 2018 and working with leading architects TDO, the scheme retrofitted a collection of existing buildings, complementing them with a new building all built around a cobbled central yard, bringing in daylight and natural ventilation to the workspaces. Additionally, four of the six storeys benefit from industrial chic terraces overlooking the courtyard.
COVID-19 has led to a fundamental rethink of office layouts, businesses now require more flexibility and adaptability to meet the demands of modern life. Floorplates at Great Suffolk Yard have been designed to be flexible, spacious and easily interchangeable, with a raw industrial aesthetic underpinned by exposed brickwork, concrete ceiling and factory-style openable windows.
As a collection of buildings with three different entrances, Great Suffolk Yard gives a company the option to bubble teams into their own respective buildings if needed to curtail the transmission of viruses. Touchpoints throughout the buildings have been minimised for hygiene purposes and state-of-the-art air filtrations systems purify the office environment.
Designed with both sustainability and the wellness of the workforce in mind Great Suffolk Yard has targeted BREEAM ‘Excellent and WELL ‘Gold’ certifications, which will make it one of London’s healthiest commercial buildings.
Commenting on the dual accreditation Josh Chadd, Managing Director at Tailored Living Solutions: “We are exceptionally proud to be targeting certification by both BREAAM and WELL. Increasingly companies are moving sustainability and wellbeing to the top of the corporate agenda. The pandemic has been a game-changer, companies want proof that offices are environmentally friendly and can help with the wellbeing of their workforce to provide a safe and healthy environment to work in.”
Today, the once industrial hotspot of Southwark is a hotbed for creativity and innovation and now home to a diverse mix of occupiers. These include Vodafone’s new digital hub, located on Great Suffolk Street, as well as other household names such as HSBC, Buzzfeed, Square Enix and PWC.
Following subdued activity early in 2020, demand for high quality office spaces rebounded strongly in Q4, according to the latest London Report by Knight Frank, seeing £4.9 billion in transactions. The strong levels of take-up rapidly depleted Grade A supply, now standing at 12.9m sq ft accounting for 41% of total supply. In a post-pandemic environment demand for Grade A office space is accelerating as forward-thinking businesses require buildings capable of meeting environmental, social and governance goals and rising expectations from workers for healthy environments.
Commenting on the rising demand for commercial office space in SE1, Josh Chadd said: “SE1 is a fantastic location, surrounded by high-quality amenities and packed full of culture. We were drawn to the potential to reimagine the existing 19th Century warehouses, keeping the unique aesthetic as a reminder to the industrial heritage of the local area and transform it into a sustainable office for the future giving the space new life.”
Doug Hodgson, co-founder at TDO commenting on the design philosophy at Great Suffolk Yard, “Preserving the character and heritage of the traditional 19th Century buildings was a key focus for our design. Aesthetically we maintained the continuity of the existing façade, carefully restoring the original warehouse and complementary new elements. Internally, the office has been designed with the future in mind and a number of features to reduce touch points and points of contact.
“What separates Great Suffolk Yard from other workspaces is the flexibility provided as a collection of buildings. There is the opportunity to change the use or scale of the space as you go vertically up the building, creating different spaces so the workforce can retain their individuality when they are within the workspace.”
Great Suffolk Yard is enviably located, within a short walk of Borough and Bankside for three of London’s major transport hubs, London Waterloo, London Bridge and Blackfriars Underground and Overground services for travel across London, the South East and South West.
