Frequently Asked Questions

What has been approved by the council?

Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) has approved American Express’ planning application to construct a new building at its Edwards Street site, behind the existing Amex House building.

When will building work be completed?

On site work – demolition and groundwork began first quarter January 2010. It is anticipated that the new office will take approximately two years to complete.

Why is American Express planning to build a new office building in Brighton?

The move to enhance its main site in Brighton forms part of the company’s workspace improvement programme. The new building will enable us to improve our office facilities in Brighton as part of our global workspace improvement programme which aims to provide a better working environment for employees.

Amex House was built in the 1970’s and as such requires a significant amount of ongoing maintenance at a considerable cost. The company hopes to construct a brand new, purpose built building to accommodate the requirements of the business today.

What will the new building look like (how big, how many employees, what facilities – any new ones, restaurant, gym, car park)?

The development site will be approximately 375,000 square feet offering approximately 200,000 square feet of open plan office space. The new purpose built service centre will be better equipped to respond to American Express’ current and future employee requirements. It is intended that the building will house the employees residing at the current Edward Street Amex House.

The overall height of the building will be approximately the same height as current Amex House. The architects have moulded the design of the new building to the gradient of the location and to address the key strategic views in the area.

A number of key features will be incorporated into the building including a gym, parking and rooftop café with sea views for employees and enhanced outside space.

How ‘green’ is the new building? What plans are in place to ensure the new building is environmentally sustainable?

The new building is currently designed to achieve BREEAM Very Good (BREEAM is an industry recognised accreditation that allows the owners, users and designers of buildings to review and improve environmental performance throughout the life of a building).

The design team are targeting the next improved level, Excellent, however the amount of energy used through technologies may make this difficult to achieve. The building will be significantly more environmentally friendly than the existing facility, with enhancements including rainwater harvesting, brown and green roofs and reduced water appliances.