160 Old Street

Sold 2021

Old Street Just Got Brighter

Having identified Old Street as an area undergoing significant change, Great Ropemaker Partnership, our joint venture with BP Pension Fund, acquired 160 Old Street in March 2013.

The building sits at the heart of the Silicon Roundabout business district where creative and digital start-ups stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the largest companies in the world.

Completed in April 2018, 160 Old Street has been transformed from an uninspiring 1970s building into 153,000 sq. ft. of contemporary, flexible and collaborative offices arranged over 11 floors with collegiate spaces for communal working and networking. The building has been reclad with brick and glass and a new, long entrance along Bunhill Row provides an open and welcoming reception. At street level there is 6,676 sq. ft. of restaurant and retail space.

In December 2017, we pre-let 116,500 sq. ft. to Turner Broadcasting. The UK based operation of Turner, the global entertainment, sports and news subsidiary of Time Warner, will occupy the lower ground to fourth floor of the building. Other floors are now let to London Connectory by Bosch, Pusher, HRS and SenSat.

In 2020, 160 Old Street won twice at the BCO Awards for best London 'Refurbished / Recycled Workplace' & 'Innovation' with judges describing the building as "an exceptional workspace crafted with vision and innovation". The judges were struck by the transformation of this space from a neglected 1970s building into an innovative, sustainable and modern development. Chiefly, the use of an innovative smart building app which informs occupants of the latest local events and offerings, as well as allowing workers control over the light and temperature of their personal desk space, creating a truly enjoyable and personalised experience at work.

'Excellent' rated

BREEAM Accreditation

City

Location

160,600

sq ft

Floors

"This is an exciting move for us putting us at the heart of a vibrant community from which we will continue to operate our growing media businesses."

Giorgio Stock President of Turner EMEA

Standout features

New Outdoor and Communal Space

As well as providing an opening and welcoming reception, the new entrance offers an informal, collegiate space for communal working, which is integral to the design of 160 Old Street. To enhance our occupier experience we also designed outdoor space equivalent to four tennis courts arranged as a mix of courtyards and terraces on every upper floor and ensured the provision of natural light at every point of our occupiers’ journey from the entrance of the building to their desk.

Providing the Vision

As a multi-layered building with different types of space available over the basement, mezzanine, ground floor and upper floors, one of our challenges was to enable prospective occupiers appreciate the diverse areas being created within the development. To help them understand the complete range of options available we created a digital 3D environment using interactive gaming technology. This allowed potential occupiers to navigate virtually through the floors bringing the building to life.

Enhancing our Environment

We are delighted with our 160 Old Street’s excellent sustainability credentials with an ‘A’ Energy Performance Certificate Rating and a BREEAM Excellent rating. To reduce our impact on the environment, permanent timber used in the construction of the scheme was FSC compliant while 96% of all the construction waste was diverted from landfill. Photovoltaic panels have been installed to further reduce the carbon footprint of the building. To help with the health and wellbeing needs of our occupiers we have almost doubled the industry standard of cycle facilities with 258 cycle spaces, 201 lockers and 20 showers.

"Securing such a high calibre occupier as Turner Broadcasting endorses both the quality of our development scheme and the outstanding work from our GPE integrated team across our development, portfolio, leasing and building management disciplines."

Simon Rowley Head of Office Leasing

Location

Old Street’s ‘Tech City’ is already home to an impressive array of dynamic companies from tech start-ups to established financial institutions, together creating a diverse mix of the traditional with a new entrepreneurial business spirit. The £25 million overhaul of the public realm at Old Street, due to commence late 2018, will see segregated cycle lanes and new pedestrianised public space to further boost the area’s appeal to occupiers and visitors alike.

See our location guide