Unique Examples of Commercial Property in London

London is at the centre of world commerce. To own or rent commercial property in London is to be part of the global business elite – some of the most respectable, stylish and successful organisations around.

That doesn’t stop some of these businesses choosing some weird and wonderful buildings as the locations for their commercial property in London. From famous landmarks to fantastically futuristic constructions, these examples of alien architecture are part of what makes London such an exciting and vibrant place to be.

Here’s just a few of the most uniquely unconventional examples of commercial property in London:

30 St Mary Axe – Otherwise known as ‘the Gherkin’, this curiously crafted construction stands proudly in the City of London – the capital’s premier financial district. Construction was completed in 2003, and the building stands at an impressive 180 metres.

The building was erected in place of the planned ‘Millenium Tower’, a massive building that would have dwarfed most commercial property in London – with a planned height of 386 metres. The Millenium Tower was eventually scrapped in favour of ‘the Gerkhin’ when two nearby airports complained that the gigantic building would disrupt flight paths.

Believe it or not, 30 St Mary Axe is not a spaceship. It is in fact one of the most sought after pieces of commercial property in London.

Container City I & II – Located in London’s docklands, the Container City projects are true to their name. They are constructed modularly from shipping containers, giving the whole complex the appearance of children’s building blocks – an eye-catching combination of bold colours and geometric shapes.

Although it looks rather unusual, the Container City developments contain fully-functional office spaces. The use of modular technology enabled Container City I to be completed in just five months during 2001.

The Container City developments are surely one of the weirdest examples of commercial property in London – but they’re also practical, stylish and environmentally friendly.

The Lloyds Building – Another oddity that makes its home in the City of London, the Lloyd’s Building has an intriguingly industrial appearance, lending it the nickname ‘the Inside-Out Building’. The interior is incredibly grand and spacious –because the water pipes and electrical power conduits are located on the outside of the building!

Amongst this futuristic architecture is, bizarrely, a plush, classically-inspired space known as the Adam Room. Designed by Robert Adam, the room was originally situated in Bowood house, in Wiltshire. This room was purchased in its entirety and installed in the building, providing a fantastic contrast to the post-modern peculiarities of the main building.

Home to the eponymous insurance institution, the Lloyd’s building is – despite its peculiarities – one of the most architecturally impressive examples of commercial property in London.

Commercial property in London isn’t all as strikingly unusual as the examples mentioned above, but one thing is for certain – locating your office space in London is a fantastic way to absorb some of London’s diverse atmosphere.

The UK’s capital is a city of many manifestations, and although the examples of commercial property in London mentioned above are definitely not the norm, they do capture some of London’s creative and forward-thinking spirit.

Office Rental London Style - Four Reasons Why London is the Best Place for your Business

The UK's capital has its fair share of landmarks - Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace - making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. But what can it offer your business beyond the historic eye candy? Have a butcher's at our top four reasons to locate your business in the capital. This is office rental, London style.

1. Office Rental in London means Accessibility London has an international reputation that is naturally complimented by two of Britain's biggest international airports. Whether you're a UK business with international clients or an overseas company that is looking to expand into the British market, London provides an ease-of-access that is unmatched by any city in the UK. Your clients could land in Heathrow, catch the express train to the city centre and be welcomed into your office in a matter of hours.

On a national level, to subvert the old saying, all routes lead to London. Businesses in the capital are served by the best train and road links in the country. Don't risk leaving your business out of reach, choose office rental in London for maximum accessibility.

2. Office Rental in London means Style From Kings Road to Camden, from Sloane Square to Shoreditch - London has long been at the epicentre of fashion. In today's fast-moving business world, image is important. A London office location sends clear signals to your partners and competitors your business is ready to make itself heard on the world stage.

Even if you choose to locate your business on the outskirts of the city, the fact remains that ‘London' as a word has a huge amount of fashionable currency that other cities simply lack. For many overseas investors, London is the only place to be.

3. Office Rental in London means Entertainment London also has one of the most vibrant and eclectic networks of bars, restaurants and cafés around. You'll be spoilt for choice whether you want to wine and dine with the finest, or relax over lunch in an unspoilt local diner.

