FI Real Estate Management has announced the creation of the UK’s largest ‘clean air mural’, which will form part of the £4m transformation of Nelson Gate in Southampton into The Bulb – 155,000 sq ft of reimagined workspace which will incubate and futureproof local careers, in line with the job requirements of tomorrow.
Located next to Southampton Central railway station, The Bulb’s £3.5m internal fit-out includes 40,000 sq ft of brand-new Cat A space with exposed ceilings, new LED lighting and energy efficient Bluetooth-controlled VRV air conditioning, new toilets and shower facilities.
The 1,005 sq m mural will be created by one of the most fascinating and prolific street artists of the 21st century, Nerone, using C02 absorption paint. It is estimated that the annual amount of CO2 absorbed by The Bulb mural will be around 65kg – equivalent to three mature adult trees.
Southampton is one of the top four most polluted ports in Europe – an issue being tackled by Southampton City Council’s Air Quality Action Plan.
Three mural designs have been shortlisted – with FI Real Estate inviting the people of Southampton to choose the final artwork. Local artist Will Rosie has created a special QR code artwork for the exterior of Nelson Gate, allowing passers-by to scan and vote as they pass the building.
The online vote will run for three weeks, with the winning design chosen at the end of March, ahead of Nerone beginning work onsite in April.
Place your vote at The Bulb Southampton website.
Nerone is appealing to the local art community to get involved – not only assisting him in the creation of the mural, but also to take part in the art workshops which are taking place during his residency.
Tim Knowles, Founder and Managing Director at FI Estate Management, commented: “Our aim is for The Bulb to become a real landmark in the city, so it’s really important to us that the people of Southampton and those who travel there to work have a say in what it looks like.”
Councillor Sarah Bogle, Cabinet Member for Economic Development at Southampton City Council, commented: “The Bulb frames one of our important gateways to Southampton when arriving by train. The ambition is to enliven this space with exciting public art to show off our culturally vibrant city to everyone coming to Southampton.
“We welcome the opportunity for residents to vote on the mural created by Nerone, which is a great way to get people involved in place shaping both here and across the city, and look forward to creating more opportunities like this for our fantastic local artists.”
Ryan Barber, Head of Office at FI Real Estate Management, added: “Following extensive investment in the site, including a major internal refurbishment, we are extremely proud of what has been achieved. We feel “The Bulb” is a valuable addition to the Southampton office market. Following the Future of Work Summit in January, it is evident how vital it is to create the right environment to support the future roles of tomorrow. We are fully committed to achieving this in Southampton, through continued investment within the building and our future commitment to improving the surrounding area.”
As one of the UK’s most established names in commercial asset and property management, FI Real Estate Management operates an extensive and diverse portfolio which covers over 15m sq ft, including 5m sq ft of new build developments, across the nation, with assets totalling in excess £1.2bn.
Nella Pang of Omega RE and Andy Hodgkinson Lambert Smith Hampton are acting as joint agents for the office space.
