Celebrating 20 years in business, 8build reflects on its projects, people, and performance
From complete fit outs to heavy refurbishments and new builds, 8build is the highly reputable name behind some of London’s most iconic buildings. Striving to provide a first-class approach to every project, 8build brings industry leading quality and expertise to ensure a seamless experience for its clients and communities.
Outside of London, the business has offices in Singapore and Cambridge, with an ever-growing presence. Although 8build’s roots lie in commercial fit out projects, the company has diversified into other sectors, such as education, life sciences, healthcare, arts and leisure, aviation, and residential, over its 20-year history.
Established in 2005 by eight individuals from the construction industry, 8build remains privately owned and has earned a strong reputation, leading to repeat business over several years. As one of the original eight founders and now serving as Director, Andy Tooley sits down with us to reflect on the company’s evolution as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. Adding flavour to our conversation, Andy is joined by Kayleigh Oakford, Strategic Sales and Marketing Director.
“8build was born in 2005 when a group of eight builders, including me, came together to deliver primarily fit out projects across London, although today we also operate in Cambridge and Singapore,” Andy opens. “As a privately-owned business, our main objective is delivering high-quality projects for our clients, which has led to consistent repeat work. We still work with our first ever client, British Land, for instance, and we’ve recently finished a project for them in Broadgate.
“The business started out doing purely fit outs, but around 2008, things started to change in the industry, and we wanted to be more dynamic. We changed our approach slightly and began offering refurbishment and new build work on top of fit outs, as well as exploring the market overseas in Singapore. We diversified the sectors in which we work, expanding into different types of residential work picking up high-end residential projects in West London where we delivered private residences for high-net-worth individuals. We also got onto the Imperial College framework to enter the higher education sector and increasingly delivered heavy refurbishment work. Although commercial workplaces remain embedded in our DNA, we now have teams specialising in multiple sectors including education, arts and leisure, and life sciences. More recently, we began working in the aviation sector having picked up a project at London City Airport, which has led to further contracts at Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport too.”
As Andy highlights, 8build has diversified its offering, which has paid off, as the business has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years. “We’ve grown organically, as more people understand what we do and there’s increased demand for what we offer,” he states. “We’re dedicated to our clients, which as mentioned, leads to repeat business and growth in different markets. We also follow market trends, such as the boom in life sciences around two years ago; we already had a track record delivering these projects and we’ve certainly seen growth in this space over the last 12 months.
“The retrofit market is also very prevalent. We’re working with longstanding clients like British Land and Great Portland Estates, as well as newer clients like St Martins Property, to ensure their assets are not only environmentally compliant but also meet the needs of modern occupiers.
“It’s no secret that the construction market is difficult at the moment, with many companies struggling to deliver profit for their shareholders,” he continues. “We’re fortunate that we don’t face this issue, as our private ownership enables us to concentrate on maintaining the high-quality delivery standards we’re known for. Quality and performance are rooted in what we do, and we’ll continue operating under our strong reputation as we strive to grow in a very managed and organic manner.” 
Turning to projects, we ask Andy to share his insight into 8build’s latest activities. “It’s difficult to select particular projects as they are all unique in their own way,” he says. “We’ve recently finished the fit out of Sadler’s Wells East, a brand-new theatre in London’s Olympic Park. We often work with clients to deliver interesting and unique projects, one of which was the fit out of The Now Building at Outernet London, bringing visitors a daily schedule of music, arts, and entertainment, presented on the world’s largest LED screens. This is a great showcase of our expertise and adaptability in delivering technically complex projects.
“We’ve also recently finished a project called The Lantern for a very longstanding client, as well as a new-build life sciences project, The Press, which was our largest project in Cambridge to date. Our work on 15 Fitzroy, a highly sustainable office space, is now complete, and this project included some restoration work on the building’s external (affectionately known) ‘bug’, a prestigious feature amongst the locals.”
As a key issue for the construction industry, we ask Andy and Kayleigh how 8build is embracing sustainability. “The environment is an important consideration for everyone involved in a project, including developers and lenders, and it’s a key component of the agenda for most clients,” Andy states. “We all have a collective responsibility to monitor a project’s environmental impact and reduce this where possible. 8build takes a practical and proactive approach, but we must also mirror what our clients want and how much they’re willing to invest in sustainability.
“Internally, our carbon reduction plan targets Net Zero by 2040, and we’re already ahead of expectations by achieving 27 per cent carbon reduction last year. There are several initiatives underway, such as improved waste segregation on site, new procurement methods across our supply chain, and circular economy platforms where we can reuse materials.”
Kayleigh adds: “The wider topic of ESG is huge, and we want to lead the industry by keeping carbon emissions to an absolute minimum, delivering projects in a better way that means less environmental impact for everyone around us today and in the future. Although I can’t share too many details, we’re actively pursuing a recognized ESG certification, with the ambition of leading the construction industry in environmental, social and governance standards.
“We’ve become known for delivering highly sustainable developer-led commercial office upgrades, and some of the investments we’re seeing in sustainable design and technologies, transforming offices into smart buildings, is really inspiring. We are an ideal fit for these projects because we not only boast the technical expertise to deliver these aspects, but we also share the passion of creating sustainable buildings. We recently worked with a client who wanted to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, for instance, but we went above and beyond during the project to exceed expectations and achieve BREEAM ‘Outstanding’.”
Expanding on the topic of people, Andy reflects: “We’ve got a great group of people here, lovingly referred to as ‘8builders’, and they are fundamental to what we do. Although we work in an environment that can sometimes be stressful or high-risk, we do everything in our power to ensure people enjoy the journey as much as the end result. We’re passionate about investing in our people, and it’s fantastic to see individuals who have come through our graduate scheme and developed into the role of directors.”
“I’m an example of how people can progress within the business,” Kayleigh shares. “To think I started in office admin around 17 years ago and I’m now a director is crazy, and I’m fortunate to have been given opportunities to grow into this position. The company has great graduate and apprenticeship schemes, and we’ve recently launched our NextGen and Future Leaders schemes to help support the next generation of management. 8build’s culture is one of family and trust, and this positivity translates into the way we treat clients and how we deliver projects.”
Our conversation with Andy and Kayleigh reinforces the company’s commitment to not only projects, but to its people and communities. With constant reinvestment, 8build will undoubtedly continue to thrive in both existing and new sectors in 2025 and beyond.
“Who knows what’s around the corner these days,” Andy laughs. “Instead of trying to predict what the market will look like in years to come, we’re concentrating on making incremental improvements to the way we deliver projects to further boost the first-class experience we provide for clients. It’s all about steady growth, continuing the trajectory we’ve set ourselves over the last 20 years and building trust with both our clients and our supply chain.
“However, with a strong order book and a promising pipeline of tender opportunities coming towards us, the future looks very bright,” Andy concludes. “We’ve reached 200 employees and we’re on track to achieve £200 million turnover by the end of 2025, so this year is all the two-zeros for us: 20 years in business, 200 employees, and £200 million turnover!”