A prime Cardiff office building has been renamed as part of a £4m revamp to create new flexible working space in a building powered solely by renewable energy.
The 30,000 sq ft Dumfries House in the city centre has been rebranded Coal House by its own in property investor and developer Create Real Estate.
When work is completed in August, Coal House will offer between 3,000 sq ft to 30,000 sq ft (if one tenant) of space. The building’s previous tenants have exited, including law firm Geldards which in 2020 relocated to a new HQ at the Capital Quarter scheme in Cardiff.
Dumfries House, and the adjoining Marchmount House, on Dumfries Place, were purchased by Create Real Estate last year from Sydney & London Properties.
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While the exterior of Marchmount House, which has a number of tenants, is being revamped, the interior investment is focused on what was Dumfries House.
Marchmount House will be rebranded as Coal House East.
Coal House will be powered entirely by renewable energy, in part from solar panels. It will be fitted with the latest smart building technology to monitor occupancy trends, energy usage and air quality which will enable tenants to easily report how they are meeting their environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets.
There will be eight electric vehicle charging points, communal bikes, bike storage, car parking, showers and changing facilities. The building is being designed to meet key environmental and well-being credentials.
The interior of Coal House is using biophilic design principles and a natural palette to maximise the sense of light. The interior, designed by creative agency Run For The Hills, includes a wood panelled atrium with coffee bar with leather seating, concrete-effect flooring and brass industrial-style lighting.
The lounge area includes bookable Zoom rooms and meeting spaces that provided shared space for tenants and clients to socialise and collaborate. The building will own in-house app enabling tenants to book rooms, order food and access the social and events programme.
Ricky Humphreys, director at Create Real Estate said:“Work is progressing rapidly to transform this prominent but dated building in central Cardiff into a contemporary, sustainable office space where environmentally-conscious, forward-thinking businesses can thrive.
" Powered entirely by renewable energy, this low carbon building has been thoughtfully designed to maximise opportunities for social collaboration with a chic coffee bar, plenty of meeting spaces, access to food delivery services and everything bookable via our bespoke in-house app - a first for the city.
“Cardiff offers an amazing quality of life, so it is no wonder that so many professionals are moving here and the area is becoming a hot spot for entrepreneurs and growing. With such high demand for top spec office space in the city, we are expecting a lot of immediate interest.”
The space is being jointly marketed by the Cardiff offices of property advisory firms Savills and Knight Frank.
Mark Sutton, office agency partner at Knight Frank said: “As businesses commit to their future occupational strategies, we are seeing occupiers demanding more from their office space than ever before. This is not only in terms of its aesthetic appeal and the provision of additional amenities but also in the buildings energy performance - delivering a green agenda and enabling companies to attract and retain the best talent”
Gary Carver, director at Savills Cardiff said: “The delivery of the Coal House will see a complete transformation, providing a working environment with the credentials and flexibility to accommodate occupiers seeking best in class office space in Cardiff city centre.”
Create Real Estate said it is focused on identifying opportunities in regional UK cities where the fundamentals of a property are very strong, but significant investment is required to unlock its full potential.
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