Main construction works are now confirmed for the redevelopment of 75 London Wall following the signing of a £250m+ principal construction contract with Multiplex. The agreement, signed on 6 January 2026, marks the transition from enabling works into full construction on one of the City of London’s largest live commercial redevelopments.
The project is being delivered by a joint venture between Gamuda Berhad and Castleforge, with practical completion targeted for Q1 2028. At over 450,000ft², the scheme will expand the building’s capacity by more than 50% while retaining a significant proportion of the existing structure.
The contract award comes at a time when City office construction starts are at their lowest level since 2010, making 75 London Wall a notable exception rather than a signal of broad market recovery.
From PCSA to Main Works: What Has Been Committed
Multiplex has been embedded in the project for over a year under a Pre-Construction Services Agreement, supporting design development, logistics planning and construction sequencing. The move into a full main works contract confirms that key technical, programme and commercial risks have been sufficiently resolved to proceed.
This transition is significant in the current market. Many City schemes remain stalled at planning or early design stage due to viability pressure, contractor risk appetite and funding discipline. Progressing into main works indicates confidence not in market sentiment, but in delivery certainty.
Enabling and demolition works throughout 2025 were led by Erith Group, including structural strengthening, new foundations and core extensions within a constrained City site. These works have materially de-risked the construction phase now commencing.
Why 75 London Wall Is Moving Ahead as Others Stall
The decision to proceed is closely tied to timing and supply dynamics rather than optimism. Between January and October 2025, only around 2.5 million ft² of London office space entered construction, less than half the previous year and roughly a quarter of pre-2016 levels.
This contraction creates a forecast supply gap in the late-2020s for large, compliant, prime City offices. With practical completion expected in early 2028, 75 London Wall is positioned to enter the market when availability of new Grade A space is structurally limited.
The scheme reflects a growing pattern in central London development: fewer starts, larger projects and capital concentrated into assets capable of meeting regulatory, sustainability and occupier requirements simultaneously.
Adaptive Reuse as a Delivery and Carbon Strategy
Rather than full demolition, the redevelopment retains and enhances the existing building’s core structure. This approach reduces embodied carbon, shortens programme risk and improves planning certainty in a dense urban environment.
Adaptive reuse is increasingly becoming a prerequisite for major City schemes rather than a design preference. It allows developers to reconcile sustainability targets with programme and cost control, particularly where full new-build solutions would face higher planning risk and longer lead-in periods.
Design responsibility sits with Orms, with sustainability targets including BREEAM Outstanding, WELL Core Platinum and NABERS UK 5* Design for Performance. These benchmarks are now closely tied to leasing viability rather than reputational positioning.
Delivery Complexity in a Constrained City Site
Delivering a project of this scale within the City of London presents significant technical and logistical constraints. Structural retention, core expansion and live interfaces with surrounding infrastructure require precise sequencing and coordination.
The installation of multiple tower cranes during the enabling phase and the early completion of heavy structural works have been critical in maintaining programme optionality. These preparatory steps reduce the risk of downstream delays as main construction ramps up.
For contractors, schemes of this nature demand not just construction capacity, but experience in managing interface risk, regulatory scrutiny and sustainability verification concurrently.
What This Signals for the City Office Market
The progression of 75 London Wall should not be misread as a return to widespread speculative office development. Instead, it illustrates a narrower reality:
- Capital is concentrating into prime, large-scale assets
- Sustainability compliance is a baseline requirement, not a differentiator
- Adaptive reuse is increasingly central to viability
- Timing against future supply constraints is critical
The project reflects confidence in specific fundamentals (location, scale, compliance and delivery readiness) rather than confidence in the broader office market cycle. For the construction industry, it reinforces a clear signal for 2026–2028: fewer projects, higher complexity, tighter scrutiny and greater emphasis on execution certainty over volume.
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Expert Verification & Authorship: Mihai Chelmus
Founder, London Construction Magazine | Construction Testing & Investigation Specialist |