If impressing clients is a regular aspect of your business, take them to one of London's celebrated restaurants - The Ivy is a common celebrity haunt, or check out Dinner by Heston Blumenthal for a modern twist on British favourites. Whatever your tastes, office rental in London ensures unforgettable entertainment.

4. Office Rental in London means Value As with any large city, the price of office rental in London varies considerably depending on the area that you choose as a business location. The cheapest rates are to be found on the outskirts of the city, where excellent public transport links allow easy access to the city centre.

If you'd rather relocate to central London, then be prepared to pay more. However, in the current climate even the most sought-after locations for office space, such as Westminster, Shoreditch and Mayfair, offer some surprisingly affordable rates. For a reasonable investment, you can bag your business a fashionable London postcode that puts you in easy reach of all amenities and the incomparable atmosphere of central London.

Find the perfect Covent Garden office space

Re-locating your business to a new office isn’t something that should be taken lightly – it definitely shouldn’t be a spur of the moment thing either.

London is one of the most desirable locations in the United Kingdom for a business to re-locate to for a good number of significant reasons. There is a huge amount of prestige to be gained from having a location in the capital, especially in an area such as Convent Garden.

Thanks to the presence of a nearby tube station, Covent Garden office space benefits from being extremely accessible, making it easier to attract potential employees that don’t live in the capital.

Although a very desirable location, there are still a number of things to consider when looking for Covent Garden office space.

One of the first things that you will need to determine is whether you will be buying or leasing Covent Garden office space.

When considering leasing office space located within the area, it is well worth looking at all-inclusive office suites. Fully furnished, these offices will, although resulting in a more expensive rate, ensure that your up-front costs for new furnishings and equipment are significantly lowered.

Having determined which market (buy or let) your attention will be focused on when seeking Covent Garden office space, it is important to take the next step and employ the services of a specialist commercial real estate agent.

Providing that you have a reasonably precise idea of what kind of Covent Garden office space you’re looking for, a commercial real estate agent will be able to guide you appropriately.

One of the most important factors when looking into Covent Garden office space, having drawn up a shortlist, is size. Will the office realistically be big enough to house your entire work force?

Another factor to consider is the amount of parking space that the office provides. An office that doesn’t provide enough parking spaces for your work force isn’t going to be at all ideal.

As previously mentioned, the re-locating of an office is an extremely big thing for a business, so it is vitally important to ensure that you take as much time as necessary to delegate and decide on any potential move. Be sure to consult your real estate agent regarding any concerns that you might have, this is what you’ll be paying them for.

When you’ve got to a stage where you’re planning to sign a lease, be sure to scour thoroughly every single detail featured in the contract.

Commonly overlooked, many businesses won’t look at their responsibilities for the upkeep of communication services – such as phone lines and internet. Neglecting to look into this could result in an unexpected and expensive bill should something go wrong.

Look at the monthly rate of your potential Covent Garden office space – is it in line with your finances?

Also look into the possible terms, which could allow you to negotiate your way out of the contract, should things not work out.

Stick to these simple guidance tips and you will find the process of finding Covent Garden office space a whole lot easier.

Advantages of Canary Wharf Office Space

For those who work in Canary Wharf, which over 90,000 people do, there are a number of elements which make this a very attractive area in which to work.

A major business district in London, Canary Wharf is renowned for being the largest of any other region in the Capital. Alongside the City of London area, it makes up one of the main financial centres.

Canary Wharf office space takes up 14,000,000 square feet and is the headquarter base of major corporations such as Barclays, Reuters and Citigroup. This is an important business area based in the Isle of Dogs in East London. It has fantastic transport links around the rest of the City, so it is a convenient location for workers to come every day, and there are fantastic amenities in the area.

Canary Wharf provides amenities such as office and retail space, restaurants and bars, bringing a nice ambiance to the area, having a more relaxed vibe in comparison to other areas in Central London. You can take time to relax and enjoy food, music and comedy. Canary Wharf plays host to over 200 cafes, restaurants and bars, as well as music and comedy. If you're after something stylish, lively and fun go to the Rocket Bar and Restaurant. If you fancy something rustic and Italian book a table at Jamie's Italian. East Wintergarden is also home to some great entertainment putting on concerts from British Sea Power and Penguin Café. If you like having a laugh then visit the Canary Wharf Comedy Club to see some great acts.

