8 St Paul’s Street, an “ageing and undesirable” office building in the centre of Leeds has been transformed into brand-new Grade A office space by an Edinburgh architect.
The comprehensive refurbishment and redevelopment of 8 St Paul’s Street have been masterminded by leading architects brown + company on behalf of owners W Denis, a national insurance broker.
The 1960s building, which was bought from Schroders for an undisclosed sum, is now the headquarters of W Denis.
Rob Miller of brown + company, based In Edinburgh, explained: “This was a tremendously exciting and rewarding project for us. It is fair to say that when W Denis bought the building, it was ageing, underutilised and unloved. But, given its prominent position in the heart of Leeds’ professional core, only five minutes from Leeds Station, it had tremendous potential.”
The scheme gained planning consent in 2023. brown + company were then appointed to redesign the eight-storey building to make it fit for modern occupiers. The architects have subsequently worked collaboratively with contractor MLC and interior designer RuCreative to deliver an outstanding, best-in-class, office development in the heart of Leeds.
The existing building was extended by a storey and out to the rear, increasing the office floor space by 30% to 25,000 sq ft.
The internal fit-out includes an impressive reception area, shared meeting spaces, two new floors, a brand-new roof garden and high-quality and flexible office accommodation for owner-occupiers W Denis, who have taken three floors themselves.
Kathryn Thew, speaking on behalf of W Denis, commented: “The experience of working with brown + company on the construction and redevelopment of our office block in Leeds exceeded our expectations from start to finish.
“Throughout the project the team demonstrated exceptional professionalism, creativity, and technical expertise. They took the time to understand our operational requirements and translated them into a modern, functional, and visually impressive workspace that has transformed the building.
“Their attention to detail, proactive communication, and ability to coordinate effectively with contractors and consultants ensured the project remained on track and was delivered to a high standard. They provided innovative solutions to challenges as they arose and consistently focused on achieving the best outcome for our business.
“The finished development has completely transformed the appearance and functionality of the building, creating an environment that is welcoming, efficient, and fit for the future. We have received numerous positive comments from staff, tenants, and visitors.”
Rob Miller continued: “One of our prime concerns when redesigning and upgrading 8 St Paul’s Street was sustainability. This is crucial when transforming an existing building into a state-of-the-art, hi-spec modern office.
So, we retained embodied carbon on site, thermally improved the building, reused parts of the external 1960s façade in the mezzanine interior, and facilitated energy generation on site, all helping to achieve a BREEAM excellent score, which is high for an existing building.
“We were also focussed on creating a contemporary office environment, including breakout spaces, a gym, a yoga studio, rooftop garden, a bar area, formal and informal meeting spaces and large kitchens, which all help with collaborative working and creating a health work-life balance and employee wellbeing.
“We also did a lot of work on improving the daylight quality within the building, hence the new facade design, and introduced lots of planting throughout the building.”
