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Rosen (left) and Jackson have been London space finders for over 25 years.
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On David Rosen's desk sits a pile of architecture guide books: The London Nobody Knows, Walking London, A Guide to the Architecture of London...this is a man with a passion for the capital's buildings. The book pile, however, has an obvious omission: there is no A-Z "I prefer to get lost", he explains. "That's when real discoveries are made". Rosen's company, Pilcher Hershman, run with business partner David Jackson, is a commercial estate agency with, after 25 years, a reputation as one of the most innovative space finders in town.
The skill that elevates Rosen above his competitors is as a matchmaker, drawing together developer, architect and tenant to make inspiring and imaginative new workspaces. Most recent triumphs include Richard Rodgers's new Soho office block for Derwent Valley and its tenant Ford, and the handsome new west London headquarters of the clothes and home retailer Monsoon, remodelled by the architecture practice Allford Hall Monaghan Morris.
Rosen's championing of the contemporary architecture has won him the accolade of honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects - possibly the only estate agent to receive such recognition. "I make the people connections," says Rosen. And, in most cases, he finds the property or plot, too. His own office is in a stunningly conceived Thirties building on Savile Row; it was built to house cloth for local tailors and has been refurbished by rising star Michael Squire.
Rosen has also spotted the potential of redundant schools, a Fifties car showroom, a paper warehouse and a Victorian bottling plant.
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Once an intriguing property is found - the more dilapidated and dishevelled the better - Rosen sets out on his sleuthwork. "Locating owners is pure Philip Marlow", he says.
The Land Registry is often the first port of call, but rarely the last. "I ask a lot of questions, make a lot of phone calls and send a lot of letters." Once an owner is found and a sale in prospect, Rosen starts the alchemy: turning an apparently unpromising shell into a highly desirable property.
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Rosen’s company helped turn this run-down paddington landmark into Monsoon’s new HQ.
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These days its is taken for granted that old industrial buildings make great offices; not so in the Eighties, when new planning laws first allowed for their change of use. Then, only designers and architects were interested in occupying "industrial" spaces. How times have changed.
Along with the housing market, the commercial property arena has lost some of its steam during the past year. At its peak, in the summer of 2000, office space in Clerkenwell reached a price of between £30 and £35 a square foot. This year, similar space starts at about £25. Soho has also dropped from around £55 to £50 per sq.ft and top quality spaces in Mayfair, St. James's and Berkeley Square, which once nudged £90 per sq.ft, have now settled closer to £80.
"We're still waiting for the £100 per sq.ft", says Rosen. But at the moment it's a tenants' market, and the prices should hold for a while". When it comes to designating up-and-coming areas to watch out for, Rosen is non-committal: "It depends who's asking but, essentially, it is still the case that, if it's in London, it's hot".
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