The Grainhouse, London 

The transformation of The Grainhouse illustrates what is possible when sustainability, heritage and wellness converge in a single project. 

The Grainhouse, a landmark redevelopment in London’s Covent Garden, presents a unique example of how heritage buildings can be repurposed into world-class, sustainable office space while supporting occupant health and wellbeing. Once a Victorian seed warehouse complex, The Grainhouse has been transformed into a vibrant mixed-use building with retail, dining and office accommodation.

As part of its sustainability and occupant wellbeing strategy, Synetica supplied enLink IAQ units for comprehensive indoor air quality monitoring across every floor of the building.

Project context: A heritage building reimagined

Situated in the heart of Covent Garden, The Grainhouse unifies five historic Victorian buildings into a single, flexible workplace. The project retains the architectural character of the site while delivering contemporary office space with high standards of quality and comfort.

Designed by Barr Gazetas and developed by Hines, the building features a combination of preserved facades, new structural systems and thoughtful interior design that focuses on natural light, materials and spatial quality. 

The Grainhouse distinguishes itself through exceptional environmental performance and a clear commitment to occupant wellbeing. Its BREEAM Excellent rating reflects the rigorous sustainability measures embedded throughout the project, including strategies for energy efficiency, water management, waste reduction and responsible material selection. Achieving WELL Platinum further demonstrates excellence in indoor environmental quality, health-focused design and operational practices that actively support the wellbeing of building users.

In addition, WiredScore Platinum certification highlights the building’s digital readiness and high standard of connectivity, ensuring it meets the demands of modern occupiers. By retaining much of the existing structure and integrating efficient building systems, the development has also significantly reduced embodied carbon while minimising operational carbon, outperforming typical new-build benchmarks.

Together, these achievements position The Grainhouse as a leading example of adaptive reuse in an urban environment, where heritage architecture and high-performance sustainability standards successfully intersect.

Synetica’s enLink IAQ’s: Deployment across all floors

To support the WELL Platinum objectives and ongoing performance tracking, Synetica delivered 17 enLink IAQ units to monitor indoor air quality comprehensively across the entire building.

Synetica enLink IAQ units are LoRaWAN-enabled sensors designed to measure key air quality parameters such as:

• CO₂
• Particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM10).
• Temperature and relative humidity.
• VOCs and other relevant gases (optional sensor upgrades).

Data is transmitted wirelessly for seamless integration with building management systems and analytical platforms. By deploying these units throughout the workspace, building managers gain real-time visibility into environmental conditions that directly influence occupant comfort, respiratory health and cognitive performance.

Continuous indoor air quality monitoring aligns closely with the WELL Building Standard’s emphasis on creating healthy indoor environments. The enLink IAQ units enable the detection of rising CO₂ or pollutant levels, allowing timely adjustments to ventilation systems. They also provide validation that mechanical ventilation is performing in line with design targets, while generating data-driven insights that support maintenance planning and ongoing optimisation of occupant wellbeing.

In addition to supporting building management, SmartSpaces, a partner technology provider, has incorporated the air quality data from the enLink IAQ units into the SmartSpaces app used by building occupants. The app is an IoT-based and AI-driven platform which allows occupants to interact with their workspace environment while accessing a range of building services.

By integrating real-time environmental data from the enLink IAQ sensors into the app, occupants can also view indoor air quality information within their workspace. This transparency provides greater awareness of environmental conditions and reinforces confidence that the building is actively monitoring and maintaining healthy indoor environments.

This level of granular visibility, both for building managers and occupants, supports continued certification compliance and underpins a proactive, evidence-based approach to environmental management.

Impact: Healthy, sustainable workplaces

The integration of Synetica monitoring technology helped The Grainhouse maintain rigorous indoor environmental quality standards at every level of the building, ensuring that health metrics align with the sustainability ambitions of the developers and tenants.

Occupants benefit from:

• Optimised air quality throughout workspace zones.
• Confidence that environmental conditions are monitored and managed continuously.
• A workspace that supports productivity, comfort and wellbeing.

These qualities reinforced the project’s broader success in achieving both BREEAM Excellent and WELL Platinum certifications, benchmarks that resonate strongly with tenants, investors and sustainability advocates.  Moreover, The Grainhouse has attracted full leasing to prominent tenants and contributes positively to the urban fabric of Covent Garden by enhancing workplace desirability in a heritage setting.

Conclusion

Synetica’s enLink IAQ monitoring units played a crucial role in underpinning environmental quality and supporting the building’s pursuit of WELL Platinum and BREEAM Excellent certifications. By providing reliable, real-time data across all floors, Synetica helped ensure that indoor environments not only meet but exceed expectations for modern, healthy workplaces.

The Grainhouse stands as a testament to forward-thinking design and building management, one where air quality intelligence is integral to the performance and wellbeing story.