Edge Technologies enters UK with £50m acquisition

The smart building developer has announced its entrance into the UK commercial property market with a £50m acquisition of 60 St Thomas Street, on London’s South Bank.

The acquisition is subject to planning permission, which Edge will pursue in close partnership with the seller, global asset management firm Columbia Threadneedle Investments. HFF and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner advised Edge.

Predicted to be completed in four to five-years, Edge aims to build an optimised office environment and a new workspace fit for the future.

Boudewijn Ruitenburg, chief operating officer of Edge, said the firm is expanding into new markets to “address occupier demand for buildings with increasingly high sustainability standards” that put “employee wellbeing at the forefront.”

He added: “We believe in building better buildings that are not only inspiring workplaces, but that address the climate change emergency too.

“London is a global city that attracts business and talent from all over the world, so it is a natural choice for our next location. Our first development will bring our ethos and technology platform to the UK for the first time and we are actively looking for more sites across London to expand.”

Edge Technologies is part of Dutch developer OVG Real Estate, and the opening of its HQ, The Edge, in Amsterdam in 2014 caused a stir in the market. At the time, the building was considered to be the most sustainable and smart building in the world.

The Edge, completed in 2014

Since then, the developer has opened a new HQ called Edge Olympic, and has a portfolio covering Hamburg, Berlin, Utrecht and New Jersey, US.

The firm integrates a technology-enabled platform in all its buildings, with sensors monitoring all aspects of the office environment, including occupancy and energy usage, to continuously improve and optimise operations, as well as enhancing the customer experience.

Read our case study on The Edge, Amsterdam