“It’s the key driver in tenant negotiations,” says Dean Manning. “Sustainability is invariably the top subject.” 

The senior vice-president of construction at Brookfield Properties is sitting at a long table in a vast expanse of vacant office space on the 12th floor of 30 Fenchurch Street. It is the only piece of furniture in the room. 

One of a dozen assets owned by the firm in the City of London, the location and views are hard to beat. The problem, despite it being completed only 20 years ago, is that it is already outdated in the eyes of the highest paying occupiers.

“It’s up against new ones,” Manning admits, gesturing out of the window at the nearby facades of the City’s eastern cluster of towers. “So what are we doing to make this relevant? How do we give them the same sort of delivery in terms of energy efficiencies, operations, user experience?”

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