UK office fit-outs: is the market past 'peak amenity'?

There has been an escalating battle when it comes to the level of fit-out and design at high-end offices.

Since the pandemic hit occupancy, office developers have pledged an ever-more dizzying array of amenity and wellness provisions. It's not too much of a stretch to say a new language has sprung up to describe the changing world of office fit-out and design.

There is even a new term for describing the most spectacular offices – super prime – something that the British Council for Offices says is impossible to sum up. It acknowledges the current grading definitions are "outdated, uninformative, and potentially confusing" but adds: "The rise of the term ‘super prime’ [....] has caused great debate within the industry but there is no real understanding of what constitutes ‘super prime’."

When asked what justifies the term, respondents to a BCO survey carried out with JLL first said "location", but superior tenant amenities came second, including high-quality common areas, end-of-trip facilities and on-site services such as concierge or food and beverage options. Third was improved sustainability features and strong ESG credentials.

It is clear tenants are choosing to move to offices that they consider prime or super prime, and are willing to pay a premium for the privilege. Central London office take-up reached 2.55 million square feet in the second quarter of 2025, according to Cushman & Wakefield. Of that, a record 80% was Grade A stock, as the "fight between 'the best and the rest' reaches new heights with firms prioritising space with top specifications to aid the return to the office", the brokerage said.

But landlords and tenants are beginning to question if they need to introduce quite as many bells and whistles, particularly with sustainability in mind and with a view to the most important requirements for tenants in the surrounding area.

CoStar data shows bosses are increasingly favouring the quality of location over the quality of the building when making space decisions. Vacancy rates in 3 and 4 Star-rated buildings, equivalent to Grade B and lower Grade A space, are comfortably lower in core London West End and City locations than in Grade A space in the eastern and western fringes of central London.

It's a new era - "fit-out past-peak allure" says Anja Schellenbauer, a director at John Robertson Architects, who has worked on Grade II-listed Centre Point Tower, One Lothbury, and the new built L&Q Headquarters in West Ham Lane.

"Born out of the pressing need to attract staff back to the office [after the pandemic], commercial fit-outs have become hawkers, loudly advertising an employer´s unrivalled amenity offering to their workforce," says Schellenbauer.

The question increasingly is what do tenants see as truly justifying the term "super prime", and what elements can be discarded and which are essential?

There are many notable recent examples of fit-outs that brilliantly blend sustainability with luxury.

Grant Thornton UK’s new London headquarters has been touted by its design architect HLW as setting a new benchmark for circular and sustainable workplace design. At 8 Finsbury Circus, the 95,000-square-foot office development has achieved a 79% reduction in embodied carbon through reuse strategies and low-impact materials.

That, HLW says, has included repurposing over 1,700 pieces of furniture including a barista bar, which was dismantled, moved and reassembled at the headquarters. Wellness is also "front and centre", as with many high-end fit-outs, with reflection and relaxation rooms, multi-faith spaces, wudu baths for washing before Muslim worship and a terrace overlooking the capital.

HLW did much of the work via its in-house sustainability consultancy Beyond which meant it could collaborate closely with Grant Thornton on its requirements, especially on sustainability guidelines, and ESG. That led to three core themes – decarbonisation, reuse, and human-centred design.

Items that could not be reused or repurposed were donated to a local charity, Waste to Wonder, which redistributed the office furniture to community organisations. Through this HLW diverted all of the construction and demolition waste from landfill.

HLW says to create the right environment, blending new and reused materials was a priority as well as the use of what it terms "natural, honest, and warm tones" which it says contrasts with "pops of Grant Thornton’s signature purple". There is an open and naturally-lit double height space on entrance with an existing feature staircase and a new planter bed surrounding its base.

Richard Jamison, head of property and procurement at Grant Thornton UK, describes the design and fit-out as a bold step forward – not just for Grant Thornton, but for the industry. "The new office is a tangible expression of our commitment to responsible growth, and it sets a new benchmark for how sustainability and inclusivity can shape the future of work.”

HB Reavis’s development of Worship Square, which is in the process of being sold to Hines, has seen its anchor tenant Wise, the finance group, add a sauna to the fit-out to bring a little bit of its native Estonia.

