Lewis Silkin announces move to environmentally friendly London office

Lewis Silkin has announced it will move its London offices from Chancery Lane to the Arbor building within the landmark Bankside Yards development, South Bank SE1, in March 2023.

Bankside Yards is the UK’s first major mixed-use estate to be net zero carbon in operation, with the all-electric Arbor to be powered entirely by renewable energy. Lewis Silkin will occupy two floors of the 19-storey building, which comprises 23,000 sq ft.

The firm has set ambitious future carbon reduction targets, including a target to reduce emissions from gas and electricity by 21 per cent between 2019 and 2025, and has committed, as part of the Legal Renewables Initiative, to source 100 per cent of its electricity for UK offices from renewable sources by 2025. It says the new office will play a major role in achieving this ambition.

Heating will be delivered via high-tech air source heat pumps as part of an energy sharing network across the development, which means Arbor will use 30 per cent less energy than other new workspaces.

The Arbor building is due to complete this summer. The building has been designed to reflect the industrial heritage of the Bankside area. Along with an Excellent BREEAM rating, it also boasts best-in-class technological capabilities and is certified Platinum by WiredScore. Lewis Silkin will benefit from the wellbeing-friendly design of the building including double-height collaboration spaces and outdoor terraces.

Richard Miskella, joint managing partner (EIR) at Lewis Silkin, said: “When looking for our new London home, it was key that we found somewhere that reflected our culture and who we are as a firm. The brief was to find an office fit for the 21st Century, one that supports our move to hybrid working, our sustainability goals and our desire to continue playing an active part in the local community – and the move to Arbor will tick all these boxes.

“We want our people to have a strong element of flexibility over where they work but also the face-to-face time needed to strengthen relationships, foster innovation and maintain our culture and community. The move will allow us to reimagine the ways our teams work together in a post-pandemic world and enable us to ensure that time spent in the office is a genuinely positive experience.”

The office move reinforces Lewis Silkin’s existing local connections to Southwark, having partnered with the borough’s Ark Globe Academy since 2018 as part of the firm’s commitment to improving social mobility and supporting local communities. The partnership has worked to raise aspirations and build pathways to careers in law for young people, and since September 2020 has included a ten-stage mentoring programme for year 12 students focused on employability skills and providing careers advice and support.