Work has started on the £7m refurbishment of a landmark Bristol office building. When the “high-end upgrade” is completed Narrow Quay House will become the new home for expanding law firm Veale Wasbrough Vizards (VWV).
The contract to refurbish the prominent 1970s waterfront block was awarded to the Midas Group, one of the largest independent construction firms in the South West, after it successfully beat off three rivals. The contractor started work in May and expects to hand over the renovated building by the spring of next year.
The 58,000sq ft property on Bristol’s Floating Harbour is owned by the Standard Life Heritage with Profits Fund. Last year it negotiated with the law firm to lease 40,000sq ft across three floors of the refurbished Narrow Quay House. VWV, which recently opened offices in London and Birmingham, has outgrown its current Harbourside base and looked at more than 25 possible sites before settling on the Standard Life building. It will move 250 of its 300 staff to its new headquarters.
“Narrow Quay House will give us the space we need to support our future growth, whilst allowing us to retain a city centre location, a great working environment on the waterfront, and easy access for our staff and clients,” explained VWV’s managing partner, Simon Heald.
The year-long project on his firm’s new offices includes adding another 9,900sq ft to the overall floor plan and infilling an existing light well to create a new glazed atrium. A double height entrance on Princes Street will also be opened up allowing the front façade to be be given a state-of-the-art facelift.
Derek Quinn is executive director at Midas Construction. “Narrow Quay House is a fantastic project involving a major transformation of a very prominent commercial building in the centre of Bristol,” he said.
“The logistics of carrying out the internal renovations are challenging and involve a lot of careful planning, with a complex steel frame installation needing to come through the front entrance and be erected within the building to create the extra floor space.”
The development, added Quinn, was of an exceptionally high quality, “with our client, Standard Life, and ourselves working closely with AWW Architects to create an extremely high-end office development that will benefit Bristol city centre”.
Narrow Quay House is situated just south of the city centre and adjacent to the new Harbourside and Cabot Circus retail and leisure developments. Will Fulton, a fund manager at the Standard Life fund, said: “We are investing in this significant refurbishment to improve the existing public realm and create a landmark site for this side of the city.
“We are also delighted to be working with a tenant of Veal Wasbrough Vizzard’s standing which demonstrates the uptick in activity and growing demand for quality office space in Bristol.”
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