Legal & General Investment Management Real Assets (LGIM) has started a comprehensive refurbishment of the 129,000 sq ft Tempo, previously known as Star House in Maidenhead town centre.
An extensive programme of work is now underway following the announcement of a £40m contract with construction engineering company ISG, which will transform the four-storey former office block into one of most sustainable and occupier focused buildings in the Thames Valley. This reinforces LGIM’s ongoing commitment to futureproofing assets and delivering exceptional ESG credentials.
Designed by London architectural practice Suttonca, Tempo will be unrecognisable from its previous appearance and will benefit from upgrades such as new glazing while the existing stonework to the facade will be sensitively retained in order 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, services and informal working in a wonderful, biodiverse environment. Three pavilions will be developed, housing a club lounge, a flexible audio-visual room for town hall meetings and a catering pavilion for both everyday use and events.
The physical changes to the building will complement LGIM’s focus of providing an exceptional building and front of house experience for occupiers.
Tempo is situated opposite Maidenhead mainline railway, with the Elizabeth line opening in the second half of 2022. It also benefits from a market leading town centre 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.
The redevelopment of the building is based upon a strategy that follows LGIM’s standards to set a path to net zero carbon. Reduced targets for both embodied and operational carbon have been achieved. The building will have no natural gas for heating and instead will rely upon electrically driven air source heat pumps. The design has been optimised to include 282 PV panels (totalling over 5,500sq ft) which combine with enhanced fabric performance to reduce energy use by over 23% when compared to “business as usual” energy performance targets set out by both LETI and RIBA.
The fabric and construction materials proposed within the design of Tempo betters the RIBA 2025 standards by 14% and is 35% better than the 2025 LETI new building construction targets.
The building has been modelled against Design for Performance Standards and is currently targeting a NABERS rating, along with a target rating of BREEAM Outstanding.
Tempo is set for completion in May 2023.
Simon Wilkes, Head of Development, LGIM Real Assets, said: “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 new opportunities to the town and Tempo, with its sustainable design ethos, will provide the space and experience occupiers want. Implementation of low and zero carbon technologies will help to reduce energy consumption and make another step to Net Zero future.”
Councillor Donna Stimson, cabinet member for Sustainability at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, said: “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.”
Knight Frank is the joint letting agent for Tempo, alongside Bray Fox Smith.
Image credit: Knight Frank
