Lewis Silkin set to leave its City HQ for £2.5bn Southbank development
London law firm Lewis Silkin is set to leave its Canada headquarters and move south of the River Thames, as it seeks to sharpen its focus on its media and tech clients.
The commercial law firm, which first started operating out of offices on Rye Lane, Peckham in 1950, said it will move from its Chancery Lane HQ to Native Land’s £2.5bn Bankside Yards development.
Lewis Silkin will take on 28,000sq ft of office space at the carbon neutral office development on a 15-year lease basis.
The firm will occupy floors six and seven of the 19-story Arbor tower, which is set to be completed this summer.
The Arbor tower will sit at the heart of Native Land’s 5.5-acre Bankside Yards development, which is set to include eight new buildings, and will see the restoration of 14 Victorian railway arches.
The multi-billion-pound development will sit on the south bank of the river Thames, at the foot of Blackfriars Bridge, just minutes away from Tate Modern art gallery.
The entirety of the Native Land’s development will run on renewable electricity, meaning the project is set to become the UK’s first net-zero mixed-use development.
The development will use electric powered air source heat pumps and has been designed for energy efficiency. Lewis Silkin is currently aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by April 2023.
Alongside office space, Native Land’s new development will also include a five-star hotel, an LGBT cultural space, and an outdoor terrace on level 19.