These new, Grade A offices are part of the next phase of Finzels Reach

Bristol developer Cubex has appointed property agents Lambert Smith Hampton and Knight Frank to market Halo, the landmark, new ‘smart' office building that will form part of the next phase of award-winning Finzels Reach.

Subject to planning approval, the new Grade A, 116,000 sq ft office building will be built speculatively, before tenants have been secured, on the site of the former Avon Fire & Rescue site across the road from the first phase of Finzels Reach, with an expected completion date of mid-2021.

Halo will be let to either a single company or range of organisations on a floor by floor basis. It will cater for around 1500 staff, supporting Bristol's growing economy, and will be created alongside over 300 new homes for the rental market.

The building 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.

Amdaris, Parmenion, part of Aberdeen Standard Investments, Experis, Simmons & Simmons and Mewburn Ellis LLP are already based at Aurora, an existing stand-out office building at Finzels Reach, known for its outstanding environmental and digital connectivity credentials.

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.

Peter 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."

An eye-catching entrance has been carefully designed to create a sense of place and identity at Halo, 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 up 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.

With Spicer+Cole's new café now open, Bocabar launching a restaurant and bar in September, a popular weekly street food market running on Fridays and Left Handed Giant set to open a new brewpub and brewery this summer, together with Bristol pop-up Mission Pizza, the neighbourhood is also tipped to become one of the city's most exciting new destinations.

Halo forms part of the second phase of Finzels Reach, the award-winning new city quarter that has breathed new life into the medieval heart of the city and is widely-recognised as one of the city's most successful regeneration projects. Cubex bought the former fire station site on behalf of Palmer Capital Development Fund IV (PCDFIV), a programmatic venture by Palmer Capital that is exclusive to clients of CBRE Global Investment Partners (CBRE GIP).

The plans for the next phase of Finzels Reach also include over 300 new homes, including 20% affordable[1], as well as significant investment in improvements to the area around the site, including new landscaping, pedestrian and cycle routes. The apartments planned by Cubex on the new site will be specially designed for the rental market through a model known as ‘built-to-rent'[2].

Located less than a 10-minute walk from Temple Meads station, the striking s-shaped Castle Bridge provides easy access from Finzels Reach to the popular shopping areas of Cabot Circus, Quakers Friars and St Nicholas Market. It is close to an array of bus routes and ferries can be boarded from nearby Castle Park.

Lettings enquiries should be directed to Martin Booth at Knight Frank on 0117 917 4990 and Peter Musgrove at Lambert Smith Hampton on 0117 914 2013.