Regal Completes Best-in-Class Sustainable Workspace in Watford
• Delivered by Fraser Brown MacKenna Architects, The Clarendon Works brings 140,000 sq ft of Grade A workspace to Hertfordshire town
• With a rich suite of amenities and a focus on health and wellbeing, sustainability and digital connectivity, it raises the bar for office provision in the south east office market
• Speculative development 80% let at completion with tenants including Allwyn and Epson UK
London 2024 – Regal Workspace, a division of Regal, has completed The Clarendon Works, a best-in-class sustainable workspace in Watford, in conjunction with Fraser Brown MacKenna Architects (FBM Architects).
The 140,000 sq ft amenity-rich office, the largest new office development in Watford, is the mixed-use developer’s first stand-alone office building and provides Grade A central London-style workspace over 12 floors in the heart of Watford on Clarendon Road.
Regal gained planning permission for the addition of two floors to the scheme in September 2022 and developed the building– one of a select few large speculative office schemes in the London commuter belt. The developer signed pre-let agreements with high-profile occupiers during construction, with the building 80% let at completion leaving just two floors remaining.
Tenants include the national lottery operator Allwyn, which took 63,527 sq ft of space over six floors and global tech business Epson UK, which signed up to 30,530 sq ft. The premium flexible offices operator YoooServ will also provide 16,795 sq ft of fully customisable flexible workspace on the ground and first floors, with private offices, tech-led meeting rooms, curated breakout spaces and videocall booths – in addition to in-house catering and event space.
YoooServ will also manage the 13,767 sq ft of amenity space and services throughout the building. On the ground floor BLA BLA, a sister brand of YoooServ, is operating a café that is now open to the public as well as tenants, with outdoor seating that activates the street frontage.
Bomboni, another YoooServ sister company, will operates a bar and roof top terrace with high-quality food and beverage options on the 11th floor, which boasts outstanding views over Watford and the surrounding countryside.
Further amenities include a fully staffed reception and a gym, yoga studio and treatment room that is available for the use of tenants, while the office also provides 134 cycle parking spaces, including a maintenance area, showers, changing facilities and lockers.
The Clarendon Works is 100% powered by renewable energy, certified by Ofgem’s Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) scheme. The building has been detailed by FBM Architects to achieve BREEAM Excellent and an EPC A rating, which will ensure it is one of the most energy efficient buildings in Watford with some of the lowest operational costs.
It is one of only a handful of office developments in the UK pursuing WELL Platinum – the highest rating under the global WELL Building Standard making it one of the UK’s healthiest workspaces – and has been pre-certified under the scheme. The project has already achieved ActiveScore Platinum, another key marker of buildings that promote health and wellbeing, and provides outstanding digital connectivity, achieving a WiredScore Platinum rating.
“The Clarendon Works sets a new benchmark for offices in Watford and the south east, providing a highly sustainable workspace that promotes health and wellbeing with a rich suite of amenities, including roof terraces offering remarkable views over Hertfordshire. On another level from its peers, it demonstrates that businesses no longer need to be in London to enjoy the very best workspaces – and don’t need to pay central London rents. The office has already attracted a range of forward-thinking businesses, and we look forward to employees moving in and the building coming to life.”
Paul Eden, Co-Founder of Regal
“The Clarendon Works provides an entirely new kind of workspace offering in Watford. The office has been designed to be highly sustainable, ensuring end users have very low operational costs, while the range of amenities provided, including the roof terrace, really sets the building apart. The ground level has been thoughtfully designed, where the café and public plaza help foster an active frontage, energising the street. The designs aim to ensure this best-in-class office sits comfortably within its surroundings, creating a workspace that Watford businesses are proud to call home.”
Sangeeta Shenoy, Associate Director at Fraser Brown Mackenna Architects
The office features a double height entrance reception, with materials including timber, brass and stone providing a warm and welcoming feel. The public plaza located on the ground floor fronts onto Clarendon Road and has been designed to address this pedestrian thoroughfare, creating a space that invites people onto the site from the road and improving the street’s vibrancy and vitality.
The Clarendon Works was built on a 0.40 ha site comprising two obsolete office buildings. The site is bounded between two primary routes through Watford, Clarendon Road and A411 Beechen Grove, and is surrounded by commercial office buildings.
The office project has been designed together with The Clarendon, Regal’s residential development, which provides 168 homes over 25 floors, with a sky garden, concierge, cinema and gymnasium.
Over the course of construction, the first Regal Academy was hosted onsite at The Clarendon Works, providing people from all walks of life with construction qualifications and access to employment pathways over a five-week course.
Run in partnership with Building Heroes, a charity that supports military veterans’ transition into the civilian workforce through a career in construction, the Regal Real Estate Academy provides participants with a Level 1 Diploma in construction skills, a Level 1 Health & Safety Award, and a CSCS Card.
Over the course of the development, the Academy has supported over 160 people with barriers to employment to gain new skills and qualifications, with the potential to enter employment in the construction industry.
Knight Frank, Lambert Smith Hampton and Bray Fox Smith are letting agents for The Clarendon Works.
