FORE Partnership, the pan-European real estate investment club for family offices and private investors, has begun development of a highly-sustainable, speculative office project by the River Thames in central London.
VIEW 58 will provide 47,000 sq ft of Grade-A office space at 58 Victoria Embankment on the north bank of the Thames in Midtown, and is being delivered with development partner Kier Property.
The development has been sensitively designed by architects TP Bennett to retain the historic feel of the façade, while providing a contemporary, highly-functional office environment behind it. Each floor opens into a central atrium and has exposed lifts and walkways.
Sustainability is central to VIEW 58. FORE and Kier have adopted green construction practices – incorporating technologies not seen before in the UK – and are actively engaging with the local community. On the roof they will install 22 KW in solar photovoltaics that generate power from both the top and underside of the panels, which is the first use of this technology in the UK. During demolition, 99% of waste was diverted from landfills and was recycled. The building is also designed to exceed BREEAM’s ‘Excellent’ sustainability rating.
Basil Demeroutis, Managing Partner of FORE Partnership, commented: “The building has been designed with a highly-sustainable ethos, underpinning a Grade-A specification. Not only does this future proof the building, but it also cuts the operating costs for tenants by almost a third.
“A key part of our philosophy is to bring sustainability mainstream, to use it as a tool to unlock value just like any other asset management strategy and to widen the view of ‘green’ beyond the traditional narrow focus on energy, water and waste.”
FORE has been keen to ensure the development benefits London and the wider community. During the planning process for the development, FORE operated the building as a charity hub with 24 non-profit organisations occupying the building for more than a year at no cost.
Phil Sutton, Associate Director at Kier Property, commented: “The building is expected to reach practical completion in the second quarter of 2016. The location, in the heart of London, is fantastic, and VIEW 58 has iconic views of the River Thames from every floor – including of course the three roof terraces.”
Letting agents for VIEW 58 are Savills and Ingleby Trice.