The Buckley Building by Buckley Gray Yeoman

The Buckley Building in London was presented at the AT Awards live finals on 7 November 2022 at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health to a jury comprising, Heather Topel, Asif Din, Amin Taha, Farshid Moussavi, Matt Kennedy, and Chair Lee Mallett. Read about how the project has stood the test of time, below.

Reorientating the entrance to face Clerkenwell Green maximised the building’s civic presence. Credit: Hufton and Crow

Completed
2013

Buckley Gray Yeoman’s comprehensive yet sensitive refurbishment of one of the last remaining warehouse buildings in London’s Clerkenwell Green Conservation Area has produced a highly successful and usable workplace that engages with its occupants and the surrounding context. One of the key moves has been to increase the net useable space by in-filling an atrium and adding a glass extension to the top of the building. Elsewhere, the original perimeter brickwork has been exposed and restored, the tired metal windows have been replaced with thermally efficient steel-framed units, and the entrance has been reorientated to better connect with the streetscape.

The 2013 work revealed the generous spaces and industrial finshes of the robust 1930s building hidden beneath later additions.Credit: Hufton and Crow

One of the main challenges was designing a low-energy environmental system whilst minimising plant area at the valuable upper level of the building, explains the architect. The solution was to adopt an innovative floor-by-floor displacement ventilation system through on-floor air-handling units. This ensured an increased proportion of fresh air compared to older-style recirculating systems, as well as being far more economical.

The annual CO2 emissions for the building were 24.4kgCO2/m2, with an annual energy consumption of 75KWh/m2 . The passive and active design principles incorporated into the design resulted in an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of B – a very good result in 2013 for a building refurbishment with comfort cooling.

Credit: Hufton and Crow

Initial tenant feedback was extremely positive, says the architect, with company individuals reporting a range of benefits, such as the quality and elegance of the design and the way their client’s perception of their work has been enhanced. The first office letting on the building achieved £45.00 psf, the last (before being sold in 2019) was £57.50 psf.