What General Projects does

General Projects is a London-headquartered creative real estate developer, investor and operator founded in 2016 by Jacob Loftus. The company specialises in adaptive reuse, heritage regeneration, and low-carbon construction — most notably pioneering cross-laminated timber (CLT) methods and achieving a 70% reduction in carbon emissions versus conventional construction across 350,000 sq ft of delivered timber-led projects and 14 reinvented buildings. General Projects develops mixed-use metropolitan hubs combining workspace, accommodation, and cultural infrastructure across London, Manchester, and Grand Paris, with a £1.9bn development pipeline and over 3 million sq ft of completed and active projects.

The business operates through three integrated platforms: a wholly-owned workspace operator (General People) managing 400,000+ sq ft and 300+ SME tenants across five London locations; a strategic joint venture with British Airways Pension Fund and Blackrock (CUSP — Creative Urban Social Places) focused on affordable creative hubs; and The Neighbour, a hospitality-led concept in the Royal Docks. Capital partnerships span institutional LPs including KKR (Heal's Building), Angelo Gordon (Electric Park Manchester), LASALLE (Highgate Studios), Far East Consortium (Hornsey Town Hall), and BlueFive Capital (Systems London), alongside public-sector partners such as the City of London Corporation.

Revenue is generated through development management fees, asset management, workspace rental income via General People, and opportunistic asset disposals (e.g., One Poultry sold for £182.5m to Hana Alternative Asset Management with over £70m of uplift). The 16-person team carries senior talent from CBRE, Resolution Property, Derwent London, Bruntwood, FAENA Group, and Savills. Customer segments include institutional capital partners, local authorities, premium commercial tenants, and SMEs in creative and maker industries. ESG credentials include B Corp certification (score 119.7), £11m+ of measured social value delivered, and targeted BREEAM Outstanding, NABERS, and Fitwel sustainability certifications.

Name

General Projects

Legal name

General Projects

Website

https://generalprojects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

London-based creative real estate developer, investor and operator founded in 2016, specialising in adaptive reuse and low-carbon construction through institutional JV partnerships and its wholly-owned workspace platform General People.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Development

NAICS

Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retail & Mixed-Use Commercial Construction (IMAFACAB), Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Creative real estate development
• Mixed-use property development
• Adaptive reuse construction
• Workspace operations
• Heritage regeneration

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Development Management Fees: Fees earned for guiding complex development projects from feasibility to delivery, working with landowners, investors and public sector partners to align planning, design and placemaking.
2. Asset Management: Long-term asset management services pairing commercial rigour with creative stewardship, overseeing leasing, programming and partnerships to strengthen identity and protect value.
3. General People Workspace Operations: Wholly owned operating platform managing over 400,000 sq ft of studio workspaces, workshops and makerspaces across London, generating rental income from over 300 SME businesses.
4. Property Development and Sale: Development and sale of repositioned assets, such as One Poultry sold to Hana Alternative Asset Management for £182.5m after comprehensive refurbishment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

General Projects is a creative real estate developer, investor, and operator that originates, develops, and manages mixed-use metropolitan hubs combining workspace, accommodation, and cultural infrastructure. The company delivers projects ranging from £26 million to £300+ million, focusing on adaptive reuse, heritage regeneration, and low-carbon construction methods. £1.9 billion development pipeline with 3 million+ sq ft completed.

