10 A new Reading landmark


What is distinctive about Thames Tower?


It’s a comprehensive refurbishment of a tired old office building; this is something we specialise in, taking assets that have passed their use-by date and completely transforming them into workspace that is fit for today’s occupiers – and tomorrow’s. So we have taken an old office building that was much maligned – it was known as the ugly building by the station – and delivered a best in class office asset that looks fantastic.


How did you do it?


Working with our architects dn-a, we stripped the original 10-storey 1970s building back to its frame, extended the floor plates and added four floors – creating an additional 62,000 sq ft of space. In all there is now over 195,000 sq ft of flexible office space, with really generous floor-to-soffit heights of 3.1m on floors 1-10, 3.7m on 11th–13th floors and 4.2m on the 14th floor.


We’ve gone with exposed services throughout the building which is something our occupiers have responded really positively to – we think the finish just looks fantastic. The panoramic glazing provides large volumes of natural light throughout the day and opens up the most incredible views of Reading and the wider Thames Valley. It’s beautiful.


This is not your first building in Reading is it?


Landid and Brockton Capital’s Thames Tower has set a new bar for workspace in the town – and has a rooftop lounge that has to be seen to be believed


Reading has a new landmark. Thames Tower, which stands next to Reading station, completed last month and is now set to open its doors to a new community of contemporary businesses.


Developed speculatively by the partnership between Landid and Brockton Capital, the 15-storey tower offers 195,000 sq ft of design-led workspace and is aimed at attracting the next generation of Western Corridor occupiers.


And so far it has had great success: already a clutch of high-profile occupiers,


businessmag.co.uk


including financial services giant HSBC, professional services firm BDO, recruitment firm Austin Fraser and natural food specialist Pret A Manger have taken space in the building. Last month the building won In-town Office of the Year at the Thames Valley Property Awards.


To find out what the buzz is about, The Business Magazine caught up with Landid development director James Silver who took us on a tour of the building – including a sneak peek at Roost, a stylish café, winter garden and event space on the roof.


That’s right, we also developed One Valpy, a 60,000 sq ft, eight-storey building that overlooks Forbury Gardens. We had huge success with that building and attracted some really great occupiers, including H&M, Bullit Group, Rio Tinto, Thinking Phones and Mabey. We sold that building in 2015 – it was a fantastic project and allowed us to really get to grips with the Reading market.


So what sets Thames Tower apart?


Clearly its location, right next to the station is a huge plus; on the ground floor we will have cafes and spill out onto the new public piazza that we have created, providing a great new space for the community. Inside the building we put a huge focus on creating stylish design-led workspace and really great amenities for the occupiers. The double-height reception area has been designed as a collaborative working space, allowing


READING NUMBER 1 CITY UPDATE – JUNE 2017


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