Just around the corner from Cardiff Central station and the bustling high streets of the city centre, hundreds if not thousands of people walk past John Street every day. It is the site of a huge new office development, one that is certainly impressive in terms of its size and manages to draw the eye despite being one of several ongoing projects in the capital.
The only problem is that, for months, it seems like nobody has been quite sure what is going on at the site. For more a year, the development has, at least from the outside, appeared to remain unchanged with its vast concrete frame leading some to remark that it looks more like a multi-storey car park than a trendy new office block.
The project is in fact one of the biggest developments in Cardiff, with 10 storeys and over 100,000 square feet of grade A office space under construction. Get the latest news on projects and more from across Cardiff sent straight to your inbox for free by signing up to our newsletters.
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Developer J.R. Smart has already let 370,000 square feet of offices at the seven-acre Capital Quarter development next door. The John Street site involves three interlocking high-rise blocks, with a new hotel that developers want to build as part of a 27-storey building also given the go-ahead.
When finished, the office block at 1 John Street will be able to accommodate 1,000 workers. It is not yet known who will eventually occupy the building when the project is completed, but letting agent Knight Frank says it is in "advanced discussions" with a number of potential occupiers.
Work on the site began in 2019 and was initially due to be completed by the third quarter of 2022. However, the project was put on hold due to disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, meaning only the frame of the building has been completed.
Now, JR Smart have confirmed that they are re-commencing works on the site. It is now expected to take a further 18 months to complete the internal works as well as work on the external cladding, meaning the project will be completed by the end of 2023.
The office scheme will feature a range of amenities, including a tenant’s business lounge, coffee shop, secure cycle storage and a yoga suite. The design also includes a 3,500 sq ft rooftop terrace, which will provide those in the building some spectacular views across the city and beyond.
With the office sector rapidly adapting in a post-Covid world and the use of a hybrid working model increasing dramatically, the demand for quality office space has also risen significantly. The letting agents for the John Street site have described the block as an "excellent fit" for employers, with the amenity-rich building also benefitting from a city centre location, good transport links and strong ESG credentials.
A spokesperson for Knight Frank, on behalf of JR Smart, said: “We have taken stock of how the office sector has emerged in a post Covid world. We remain fully committed to this scheme and have worked very hard with our professional team to ensure that we reflect in our design what occupiers want from their office space.
"Through discussions with both our team and occupiers it is clear that the space being demanded needs to meet a number of criteria – we have continued to adapt to the market and we are excited that we have been able to meet all the demands of ESG, building amenity and will provide first class space. We have a number of occupiers that we are currently in advanced discussions with."
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