These are just some some of our highlights of our year…
A sense of place and togetherness is essential for commercial property to deliver the customer experience today’s occupiers demand. Our digital magazine Building Community covers topics from the importance of occupier feedback to the role of technology in delivering the best occupier experience.
Nuveen Real Estate’s UK Balanced Funds team appointed Workman to three portfolios of 72 assets with more than 400 tenants. The three portfolios are committed to ESG standards through GRESB, in line with Nuveen’s target of Net Zero Carbon by 2040.
In the 1960s, Manchester’s New Century Hall played host to Jimi Hendrix, The Bee-Gees, and Tina Turner. Now the Grade II-Listed building is redeveloped as part of a £7m scheme of NOMA regeneration. Project managed by our Venture team, the building houses a creative college for 400 students, 1000-capacity concert space and 10,000 sq. ft food hall.
Led by Monika Newton, our Welcome team launched its Sustainability Week. The timetable of events, specifically curated for Welcome properties and occupiers, provided a chance to come together and take part in fun events – all focused on making ethical choices to deliver a sustainable future.
Learning is fun at Workman, where more than 70 graduates and apprentices who have joined us over the past year, across our Property Management, Building Consultancy and Accounts teams, came together for a social evening of bowling and pizza.
Our Building Technology team, led by James Hallworth, proved that intelligent building tech can lead to serious savings. One office achieved a 28% reduction in energy consumption within three months of installing IBOS, equivalent to a saving of about £460,000 per year. Watch this video to learn how IBOS is achieving similar savings across a growing number of assets.
Our projects team Venture, advised Tristan Capital Partners on its first acquisition with Elysian Residences for a new £150m later-living BTR development, and on a £400m investment in six UK student accommodation assets nationwide, as reported by Property Week.
Vicky Cotton, our ESG Director, was elected Chair of the Managing Agents Partnership (MAP), a collaboration of the UK’s leading property managers, committed to improving the sustainable management of commercial real estate, part of the Better Buildings Partnership.
Our dilapidations specialists, led by Chris Wilkins, have resolved dilapidations instructions covering more than 1.4m sq. ft, settling claims of almost £5m, through our 12 offices nationwide.
Our ESG team have now created Net Zero Asset Plans for more than 2.5m sq. ft of assets, collaborating with clients and property management teams to help clients meet carbon reduction targets.
Our London Retail & Leisure team, led by Gareth Soar, was appointed by The Ardent Companies UK to The Royal Exchange, following Ardent’s acquisition of the retail asset. The latest addition to Ardent’s UK retail portfolio, the site joins Touchwood Shopping Centre, Solihull, also managed by Workman.
James Ainsworth of our Venture team is project managing the redevelopment of the former Debenham’s store at Birmingham’s prestigious Bullring. As part of Hammerson’s major repurposing of the asset, new occupier M&S will be joined by leisure operator Toca Social, a football, dining and entertainment brand, which has leased the entire top level.
Morgan Capital selected our Welcome team to manage three office buildings in the heart of the City; more than 120,000 sq. ft, including a mix of retail and F&B operators. The team already manage six buildings on behalf of the specialist Central London asset and development manager.
The Natural History Museum has broken ground on the Urban Nature Project – the scheme to turn its five-acre garden site into a welcoming, accessible, and biologically diverse free-to-visit green space in the heart of London. It’s a project that we are proud to partner, working to champion urban nature in the built environment.
Following the purchase of Glasgow’s flagship shopping centre Silverburn in a £140m joint venture between Eurofund and Henderson Park, we were appointed as property managers at the 1.5m sq. ft asset, which houses 125 retail and leisure units, and first opened its doors 15 years ago.
Our people mean everything here at Workman, where we celebrate our talent with regular news of promotions – including to Partner level. This year, we have put individuals in the spotlight, featuring their stories of personal and professional growth in our Life At Workman series.
At the Merton 37 industrial redevelopment, our Building Consultancy team, led by Ed Moore, is project managing a new scheme, set to achieve BREEAM Excellent and EPC A. It will feature solar PV panels, solar thermal hot water, 24% of parking fitted with EV chargers, and rainwater harvesting.
Milton Keynes Development Partnership (MKDP) appointed our Activate team to find a development partner to transform Milton Keynes Open Market, which has 100 existing outdoor commercial units.
It’s our 30th year in Manchester, where our vibrant office plays host to a team of more than 100 staff, some of whom reflected on their time with the firm.
Maven Capital Partners appointed our Venture team, led by David McLay, to redevelop two derelict buildings in Edinburgh into 120 units of student accommodation. The team steered the project through challenges including months of Covid uncertainty and materials supply shortages to deliver on deadline and within budget.
The Metro Building, in London’s Hammersmith, became the first UK building to be awarded a three-star Fitwel certification; testament to the effective collaboration of our proactive onsite team, our client Patrizia AG and sustainability consultancy Evora Global.
Our Welcome team rolled up their sleeves at the Good Food Matters Community Food Learning Centre in Croydon, where they tended the vegetable garden with volunteer charity Hands On London, helping provide nutritious food to disadvantaged groups within the local community.
Activate, our placemaking team, was appointed to deliver destination marketing and community engagement at two significant office locations: Spark Foundry in Newcastle and Round Foundry Media Centre in Leeds, with a focus on enlivenment programmes to create a sense of occupier community.