The newly refurbished Hodge House office building in Cardiff city centre, owned by Legal & General (L&G), has attracted another new occupier with the arrival of renewable energy developer Bute Energy.
Following last month’s completion of a £17m restoration at Hodge House, the company has taken a 10-year lease on 4,289 sq ft of offices within the 6th floor under Legal and General’s ‘Capsule’ product. Capsule is Legal & General’s ready to go workplace offer, offering occupiers the benefit of fully fitted-out office space with digital connectivity and a simplified leasing process.
Andrew Mercer, Office Sector Lead at Legal & General commented, “We are excited to welcome Bute Energy into Hodge House. This is the second Capsule letting in the building alongside a string of traditional Cat A lettings. Hodge House continues to offer a range of bespoke leasing options including its newly launched Capsule Managed product where occupiers can outsource their property management to L&G.”
Capsule has now leased over 1,300 desks in 40 deals since its launch in 2018. Capsule provides high quality, furnished and work-ready office space, offering a range of options to suit different occupier needs, moving away from the traditional Category-A fit out and longer lease length to fully fitted space let on a more flexible basis.
Bute Energy is a developer of onshore wind and solar energy parks using the latest technology to deliver low-cost renewable energy. It has a growing portfolio of proposed energy park sites in Wales, including the Twyn Hywel Energy Park located on the border of Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taff, where it hopes to build up to 14 turbines with the potential to power up to 114,000 homes per year.
Stuart George from Bute Energy said: “Bute Energy was seeking a location for our headquarters in Cardiff, looking for accommodation that aligned with our brand, and that offered our growing team an exciting and enticing place to work. Hodge House stood out for us in many ways: the building offers excellent transport links for staff and the quality of the refurbishment is exemplary, both across the office and communal areas.”
Owner Legal & General has appointed Knight Frank and Fletcher Morgan as joint letting agents and John James of Fletcher Morgan commented: “The superb refurbishment of Hodge House has created high quality, flexible space in an excellent location that people can travel to – and work in – safely. The Capsule provides ready to occupy fully fitted office space, which allowed Bute Energy to take up and started occupying the office within weeks of the first viewing.”
Rhydian Morris at JLL, who advised Bute Energy in the transaction, said: “Bute Energy appointed us to secure a new headquarters office in Cardiff. The fitted out Capsule product at Hodge House provided them an immediate property option in a modern building with great amenities for staff.”
Matt Phillips, head of the Cardiff office of Knight Frank, which is joint letting agent at Hodge House, said: “Bute joins broadband provider Ogi, AI imaging specialist Intelligent Ultrasound and fintech company Currencycloud in the building. Its new 6th Floor office boasts impressive panoramic views of the Principality Stadium and Cardiff Castle.”