One of Bristol's most prominent buildings is the setting for the Castlemead office space. It is located in the city's tallest high-rise building. The 18-storey tower has a newly refurbished reception area with high-speed lifts giving access to offices with amazing views across the cityscape. IT, media, finance and construction companies have offices in this area. Bristol is known as the capital of the South West and many leading global companies are established in the city. Its success is largely due to its world-class knowledge economy based on aerospace, defence, engineering, ICT and electronics, financial services, media, creative and environmental industries, and its four outstanding universities. According to the UK Competitiveness Index 2010, Bristol has the most competitive and productive economy of any large English city outside London. It also achieved the highest level of private sector employment growth in England between 1998–2008 (Centre for Cities, 2010).