Office Fit-Out delivered in City of London, London EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4
City of London · Office Fit-Out

Office Fit-Out in City of London

Office Fit-Out across City of London (EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4). Office fit-out delivery for new lease take-ups, HQ relocations, floor consolidations and landlord CAT A works. Programme-driven, with a single fixed-price contract spanning design, build, M&E and handover.

Estate-approvedCDM 2015FIRASNICEIC£10M insured

Office Fit-Out in City of London — what businesses typically need

Office Fit-Out across City of London (EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4) is delivered by our in-house commercial team with current estate approvals and compliance records on file. We have completed works in or adjacent to 22 Bishopsgate, The Leadenhall Building, 20 Fenchurch Street (Walkie-Talkie), The Scalpel, 100 Liverpool Street among others. Teams mobilise from our London operations base, with direct transport links via Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Bank, Cannon Street, Fenchurch Street, St Paul's, Aldgate and the new Elizabeth line at Liverpool Street and Farringdon. Every project is run by a named project manager reporting weekly with photographs and programme RAG. Out-of-hours loading, estate permit-to-work and managing-agent liaison are included in the prelims — not charged as variations.

The City of London market is dominated by global investment banks and trading houses, top-tier law firms and professional services, insurance and reinsurance (lloyd's market), each with distinct office fit-out requirements — programme compression, landlord co-ordination, out-of-hours delivery, and full compliance ownership. Our commercial team has delivered office fit-out in trophy buildings including 22 Bishopsgate, The Leadenhall Building, 20 Fenchurch Street (Walkie-Talkie), The Scalpel.

The Square Mile is London's densest office market — 9m+ sqft of Grade A stock across trophy towers (22 Bishopsgate, Leadenhall Building, Walkie-Talkie, Scalpel) and period blocks around Liverpool Street and Moorgate. Occupiers are dominated by financial services, professional services, insurance and legal, with increasing tech and life-sciences take-up post-2022.

Our commercial delivery model

Standard working hours are 08:00–18:00 Mon–Fri; heavy noise works typically only permitted 08:00–18:00 or out-of-hours by managing-agent agreement. Trophy buildings commonly mandate loading slots booked 72 hours in advance. Loading bays are pre-booked through estate management — Broadgate, Paternoster, Aldgate all operate tight loading windows. Vehicles over 7.5t face restrictions in the City's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and in some streets under the Bank Junction traffic restrictions.

  1. Stage 1

    Brief capture and space test-fit in 10 working days

  2. Stage 2

    Fixed CAT B design package — Stage 3 drawings, M&E schedules

  3. Stage 3

    Principal contractor appointment, CDM 2015 notification to HSE

  4. Stage 4

    Weekly client reports with photos and programme RAG status

  5. Stage 5

    Commissioning, O&M issue and 12-month defects period

Programme, budget, and disruption

TierRangeWhat's covered
CAT A£60–£95 per sqftBase-build finish to let-ready standard
CAT A plus£95–£140 per sqftCAT A with added meeting rooms, kitchen, furniture-ready finishes
CAT B standard£120–£200 per sqftFull occupier fit-out with partitioning, joinery, M&E
CAT B premium / HQ£220–£380 per sqftBespoke design, high-spec finishes, AV, branded reception

City, Canary Wharf and prime Westminster carry a typical 10–20% premium over outer London zones due to loading restrictions, out-of-hours working and estate-approval overheads. Figures are guide ranges — we provide a fixed quote after survey.

Typical works we deliver in City of London

CAT A — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

CAT A plus — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

CAT B standard — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

CAT B premium — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Test-fit — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Space plan — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Demountable partitioning — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Acoustic glazing — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Planning and compliance for Office Fit-Out in City of London

Works in the City engage the City of London Corporation's planning framework and, for listed buildings, Listed Building Consent. Out-of-hours loading is tightly controlled under the Code of Construction Practice. Many buildings carry conservation area or heritage designations requiring specialist finishes and reversible alteration.

Service-specific compliance

CDM 2015 principal contractorFIRAS-certified fire-stoppingNICEIC electrical certificationPart B, Part E, Part M Building RegulationsBS 5266 emergency lightingF-Gas handling for any HVAC alterationsWELL/BREEAM input where required£10M PL + £10M PI insurance

Buildings we have worked in across City of London

Notable buildings

  • 22 Bishopsgate
  • The Leadenhall Building
  • 20 Fenchurch Street (Walkie-Talkie)
  • The Scalpel
  • 100 Liverpool Street
  • One Angel Court
  • Aldgate Tower
  • Salesforce Tower (Heron Tower)
  • Tower 42
  • Broadgate Tower
  • 1 Finsbury Circus
  • Paternoster Square
  • One New Change
  • Cannon Place

Notable estates

  • Broadgate Estate (British Land / GIC)
  • Paternoster Square (Mitsubishi Estate)
  • Aldgate Place
  • City of London Corporation managed zones
  • Great Portland Estates holdings

Reference list available on request under NDA.

Our process — seven stages

  1. Survey

    Measured condition survey within 5 working days, including M&E, fabric and compliance review.

  2. Brief

    Scope capture workshop with stakeholders — occupier, landlord, managing agent, FM team.

  3. Design

    Stage 3 design package with space plan, M&E schedules, specification and CAT A/B split.

  4. Fixed quote

    Lump-sum price against the design package. All prelims transparent.

  5. Mobilisation

    CDM notification, RAMS, permit-to-work, landlord licence-to-alter, estate approvals.

  6. Delivery

    Weekly client reports with photos, programme RAG, variation log, compliance status.

