KUALA LUMPUR (June 11): Gamuda Land, the property arm of Gamuda Bhd (KL:GAMUDA), has announced that its redevelopment plans for the 75 London Wall building in London with UK-based real estate investors Castleforge Partners have been approved. 

According to a press statement on Tuesday, 75 London Wall, which was earlier referred to as Winchester House and was formerly the UK headquarters of Deutsche Bank, is expected to be turned into office spaces.

Gamuda Land CEO Chu Wai Lune said, “The granting of full planning consent, marks a significant step forward for 75 London Wall. Construction can now begin, allowing Gamuda and Castleforge to realise our vision for the site, transforming it into a premium, sustainable office space. This approval signifies a key milestone in the project’s development”.

The statement highlighted that 89% of the existing built fabric of 75 London Wall, including the existing facades on the lower levels, will be retained. The offices will be fully refurbished to provide energy-efficient, grade A+ accommodation targeting BREEAM Outstanding, WELL Core “Platinum”, and NABERS UK 5 Star Design for Performance certifications. 

Furthermore, on the ground floor, new commercial units and a new cultural forum space that will create a venue for events, performances and public speaking will be offered to enhance the offering of the building to the whole area. With this, the building’s capacity will be increased by 40% to 688,000 sq ft.

A new public space, named Priors Garden, will be offered to create a green space for the building and its neighbourhood. There will also be an enhanced pedestrian route that links to the Austin Friars Passage. The full redevelopment is expected to be delivered by 3Q2027.

Representing Castleforge Partners, its founding partner Michael Kovacs said, “In order to bring workers back into the office, occupiers will increasingly look for spaces that set them apart from their competitors. We never bought the idea that office working was ‘dead’ and so, it is proving as people flock back to Central London.

“The planned refurbishment of 75 London Wall will create best-in-class office spaces in a top location, with the significant amenities blue chip companies now demanding for their people. The building will also set a new standard for sustainability in [the] London office space, making a lease here a win for the planet and a win for occupiers’ ESG strategies.”

Kovacs also added that the London-based architects Orms’ plan for the building is a design that extensively reuses the existing building and adds on to it by introducing new storeys as a stacked series of layers that subtly change in material and detailing, as the building rises to introduce lightness to the top of the structure.

“This approach will ensure that the development looks like one building, rather than a traditional building and extension, and as such, was judged to better complement local conservation areas,” Kovacs explained. 

Concurring with Kovacs, Orms director Colin McColl said, “75 London Wall sets a new reference point for the upgrade and extension of headquarters office buildings. This is the kind of project our cities need, sensitive to context and respectful of the existing grain, while taking advantage of opportunities to improve the building offer, both inside and out.”

Multiplex has been appointed as the main contractor under a pre-construction services agreement. The statement said it will now begin consultation on the project, offering buildability advice in the remaining design stages, ahead of entering the main construction contract in 3Q2025.