HB Reavis has also created 20,000 square feet of flexible workspace, including a fully-managed and all-inclusive “ready to work” space at ground floor, and 16,000 square feet of all-inclusive coworking space.

Members can access flexi-desks, self-contained private offices, meeting rooms, boardrooms, and events auditorium and have access to community events as part of an all-inclusive membership, part of a trend for flexible space as part of an overall tenant offering.

Occupiers can use a business lounge, fitness studio and 3,500-square-foot roof garden and access the building’s auditorium.

There is also coworking space as part of HubHub.

And it's no longer about just the physical amenities. HB Reavis, which has itself moved into the building, recently hosted Wellbeing Week events and activities, which were aimed at giving employees the chance to "recharge, reset, and explore new ways to support wellbeing outside of work". They included sound baths and rooftop yoga, expert talks, ASMR meditation and a silent disco

Louise Ioannou, head of workspace at HB Reavis, explains that the Worship Square building is fitted with a concierge app, fitness studio, luxury changing facilities and an in-house barista, so that every detail is designed to support employees' wellbeing. "The building provides lifestyle services like yoga classes on the communal rooftop and Brompton bike hire which we think sets a new benchmark for offices that foster active lifestyles and build a vibrant community."

The template for the level of amenity in a new tower is perhaps 22 Bishopsgate, the City of London's tallest building. Completed and essentially leased just before the pandemic, the building has been – as one of its developers, Sir Stuart Lipton, pointed out to CoStar News in an interview in January 2020 – at the global forefront of the structural and cultural shifts in how people work and live. It is designed with the idea in mind that there is a direct correlation between happiness at work and quality of workplace and an increase in an individual’s productivity and creativity. Ultimately, this does bring occupiers to the building and has the knock-on effect of improving the rents achieved, which is fully occupied.

The first building in the UK to apply for the WELL Building Standard, the amenity includes a gym with climbing windows 125 metres above ground, the wellbeing retreat on Level 41 and London’s largest cycle park. There is also a 20,000 square feet of food and dining space, a members’ club on level 57, and a restaurant and bar on floors 59-60.

Schellenbauer says the integration of all aspects of life into the workplace emerged as the key to enticing staff back to the office as pandemic lockdowns eased.

"Who would not give in to the allure of 'resi-mercial' and 'workspitality' spaces blending coffee culture and wellbeing as a social lubricant with the duties of work to make the office worth the commute? Architects and designers excelled at creating amenity-rich neighbourhoods and curating experiences with the promise of single-handedly boosting company culture by creating a sense of belonging and ultimately to drive business growth."

But Schellenbauer says this "fluidity of purpose" has gone too far.

"The blurring of boundaries, and closing of physical distance, between office, hospitality and home has come at a price. Meant as the ultimate convenience, the unintended by-product of merging work and play is a more relentless pace of life, less time to think, more plates to spin, less downtime to reset and recharge.

"Our best intentions of creating efficient condensed eco-systems with increased focus on human needs may have in fact contributed to a workforce with greater mental health concerns, and employers in turn feeling the strain of their employees´ blended life-work-style. There needs to be a time and a place for work – kept separate from our time and place with friends and family."

As such, Schellenbauer says there is the beginnings of a re-adjustment towards greater work–life segregation, partly separating the "wheat from the chaff of office design ideas".

"With renewed focus on places for people to simply work at their best, we are letting go of the trendy, the gimmicks, the imposed office culture – in favour of genuineness."

Schellenbauer says retrofit is the big winner here – it provides character, but also as a representation of the company´s commitment to climate responsibility.

"The sustainability narrative has been elevated from a ‘nice-to-have’ to an essential requirement, even as corporates move away from the more data-driven ESG approach.

"Equally, wellbeing-led office designs remain essential as a counterpoint to a fast and over-digitalised world. Restoring control to the occupier through openable windows, access to fresh air, outdoor space and nature embed a sense of slowness, providing social respite and the space to think and compartmentalise work."

Schellenbauer says the ongoing recovery in office usage is driving a redefinition towards a "true place of work – one that holds cultural, emotional and sustainable significance".

She adds: "Its physical expression will inevitably vary, but a more subtle, understated and authentic aesthetic can be expected."

