Ghelamco – which is well-known for the creation of sustainable, energy neutral concepts – has officially launched The Arc in Shoreditch, its first venture into the UK property market.

Spearheaded by 27-year-old Marie-Julie Gheysens, the firm’s head of UK, the mixed-use hub is a new fully electric development featuring 100 new residential homes, 160,000 sq ft of office and retail space, and a health and wellness hub with 413 cycle spaces.

Established in 1985 by Paul Gheysens, the family-owned business is now being run in the UK by his daughter Marie-Julie. As well as creating urban homes, offices and retail, the developer’s track record includes branded residences, golf courses, football stadiums and hotels.

What is The Arc?

Situated just moments from trendy Shoreditch and Islington, The Arc is named after the luminescent arches at its entrance. Designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, the mixed-use development was inspired by both Star Wars and New York’s Meatpacking District, with its ‘luminous interiors and the industrial charm of the Art Moderne red façade’.

The Arc is fully electric and apparently boasts carbon emissions 30% lower than its ‘multi-fuel-operated competitors’; with triple certifications including BREEAM and WELL Gold, alongside being the first UK development to be DGNB gold certified’.

The mixed-use hub, which is keen to focus on wellbeing, will feature 100 stylish new homes on the top 15 floors, comprising of a mix of studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments designed by Bowler James Brindley.

‘Calm living spaces’ are composed of cool stones, soft woods and beautifully finished fixtures and fittings, whilst wide, floor-to-ceiling windows ‘flood each apartment with a spectrum of light’. The majority of apartments come complete with balconies and winter gardens.

Marie-Julie Gheysens commented: “I’m delighted to be representing women in construction as I believe there are no more barriers around gender – the baton was passed from my father to me to bring Ghelamco to the UK. The firm was set by up my father over 35 years ago and is still a family business today, meaning that we do everything in-house – a building is our own product from A to Z and we plan everything down to the tiniest detail.”

She added: “This level of passion can be seen throughout The Arc and we very much look forward to working on new projects in the UK over the coming months as we strive to create entire environments, with health, wellness and sustainability at the core.”

Both residents and office tenants at The Arc are set to benefit from a suite of first-class amenities, including a dedicated 24/7 concierge team, a lounge area for socialising and working, a 13-seat private cinema room and a state-of-the-art golf simulation room.

What’s more, residents will have exclusive access to a private fitness suite, complete with a yoga studio and a treatment room. The Arc will be digitally supported via an app, allowing residents to chat with the concierge team 24/7, book amenities, arrange social events, alongside providing remote lift access, to ensure a touch-free experience.

The scheme aims to provide an abundance of urban greenspace, with outdoor space at The Arc designed with urban biodiversity in mind. The Arc’s residents and office tenants will have access ‘to a plethora of greenspace’, including an expansive open-air terrace, which has been designed by Grant Associates – the landscape architects behind the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. 

The building sits on the crossroads of five dynamic districts: Old Street, Shoreditch, The City, Angel and Clerkenwell. As such, future residents and office workers will have ‘everything and more’ on their doorstep – ranging from Shoreditch’s creative concept bars and members clubs to Clerkenwell’s interior design boutiques and ‘charming village-like atmosphere’.

The development is situated just minutes from Old Street, London’s undisputed tech hub, which is interspersed with hidden street food markets and beautiful old warehouse buildings. Residents and office tenants can also choose from ten Michelin Star restaurants in the surrounding area.

Central Saint Martins, University College London, the London School of Economics and Imperial College London are all close by – making it a potentially ideal place for those studying in the city.

With Old Street station undergoing a major renovation and the high-speed Elizabeth Line on its way to Farringdon, The Arc is also set to give future residents and office workers unparalleled connectivity across London and beyond.

It’s certainly at the upper end of the market, though, with prices at The Arc beginning from a costly £728,000 for a studio apartment.