Grosvenor pots net zero first with Billiards Building

Grosvenor’s Billiards Building has become Birmingham’s first listed office to achieve net zero and EPC A status, in a boost to its 500,000 sq ft regional office portfolio. Grosvenor acquired the building in 2021 and upgraded it as part of a £35m capital investment programme across its regional offices. Fergus Evans, the group’s office portfolio director, said: “Being able to confirm Billiards Building as Birmingham’s first retrofit to secure net zero status shows how existing buildings can be successfully refurbished to create grade-A office space. With only a small proportion of space remaining, we are seeing strong demand for buildings which offer outstanding amenities and industry-leading environmental performance in fantastic locations. We are grateful for the support offered by our existing occupiers throughout the refurbishment and look forward to the building being fully let.” Located in the heart of Birmingham’s central business district, the 79,000 sq ft grade-A office at 134 Edmund Street is now fully electric-powered, following the replacement of its gas-powered system. This, alongside other interventions to improve energy efficiency, has helped improve the building’s operational energy use and move from an EPC rating of E to A. Refurbishment also brought amenities such as a café, gym and yoga studio, as well as a communal terrace. The refurbishments were undertaken in partnership with the building’s existing occupiers, which meant that more than half of the building remained occupied throughout. With three floors currently under offer, only 13,000 sq ft remains available after FTSE 250-listed IT company Softcat signed a lease for 9,000 sq ft. CBRE and JLL are joint leasing agents for the building.