-
Corporate
- Customers
Press releases
Legal & General opens new Welsh HQ
Legal & General reaches an important milestone today in its £1bn regeneration project in Cardiff as it opens its new Welsh headquarters. Today, over 2,500 Legal & General employees move into 120,000 sq ft of Grade A office space in Cardiff Central Square.
30 Oct 2023
Legal & General’s investment in Central Square has been a significant driver in Cardiff becoming one of the fastest growing employment hubs in the UK – upon completion, it will create space for 13,000 new jobs.
Construction of Legal & General’s Welsh headquarters – named Calon, Welsh for heart – began in December 2019 with works completing earlier this year. Legal & General’s new workplace meets the highest standards in sustainable design. There is no gas in the building, and it can generate its own electricity from solar panels and air source heat pumps. The office is on track to achieve a BREEAM Outstanding rating and is also targeting Nabers UK 5-star to ensure it remains Net Zero aligned in operations.
Calon is also targeting a WELL Platinum rating, the highest standard in design for wellbeing. With over 3,000 living plants and natural lighting throughout, it has occupants’ wellbeing at its core.
Legal & General’s investment in its new office has benefitted not only employees but the community as well. Over £11 million was spent with suppliers in the Cardiff area during the fit out of the office. Legal & General and its supply chain also delivered over 516 weeks of apprenticeships, 18 weeks of work experience and 332 hours of career support sessions in Cardiff over the course of the build.
Sir Nigel Wilson, Group CEO: The opening of Calon, Legal & General’s new Welsh headquarters in Central Square, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to Cardiff, as an employer and an investor. Since 2019, we’ve grown our team in Wales by a third, to 2,500 employees. We invested over £1 billion in the city, making Legal & General Cardiff’s largest private investor and one of its biggest private employers. Moving our offices to the heart of our investment in the city is a testament to the role we believe businesses like ours can play in levelling up, and our confidence in the future of Cardiff.
Emma Hardaker-Jones, Group HR Director:Building a more sustainable future is at the heart of what we do; it’s in our DNA and it is one of the reasons people choose to join and stay at L&G. This enables us to impact our customers’ lives and the communities we live in. Calon is a brilliant example of what we do best and is a tremendous source of pride for all of us at L&G.
About Calon
Office fit-out partners
- Developer: Rightacres
- Contractor: ISG
- Architect: HMA
- Interior designer: Cast
- Engineering: McCann
- Project management: Mcleod + Aitken
- Social value: AtkinsRealis
- Technology: Kinley
Key sustainability features
- Removed all gas from the building using air source heat pumps and other technology, so we don’t have to rely on gas and can buy our electricity from renewable producers.
- Selected local and recycled materials throughout the building.
- Put solar panels on the rooftop so we can generate some of our own carbon free power.
- Zoned the building to control energy consumption so lighting and air conditioning will only be used when needed
- Implemented clever controls of lighting and blinds to maximise use of sunlight.
- Encouraged everyone to travel to the office in a sustainable way, made easier by the office’s proximity to Cardiff’s Central Station and Transport for Wales’ new bus station and excellent facilities for cyclists
- Embedded sensors into the building to monitor environmental performance once the office is up and running.
Key wellbeing features
- WELL Platinum is the highest WELL rating
- WELL covers all aspects of wellbeing within the building, focusing on 7 key concepts: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind
- L&G’s office is targeting WELL Platinum by:
- optimising air quality & remove contaminants: allowing fresh air into the building
- improving water quality & ease of access: monitoring water for contaminants and water points located for ease of access
- encouraging healthy eating habits: giving employees healthy choices in the café
- maximising natural lighting & control lighting to improve energy, mood & productivity: circadian lighting controlling colours to match tones of natural lights
- encouraging physical activity: interlocking stair cases to encourage walking between floors and wellbeing suite under auditorium
- creating a comfortable indoor environment including acoustics and temperature: temperature controlled based on occupancy, materials selected for acoustic performance
- supporting mental health through relaxation spaces: garden and wellbeing lounges and outdoor rooftop terrace
Technology features
- Sensors embedded throughout the building to:
- Monitor energy performance & automate actions (e.g. lights) to optimise energy usage
- Monitor CO2 and air quality to ensure we maintain an excellent working environment
- Monitor space usage – so that we can understand, address & adapt how people are using the office spaces in real-time
- Tech-enabled for hybrid working:
- All formal and informal meeting rooms enabled for hybrid meetings
- Large auditorium with state-of-the-art AV/screen to be used for large-scale hybrid events
- Plug and play throughout the building so people can easily work from anywhere in the office
L&G’s Cardiff investment
- L&G has invested over £1 billion in Cardiff, making it the city’s largest investor.
- Legal & General’s Cardiff investments include:
- £285 million – 1,033 Build to Rent apartments at Central Quay (715 apartments) & Central Square (318 apartments), Legal & General’s first BTR scheme in the city which opens in March 2023 and forms part of the Central Square regeneration
- £140 million – The Interchange – 120,000 sq ft of Grade A office space at Central Square
- £117 million – Government Hub delivering 270,000 sq ft of space for more than 4,000 civil servants
- £45 million – Parkgate Hotel – 170-bedrooms located next to the Principality Stadium, in partnership with the Welsh Rugby Union
- £200 million in financing to support Wales & Borders franchise to deliver a new cutting-edge train fleet.
Further information
Notes to editors
Established in 1836, Legal & General is one of the UK's leading financial services groups and a major global investor, with £1.2 trillion in total assets under management (as at HY24) of which c40% (circa £0.5 trillion) is international.
We have a highly synergistic business model, which continues to drive strong returns. We are a leading international player in Institutional Retirement, in Retail Savings and Protection, and in both public and private markets through our Asset Management division. Across the Group, we are committed to responsible investing and dedicated to serving the long-term savings and investment needs of customers and society.
As at 11 December 2024, Legal & General has a market capitalisation of 13.7 billion.