Forsters’ Headquarters Relocation – 22 Baker Street, London W1

Our relocation to 22 Baker Street in 2024 gave us first hand experience of delivering a complex, sustainability led office refurbishment from the occupier perspective. We brought together our four London offices into a single 50,000 sq ft headquarters, designed to support modern working, collaboration and long term efficiency.

Working closely with Lazari Investments, we refurbished the existing building through a turnkey approach that combined Cat A and Cat B works to ensure the building responded directly to the needs of a modern, flexible and high-performance professional services firm.

Design and Workplace Strategy

The refurbishment included upgraded MEP systems, improved vertical circulation and reconfigured floorplates designed to adapt over time. A double height atrium and feature staircase connect the building vertically, encouraging movement and creating a strong sense of connection across teams.

The result reflects what occupiers increasingly want from offices: buildings that work hard operationally, while prioritising experience, wellbeing and collaboration.

Sustainability Led Refurbishment

Sustainability shaped every stage of the project. A retrofit first strategy focused on retaining and reusing the existing structure, with every fixture and fitting being audited and allocated a material passport. Materials were re-used, redistributed within the building or repurposed across the landlord’s wider portfolio, with surplus donated to local community projects such as the Oasis Nature Building.. This approach delivered verified carbon savings of approximately 577 tonnes CO₂e (A1–A5) and cost savings of more than £1.6 million, while achieving BREEAM Excellent and an embodied carbon figure of approximately 196 kgCO₂e/m².

Energy efficient MEP upgrades and heat recovery systems further support long term operational performance and evolving ESG and regulatory expectations.

Design, Wellbeing and Occupier Experience

The completed headquarters offers a high quality, inclusive working environment, including a staff café opening onto a roof terrace, wellbeing and faith rooms, enhanced cycling facilities and a range of work settings to suit different ways of working.

Design decisions support wellbeing and neurodiversity through acoustic zoning, adjustable lighting, varied spatial typologies and improved access to daylight.

Legal Framework

Delivering the project involved navigating the legal and practical challenges of a complex turnkey refurbishment from both an occupier and legal advisory perspective. The project required careful structuring of the development agreements, construction contracts and occupational documentation, including the alignment of Agreement for Lease and Lease arrangements with landlord-led Cat A works and integrated Cat B delivery.

Our Construction and Real Estate teams advised on procurement strategy, contractual risk allocation and professional appointments, including managing non-standard issues arising from sustainability-led refurbishment and material reuse. This experience directly informs the advice we provide to developer clients delivering occupier-driven office schemes.

Expertise in Action

Living this project as both occupier and adviser showcases our ability to navigate the legal, technical and commercial realities of modern office development.

With one of the largest dedicated real estate teams in London and decades of experience acting for some of the biggest landlords, developers and occupiers in the country, we were delighted to be able to take that experience and put it into practice in our own home.

From sustainability led refurbishment and circular economy delivery to workplace strategy and landlord tenant collaboration, our experience at 22 Baker Street exemplifies the advice we can give to clients across the full lifecycle of office development, occupation and long term asset performance.