Two US based firms in hi-tech industries have taken office space in Ely High Street, above the EACH shop, for their UK headquarters.  In addition, the architects who undertook the design of the scheme have also taken space within the building.

The scheme was masterminded by Robinson Layer and partner Peter Layer said: “This was a fairly ramshackled building which was previously a branch of Boots the Chemist and more recently a convenience store.  Much of the building had not been used for years and was quite dilapidated.

“Our plan was to totally redesign it to provide high quality office space with air conditioning and an attractive ground floor retail unit.  The shop of 1,230 sq ft. has taken by EACH, the children’s hospice charity, the 2,500 sq ft of offices on the upper floors have been let in three self-contained suites.  The shop was let for £38,000 per annum and the office space has averaged £13 per sq ft per annum.”

Avontus Software has taken 810 sq ft.  The firm has revolutionised how scaffolding is designed, planned, and managed on building sites, helping customers win more bids and improve profitability through state-of-the-art scaffold design, visualization, and inventory management tools. Approximately 80 percent of the refining capacity in the US, the majority of the top 10 industrial scaffolding companies, and hundreds of other global businesses depend on Avontus software to modernise their operations.

The second American firm is Accredible which is now occupying 970 sq ft.  This firm is an industry-leading digital credentialing platform which allows educational users to securely issue, manage, track, and verify their certificates and badges. Its platform is used by more than 600 organisations worldwide, with more than three million students receiving certificates, badges or blockchain credentials through their platform.

 Alan Heppenstall, the firm’s CTO, said: “"It's been a long search for a more permanent UK home and we're incredibly excited to have found a newly refurbished space right in the heart of the city."

The firm’s HQ is in Berkeley, California.

Freeman Bear Architects LLP who designed the scheme have also taken 690 sq ft.  Bruce Freeman said: “We have moved up the hill to our new offices in High Street Back which will provide us with opportunities for better communication and efficiency but also a public face appropriate for a design-led Architects’ practice. Our primary goal for the project was to bring an unknown backwater in the heart of medieval Ely back into the public domain”.

It is an RIBA Chartered Practice whose work is primarily in the residential sector with a strong emphasis on historic and energy conservation.

The new offices are at the rear of the High Street shops, in a Victorian former warehousing accessed from the back lane (High Street Back) and so completely invisible from the street. A great deal of care has been taken in the re-landscaping of the shared access, and vision panels have been introduced into formerly solid gates to allow glimpses into a previously hidden courtyard.

 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT PETER LAYER AT ROBINSON LAYER ON DD: 01223 346192 OR EMAIL: pjl@robinsonlayer.co.uk