A new office block in the heart of Reading, the United Kingdom's largest town, has been built in 2010.
Called Reading Central One, it is being developed as a joint venture between Kier Property and Invista Real Estate, the ten floor development stands on a site, formerly an NCP car park, in the very centre of the Berkshire town's office district on the corners of Vastern Road and Forbury Road.
It has approximately 20,000 square metres of much needed grade A office accommodation in an area where the present large blocks such as the nearby Reading Bridge are becoming increasingly dated.
The design is typically Reading with heavy post-modern influences that see a building of two halves - a glassy front with acute angles on the edges and a more modern restrained back complete with a visible stairwell running down the centre.
Reading Central One looks like already becoming a success with press reports stating the Yell Group of Yellow Pages fame could take about 10,000 square metres of space in the scheme.
It is the first of two phases, the other called Reading Central Two would have 12,000 square metres and six floors, that when combined with it's neighbour will be the largest speculative office development since Apex Plaza was built in the 1980s.
A third building as part of the redevelopment of the existing Energis House into a 20,000 square metre building could also be on the cards increasing the combined size of space to 60,000 square metres but the developers have yet to make a firm decision of what to do with this site.
