Southwark Office Space

Southwark is famous for its office space and other important construction projects, some of which have been significant for almost 2,000 years.

It was the first area on the southern banks of the River Thames to be developed because, around 43 AD, the Roman engineers of Londinium chose to create the first dry crossing of the river here due to its particular attributes. London Bridge remained the only crossing for centuries.

In this area, engineers also chose to develop the Renzo Piano-designed Shard building in 2009, which remains the tallest building in the United Kingdom at 309.6 metres (1,016 feet). The mixed-use property that includes office space as well as other forms of real estate has a capacity of over 9,000 people and was built in an area with no other skyscrapers, which is unique for a city that builds tall buildings in clusters.

Its name derives from the words ‘fort of the men of Surrey’ or ‘the defensive work of the men of Surrey’. It was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as Sudweca.

Today, it is both a district and a borough. The district, on the southern bank of the Thames, is part of Central London, and the wider borough extends to South London.

The southern banks of the river on which parts of Southwark stand have seen exhaustive regeneration efforts since the early 2000s.

Its South Bank area is mixed-use and largely pedestrianised and offers some of London’s most iconic entertainment venues such as Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. It is home to Borough Market, a 1,000-year-old food bazaar that is an international magnet for foodies, both online and in person. Elephant and Castle offers fabulous bars and restaurants, and office developments surrounding the Shard, such as More London, have attracted household name occupiers.

The Financial Times chose Southwark as its London headquarters for several decades. It was based at One Southwark Bridge Road from 1989 until 2019, when it moved back to its previous home, Bracken House on Cannon Street in the City.

The office building in Southwark was owned by media and advertising giant WPP at the time of the FT’s departure and was given the green light by the London Borough of Southwark to overhaul the building to provide contemporary office space meeting high environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.

One Southwark Bridge Road is an example of an office building that offers office space to rent in Southwark via a conventional lease. However, the district provides a growing number of flexible workspace solutions, including premium managed offices and high-end serviced offices.

Prime managed office spaces are pre-cabled, and the client leads the fit-out and furnishing process with the assistance of the technical teams of the managed office landlord or provider.

Custom managed offices can include private reception areas, meeting rooms, executive suites, open-plan workspaces, hot-desking areas, kitchens, and bathrooms. Clients can choose a bespoke service level package that utilises the services of the IT, hospitality, and business support teams.

Premium serviced offices in Southwark are fully furnished, fitted, and equipped with cutting-edge business technologies. Clients enjoy five-star shared amenities, including fully stocked kitchens, bookable meeting rooms and boardrooms, breakout areas, quiet zones, fitness and wellness facilities, and outdoor spaces such as roof terraces.

In contrast to leased offices, these are occupied via flexible licences, which allow businesses to extend terms and expand into larger office suites as they grow. Some offices in Southwark can provide space for over 1,000 desks spread over several self-contained floors or a designated building with its own front door.

Equally, the office licences allow a tenant to contract into a smaller suite according to changing business needs.

Flexible offices are priced fully inclusive, so the monthly rent covers overheads such as utilities, cleaning, enterprise-grade superfast and secure IT systems, furnishings, refreshments, and other expenses that would be paid separately if renting an office in Southwark with a conventional lease.

The exceptional office buildings that offer these flexible workspace options are designed and managed sustainably, ensuring they are run environmentally friendly and equipped with end-of-journey facilities, including electric vehicle chargers, showers, and changing facilities for self-powered commuters.

However, Borough, London Bridge, and Southwark stations provide excellent public transport links in the locale.