ONE Station Hill

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

ONE Station Hill delivers a landmark 275,000-square-foot workplace in the heart of Reading, anchoring regeneration with premium amenities, community-focused public realm, and exceptional connectivity.

Location

Reading, United Kingdom

Client

Lincoln MGT

Expertise

Office Developers Brand Design [FPO] Architecture

Opportunity

Major transport investment and growing business demand created an opportunity to turn a long-vacant site, opposite Reading Station, into a new piece of town centre.

For more than 20 years, Station Hill remained a major gap between Reading Station and the town centre. As competition for occupiers intensified, Lincoln MGT saw an opportunity to create something that could stand apart from more conventional office developments. ONE Station Hill was conceived as the commercial anchor of a better-connected mixed-use district, set within a landscape of parks, squares, and gardens. The ambition was to combine exceptional workplace standards with a more welcoming public realm, helping establish a new benchmark for office quality in Reading.

Why This Matters

01
Reconnecting the Town Centre
Station Hill creates a more direct and welcoming route between Reading Station and the town centre, helping repair a long-standing gap and supporting wider regeneration.
02
Competing for Global Business
Reading already attracts major international companies. Sustaining that position depends on providing workplaces that can compete with London while offering the connectivity and quality that businesses expect.
03
Creating a Civic Welcome
For millions of passengers using Reading Station each year, Station Hill shapes their first impression of the town, giving the redevelopment significance far beyond its office occupiers.

ONE Station Hill is already setting a new standard for Super Prime office development in the U.K., demonstrating the positive impact town centre regeneration can have, when executed in a way that is sensitive and considerate of its surroundings.

Solution

A hospitality-led workplace, with spectacular views across the Thames Valley, opens directly onto two acres of public space, allowing office life and the wider life of Reading to meet.

The 17-storey building places flexible Super Prime workspace above a highly inviting ground floor conceived as an extension of the route from Reading Station. Its double-height reception opens towards Station Hill Square, with hospitality, coworking and event spaces bringing activity to the building throughout the day. Outside, gardens and landscaped streets connect the station with Friars Street, while specially commissioned artwork turns the public realm into a cultural destination in its own right. Above, adaptable floorplates and shared amenities give occupiers the flexibility expected from a contemporary workplace.

From brief to build: how strategic masterplanning and workplace design, developed with the public realm, shaped a building that serves its occupiers and has become part of Reading itself.

The design began with the building’s position directly opposite Reading Station, and the need to reconnect the station with the town centre. This drove the decision to open the lower levels, placing public-facing uses around the ground floor. Diverse and highly efficient floorplates were tested against different tenant needs, with a consistent planning grid and built-in opportunities for future interconnecting stairs. In addition to architecture, landscape and cultural placemaking shaped Station Hill Square and its surroundings, giving art and public activity an integral role in the arrival experience.

Designing the Station Arrival

Views from Reading Station tested how landscape, public space, and the building would combine to shape the first experience of Station Hill.

Impact

ONE Station Hill has brought business and public life back to a site that stood empty for decades, creating a new destination at Reading’s gateway.

Major occupiers have moved in, while public art and year-round events are turning the surrounding squares and streets into places for Reading’s wider community.

What Changed Because of This

01
New Commercial Confidence
ONE Station Hill is now 70% let to five occupiers, with new lettings achieving record rents and drawing major businesses into central Reading.
02
Public Life Returns
Station Hill Square and Friars Walk now host public events and community activity, bringing thousands of people into a site previously closed-off for decades.
03
Culture in Public
Commissioned artworks form an open-air trail through the development, celebrating Reading’s identity while making culture part of the everyday route through Station Hill.

ONE Station Hill demonstrates how workplace design can catalyse regeneration, connecting people, businesses and the wider community through a sustainable, hospitality-led destination.

Recognition

01

Estates Gazette

Featured ONE Station Hill as winner of the 2025 BCO National and South of England Awards for Best Commercial Workplace.

02

British Council for Offices

Highlighted ONE Station Hill as Winner of the 2025 BCO South of England Award for Best Commercial Workplace.

Team

Project Leadership

Duncan Swinhoe

Duncan is Regional Managing Principal for Gensler's Europe region and a recognised leader in urban transformation. Spearheading the firm's expansion across Europe, he has led the growth of the business and established offices in key markets such as Germany and France.

[FPO] Marco Gamini

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John Badman

John is a Residential Leader for Gensler’s Europe region, with more than 20 years of experience shaping residential and mixed-use projects across the UK and Europe.

FAQ

01

Where is ONE Station Hill?

ONE Station Hill sits directly opposite Reading Station, forming part of the wider Station Hill regeneration in central Reading.

02

How large is ONE Station Hill?

The building provides approximately 275,000 square feet of Super Prime workspace across 17 storeys, with dedicated amenity and outdoor terrace space.

03

Who occupies ONE Station Hill?

Current occupiers include PepsiCo, PWC, NewFlex, Kenvue, and Centrica.

04

What public spaces are part of ONE Station Hill?

The building opens onto Station Hill Square and Station Hill Gardens, which connect into Friars Walk and form part of approximately two acres of landscaped public realm.

05

How is art incorporated into Station Hill?

A commissioned public-art trail runs through the development, with works inspired by Reading’s history and created largely by artists with local connections.

06

What sustainability credentials has ONE Station Hill achieved?

ONE Station Hill has achieved BREEAM Outstanding, WELL Platinum, EPC A and Active Score Platinum, alongside an all-electric operational strategy.

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Related Expertise

Office Developers Brand Design Architecture

ONE Station Hill delivers a landmark 275,000-square-foot workplace in the heart of Reading, anchoring regeneration with premium amenities, community-focused public realm, and exceptional connectivity.

Major transport investment and growing business demand created an opportunity to turn a long-vacant site, opposite Reading Station, into a new piece of town centre.

Why This Matters

A hospitality-led workplace, with spectacular views across the Thames Valley, opens directly onto two acres of public space, allowing office life and the wider life of Reading to meet.

From brief to build: how strategic masterplanning and workplace design, developed with the public realm, shaped a building that serves its occupiers and has become part of Reading itself.

ONE Station Hill has brought business and public life back to a site that stood empty for decades, creating a new destination at Reading’s gateway.

What Changed Because of This