New Wandsworth Park Workspace Designed For Post-Covid Needs | ||||
Office redevelopment will include a restaurant, café, gym and cycle parking
Carlson Court, on the west side of Wandsworth Park, is to be redeveloped as a neighbourhood workspace which will include a restaurant, café, gym, extensive parking and cycle facilities, a “park-scaped” courtyard, and terraces overlooking the river through the park. The future of the site has been in the balance for several years but the acquisition of the current building by real estate investment company, Brunswick Property Partners from previous owners Landid and Hermes, in December, along with planning permission from Wandsworth Council this autumn, has clarified its future. Brunswick paid £23 million for the current buildings as part of its Akoya workplace venture. The acquisition increases the size of Akoya’s portfolio to six properties with a value of around £200 million following Brunswick’s September announcement that its office space outfit would “meet the desire for workers in Greater London to work locally in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic”. “It is a progressive workplace strategy, focusing on localism and a work-life balance for occupiers,” said Brunswick. “Healthy lifestyles, occupier wellbeing and local communities form some of the key themes.” Carlson Court, located on Wandsworth Park at the corner with Putney Bridge Road, is currently a 45,000 sq ft vacant office building with views over the Park and the River Thames. Brunswick also said that the redevelopment will incorporate best working practices including sustainability, health and wellbeing, flexibility and technology. The designers of the new building are Richmond- based DN-A Architects whose previous projects include the re-engineering of Ralph Erskine’s iconic Ark in Hammersmith as well as the design and delivery of the Warner Bros Studios and ‘The Making of Harry Potter’ Studio Tour. Dubbing the project the ‘Parklife Building’, DN-A said, “Each of the office floors has a roof terrace to take advantage of fantastic views across the River Thames and towards central London. The architecture is contemporary in its execution whilst respecting its surroundings including the listed park. High quality materials, detail and sustainable design are intrinsic to our proposal which creates a highly desirable workplace in an attractive outer London location.” The Brunswick-owned Akoya Workspaces, who will run the new site, said, “We create property pearls by investing in workplace assets and creative communities in emerging London communities. “We believe that, while work should be serious, an office should always be a happy and healthy environment. Our places do good for the people in them and for the communities that surround them.”
January 13, 2021 |