On Wednesday 19th September, The Property Chronicle attended the launch of the much anticipated Brunel Building, the latest building designed by Derwent London.

The Brunel Building is an architectural landmark for Paddington, providing a striking new addition to the regeneration and vibrancy of the area.

Providing high quality flexible office space with great natural light, column-free floors, rooftop terraces and a canalside setting.

Lettings have exceeded expectations, with the building fully pre-let ahead of completion to a vibrant mix of occupiers.

Improving the public realm around the building was central to the project’s objectives. For the first time since the Paddington Basin was opened more than 200 years ago, the public has access to a new, tree-lined canal towpath that links the Basin with Little Venice.

The Bakerloo line runs directly under the site. The diagrid design of Brunel Building’s exterior helps support the building over the two subterranean tunnels.

The structural exoskeleton provides shading to 20% of the façade – reducing energy use and waste, and improving access to light and views around the Paddington Basin.

Brunel Building uses geothermal heating and cooling with two 180m-deep boreholes accessing the substrata aquifer.

Brunel Building is a highly original office building, which fully embraces the serenity of the canal on its doorstep with the stunning reception entrance facing the water. The building offers 237,700 sq ft of column-free creative office space split across fifteen storeys. 

The asymmetrical steel exoskeleton, dramatic double-height ground floor reception and two large roof terraces revealing spectacular views across London, make this development truly unique.

Leading architects, Fletcher Priest, have taken their inspiration from the great civil engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He was more than a great engineer; he was a visionary. Amongst many of his works was building the Great Western Railway to Bristol. The first section opened in 1838 and Paddington Station which he also designed, opened in 1854. He also designed the original 1839 Bishop’s Bridge over the canal basin.

We are delighted to launch Brunel Building which has been a ‘labour of love’ project lasting over 15 years and are indebted to the design team for creating this inspiring architecture.  We are also naturally very pleased to have pre-let the entire building to a broad range of occupiers in advance of completion – testament to the success of the design and approach and to London’s resilience as a world-class city.

Paul WilliamsChief Executive Derwent London | Simon Silver Director

Find out more about the Brunel Building here

Read articles by Derwent Founder and Director Simon Silver here.