ABSTRACT
Argent has an investment portfolio of offices worth £276m with property let mainly on long leases. The company owns and lets institutional property, much of it to companies of national or international standing such as British Telecom and Lloyds Bank. Our property programme is designed to have wide appeal across the property market. The issue of market appeal is the main justification for our approach to green design: we see the creation of sustainable, healthy buildings as providing a sound long-term investment with advantages over those of our competitors. This is not only true of Argent, but also of companies that have formed development partnerships with us, such as Citibank, Hypobank and the British Telecom Pension Scheme. Green design is about taking the long-term view-of opting for quality without over-specification. As owners of property, the Argent Group believe that performance flexibility linked to the sensible use of renewable energy (in daylight and passive cooling) provides greater robustness over the life of the building than the conventional view of the air-conditioned office.
