LaSalle Investment Management and Trilogy have leased 37,000 sq ft at the recently refurbished The Amp education campus at 41-71 Commercial Road in Aldgate, London, to the London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA).
The 135,000 sq ft former London Metropolitan University building is now 66% full, with LCCA joining existing tenants Nottingham Trent University’s Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies and Access Creative College, which between them pre-let 55,000 sq ft.
Chris Lewis, managing director, LaSalle Value-Add Investments, said: “The Amp is a great example of our venture with Trilogy, which is creating exciting new urban higher education assets to meet the increased demand from universities in gateway cities. 66% of the space has already been leased prior to completion, reinforcing The Amp’s offering as a thriving education and innovation campus.
“It is part of LaSalle’s broader European value-add strategy, bridging the gap between infrastructure and real estate, with a focus on new economy sectors including urban accommodation, student housing, private medical facilities, distribution and data centres.”
Robert Wolstenholme, founder and CEO of Trilogy Real Estate, added: “The Amp is the latest example of our strategy to develop the best innovation campuses in the country. Focused on breathing new life into unloved buildings in our city centres and high streets, our goal is well-connected hubs for universities and colleges that offer easier access and more choice for students. Our buildings create opportunities to collaborate and even co-locate with industry, business, the local community and the third sector.
“The Amp has been an ambitious project to take on – we were blessed with a building with good bones, but which needed total modernisation with a 12-month turnaround. It’s testament to the skill of the team and our contractors and designers that the result belies the huge effort that has gone into getting it into tip-top condition in time and on budget. Huge amounts of work have gone into delivering a stunning, bespoke space for our occupiers and, in turn, the students that will be beginning their professional careers in this inspiring and uplifting place.”
The Amp was acquired by LaSalle and Trilogy from the Department for Education in a sale facilitated by the government-owned property company LocatED in the summer of 2022. The partnership was advised on the acquisition by Kauffmans, which also acted to structure the pre-leasing agreement for Access Creative College and Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies during the negotiations to acquire the building.
Allsop advised Trilogy on the letting to LCCA and James Andrew International represented LCCA.
