A GLOBAL company has signed up to occupy a whole storey of a flagship green building in Southampton city centre.

Engineering, architecture and consultancy company Ramboll has signed a 10-year lease for the ground floor of Twenty3 Brunswick Place.

It will be the first tenant into the building following a comprehensive refurbishment. Four more floors are available, ranging from 13,000sqft to 52,345sqft, with other potential tenants “seriously interested”.

Fidelity UK Real Estate Fund is the landlord of the building, which is said to have the best sustainability credentials of any office in the city.

Ewan Montgomery, portfolio manager for UK real estate at Fidelity International, said: “The Fidelity UK Real Estate Fund has a strategy to wherever possible create the most efficient and sustainable workspaces by investing in the property it holds.

“Twenty3 in Southampton is our latest and most ambitious project yet. Completing the pre-let to Ramboll is a clear demonstration that this strategy delivers the very best tenants who have sustainability at the core of what they do.”

Ramboll’s UK managing director, Philippa Spence, said: “Our new south coast base at Twenty3 aligns with our ambitions for our offices of the future, which include reducing the carbon impact of our operations and creating spaces that support our flexible ways of working and the wellbeing of our employees.

“Twenty3’s city centre location, with its public transport connections, supports low-carbon commuting, while the building itself helps us to reduce our carbon impact.

“Our fit-out is similarly environmentally conscious, and the design prioritises collaboration, flexibility and mental wellbeing.

“We are really excited to move into Twenty3, an inspirational space that will help our people flourish and deliver solutions for society that make a genuine difference.”

Southampton-based Russell Mogridge of Vail Williams, the scheme’s joint agent, said: “It is no surprise such a reputable professional services company has signed up to move into Twenty3, with its green credentials, central location and short distance to the train station, shops and restaurants.”

There are a number of “seriously interested parties considering the building”, Mr Mogridge added.

Emma Lockey of joint agent CBRE Southampton said: “The moment Ramboll viewed the property and saw our client’s vision for it, they saw the potential for it to be their new regional base.”

The building is due to be completed this spring.

Cllr Daniel Fitzhenry, leader of Southampton City Council, said: “It’s great to see our city centre offices coming back to life, with Fidelity’s Twenty3 a clear draw for companies because of the green credentials and location.”

The fit-out and refurbishment contractor for the project is ITC and the architect is Spratley & Partners.