Legal & General commences sustainable office reinvention in Maidenhead
Legal & General Investment Management Real Assets (LGIMRA) has started a comprehensive refurbishment of the 129,000 sq ft Tempo office building (previously known as Star House) in Maidenhead town centre.
14 Mar 2022
Full press release
An extensive programme of work is now underway following the announcement of a £40 million contract with construction engineering company ISG, which will transform the four-storey building into one of the greenest, most sustainable and occupier focused buildings in the Thames Valley.
Designed by architect Suttonca, Tempo’s appearance will be transformed whilst sensitively retaining existing stonework on the front of the building to reduce the embodied carbon of the refurbishment.
A variety of new amenity space will be provided for occupiers. An extended reception will include break out and meeting space and a public café on the ground floor. A shared roof terrace of over 5,000 sq ft will be accessible to all occupiers, creating space for community events and informal working in a wonderful, biodiverse environment. Three pavilions will be developed, housing a club lounge, a flexible audio-visual room for large meetings and a catering pavilion for everyday use and events.
The building’s upgrade demonstrates LGIMRA’s ongoing commitment to providing an exceptional, futureproofed building and front of house experience for occupiers, as well as outstanding ESG credentials.
A study has estimated that £111 million in social value will be generated over the duration of the development, providing significant benefits for the local and regional economy. It is estimated that construction, occupation and management of the building will support up to 3,000 full time jobs for local people.
Tempo sits on a prominent 1.4-acre site opposite Maidenhead mainline station, with Crossrail’s Elizabeth line opening in the second half of 2022. It also benefits from a market leading secure basement car park, where new secure parking for 130 cycles will be provided, supported with changing rooms, showers, lockers and drying rooms. 35 electric car charging spaces will also be installed. The basement will also house a spin studio and treatment room.
Reduced targets for both embodied and operational carbon have been achieved. The building will have no natural gas for heating and instead will rely on electrically driven air source heat pumps.
282 PV panels (totalling over 5,500 sq ft) will be installed on the roof which combine with enhanced fabric performance to reduce energy use by over 23% (when compared to energy performance targets in the property industry).
The building has been modelled against the highest sustainable building standards and has a target rating of BREEAM Outstanding.
Simon Wilkes, Head of Development for LGIMRA: "Tempo occupies one of the best sites in the Thames Valley market. The opening of the Elizabeth Line in the first half of 2022 is expected to bring even more new opportunities to the town. Tempo, with its sustainable design, will provide the space and experience occupiers want. The implementation of low and zero carbon technologies will help reduce energy consumption and work towards a Net Zero future."
Councillor Donna Stimson, Cabinet Member for Sustainability at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead: "The building will become a great example of sustainable development. It will be a light and airy place to work in, with several spaces to meet colleagues for a break or a brainstorm, whilst simultaneously providing a healthy environment."
