About Us
Pella was established in 2018 by George Kyriacou and Nic Bouma as an independent Development Manager to work with investor partners to create financial value in real estate projects.
We are a dedicated and focused team with many years experience from asset acquisition through planning, delivery and sales/disposal.
Whilst we have a wide range of experience of the whole development process and across many sectors, including offices, residential, mixed use, hotel and retail, we have developed a specialised skill set that sets us apart from other developers.
Our Specialisations
Transformation
We have successfully transformed existing tired and unfit for current purpose buildings into new assets with a new lease of life, often with completely different uses and with much improved rental or saleable areas. We completely re-assess the existing building to review spatial configurations (including core replacement or transformation), massing, fitness for repurpose, frame and envelope re-use or replacement, carbon footprint and sustainability, cost and programme implications.
81 Newgate Street
Acquired in 2019 with a private equity fund and planning permission gained within 1 year of acquisition increasing the net rentable area by 96% with clever use and reconfiguration of the existing space and the addition of 3 extra floors whilst considering sensitive planning issues adjacent to St. Paul’s Cathedral and St. Paul’s heights issues.
Planning Success
We have an impeccable record of success when it comes to obtaining planning consents within record times for the optimum and implementable schemes. We bring our energy and enthusiasm into a dedicated process to achieve amazing results in super fast time.
One Nine Elms
Here George and the architects were able to convince Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London at the time, to change the location of the tallest building at Nine Elms from St George’s Tower to One Nine Elms. George and his team were able to obtain a negotiated planning consent which provided 26 acres of development on 2 acres of land. At the time of consent One Nine Elms was the tallest residential tower in Europe at over 200m. The consented scheme was subsequently sold to a Chinese developer.
Environmental Sustainability
Sustainability is at the heart of our many successful transformation projects. One of the primary reasons we have been successful in pre-letting 81 Newgate Street to HSBC is our strong ability to demonstrate how we have reused and transformed the original structure thereby significantly reducing our carbon footprint and achieving the most impressive green credentials possible well ahead of the Paris Proof Target 2030.
At 81 Newgate Street, for example, this included re-using and re-purposing the original Portland stone on the building by carefully removing it and re-working it onto the new facades. This is not a new concept to Pella. We have been doing this successfully for 25 years, with projects like South Bank Tower, Abbey House, Faraday House, Chelsea Galleries, Great Peter Street, Wigmore Street and others.
The Founders
George Kyriacou
George Kyriacou spent over 18 years as head of development at CIT. The first project he developed at CIT was More London, including the iconic Fosters designed City Hall building. Thereafter he developed a string of residential and mixed use schemes in Westminster, Kensington, Camden, Wandsworth and Southwark.
MSc (Construction Law & Arbitration), King’s College, London
BSc (Quantity Surveying)
Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (resigned).
Associate of the Chartered Institution of Arbitrators (resigned).
Nic Bouma
Nic Bouma worked with George at CIT for 6 years before heading the development of the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. He returned to London to head development at Addington Capital focusing on regeneration projects before setting up Pella with George.
MSc (Real Estate Investment) Bayes Business School, City University London, 2009.
BSc (Construction Management) University of Cape Town 1997 - graduated with distinction.
George Kyriacou is also currently a Board Member of the Cheapside Business Improvement District, which helps to promote businesses and development in the City of London.