The law firm is the latest tenant at the recently completed Bristol office scheme

National law firm Knights is moving into a 60-person office at CEG’s EQ Development in Bristol.

The building is now 84% let as Knights joins HSBC, Arup, Evelyn Partners, Dojo, Rathbones, Rund and Baxter Storey at the 200,000 sq ft building – which is the largest speculative office development in the south of England which can be completed and will accommodate. over 2,000 workers.

James Christacos, director of client services at Knights, said: “The move to EQ is a significant development for our team in Bristol. This new location makes us more accessible, bringing our people closer to customers in the heart of the city.

“It marks our continued investment in our people as we grow in Bristol and the South West and gives us a strong base from which to deliver our comprehensive range of business and private wealth services as we continue to attract the most good and more ambitious professionals. “

Paul Richardson, investment manager at CEG, said: “CEG is committed to providing the best commercial workspace, so we are delighted that EQ has been recognized as excellence in the office sector.

“We set out to raise the bar – in terms of durability, technology, design and occupant well-being. We have achieved this by not only unveiling Bristol’s first operational net zero commercial office building, but also using 10% of the space to provide high quality facilities, from the 50 seat auditorium, fitness studio, lounge of hospitality, terrace and event space to the coffee shop on the ground floor. This approach to wellbeing and balance for those who work here continues to attract such a caliber of occupiers.”

Sustainability and well-being are at the heart of EQ.

Tenants have full building connectivity and control of lighting and ventilation systems with a real-time feed of energy consumption so they can continuously improve. Technology initiatives range from building app, computer-aided facilities and building energy management systems, automatic number plate recognition for parking access, smart mailboxes to electric vehicle charging.

Ian Wills, Director at JLL, one of the agents for EQ, commented: “The quality of finishes and level of amenity space have set a new benchmark in Bristol’s growing market and this is demonstrated by the prime rents that have been achieved. with pre-leased tenants. The building is highly flexible, allowing for multi-tenant occupancy and has attracted a diverse range of occupiers from technology, financial and professional services.”

Phil Lines, UK director of Buro Happold, said: “EQ’s exceptional design and the technological prowess it embraces responds to the step change in the way people work and occupy the workspace. Employers care deeply about the sustainability of their environment and want flexible and capable workplaces. EQ is the next generation of smart buildings; efficient and sustainable, encouraging productivity and collaboration to flourish. This drive to meet the needs of our customers now and into the future means that CEG has delivered a global benchmark in one of the UK’s most exciting cities.”

Architect Luke Schuberth of Aukett Swanke said: “EQ is a first-class piece of architecture that we loved being involved in creating. It’s a testament to a client that has clear ambition and vision, and a design team that has strength in depth and a culture to drive innovation.

It was a joy to design EQ, to push the boundaries of office design with health and wellbeing and a sustainable ethos at its core. The building will increase the energy of the people in it, while reducing the energy needed to run it.”

CEG has one of the largest office development pipelines in Bristol, delivering around 400,000 sq ft across its local portfolio at Quorum, The Crescent, 1000 Aztec West and EQ.

The £17m redevelopment of 1000 Aztec West was completed last year, along with the redevelopment of The Crescent and refurbishment of The Quorum, offering a range of Bristol’s highest quality city center and out of town workspace.