For those who can afford to live there, there are a number of serviced apartments to choose from. Working close to home makes the most of your free time by avoiding the hassle of the daily commute.

However for those who do commute from further afield, there is a huge project ongoing which will make travel to the area far easier. The Crossrail project began in 2009 and will be completed in 2017. The design will link areas of London to Canary Wharf via new tunnels, and will make the daily commute for Canary Wharf workers a quick and convenient process.

As well as being a prestigious address to hold, Canary Wharf office space is known as one of the safest areas of London. This is in part due to the investment banks in the area which have numerous CCTV cameras. It is also in a lower price rental bracket than areas such as Mayfair, where office space can fetch up to twice the revenue.

As for areas on the outskirts where employees may choose to take up residence; Rotherhithe, Limehouse and the Bow Quarter development provide reasonably priced homes. Most of them are loft style apartments and are a stone's throw from Canary Wharf so you can have all of the convenience without the price tag.

Benefits of working in Covent Garden

But not only is Covent Garden great for living, shopping, eating dinner out, visiting the theatre and celebrating an important day, it is also a great place to work too. As a result of Covent Garden’s historic buildings, strategic street patterns and also a history of diversity; it has attracted small business owners and turned them right huge success.

Covent Garden is an effective area to locate your business for many reasons. Both employees and visitors to your business will benefit from being tucked within this prime location along with the advantages it can bring.
Covent Garden is currently one of London's most popular tourist attractions, however despite this it remains relatively traffic-free along with the area is therefore relaxed plus a pleasure to work in. With many history, Covent Garden has traditionally been a centre of small companies, which used the area to assist them to grow, and nothing has changed in this way. Although high rental prices in the area show that small scale businesses are often priced using this sought after location.

Covent Garden includes a host of factors which benefit employees in the area. From the shops and restaurants to the relaxed friendly vibe, it is deemed an area where workers can start to play breaks and lunch times, and make use of what the area has to offer. There will also be many bars, nightclubs and theatres, which mean a Friday evening is a very social occasion with colleagues.

In relation to visitors, these tourist attractions is likely to make visiting your business convenient and enjoyable. You can also get plenty of high end hotels in the area, should clients need to stay over.. When you are considering business lunches, or wining and dining your customers, there is plenty on offer in Covent Garden and you will be spoilt for choice.

Covent Garden is ideally situated for transport links, with Covent Garden Tube Station for the corner of Long Acre and James Street. This is served by the Piccadilly Line. For stations just outside the area, there is; Charing Cross tube station and Charing Cross railway station, Leicester Square tube station, and Holborn tube station. For people who want to avoid the congestion during rush hour at Covent Garden station, they are advised to get off at Leicester Square, and that is just 300 yards away. For people that choose to take the bus, Covent Garden uses the RV1 service.

Covent Garden not just has many modern conveniences attracting those to the area, but also a great enlightening history and culture. In 2004 an action plan was drawn up by Westminster Council to improve the location while retaining its historic character and this has been achieved to a high standard.

If you’re thinking about renting office space in Covent Garden, there exists plenty to choose from, catering for businesses of assorted sizes and price brackets. Take a stroll across the area to get a feel for the place and the surrounding businesses when you settle on this area as the ideal place for your business.

Do comfortable furnished offices increase productivity of workers?

Serene and adorned offices are more likely to increase productivity of workers than plain, dark and cramped offices. Corporations should therefore make sure they buy the right office space. Space can be either already equipped or unequipped, but there needs to be wide open spaces so that workers can work freely and productively. It is always important to add a bit of colour to your office space and if you add plants, flowers, or bright paintings it gives the office a bit more of a visually attractive feel. Blank walls are not particularly attractive to workers and can dampen the mood in the office if you are staring at dark walls all day. Flowering plants and other forms of greenery add touches of colour and lighten up the office surroundings.

