lidl-house-london-office-exterior-building-front

Bringing people together - sustainably accredited office architecture

Lidl House, London

Lidl GB is one of the country’s leading food retailers, employing over 29,500 people in Great Britain. In 2015, Lidl appointed M Moser to help decide whether to repurpose its existing office or relocate to another site.

The result of this collaboration is Lidl House, a new 250,000 square foot BREEAM Outstanding office building. The site accommodates its 800-strong head office team, with further room to grow.

As the architect, interior designer and lead consultant, we created a modern workspace with four floors, a basement and a multi-level parking lot.

At a glance

  1. Undertaking feasibility studies to evaluate potential sites, with technical due diligence on existing buildings.
  2. Designing the shell and core architecture and interior of a new office building with associated car park and landscaping.
  3. Creating a multi-storey car park with the largest number of electric car charging points in one location in the UK.
  4. Including renewable energy, with solar panels on the car park to provide 300kW of energy per hour.
  5. Designing the façade to address energy performance, respecting the climatic conditions and aspect of the site.
Interior of Lidl's London headquarters in Tolworth

Selecting the right site for the new Lidl office

Lidl’s previous head offices covered four sites in Wimbledon, London. After learning about the client’s aspirations, it was clear that the offices could not support Lidl’s growth plans. Splitting departments across multiple buildings also curbed productivity. So, Lidl needed to consolidate its people and real estate to support a ‘one team’ ethos.

During the building search, our architecture team provided technical due diligence and produced feasibility studies for various sites to test their fit. Findings showed a strong preference towards a building with large floor plates to support future growth. Ultimately, this led us to a site in Tolworth that met Lidl’s spatial requirements and more.

Photo of headquarters office building in London Photo match of the planning visual
Lidl headquarters in London

Securing planning permission

We worked closely with the Local Planning Authority (LPA) in the Royal Borough of Kingston (RBK) to select the site for the Lidl House HQ office building. The site was identified as a “Key Area of Change”. Therefore, the LPA expected any new buildings to add to the area’s character, while setting a positive precedent for future developments.

“Lidl House enriches RBK’s aspirations for a ‘gateway site’ on the approach to Tolworth – an entry point to central London. Lidl House has a transformative effect on the local environment. It creates a positive example for future development initiatives. In addition, Lidl is to be an anchor employer for the area. So, it significantly impacts the community by creating new jobs and boosting the local economy”, shares Associate Director and Architect RIBA, ARB, AIA, Nick Toft.

It significantly impacts the community by creating new jobs and boosting the local economy.

Nick Toft, Associate Director and Architect RIBA, ARB, AIA
Headquarters in London

Linking workplace strategy with the architecture and interior design

Our workplace strategy studies established guiding principles for the design. Lidl wanted colleague interaction and collaboration to help drive support for its now network of 950 stores, 13 warehouses and 29,500+ colleagues across Great Britain. Social spaces with refreshment facilities sit on balconies in the atrium beside the main circulation routes. As a result, people move around fluidly, drawn to the community areas at the centre.

“The atrium links everything together. Besides connecting each floor, it opens a line of sight between the main road and the Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) to the rear. There is also an East-West green route connecting the staff entrances with external parkland. Moreover, a south-facing terrace on the 4th floor offers employees fantastic views and outside meeting space”, shares Associate Director and Architect RIBA ARB, Mark Dempsey.

Lidl headquarters in London
Office staircase in Tolworth, London
Headquarters for Lidl in Tolworth London

This milestone project for the European team is a remarkable space that supports our mission of using architecture to bring out the best in people. We are excited to see how the design inspires Lidl’s colleagues in the years ahead.

Charlie Millard, Director, Head of Office
Office headquarters in London - exterior Lidl's multi-storey car park is the largest electric vehicle charging installation in the UK.

Amenities enhancing the employee experience

Lidl House provides extensive amenities, making it an attractive destination for people to work. In addition to the workspace, the office interior includes a development kitchen, canteen, conference suite, colleague wellness centre with exercise studios and a large gym in the basement.

The atrium at the heart of the building acts as a multifunctional space. For example, it offers a coffee bar, areas for collaboration and a place to host colleague events.

All workstations benefit from light from the atrium or perimeter glazing. We undertook daylight studies simulating different times of the year to ensure light reaches deep within the floor plates.

Lidl office atrium amenities in London
Lidl office gym in London headquarters

Sustainable design in architecture

Lidl House achieved BREEAM Outstanding and includes several innovative sustainability measures:

  • The installation of photovoltaic (PV) cells and solar panels to significantly reduce the building’s conventional energy source consumption.
  • Sustainable urban drainage systems manage rainwater, reducing the risk of flooding and conserving water resources.
  • Permeable paving allows water to drain into the ground, reducing the risk of flooding and promoting groundwater recharge.
  • A rainwater harvesting system recycles water for toilet flushing, conserving resources and reducing water costs.
  • Space for 200 bicycles, encouraging sustainable transportation and in turn reducing the number of vehicles on the road.
  • A multi-storey car park, with the largest number of electric car charging points in one location in the UK.
  • A daylight sensor lighting system that adjusts the brightness of lights according to the amount of natural light available, to help reduce energy consumption.
  • A building management system (BMS), that helps monitor and control the systems and services, improving efficiency.

We designed the façade to help regulate energy usage. It limits solar gain in summer to reduce cooling loads and maximises it in winter to reduce heating requirements. In turn, this informed the MEP services design.

Interior booth seating in headquarters building

Effective project leadership through BIM management

As the project architect, we used BIM modelling software to coordinate our design with the client’s consultants. Additionally, we used the files to create fly-throughs and 3D-printed models. We also served as the pre-construction lead consultant, managing the BIM Level 2 process and project collaboration software.

Interior terrace at headquarters in London
Interior terrace views from headquarters in London
Exterior building view of lidl office in London

Lidl House exemplifies our integrated approach, with close collaboration between multiple disciplines to enhance value and minimise risk. As a team, we assisted the business in achieving its future goals, while providing Lidl’s people with everything they need under one roof.

In summary, this project marks a significant achievement for Lidl GB. Over the years, we’ve supported the business through workplace strategy, feasibility studies, technical due diligence, sustainability and architectural services. We successfully guided the process of designing and constructing the office, which has been the discounter’s proud home since 2022.

Status

Completed

Completion date

2022

Location

Tolworth, UK

Area

250,000 sq ft

Accreditations

BREEAM Outstanding

Photographer

Chris Snook

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