Product overview

General Projects is a creative real estate developer, investor and operator offering a portfolio of mixed-use development projects and operating platforms. The company operates across several integrated offerings: General People is its wholly owned workspace operating platform managing over 400,000 sq ft across London; CUSP (Creative Urban Social Places) is a joint venture platform with British Airways Pension Fund and Blackrock for affordable creative hubs; and The Neighbour is a hospitality-led accommodation concept in the Royal Docks. The broader project portfolio spans workspace campuses (Heal's Building, Technique, Systems), creative maker spaces (Florentia Village, Stratford Workshops), film studios (Twickenham Studios), advanced accommodations (The William, Jeuneville, Clockwork Factory), civic spaces (Hornsey Town Hall, Walworth Town Hall), and experiential destinations (Storybox, Expressway, Singer Studios). Projects are delivered across London, Manchester, and Grand Paris through capital partnerships with institutional investors including pension funds, private equity, and family offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General People Wholly owned operating platform managing over 400,000 sq ft of studio workspaces, workshops, and makerspaces across London with locations in Stratford, Royal Docks, Tottenham, Canary Wharf, and Elephant & Castle. Home to over 300 SME businesses across creative industries, operating co-working spaces, serviced offices, event programming, and cultural collaborations.
• CUSP (Creative Urban Social Places) Strategic joint venture platform with British Airways Pension Fund and Blackrock to design, deliver, and operate vibrant neighbourhood hubs supporting London's creative community. Spans workspaces, makerspaces, film studios, F&B, and leisure with focus on affordable, inspiring hubs and meaningful social initiatives.
• The Neighbour Hospitality-led destination in the Royal Docks bringing together guest rooms, dining, co-working, wellness, events, public spaces, and rooftop amenity to create a more connected way to stay in London. Designed by Studio Egret West with interiors by Holloway Li. Positioned on a prominent waterfront site within the Royal Victoria Docks.
• Development Management Services Guides complex development projects from feasibility to delivery, working with landowners, investors, and public sector partners to align planning, design, and placemaking. Core service for institutional capital partners, with project values ranging from £26 million to £300+ million.
• Asset Management Services Long-term asset management services pairing commercial rigour with creative stewardship, overseeing leasing, programming, and partnerships to strengthen identity and protect value across the development portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% reduction in carbon emissions through sustainable construction methods
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Esselco GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for The Annexe Smithfield project, a landmark restoration and retrofit transforming historic market buildings into new market, boutique hotel and public realm destination.
• Heatherwick StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign partner for The Annexe Smithfield project, collaborating on the retrofit and regeneration of historic market buildings.
• City of London CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic sector partner for The Annexe Smithfield project, working alongside Esselco Group and Heatherwick Studio as part of the wider Smithfield masterplan.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Helical plc: Boutique London office developer focused on design-led, mixed-use repositioning of older stock. Comparable in scale, philosophy and central London mandate, with overlap in heritage-conscious redevelopment.
• Argent: UK master developer behind King's Cross and other large-scale mixed-use regeneration. Comparable through long-term partnership model with institutional capital and placemaking-led mixed-use development.
• Derwent London: London-focused, design-led commercial real estate developer known for creative office repositioning. Direct peer given overlapping adaptive reuse philosophy and central London focus; GP's Senior Asset Manager Robert Selwyn previously held an asset management role at Derwent London.
• Bruntwood: UK regional developer and operator of creative workspace, lab and office space with strong community focus. Comparable workspace operating model and design-led approach; GP Senior Asset Manager Connor Brazendale previously worked at Bruntwood.

Broad incumbents

• Shaftesbury Capital: London-focused REIT concentrated on mixed-use assets in West End tourist, retail and cultural districts. Overlaps in mixed-use cultural/heritage-led repositioning though operates as larger, more diversified landlord.
• Lendlease: Global developer with UK urban regeneration focus including Elephant & Castle and Thamesmead. Overlaps in large-scale mixed-use regeneration and sustainability credentials but with significantly greater capital base.
• Great Portland Estates: London-focused REIT specialising in office and mixed-use repositioning in the West End and City fringe. Comparable in central London mixed-use development but operates as a larger, publicly listed entity.
• Land Securities: Major UK REIT and developer with substantial London mixed-use portfolio. Overlaps in mixed-use development and central London assets but operates at much greater scale and breadth.

Others

• Heatherwick Studio: Design partner on General Projects' Annexe Smithfield project. Included as adjacent strategic collaborator rather than direct competitor; relevant due to recurring design partnership on flagship regeneration schemes.

Emerging players

• Uncommon: Operator of premium co-living and co-working spaces across London and Bristol. Comparable workspace and accommodation operating model; GP's General People MD Joanna Lee previously held a leadership role at Uncommon.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/general-projects
• Instagraminstagram.com/generalprojects

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about General Projects