On 7 October 2025, McGuireWoods London partner Callum Hassall moderated the session “From Spec to Let: What It Takes to Deliver a Winning Office in 2025 – Aligning Design and Construction for Faster, Smarter Office Delivery” at Bisnow’s UK Office Conference Series: Leasing Trends and Occupier Demands.
The session drew a full-house audience of more than 200 attendees, with perspectives across development, investment, design and ESG. The conversation cut straight to the essentials: pipeline, retrofit vs. new build, sustainability, early collaboration, amenities and placemaking, and regional dynamics.
Hassall was joined on the panel by Dan Scanlon, Brookfield Properties’ president for the United Kingdom; Alexandra Thorpe, an associate director at CO-RE; Ed Atterwill, Aviva Investors’ head of Central London; Frances Brown, a partner at Cundall Johnston & Partners; and Richard Hutchinson, a director at LOM Architecture & Design.
Here are some key takeaways from the session:
Future outlook: A cautious turn in the cycle, with delivery still constrained
London’s office outlook is still positive, but financing costs, construction inflation and planning hurdles hold back near-term delivery. A substantial consented pipeline exists, but many projects are on hold until capital and costs are clearer. Unlocking these projects will require planning flexibility and a practical approach to funding. Rising estimated rental values and a tight Grade A pipeline make prime London offices more appealing to investors, even in the face of recent outperformance by alternative sectors such as living and logistics.
Meeting prime demand: Timelines, pre-lets and the retrofit reality
New build and retrofit projects bring their own challenges. Ground-up schemes usually mean a 5-to-6-year timeline and now rely more on early pre-lets to unlock funding. Retrofits can be quicker on paper but often get complicated by structural limits and compliance hurdles. Success depends on starting with “good bones” – strong layouts, cores and servicing – and designing for long-term use. Both routes need time and careful testing for viability, and developers are becoming more cautious overall.
Retrofit versus new build: Carbon, lifecycle, scale and location
Retrofit often wins on embodied carbon and waste reduction, but not every building is a good fit. Reuse should be the default when it cuts lifecycle emissions and keeps the asset relevant long term, with new build occurring only when function, scale or context demand it. Sometimes one well-placed, high-capacity tower can do more for mobility, community and emissions than patching up several smaller sites. There is no one-size-fits-all rule – the most sustainable result is a building that runs efficiently and stays fully used over its life.
Early collaboration: Compressing risk, accelerating delivery
Early engagement with investors, occupiers, the design team and planners is key to delivery certainty. Getting everyone around the table early aligns commercial goals with technical and ESG needs, cuts down redesigns and smooths the planning process. Collaboration and early tenant input help de-risk specs and amenity plans. In a market with tight capital and timelines, joined up problem-solving from day one makes all the difference.
Amenities and placemaking: Curate for context, avoid gimmicks, design for security
Amenities still play a big role in leasing success, but thoughtful curation matters more than ticking boxes. Offerings that could be viewed as gimmicky and risk being underutilized in practice should be avoided. Cycle storage in particular has fallen victim to over-provision in recent years (as discussed in McGuireWoods London real estate team’s recent campaign – Breathing Life Back Into Subprime Offices). Placemaking should shape the offer, focusing spend where it delivers most value and linking buildings to their surroundings.
Regions: Same occupier expectations, different models of delivery
Regional tenants now expect the same quality, sustainability and amenities as their London counterparts do, though the route to delivery can differ. Returns depend on a development’s success in enriching the local area, creating office hubs and improving transport links. Cambridge and Manchester are examples of how placemaking and ESG goals work best when shaped around local economies.
Practical implications for transactions and development
The goals of each player in this sphere are different but closely connected. Developers focus on design flexibility, pre-let strategies, and clear sustainability plans that meet planning, funding and tenant needs. Investors need to distinguish true retrofit opportunities from assets that really need major rework or full redevelopment. Occupiers benefit from getting involved early to shape specs, amenities and flexibility while speeding up delivery. The most successful projects will blend strong carbon thinking with adaptable design, great amenities and teamwork that keep risks low.