Hines has opened its new European headquarters at its Grainhouse development in Covent Garden, occupying three floors of the five-level building.

Grainhouse will house Hines’ investment and operational teams for both the European region and its British business, as well as its property management business Helix.

The 91K SF Grainhouse is a former Victorian seed warehouse and was acquired by the Hines European Value Fund 2 in March 2020. It has since been transformed into a prime office and retail scheme after a three-year restoration and refurbishment.

Hines will be joined at Grainhouse by a fashion and beauty company, which has taken two of the lower office floors with a 10-year lease for 24.5K SF of offices.

The remaining office space will be occupied by attraction pass business Go City, which has signed a 10-year lease for 6,500 SF, and Helix has agreed to a 15-year lease for circa 5K SF. At street level, restaurant operator Caravan will be opening a two-floor, 6,200 SF restaurant in October.

Designed by architect Barr Gazetas, the scheme also provides street-level retail and amenities and links five buildings originally developed in the mid-19th century.

Occupants have access to a communal landscaped terrace, 15K SF of on-site retail, including a café and restaurant, and bicycle storage, shower and locker facilities.

Hines said the design of Grainhouse aims to reduce operational carbon through a variety of measures, as well as reducing embodied carbon by retaining as much of the original structure and materials as possible.

The building has been designed to achieve BREEAM Excellent, WELL Platinum and WiredScore certification, and Hines is targeting net-zero in its operations.