GVA’s Midlands office has been appointed to provide a range of services to the redeveloped former Assay Office building in Birmingham city centre.
The leading real estate adviser’s Property Management Consultancy team has been appointed by developer TCN UK to provide service charge and management regime for the building, rebranded as Assay Studios.
Situated on Newhall Street in the building formerly occupied by Birmingham’s historic and world-renowned Assay Office, Assay Studios provides a range of creative workspaces for businesses over basement, ground and three upper floors.
GVA will put in place a management programme for the building, ensuring that occupiers – from start-up businesses to established smaller companies – receive the best possible experience in their occupancy.
Guy Thompson, Senior Director, GVA, said: “The Assay Studios has an incredible history and is a beautiful and unique place from which to work. As a developer, TCN’s approach is very much that Assay Studios is not your average office space.
“We’ve worked closely with them throughout this process to ensure that we can deliver a programme for the building that integrates seamlessly with their positioning of the Assay Studios as a forward-thinking development that encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing.”
Designed to capitalise on its high ceilings and exposed brickwork, the Assay Studios features a number of open communal spaces and meeting rooms set around the office suites.
Working with TCN’s Centre Host, Ally Mitchell, occupiers can expect a personal approach to the flexible and agile working spaces provided in the building; creating a real sense of community.
TCN UK purchased the Grade II listed Assay Building in 2014 and invested £4m to regenerate it into 30,000 sq ft of creative office space, for Birmingham’s burgeoning tech and media industry. The refurbishment of the building has been sensitive to the heritage space, combining the traditional elements of the building with contemporary features. Assay Studios is TCN’s debut scheme in Birmingham.
Andrew Lambert, TCN, said: “Having worked with the PMC team at GVA previously on a corporate accounts basis, I was confident that they have the right level of expertise to bring to bear on this project.
“The Assay Studios is a distinctive opportunity for occupiers seeking highly collaborative workspace and it needs an equally unique management approach in place. I’m confident that Guy and his team will deliver the perfect package for us and our occupiers.”
Home to the Birmingham Assay Office since its establishment in 1878, the building was brought to the market in 2013 following the relocation of the service to a new purpose-built centre on Icknield Street.