Martin Wallace, at Brookfield Properties, is at the cutting edge of this discussion as he fills up the remaining 98,000 square feet of offices at One Leadenhall, one of the newest super-prime office towers. He says vital is to keep in mind the likely occupier, their preferences, and the surrounding amenity and context.

"As the site means the ground floor is a box visible from all sides, our reception will be dominated by public art, sculptural seating from a Tasmanian artist."

But unlike many other super-prime buildings, it won't have a restaurant or bar. Wallace says from the outset Brookfield agreed with the traders in Leadenhall market next door that the building would be an extension rather than a competitor. "We are on an island with virtually no traffic around us and we are surrounded by 47 bars and restaurants, so the amenity is there. There is no point adding food and beverage ourselves. "

This doesn't appear to have hit rents: the remaining space across floors 24 to 29 is likely to set a record for the City for more than £150 per square foot on the floors with private terraces if recent successes at neighbouring tower 8 Bishopsgate are anything to go by.

The building is approaching completion and will have 430,000 square feet of offices over its 35 floors, plus ground floor retail and a public terrace overlooking the adjacent Grade II*-listed Leadenhall Market. Designed by Make, it is already 90% leased, principally to law firm Latham & Watkins but also to The Work Project, a global luxury workspace provider owned by Singaporean real estate giant CapitaLand.

Wallace says less is more when it comes to fit-out when looking to lease the space at super prime offices. "For higher quality space what tenants like is to have control of how the space looks and we have no fit-out as a policy. They prefer no columns in the building at the corners and tend to prefer exposed ceilings."

Keeping the development to shell and floor is essential if ESG is important, Wallace says. "That is a no-brainer. With ceilings there are very few who want a conventional metal perforated ceiling. And the tenant will put in the AC where it wants so it is in the right position for them. All of this means there is less waste and it halves the number of journeys to site."

With tenants increasingly concerned with ESG, Brookfield Properties and its logistics partner here Clipfine, will use up to eight time slots during the day to coordinate deliveries from a consolidating warehouse in Borehamwood.

Ultimately, Wallace says, in the battle of the proposed towers to snag tenants, what occupiers want more than anything is credibility on delivery. Providing terraces is a must for major occupiers, but it mustn't be phoned in: Wallace says a lot of work has gone into making sure the plants and greenery on the terraces at One Leadenhall do not get blown around in the wind.

At Olympia, a huge array of amenity and food and beverage is being developed as part of a development that includes pretty much every use in one place.

The redevelopment of the 140-year-old London exhibitions venue by Yoo Capital and Deutsche Finance International will start to open this month in phases. The redevelopment proposes a 1.5-million-square-foot arts, entertainment and exhibition district spread across 14 acres.

It also includes 550,000 square feet of offices, which have already signed Premier League Studios, the Premier League’s new international content production arm. A white label IWG serviced offices business has also taken space.

For end-of-trip facilities, Olympia has clearly taken the level of amenity up a notch. There are 960 bike racks, 98 showers, drying and ironing stations and a bike maintenance area. And this is just for the office workers, with an additional cycle hub for visitors.

Daniel Sellar, the development director, says that the amenity provided for companies that move into the offices is naturally "in the estate". "The way it is developed, all spaces communicate with one another. And it is good value rent-wise here, to other areas, at high £60s per square foot."

The site will be home to two of the world's biggest players in live music and venues: AEG (owner of the O2) and Legends, both of which will have venues. There will be an 1,575-seat theatre operated by Trafalgar Entertainment Group and it will house hotels for CitizenM and Hyatt Regency hotels. There will also be 80,000 square feet of bars, cafes and restaurants including a major food hall that is already springing up ready for occupation.

And some of the amenities are out of sight: Sellar says such a variety of tenants and visitors demands a different way of thinking about logistics and deliveries into the site. "In this case there is 150,000 square foot of logistics space underneath the development. This reduces the number of journeys into the site providing different solutions in double height spaces." Again, that plays into tenants' ESG requirements.

With this mind, the most successful offices will be those best-located, of course, but also those that are the best at adopting the amenities and sustainability requirements that are right for their prospective tenants in their location.