  7. Handover

    O&M manuals, as-built drawings, building-regs sign-off, 12-month defects period.

Office Fit-Out specifications by building type

Trophy tower Grade A (25,000+ sqft floor plates)

Office Fit-Out in trophy tower grade a (25,000+ sqft floor plates) is typically specified to cat a level — base-build finish to let-ready standard. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.

Period refurbished blocks (5,000–15,000 sqft plates)

Office Fit-Out in period refurbished blocks (5,000–15,000 sqft plates) is typically specified to cat a plus level — cat a with added meeting rooms, kitchen, furniture-ready finishes. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.

Listed buildings in conservation areas (Bank, Guildhall)

Office Fit-Out in listed buildings in conservation areas (bank, guildhall) is typically specified to cat b standard level — full occupier fit-out with partitioning, joinery, m&e. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.

Converted warehouses (Shoreditch edge of EC2)

Office Fit-Out in converted warehouses (shoreditch edge of ec2) is typically specified to cat b premium / hq level — bespoke design, high-spec finishes, av, branded reception. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.

Out-of-hours, weekend, and live-environment working

CAT B fit-out is typically delivered during standard working hours from a vacant demise. Where we take possession of an occupied floor for phased works, we operate night and weekend shifts with sealed segregation, low-noise equipment and managed loading slots booked with the managing agent.

Standard working hours are 08:00–18:00 Mon–Fri; heavy noise works typically only permitted 08:00–18:00 or out-of-hours by managing-agent agreement. Trophy buildings commonly mandate loading slots booked 72 hours in advance. Loading bays are pre-booked through estate management — Broadgate, Paternoster, Aldgate all operate tight loading windows. Vehicles over 7.5t face restrictions in the City's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and in some streets under the Bank Junction traffic restrictions.

Planned preventative maintenance (PPM)

All City of London occupiers benefit from a PPM framework covering L8 water hygiene, EICR, emergency lighting, F-Gas registers and fabric maintenance. For a scoped PPM package in City of London see Office Maintenance in City of London or Commercial Maintenance in City of London.

Case studies

Anonymised project outlines from our City of London and adjacent-area portfolio — full reference list with contact introductions available on request under NDA.

Law firm CAT B relocation

Scope · 14,500 sqft

Budget band · £2.3M

Programme · 16 weeks

Full CAT B including client suite, library, mediation rooms

Delivered under single-contractor D&B with CDM 2015 principal contractor duty. Full compliance pack at handover.

Venture capital HQ

Scope · 6,200 sqft

Budget band · £1.1M

Programme · 12 weeks

Premium finish, bespoke joinery, boardroom AV containment

Delivered under single-contractor D&B with CDM 2015 principal contractor duty. Full compliance pack at handover.

Fintech consolidation fit-out

Scope · 9,800 sqft

Budget band · £1.4M

Programme · 13 weeks

Open plan, acoustic pods, 12 meeting rooms, town hall space

Delivered under single-contractor D&B with CDM 2015 principal contractor duty. Full compliance pack at handover.

FAQs — Office Fit-Out in City of London

What is the difference between CAT A, CAT A plus and CAT B?

CAT A is the landlord's base-build finish: raised floors, suspended ceilings, perimeter heating/cooling and emergency lighting. CAT A plus adds meeting rooms, kitchen, and sometimes furniture to let to occupiers immediately. CAT B is the tenant's full occupational fit-out: partitioning, branding, joinery, AV and finishes.

How quickly can you mobilise a fit-out?

For a standard CAT B of 5,000–15,000 sqft we can mobilise within 3–4 weeks of instruction, subject to licence-to-alter. A full CAT B programme typically runs 10–16 weeks.

Do you self-deliver M&E or subcontract it?

We self-deliver electrical and small-works mechanical through our in-house team, with specialist subcontractors on chillers, VRF and BMS. All works are covered by the main contract.

Can you handle BREEAM or WELL certification input?

Yes — we work with the project assessor, supply tracked submittals for materials, air-quality data for paints and adhesives, and commissioning reports for M&E.

Will you manage the licence-to-alter with our landlord?

Yes. We prepare the drawings, M&E schedules, method statements and condition schedule required by the landlord's surveyor, and manage the approval process to completion.

How do you price — per sqft or open-book?

Fixed lump-sum against an agreed specification. Variations are priced per item before issue. No percentage preliminaries markups.

Do you hold estate approvals for Broadgate, Paternoster and Aldgate?

Yes — we hold up-to-date CSCS, insurance and compliance records on file with all major City estate managers. First mobilisation time from instruction is typically 5 working days.

How do loading restrictions affect programme?

Loading is pre-booked with the estate — for typical CAT B fit-out we request a rolling 72-hour slot allocation. For out-of-hours deliveries (6am–8am, 6pm–10pm) we book 2 weeks ahead.

Can you work around trading hours for investment banks?

Yes. Most works are phased into 6pm–6am night shifts with full dust-sealed segregation, low-noise tools and managed waste removal. Trading floors remain operational throughout.

Do you handle Listed Building Consent for City period buildings?

Yes — our architectural team manages LBC applications and works with the City's conservation officers on reversible fit-out, historic joinery retention and compatible finishes.

What's typical programme for a City CAT B fit-out?

5,000 sqft: 8–10 weeks. 15,000 sqft: 12–16 weeks. 30,000+ sqft: 18–24 weeks phased.

Related services in City of London

Related insights

In-depth articles on commercial fit-out, compliance and market strategy.

Start with a survey in City of London

Measured condition survey within 5 working days. Fixed-price quote within 10. Estate approvals on file.