In with the Old: London Offices in the 21st Century

The purpose-built office is only 150 years old – and the origins of the commercial office market as we know it can be dated in decades. The City of London, on the other hand, has been a financial and legal centre for centuries, and flourished for most of that time without either.

Today, the office market is being challenged like never before by three separate, but mutually reinforcing trends: economic concentration; environmental legislation; and the rise of hybrid working. These important factors, coupled with the climate crisis, are influencing decisions on how our office buildings should be adapted, re-imagined, or replaced.

This process is also leading to a renewed tension in the heritage arena. The retrofit-first approach has emerged from the climate emergency, injecting vigour into the retention of fabric and conservation of historic buildings. Yet, the tide of unviable offices requires radical thinking: in the small-scale to take bold steps to adapt buildings for the 21st century; while at the strategic scale there are circumstances where replacement delivers greater public benefit.

Jon Neale and Timur Tatlioglu, Partners at Montagu Evans, will explore these trends, considering their impact and explaining why the office, and the market that builds and trades them, still has a future - albeit one that might look rather different to what we have been used to during our working lives.

The talk is chaired by Lucy Bullivant Hon FRIBA, Trustee, Temple Bar Trust.

This event includes a networking reception with the speaker and audience members following the talk.

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Jon Neale is the Head of Research & Strategic Insight at Montagu Evans, providing market analysis, social and economic insight and strategic advice to support the full spectrum of the partnership’s clients. With almost 20 years of experience in real estate research and strategy, Jon applies his skills to a variety of challenges across the full range of real estate sectors and geographies. This ranges from working on questions around specific sites, buildings or portfolios to analysing wider socio-economic trends and their impacts on specific sectors.

Dr Timur Tatlioglu is a Partner and Head of Montagu Evans’ Historic Environment and Townscape team. Timur is a member of Westminster City Council’s Design Review Panel, and has been advising on development in London and across the UK for 15 years. He has particular expertise in advising clients on major and complex projects involving listed buildings, sensitive landscapes, conservation areas and tall buildings and has a particular interest in the way the built environment can be adapted to meet sustainability aspirations.

Host or Publisher Temple Bar Trust