Serviced or equipped office spaces are the preferred type as there is an already comfortable office there for you, allowing the Corporations to operate straight away. The best area for equipped office space is London. Renting or purchasing an equipped office space means that less time has to be spent altering the property. Equipped buildings are available in various sizes.

Comfortable office chairs and dining chairs will allow for greater relaxation for workers during work hours and in their breaks. Soft office chairs are more comfortable and allow for greater concentration. Relaxing dining chairs allows the worker to relax in their break and be refreshed and ready to work again after their break has ended. The mood of workers would be severely improved if they have relaxing office furniture when they are working.

There also needs to be careful arrangement and management of office space. This can include simple things as kitchens and toilets being in close proximity to the main office area. Successful management of office space should literally concentrate on space. It is important that the office is not cramped. Separate working areas and space allows for employee interaction. If the office is cramped it is not going to be comfortable and consequently it will be less productive. It is always important for workers to have a degree of freedom in the office for full productivity. 

The right design aspects helps the employee become more productive. London office space tends to promote effective communication and a hospitable atmosphere. Things like surroundings, space, and layout help productivity. A lot of city offices have panoramic windows, allowing for excellent natural light and provides a warm and natural feel to workplaces. 

Comfortable and well comfortable offices increase the productivity of workers, and Corporations are becoming more and more aware of this. That is why it is important to choose the correct office space. A wide area is favoured, but adding such things as greenery and making sure the office has accessibility to kitchens and toilets are just as important. It is important therefore to buy an office space that is employee friendly as this will evidently make them feel more comfortable, and productive.

There are only a select number of agents renting Canary Wharf Office Space exclusively to tenants looking for offices in Canary Wharf and  Office Space Mayfair.

Which Offices in London Have the Best View?

It is widely known that south London benefits from one of the best views and is also in close proximity to central London. Hence to escape the scarily high zone 1 rent rates, businesses have turned to new locations in the South East and West London. The popularity of these places in the commercial sector circles ensured tube lines branched out more.

There are multiple advantages of having an office in South London. You skip the traffic, you don't detest weekend outings to the centre and you definitely like the abundance of space your new office can now finally accommodate. Potential has been seen and tapped and so we see the rise of commercial complexes housing big business names.

Gunnersbury, just outside Richmond, has a new cluster of buildings opposite the station. On entering the complex you're forced to look back to see at what point you passed through the closet in to Narnia. The tall buildings which are arranged along curves cut the view of the road. There is a small pond with ducks and swans and also a Costa coffee. The spacious hallways and office space of each building makes an appealing environment to work in but it's the view from these offices that make it special.

South Quay (SQ Plaza)
A group of three buildings with a swanky reception and easy parking space, make it very enticing.. Windy as the spot is, it is exactly opposite South Quay station making public transport a very appealing option.

Richmond
Richmond has remained an attractive spot for offices in spite of its congestion problems and stagnant rent rates for the past few years. It is well connected to the centre and has the view of large open spaces and the river. In recent years its popularity has picked up again and businesses are vying for hot spots.
Canary Wharf
Covered in swanky buildings and surrounded by the river, Canary Wharf office space is most sought after. From the peculiar but arty shaped tube station to the square where you can have your lunches and the magnificent views from most floors in most buildings, it definitely wins hands down.

Covent Garden
This area, is bang in the centre of the city but yet maintains its historical character with the buildings, squares and museums. Covent garden office space is a pleasant place to work in and hold offices. With its very pleasant atmosphere, you can stroll around, or catch a musical or a play, or have a business discussion over coffee.

Oxford Circus
If you're more about the city view where you can see the hustle and bustle of London life, with hundreds of people and cars passing by, then Oxford Circus would be your choice. Central London office space is coveted and very expensive, but the view is good on higher floor levels.

Top Iconic London Buildings to Have an Office In

Owning or renting London office space is a big deal anyway but there are a few buildings in the Capital that have offices to die for. These buildings are known around the world. You may not have that job that everyone wants but you'll definitely have that office space that they all want. Nice locations, uptown spots and mind blowing architecture definitely forms an incentive but research also shows that simpler buildings are preferred with easy access to eating spots.

