Good design makes sound business sense

Managing Director of Berkeley Homes (Urban Living) Ltd Paul Vallone, tells Estates Review that residential developers can create cutting edge commercial space

Mixed use developments have long been seen as the best way to create sustainable, urban communities. Given current market uncertainty, it is all the more important for developers to diversify. Widening the range of property type by building mixed use developments spreads the spread risk, but it is also clear that for the end-user of the commercial space, being located with in a mixed use scheme is beneficial for the company and its employees alike.

The relationship between office design and staff productivity has been well documented. Employers are increasingly swayed by the quality of a building and its setting, as they recognise the value of a high level of amenity in the office environment as an important factor in staff retention and well-being. Companies nowadays are looking for more than the overcrowded, overpriced and under serviced locations on offer in Central London; decision makers are becoming more concerned about work life balance and the health of their staff.

Placing this importance on providing an attractive environment in which to work, many companies are now moving out of the traditional Central London and West End locations, in order to find better value for money and better facilities for staff. Locations where the setting provides that added amenity are now becoming a viable alternative to the West End. For example at Chelsea Bridge Wharf, The Business Quarter, which provides 58,000 sq ft of prime Grade A office space, is right next to the River Thames and the 200 acres of Battersea Park. What is more, it is within an established mixed-use development which also contains a vibrant community of residents, a four star hotel with conferencing facilities, and retail space. This scheme offers as high a quality space as any West End headquarters, combined with an environment and setting that will be pleasant for those working there, keeping staff enthused which is vital for morale.

The design of a building can make a strong statement about a company, and done well, it can embody the ethos of the business. For the Business Quarter, the architects Scott Brownrigg were not only working within the setting of an inspiring riverside location, but they carefully thought out how the commercial space would interact with the residential apartments around it. Similar materials are chosen to the residential parts of the development to create a unity. The office occupiers can make use of the meeting facilities in the hotel next door and residents and workers will mingle in the riverside piazza.

Architects are also increasingly making healthy living for employees central to the design of commercial buildings. Allowing in as much natural light as possible is very important, as is the inclusion of features such as bike racks and showers as well as break-out areas and recycling facilities. A building designed to have lower energy and water consumption means the business can reduce its carbon footprint, bearing out that company’s own corporate social responsibility and promoting sustainable living for the people that work there.

Through schemes such as Chelsea Bridge Wharf, Berkeley Homes is proving that the residentially focused developer is capable of understanding modern business needs and creating contemporary commercial space that makes good business sense.

Website: www.cbwbusinessquarter.com
For more information on The Business Quarter, call DTZ on 020 7757 6848

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14/10/2008

Good design makes sound business sense

Managing Director of Berkeley Homes (Urban Living) Ltd Paul Vallone, tells Estates Review that residential developers can create cutting edge commercial space

Mixed use developments have long been seen as the best way to create sustainable, urban communities. Given current market uncertainty, it is all the more important for developers to diversify. Widening the range of property type by building mixed use developments spreads the spread risk, but it is also clear that for the end-user of the commercial space, being located with in a mixed use scheme is beneficial for the company and its employees alike.

The relationship between office design and staff productivity has been well documented. Employers are increasingly swayed by the quality of a building and its setting, as they recognise the value of a high level of amenity in the office environment as an important factor in staff retention and well-being. Companies nowadays are looking for more than the overcrowded, overpriced and under serviced locations on offer in Central London; decision makers are becoming more concerned about work life balance and the health of their staff.

Placing this importance on providing an attractive environment in which to work, many companies are now moving out of the traditional Central London and West End locations, in order to find better value for money and better facilities for staff. Locations where the setting provides that added amenity are now becoming a viable alternative to the West End. For example at Chelsea Bridge Wharf, The Business Quarter, which provides 58,000 sq ft of prime Grade A office space, is right next to the River Thames and the 200 acres of Battersea Park. What is more, it is within an established mixed-use development which also contains a vibrant community of residents, a four star hotel with conferencing facilities, and retail space. This scheme offers as high a quality space as any West End headquarters, combined with an environment and setting that will be pleasant for those working there, keeping staff enthused which is vital for morale.

The design of a building can make a strong statement about a company, and done well, it can embody the ethos of the business. For the Business Quarter, the architects Scott Brownrigg were not only working within the setting of an inspiring riverside location, but they carefully thought out how the commercial space would interact with the residential apartments around it. Similar materials are chosen to the residential parts of the development to create a unity. The office occupiers can make use of the meeting facilities in the hotel next door and residents and workers will mingle in the riverside piazza.

Architects are also increasingly making healthy living for employees central to the design of commercial buildings. Allowing in as much natural light as possible is very important, as is the inclusion of features such as bike racks and showers as well as break-out areas and recycling facilities. A building designed to have lower energy and water consumption means the business can reduce its carbon footprint, bearing out that company’s own corporate social responsibility and promoting sustainable living for the people that work there.

Through schemes such as Chelsea Bridge Wharf, Berkeley Homes is proving that the residentially focused developer is capable of understanding modern business needs and creating contemporary commercial space that makes good business sense.

www.cbwbusinessquarter.com
For information The Business Quarter, call DTZ on 020 7757 6848

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