One Strawberry Lane
Newcastle, United KingdomPioneering Community-Centric and Sustainable Office Spaces
Situated in the emerging St. James’ Quarter of Newcastle Upon Tyne’s city centre, One Strawberry Lane stands as a 70,000 sq ft, six-storey office building that redefines what a modern workspace can achieve. Designed as a flexible Grade-A office space, the building is home to several charities, with Home Group, a leading social housing charity, serving as one of the main tenants. The project represents a groundbreaking approach to office design, focusing on community integration, sustainability, and employee well-being.
Lighting Control Solution
Working closely with Park Lighting, Helvar provided an advanced DALI-2 lighting controls solution, powered by our flagship ‘950’ router, to support the evolving needs of the space. Park Lighting recognises that using the right technological foundations provides the client with a flexible, future-proof solution, which coupled with our Insights platform, maximises the benefits of the data-rich DALI-2 solution.
“Choosing Helvar for this installation was an easy decision. We needed a reliable DALI-2 system that could seamlessly integrate with sensors from another supplier and support open protocols. Helvar’s slick, user-friendly interface was crucial for our client, who wanted complete control over the building for sub-letting purposes. Despite encountering several hardware issues during the project, the Helvar team responded in great fashion, helping us overcome the challenges and deliver the results our client expected. Given our strong relationship, we will continue using Helvar for future DALI-2 projects as we feel the system is the best on the market”, says Karl Snowdon, National Sales Manager – Lighting at Park Lighting”.
Award-Winning Design and Recognition
The exceptional achievements of One Strawberry Lane were celebrated at the 2024 BCO Awards, where it earned the ESG Award for its innovative approach to environmental, social, and governance-led development. The building embodies a forward-thinking philosophy that challenges traditional office models by embracing community use, social value, and sustainable design principles.
Community Integration and Social Impact
The ground floor of One Strawberry Lane is dedicated to community use, featuring a café open to the public and tenants, providing a welcoming space where people can come together, work, and exchange ideas. This community-first design approach aligns with Home Group’s ambition to create a community hub, which has already led to a significant increase in office occupancy across the organisations housed there.
The project delivers substantial social value, validated by the Social Value Portal with a 44% social value return, significantly surpassing the national average for similar projects. The building supports 1,500 voluntary sector organisations by offering free workspace, and revenue from corporate events helps fund additional community activities.
Sustainability Achievements
One Strawberry Lane is an example of how to deliver all elements of ESG to the highest level. It employs an innovative carbon monitoring tool that has already resulted in savings of 6.5 tonnes of CO2. The design maximises energy efficiency and reduces environmental impact through features such as the green wall and flexible lighting controls.
Raymund McGrath, Regional Sales Manager – North, Scotland, and Ireland, remarked: “This project exemplifies how a thoughtfully designed space can transform a traditional office into a dynamic, community-oriented environment. The advanced DALI-2 lighting controls not only enhance flexibility and energy efficiency but also support the social and environmental ambitions of One Strawberry Lane”.
One Strawberry Lane is more than just an office; it is a model for future workplaces, where the boundaries between corporate and community use are blurred to foster positive social impact and a sustainable future.
Key Facts
Size: 70,000 ft²
Client: Home Group / Ask Real Estate
Lighting control: Helvar in partnership with Park Lighting
M&E Engineer: Hydrock / SES
Contractor: BAM Construction North East / Overbury
Architect: Ryder Architecture
Newcastle, United Kingdom
