Tavis House – Lateral Property Investment

PROJECTS

Adapting historic fabric for modern science and technology.

Tavis House, Bloomsbury, London

CapabilitiesDevelopment Manager
Asset Manager

SectorScience & Technology

DetailsNIA 63,000 sq ft

In partnership with

Year2023

Overview

Located in Bloomsbury at the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter, Tavis House presented a rare opportunity to transform a 1930s building into a state-of-the-art facility for science and technology. Its scale set it apart: large enough to serve as a potential HQ building, a rarity in London’s science and tech market. Combined with its urban location and proximity to world-leading research, healthcare, and academic institutions, Tavis House offered the chance to deliver a technically resilient platform that could anchor ambitious occupiers at the centre of the Knowledge Quarter.

Challenge

The central challenge was whether a 1930s building could be converted into a facility capable of supporting the complex requirements of science and technology occupiers. Any plan needed to overcome physical constraints while delivering technical resilience, adaptability, and flexibility across a broad spectrum of uses. Equally, the opportunity to create a building of genuine HQ scale demanded a design and business plan that could meet the expectations of major occupiers while remaining relevant over the long term.

Solution

Lateral applied its proprietary Cluster Integration Model to map the Knowledge Quarter ecosystem and evaluate how Tavis House could respond to sector needs. Alongside this, detailed technical analysis established benchmarks for laboratories, technology R&D space, and supporting infrastructure, tested against the building’s existing fabric. This research demonstrated how a 1930s structure could be adapted into a high-performing, future-proof HQ platform for science and technology. The resulting business plan balanced technical feasibility with occupier needs, providing a clear and deliverable pathway for conversion.

Outcome

The plan established a viable strategy to reposition Tavis House as a modern HQ-scale hub for science and technology, overcoming the inherent complexities of its 1930s construction. It demonstrated how central London can accommodate technically robust, adaptable facilities of scale, supporting a broad spectrum of occupiers while reinforcing the Knowledge Quarter’s global leadership. The outcome was a business plan that proved the building’s potential to offer something unique in the London market: a central HQ opportunity for science and technology.