TSK, a national workplace strategy, design and build company, is to establish a Newcastle base in response to demand for projects across the North East.

TSK has taken the step to open a delivery studio in the city after noting a marked uplift of office regeneration projects in Newcastle and the wider region. These include the new 20,000 sq ft Nexus HQ at The Spark, a 16,000 sq ft office for LNER, a 15,000 sq ft space for Van Oord and 10,000 st ft office space for Irwin Mitchell.

Hannah Cusack, Account Director at TSK

Hannah Cusack, Account Director at TSK, said:
“There’s very little availability of new, high-quality office stock in Newcastle yet there’s huge demand from a range of sectors wanting to locate their teams in the city. It’s an unbalanced picture, so these market conditions are driving significant change. Businesses wanting high quality offices are now choosing to stay in the buildings they own or lease by upgrading their workspaces.

“There’s no doubt that the biggest focus for the office market in Newcastle is upgrading existing stock. We have been working with a wide range of businesses across Newcastle and the North East to ensure rightsizing of their office space. Underpinning this, we support them in optimising space to improve productivity, purpose and usage; in turn this helps to save costs and attract talent.”

“It’s really exciting to have our own permanent presence in Newcastle, and we look forward to working with new and existing clients across the North East to put in place workplace strategies for their bespoke requirements. Decisions around workplace projects are much more than surface level; they show a real commitment to the region and, importantly, an investment in people.”

The TSK team works closely with a range of Newcastle property experts, including office agent Michael Downey of Parker Knights, to ensure a whole market view is provided.

Michael Downey, Director at Parker Knights, said: “Right now, Grade A availability is less than 2% in Newcastle, standing at between 100,000–150,000 sq ft across a limited number of office buildings. This coupled with the fact that market rents have risen around £10 to £15 per sq ft for new schemes over the last ten years means that it’s a very tight market.

“Looking at occupier trends, we’re seeing that out‑of‑town occupiers are often downsizing into the city; while city occupiers are upscaling. Average city deal sizes are now around 4,000 to 6,000 sq ft due to lack of availability. There’s a real need for businesses to be planning ahead.”

Commenting on what this picture looks like for businesses thinking of reviewing their office space, Cusack added: “This scarcity of high-quality stock requires occupiers to consider lease opportunities far earlier and often compress the decision making process in order to secure the right space for their business needs. What’s important to remember is that early consultancy engagement helps to deliver sustainable, cost effective fit‑outs and thorough scenario planning. Sustainability must be front‑loaded into design, rather than an afterthought.”

Downey added: “It’s imperative that owners and occupiers stay ahead of the curve to get the very best from an office move. Newcastle in particular is a really busy market right now, with its great transport links and fantastic amenities it provides so much for businesses to then attract and retain the very best talent.”

TSK opened its Newcastle hub this week, and the business employs more than 100 people across the UK. The business, which also names AJ Bell, Medical Protection Society, GHD, Post Office, KPMG and Dr Oetker among its clients, celebrated a year operating as an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) in 2025 and also last year became B-Corp certified as it doubled down on its commitment to create value for clients, people, communities and the planet.

Iain Holden, co-founder and CEO of TSK, who has been at the company since its formation in 1995, said he and the team are focused on achieving sustainable growth by being agile and innovative. Research from the company has shown that its work delivers improved organisational performance, stronger culture and belonging, measurable environmental gains and purpose-led change.

UK office utilisation now averages around 66% of pre-2020 levels, according to the BCO Post-Pandemic office use report 2025. TSK works alongside organisations of all sizes to collect and utilise data which helps to make the right long-term decisions about workplace needs; helping to shape whether businesses re-purpose existing space or relocate to new, providing clear insights around how and why.