30 Lighterman: A smart and sustainable workplace

By Zac Goodman

Projects

2^nd December 20

30 Lighterman is a smart and sustainable workplace. More than that, it is TSP’s smartest and most sustainable office project ever. The best bit is, it’s 25% cheaper than our competitors’. The magic formula? Client’s vision + a driven, smart, talented team + our signature approach (code name: The Futureproof Sandwich). The outcome is a state-of-the-art workspace in the heart of London’s most revered and ‘happening’ areas.

30 Lighterman: profile

A stunningly adapted London warehouse.

14,000 sq ft / 3 floors / centre of King’s Cross

Smart / Contactless / Biophilic / BREAAM Excellent / Connected / Flexible / Fully furnished / Ready to go space

The Brief_

For our client NorthHill, innovation is not a variable but a constant. Acting on NorthHill’s behalf, we purchased Lighterman House in the middle of King’s Cross. With their vision of creating a smart and sustainable workplace, we knew that this would be a supercharged project.

Demonstrating their level of confidence in the King’s Cross market, they completed on the acquisition the day before the 2019 general election! Their view is: regardless of the governing party, King’s Cross is the place to be.

Location_

In the heart of King’s Cross, Argent has curated an incredible estate stretching from St Pancras, encompassing Coal Drops Yard, Granary Square, Central St Martins and beyond. By 2022, it will be home to Facebook and Google’s European Headquarters. Next door is the Francis Crick Institute, where groundbreaking medical research takes place — when a cure for cancer is found, it will likely be here.

The area is a magnet for young talent. Wildly ambitious tech & bioscience companies are putting down their roots. Even the 22-Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse wanted in on the action: next time you need a caffeine hit, check out his experimental spot in Coal Drops Yard.

The Project_

But enough frothing over King’s Cross: time to zoom in on 30 Lighterman. The original name was ‘Lighterman House 26-36 Wharfdale Road’, so we were tasked to come up with something a little catchier. 30 Lighterman felt sharp, simple, and precise.

NorthHill coveted an office building that would be as relevant today as in 10 years. Naturally, it had to be flexible; but what else?

TSP Approach_

We applied the signature TSP approach, which we lovingly call The Futureproof Sandwich.
The ingredients are:

Flexibility, aka our [daily] bread
Sustainability
Prop Tech
Experience

1. Embracing & evolving flexibility

We all knew Thirty Lighterman had to be a flexible, smart and sustainable workplace, but we wanted to go further. At 30 Lighterman we have introduced a dynamic leasing approach; the longer the lease, the cheaper it becomes. Simple. Leases start from 12 months.

Not satisfied, we wanted to go further. We knew that with fully furnished offerings you run the risk of not designing a space that suits everybody. So, we persuaded NorthHill to furnish 80% of the floor plates. In the remaining 20%, we offer optionality. More desks, another meeting space, or an urban indoor garden? You decide. By doing this we’ve reduced alienation risk and improved suitability.

We also built flexibility into the function of the floor. A fantastic variety of spaces from large home-style kitchens that can be separated with light and airy curtains, to intimate soft seating areas, and focus spaces. The floors all have varying sizes of meeting rooms, and there is a feeling of spaciousness to it all.

Finishing Touches_

Finally, whilst occupants haven’t chosen their furnishings, we’ve left plenty of space for artwork, and even a customisable lighting feature where companies can backlight their logo or slogans!

Basically: this is flex on growth hormones.

2. Creating & managing a carbon-neutral office building

NorthHill’s design approach is always considered. It is a delicate balance between form & function. Together we challenged our contractor Peldon Rose to deliver a sustainable build. Our house view is that any office should be at least an EPC B rating, as by 2030 this will be the minimum requirement. We see more and more occupants asking about the sustainable credentials of their space, and that curiosity is beginning to translate into a decision vector
when considering renewals or office moves.

BREEAM Excellent_

Not only did Peldon Rose believe they could achieve EPC B on the build, they also mapped a path to making the refurbishment a BREAAM excellent project.

TSP’s Challenge_

Next, it was TSP’s challenge. Our management team were tasked with delivering a sustainable building on an ongoing basis. Mission: accepted.

Here’s how we achieved it:

Managed consumption strategy via Smart Tech (more on this below);
Buying renewable energy only;
Carbon offsetting with our partners at Ecologi;
Managed waste disposal.

We are proud to say that 30 Lighterman will be a Carbon neutral operation.

3. Enter Prop Tech

Aside from having state of the art lighting and new electrical services throughout, 30 Lighterman has real-time air quality and occupational monitoring. We also have live feeds of all electricity metres. We can combine these data feeds to provide a real-time dashboard of what is happening on site. This data allows us to plan resources and manage consumption in an automated way. Pretty neat, if we do say so ourselves.

4. Managing a building is building an experience

Leveraging TSP’s Spaceflow investment, Lighterman has its own building app, which is connected to our larger TSPx platform. Occupants will benefit from hotdesking apps, perks from neighbouring businesses and shops, and access to exclusive and curated events.

All of this is managed by our Experience Manager Sophie, whose job it is to make every occupant feel special.

And that’s it:

Spectacular location + next-level flexibility + built-in sustainability + smart tech throughout + thoughtful occupant experience management = one kickass modern workspace.

Mission: accomplished.