Office Fit-Out delivered in Holborn, London WC1, WC2
Holborn · Office Fit-Out

Office Fit-Out in Holborn

Office Fit-Out across Holborn (WC1, WC2). 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 Holborn — what businesses typically need

Office Fit-Out across Holborn (WC1, WC2) 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 Sea Containers House, One New Oxford Street, Holborn Viaduct House, Warwick Court, Kingsway Tower among others. Teams mobilise from our London operations base, with direct transport links via Holborn (Central, Piccadilly), Chancery Lane (Central), Tottenham Court Road (Central, Northern, Elizabeth line), Russell Square (Piccadilly), Farringdon (Elizabeth line, Thameslink). 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 Holborn market is dominated by top-tier law firms (magic-circle, silver-circle and mid-tier), media and publishing (guardian, warner bros), higher education (lse, soas proximity), 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 Sea Containers House, One New Oxford Street, Holborn Viaduct House, Warwick Court.

Midtown spans the Inns of Court (legal), Gray's Inn Road (media — Guardian, Warner Bros Discovery), Kingsway and Holborn itself. Modern Grade A around Chancery Lane sits alongside period stock in Bloomsbury and around the Inns.

Our commercial delivery model

Camden and Westminster both restrict noisy works to 08:00–18:00 Mon–Fri, 08:00–13:00 Sat. Inns of Court buildings have additional sitting-term restrictions during legal terms. Kingsway is a red route — loading is permitted only in booked bays outside peak hours. Gray's Inn Road and High Holborn bays fill early; we book through Camden/Westminster parking services 48 hours ahead.

  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

This area sits outside the core trophy-tower premium zone — programme and pricing typically sit at the mid-range of the bands below. Figures are guide ranges — we provide a fixed quote after survey.

Typical works we deliver in Holborn

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Planning and compliance for Office Fit-Out in Holborn

Camden (north of High Holborn) and Westminster (south) split the area, with Bloomsbury Conservation Area, Gray's Inn Conservation Area and Kingsway Conservation Area all engaging. Listed buildings in the Inns of Court require LBC; Kingsway's Grade II*-listed facades restrict any external 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 Holborn

Notable buildings

  • Sea Containers House
  • One New Oxford Street
  • Holborn Viaduct House
  • Warwick Court
  • Kingsway Tower
  • 100 Kingsway
  • One Southampton Row
  • Lincoln House
  • Central St Giles
  • The Post Building
  • Bloomsbury Square (50 Bedford Row)
  • Chancery House

Notable estates

  • The Bedford Estate (Bloomsbury edge)
  • Crown Estate (Holborn edge)
  • Inns of Court (Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn)

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

Modern Grade A (Kingsway, Holborn) — 10,000–25,000 sqft plates

Office Fit-Out in modern grade a (kingsway, holborn) — 10,000–25,000 sqft 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 stock (Gray's Inn Road, Bloomsbury)

Office Fit-Out in period refurbished stock (gray's inn road, bloomsbury) 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.

Inns of Court chambers buildings

Office Fit-Out in inns of court chambers buildings 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.

Listed Victorian and Georgian terraces

Office Fit-Out in listed victorian and georgian terraces 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.

Camden and Westminster both restrict noisy works to 08:00–18:00 Mon–Fri, 08:00–13:00 Sat. Inns of Court buildings have additional sitting-term restrictions during legal terms. Kingsway is a red route — loading is permitted only in booked bays outside peak hours. Gray's Inn Road and High Holborn bays fill early; we book through Camden/Westminster parking services 48 hours ahead.

Planned preventative maintenance (PPM)

All Holborn 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 Holborn see Office Maintenance in Holborn or Commercial Maintenance in Holborn.

Case studies

Anonymised project outlines from our Holborn 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 Holborn

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 work in Inns of Court chambers?

Yes — we have delivered refurbishment works in chambers buildings across Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn, operating within the Inn's own permit and fabric-protection regimes and around sitting terms.

How does the Bloomsbury Conservation Area affect fit-out?

Interior fit-out is generally unaffected, but any external alteration, signage or shopfront change engages conservation area consent. Our architects handle the applications.

What's the typical law-firm fit-out programme in Holborn?

8,000 sqft: 10–12 weeks. 15,000 sqft law-firm full CAT B with library and mediation rooms: 14–18 weeks.

Can you handle Grade II* listed buildings on Kingsway?

Yes — our heritage team handles LBC applications for internal reversible fit-out, with conservation officer pre-application consultation built into the mobilisation programme.

Do you hold compliance records for the major managing agents here?

Yes — Savills, Knight Frank, CBRE, JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, Colliers all hold our compliance pack on file.

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Related insights

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

Start with a survey in Holborn

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