Evans Randall Investors is repositioning a £115m Midtown office as a “sophisticated” workplace to challenge the “office-as-playground” trend.
Bureau, at 90 Fetter Lane, EC4, will be refurbished to provide more than 60,000 sq ft of offices and around 13,000 sq ft of flexible retail and office space.
“Treehouses and table tennis had their place in encouraging developers and occupiers to rethink the office environment and workplace culture, but the office-as-playground approach doesn’t suit all businesses, locations or employees,” said Kent Gardner, chief executive of Evans Randall.
“This workspace will respond to the requirements of modern, innovative and progressive businesses and the diverse workforces within them.”
The nine-storey building will feature a double-height reception with burnished metal cladding and a polished concrete floor leading to a marble and concrete staircase.
The reception includes a “club-style snug area” with parquet floor and wood cabinetry. Above will be eight high-ceilinged office floors and three landscaped roof terraces.
Facilities will include 130 cycle spaces, 13 showers, 146 lockers and associated drying room and bike service facilities.
Creative agency Hingston Studio helped to develop the Bureau brand alongside brand strategist Simon Turnbull and John Robertson Architects. The development is designed to focus on “exceptional quality and genuine occupier experience” as an “advancement on the current thinking around ‘cool’ or millennial work space”.
The office is Evans Randall’s first Midtown project. It acquired the building from German fund manager Blue Capital for more than £40m in 2015 and received planning consent for a refurbishment in December 2016.
CBRE and BNP Paribas Real Estate have been appointed as leasing agents for the building.
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