The companies come aboard one by one

The Ark building next to the Hammersmith flyover in west London, pictured above during construction, has finally secured a letting to Seagram, the Canadian drinks and entertainment group, for an undisclosed sum, writes Lucy Roberts.

Seagram has signed for 90,000 sq ft of the Ark, which leaves a third of the distinctive copper and glass building empty.

Designed to be the ultimate in user-friendly hi-tech office space by the British architect Ralph Erskine, it failed to impress tenants as the property market went into decline and it has lain empty since its completion in late 1991.

The building is the jewel in the crown of the Swedish asset management company, Securum Property Holdings. The group was set up by the Swedish government in 1992 to take control of assets supported by loans which went sour when the state-owned bank, Nordbanken, went bust leaving debts of pounds 2bn worldwide. Its debts in the UK amount to pounds 300m.

Photograph: Nicholas Turpin