Major built environment firms snap up space in the CBD

Two built environment consultancies have agreed to leases for office space at the Edmund Gardens scheme in Birmingham.

Owner Hillview Real Estate has signed five-year lease agreements for a combined 10,275 sq ft of space with Sweco UK, Europe’s leading engineering and architecture consultancy, and Mace, a global company of programme and project delivery consultants and construction experts.

Sweco UK has taken 2,075 sq ft at 4 Edmund Gardens in a unit called The Loft, which has been refurbished to provide ‘plug and play’, fully-fitted office space. Mace has renewed its lease on its 8,200 sq ft of office space at 1 Edmund Gardens.

Edmund Gardens comprises five buildings around a central courtyard, totalling 67,510 sq ft, on an island site in the centre of Birmingham’s business district. It was acquired by Hillview and Sh.i.r. Shlomo Real Estate, a company listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, from DTZ Investors in 2022.

The mixed-use estate has a frontage to Edmund Street which runs parallel to Colmore Row. It consists of 80% multi-let offices with additional retail, food & beverage and residential units arranged around a central courtyard square.

Evan Corcoran, asset manager at Hillview Real Estate, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Sweco UK to Edmund Gardens and to extend our strong relationship with Mace. These new leases reflect the high-quality office space on offer and endorse our strategy to significantly improve the office, retail and residential offering through active asset management and a programme of capital expenditure to provide leading tenant amenities.

“Demand for the new plug and play space that Sweco UK took was very strong and, consequently, we are in the process of rolling out additional fully-fitted units at the estate. We have also recently introduced new communal break-out and collaboration space for use by tenants across the scheme, which is proving very popular. We have the ability to offer a range of office units to suit the occupational needs of tenants”.

Hillview Real Estate was advised by Savills and BNP Paribas Real Estate.