The rate at which new buildings have been going up in Par-la-Ville Road over the past few years has prompted one landlord to give its premises a complete makeover.Mintflower Place has been given a new lick of paint to give it a fresh and modern look using white with a mint-coloured finish, while the lobby, walk way and other communal areas have also been given an upgrade. A stylish ‘8’ sign on the front now marks the newly-renovated building.Blake Marshall, president of Raphael Ltd, a family-owned real estate holdings company which owns the building, said that competition for office space was becoming much greater and as landlords they had to be more creative in offering their tenants something extra. He also believes that the company has been pro-active in preparing the building in advance of lease expirations and new tenants moving in.“Seeing the two brand new buildings go up across the road from us we decided it was a good time to give the building a more modern feel and spruce up the lobby,” he said.“We wanted to create a better environment for our tenants and their staff.”The concept was formulated at the end of last year and work was carried out during a four-week window last month and this month, culminating in the traditional ground wetting ceremony on Monday. It involved taking down all of the shutters to prepare the site.Sue Bendell, founder of Bendell Design, who has been managing the renovation work, said that the plan was to give the building a 21st century feel and to lighten and brighten it up - all on a budget.“It is quite a small space so we had to do something which was quite modern and crisp and to do something a little unique,” she said.“Also we wanted to give people a sense that it was a very sophisticated and professional environment that they were entering into.“And for the landlord it gives them a good return on their investment and the most bang for their buck and the use of colour is a good way of doing that.” Tim Naylor, of Bermuda Realty Co Ltd, who is the property manager for Mintflower Place and has overall responsibility for the building in terms of general maintenance, tenant liaison and lease management, said that the new-look building had been well-received by the tenants, who include Lancashire Insurance Co Ltd, Citco Fund Services (Bermuda) Ltd, Alea (Bermuda) Ltd, Meritus Trust, Nabors, Milligan-Whyte & Smith, the French Consul and CCS Group Ltd.For more information contact Tim Naylor on 247-1846 or e-mail TNaylor[AT]brcl.bm