Award-winning tower highlights town centre regeneration

Forming part of Reading town centre’s regeneration scheme,Thames Tower is now complete and providing a highly visible landmark overlooking the main railway station.

Previously described as a dated 1970s office block, the building has been refurbished into one of the most desirable office locations in the Thames Valley.

Externally the building was stripped back to its original frame and re-clad in high quality terracotta, taking inspiration from the surrounding 19th century brick buildings in the town centre and a New York skyscraper.

Four new steel-framed office levels have been added to the top of the building increasing the available space to 16,900m². Each floor of the new steel floors has generous floor-to-soffit heights of 3.7m on the 11th–13th floors and 4.2m on the uppermost 14th floor.

According to project architect dn-a, exposing the steel structure on the upper floors has highlighted the contrast between the new steelwork and the old concrete Thames Tower, emphasising the rebirth of the building as a modern workspace

On the top floor, a new rooftop lounge, terrace and garden has been added. The Roost offers a vibrant 371m² space for occupiers to relax and enjoy the spectacular views of Reading and the Thames Valley.

Developed by a partnership between Landid and Brockton Capital, the £44M Thames Tower has attracted a number of high profile occupiers, including financial services giant HSBC, professional services firm BDO, recruitment firm Austin Fraser and natural food specialist Pret A Manger.

Steelwork for the project was fabricated, supplied and erected by Shipley Structures, and the Tower won a Structural Steel Design Award in 2016.