The project successfully transformed a brutalist concrete structure into a modern, high-quality office space, achieving Net Zero targets and significantly reducing embodied carbon by retaining and repurposing the existing structure.
Rather than concealing the structure’s brutalist origins, the concrete frame’s innerworkings are revealed celebrating the innovation and imperfections of the original building. The engineering team advocated for a ‘use less’ philosophy throughout the project minimising additional carbon. Vertical extensions were carefully added, and core areas were remodelled to meet current standards, improving workspace quality, enhancing natural daylight, and creating additional office space with 360-degree views across London.
This brutalist building could easily have been demolished. Instead, the engineers demonstrated that the buildings design life could be extended. Archive information coupled with detailed forensic examination of existing structure helped to get the most out of a building. Advanced and creative engineering celebrate the original design elements.
The project team relished valuable opportunities for training, and collective learning in low carbon retrofit techniques, setting a precedent for future adaptive reuse practices.