The Office Group is gearing up for a major makeover of its £114m Chancery House site, with plans that the co-working group said respond to the changing needs of tenants in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In proposals sent to planning authorities, the flexible office specialist hopes to substantially refurbish the 150,000 sq ft property in Midtown, WC2, and replace the existing car park with a garden and new amenities, including a landscaped terrace and a plant room on the eighth floor.
Charlie Green, co-founder of TOG, told EG: “We are putting everything we can into this building. We want to create the best-in-class flex product that is going to cater to the full range of occupiers, from start-ups and small businesses to enterprise.
“To get people coming back to the office in central locations you need to create a really compelling offer and give them real reasons to want to be in the work environment.
He said the interior would include a “significant food and drink offering”, as well as fitness studios and a meditation area. Moreover, the space will specifically cater to flexible working needs, he added.
“For example, most meetings moving forward are still going to have some kind of presence on Zoom during the meeting,” he said.
“We are thinking about what that means in terms of acoustics and visual privacy. It requires us as a provider of space to be more thoughtful and more generous with it.”
TOG bought Chancery House for a figure believed to be around £114.5m last year, with a view to refurbishing the upper office floors. Below ground level of the building are the London Silver Vaults, a collection of around 30 shops offering the largest retail selection of silver under one roof in the world
TOG’s existing portfolio comprises 51 properties totalling more than 2.1m sq ft, including York House in King’s Cross, N1, which TOG opened last year.
The move comes as shared office providers hope for a surge in demand after the pandemic, which has so far left industry leaders struggling financially.
Earlier this week, Landsec’s flexible office arm Myo announced that it would be opening its second space in central London next year, in a building near Liverpool Street station.
