The New Southbank: One Blackfriars and Office Space to Rent in London
Recent regeneration to the beautiful Southbank of London’s River Thames has seen its status as both a business and commercial district grow and grow over the past decade. Currently, office space to rent in London upon the Southbank is extremely popular and the area as a whole attracts plenty of trendy visitors.
One Blackfriars Tower Development
Now, London’s skyline is set to see yet another phenomenal structure added to its landscape in the form of the One Blackfriars tower. The striking new building will sit within the developing area, right upon the River Thames. The site on Blackfriars Road in which the development is to be built has been unoccupied for over a decade and the regeneration is well overdue. Due to be complete by 2018 the tower will house 50 stories and sit 170m in height.
Surrounding the tower, developers plan to build a boutique hotel as well as a retail and leisure building bringing a whole new face to this area of the fashionable Southbank. The development as a whole will comprise of 274 new homes, a 161 bedroomed boutique hotel, 14,000 sq. ft. of retail space, a new public piazza included within the 888m² landscaped space and a viewing lounge on the 32nd floor of the tower.
Providing not only new homes but new jobs for the local area, the residents’ facilities include a gym, thermal suit, screening room, an executive lounge and a wine cellar. The structure has been designed by RIBA award winning architect Ian Simpson with the purpose of maximising reflection and light for residents of the building whilst improving visibility of the breath-taking views over the city. From the east side of the tower visions of the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral and stunning buildings offering prime office space to rent in London including the Shard and the Gherkin can be witnessed whilst from the west the mesmerising views include the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye.
The design of the tower itself is inspired by the Lansetti II glass vase by Finnish artist Timo Sarpaneva for its elegance and sophistication. The glass exterior of the building is particularly stunning as 15 differing colour tones ranging gradually from earth to sky flow up the entirety of the building. The surrounding buildings have been designed to shadow the appearance of the central tower incorporating soft curves and light stone building materials to create wonderful aesthetics.
The addition of this immense structure to the Southbank area means great things for office space to rent in London, specifically within the close vicinity. The area generally has seen a great amount of development and expansion within recent months and office space to rent in London, Southbank is no exception to this. Halkin’s Paris Gardens is one of the newer business centres in the area which will hope to benefit from the One Blackfriars development.
Office Space to Rent in London – Paris Gardens
Halkin’s Sales & Operations Director Mel Schembri commented on their latest office space to rent in London saying, “At Halkin we think that the Southbank is synonymous with the global image of modern London. Culture, design and technology are the driving forces behind the unprecedented revitalisation of this historic area and this is consciously reflected at our new SE1 business centre at 1 Paris Garden.” In keeping with the modern, fashionable status which the area has recently acquired, Paris Gardens features vibrant break out spaces with plenty of colour and texture alongside smart and practical private offices. “Beyond our art-deco exterior you will find a warm, engaging and vibrant space tailored for companies who want smart, professional environments that blend working life with creative inspiration and the comforts of home.” The perfect combination of comfort and professional style has been delicately crafted within this office space to rent in London.
The Paris Gardens centre sits only a four minute walk from One Blackfriars; the new traffic which the Blackfriars development will bring to the area as well as the creation of a more attractive location for business will bring a rise in demand for quality, contemporary office space to rent in London, Southbank such as that at Paris Gardens.
The Music Box Development
Further developments which have changed the face of the Southbank recently include the likes of the Music Box. The building encases seven penthouse duplex apartments and is the new flagship HQ of the London Centre for Contemporary Music (LCCM). Sitting at 44 metres in height the development also has a substantial position within the sky line.
As suggested by the name, the building represents a very large box sitting upon a 15 meter high base and is an architecturally inspiring design by Trevor Morris, Principal at SPPARC Architecture. The structure incorporates the building’s musical purpose within its design and brings a touch of culture to this very on-trend area.
Sea Containers House Development
Regeneration has also featured heavily within the Southbank region over the past few years and wonderful revivals such as that of the Sea Containers House have been carried out. First built in 1974 the centre has held a prominent position on the Thames for a very long time.
In 2014 Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio transformed three floors in to a luxury hotel whilst other floors remained as office space to rent in London following a contemporary overhaul creating open plan workspaces. The offices were designed to promote flexible working and 20,000 square meters of innovative office space currently sits within the structure. The top two storeys of the building are dedicated to a range of amenities including a cafe, private dining area, a double-height amphitheatre, and a roof terrace.
The Southbank has certainly received plenty of care and attention in recent years and has quickly developed itself a name for business and leisure within London. Sitting just opposite the river from the City itself the location is a prime spot taking a calmer atmosphere than the City whilst still being close to the action.
The phenomenal new One Blackfriars development is just another display of the tasteful culture which has developed here and choosing the Southbank as the location for your new office space to rent in London would be a wise decision.
Londonoffices.com are specialists in office space to rent in London, providing a free, personal service for companies seeking a London based home for their business. If you’re interested in finding an office in the Southbank area call our consultants on +44 (20) 3856 8704.