Marketing has started of a speculative landmark office building in Bristol city centre as demand for prime space continues to outstrip supply.
Called Halo, the 116,000 sq ft Grade A building on the site of the former Avon Fire & Rescue headquarters site has yet to receive planning permission. 
Bristol property developer Cubex has appointed property agents Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) and Knight Frank to market the landmark office building, which will form part of the next phase of the Finzels Reach regeneration scheme.
Subject to planning approval, it will be built speculatively across the road from the first phase of Finzels Reach.
Halo, which has an expected completion date of mid-2021, will be let to either a single company or number of organisations on a floor-by-floor basis. It will also include 300 new homes for the rental market.
The agents have been appointed as construction work is underway on two other much-needed speculative city centre office schemes – both of which are likely to come on the market next year. No new speculative office space is expected to become available this year.
Royal London is developing The Distillery – part of the Glassfields scheme on Temple Way – which will provide 92,000 sq ft of flexible space.
Meanwhile on the opposite side of the road, AXA and Bellhammer is speculatively developing Building 1 of Assembly Bristol – a grade A building of 200,000 sq ft.
Cubex said Halo will offer ‘smart’ offices with cutting-edge technological and sustainable features expected to attract leading businesses to this already thriving city centre community and business hub.
Channel 4 has already announced its decision to locate its Bristol Creative Hub at Finzels Reach’s historic Fermentation Buildings, alongside the likes of Historic England and English Heritage.
The stand-out office showpiece Aurora building at Finzels Reach has already attracted blue-chip occupiers including Amdaris, Parmenion, part of Aberdeen Standard Investments, Experis, Simmons & Simmons and Mewburn.
Halo will take a similar design approach to Aurora, which was the first building outside London to achieve a BREEAM ‘outstanding’ sustainability rating under the toughest new accreditation, and only one of six within the UK. It also achieved a Wired score Platinum, the highest rating for connectivity and digital infrastructure.
Walford, director at Cubex, the developer behind Finzels Reach, said: “Appointing the agents for Halo is a key milestone in the next phase of this major regeneration project for Bristol.
“It’s fantastic to have seen Finzels Reach come into its own this year, emerging as a new business hub, attracting the likes of Channel 4 and many other leading businesses, as well as a new community for people to live and socialise too.
“Against a backdrop of an acute shortage of high-quality office space in Bristol, Halo will deliver much-needed ‘smart’, sustainable workspace. The delivery of stand-out workspace is crucial to ensure Bristol’s existing employers are supported with their growth plans, new players are attracted into the city, and talent is retained.
“At Cubex, it’s important to us to provide inspiring and attractive work places that support the well-being of staff, are future-proofed so that the businesses can benefit from the latest technological advancements in office design, and are sustainable, offering environmental and cost-saving benefits for occupiers.”
Halo’s entrance has been designed to create a sense of place and identity as well as ensuring it works with nearby heritage buildings such as the Grade II* listed Generator Building and Temple Church. Inside, Halo features a unique corkscrew-like staircase rising through a glass atrium to a rooftop terrace. Other features include highly efficient LED lighting, roof-top mounted photovoltaic panels, a glazed façade to maximise views and allow daylight to fill the space – and even a drone landing pad.