London Ark
Named because of its shape, the London Ark building that is next to the Hammersmith Flyover isn't a new one but still a popular choice for renting an office. Close to the highway and easily accessible to people coming from out of town, the London Ark boasts more than just location. Chosen at one point as Britain's happiest place to work. It's structure has soaring interiors and suspended walkways.
New Street Square
A modern innovative structure, with a traditional public square, the New Street Square has a sprawling pretty reception area and sleek interiors. Spacious offices and attractive architecture is combined with leisure and retail facilities on the ground floor.
Cardinal place
Three buildings together, the Cardinal Place is situated on Victoria Street. It brags elegance and modern design resembling a curve glass capsule. An iconic sight and home to 24 huge retailers, it also has large office spaces to let with a floor space of 94,500m2.

Tower 42
The Tower was initially disliked and required a redesign, but the building is now full and has added conference rooms. It is the second tallest skyscraper in the city and like a few modern designed high end buildings, it has a pretty atrium and its own commercial champagne bar.

Plantation Place
This box shaped building isn't new, nor does it boast amazing architecture or design. However, as soon as it opened, its offices were full. Its quiet location which doesn't attract many tourist provides for privacy and no distraction thus being a popular choice with a lot of companies.
Broadgate Circle
If seen in the evening, at first glance one can mistake the Broadgate Circle for a film location because of its bright lights. The circle, used in the winter as a skating rink and in summer as a leisure place, is flanked by 15 office buildings. Close to Liverpool Street Station, it is well connected with three underground lines and the mainline. The area is shared by quite a few office buildings.

Abbey Business Centre
When you step out of Canary Wharf station, you feel like you are transported out of London and possibly onto the sets of Inception. All glass buildings, wide beautified roads and landscapes, the area is all business. The Abbey Business Centre forms part of this picture. It stands tall, showing off its vast reception area, open plan offices and large meeting rooms. A shoppingcentre is conveniently placed at the base of the building, is and the London city airport isn't too far away. Locate your commercial property London agents who represent tenants to Rent Office London.

Has the Office Market Been Affected by the Credit Crunch?

The credit crunch has had a deep impact on the office market across the UK and especially in London as it is the financial capital. A huge drop in real estate investment became a trend as people tightened their purse strings. However, many researchers say that the UK has a knack for rapid repricing and hence won't face a huge loss. The newly built swanky offices throughout London, speak for themselves.

A few of the snazzy modern office buildings that came up in the last few years lay half empty as businesses were unsure whether a pretty building with a fancy atrium was a better choice over saving that extra bit. Cutting corners seemed the logical thing to do when the future of your business was at risk.

London, being the financial sector has been more vulnerable as the estate market relies on financial and business sector for leases. Leasing levels in 2008 and 2009 fell by 15% to 50% in London itself but more recent reports show a small growth in the office leasing industry. An average increase of 6.9% was seen in the value of offices. Several construction sites were put on hold which in turn led to a rise in the demand for office spaces and a hike in their prices.
Still, all is not well in the office leasing industry. Severe and fast budget cuts may mean that many new london office spaces lie empty as employers throughout the country may be forced to make redundancies. The full effect of the situation will be evident once the effects of the budget cuts set in late this year or early next.

Most estate agents say the stream of enquires is steady but turning them in to leases has been a challenge. The slope points upwards now but the rate it takes to move might not be that much of a help. One has to realise that it isn't just the basic rent that companies pay for the space, there are other overheads and that plays an important factor. Discontinuing a few of those overheads has been an option taken up by many so that they are able to rent the space or just stay on.

However, there is an increase in Middle Eastern buyers in key locations in London. A recent market report shows an increase by 50% in Middle East buyers accounting for 30% of the sales in just the first quarter of 2011. A strong overseas demand has created a boost in the market, a boom in the financial turbulence being faced locally.

All in all, a decrease in cost has been seen in most areas with an exception to Central London. Slow in selling out, the demand for London office space will be met with a steady supply as money goes back in to building and constructions later this year. The slump that was seen for the last 3-4 years is seen being edged out as new businesses sprout up all over.