The Standard 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, Despina Katsikakis, 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.
The rooftop extension refines the building’s proportions. An external lift enlivens the façade. Credit: Timothy Soar
Orms’ bold transformation of London’s largely unloved Camden Town Hall Annexe is a demonstration of how to optimise a building’s long-term future through change of use. The most obvious addition externally, is a large rooftop extension that accommodates the hotel’s amenity spaces, while also refining the building’s massing proportions. An external capsule lift lends a cheery note to the austere 1970s façade. Other changes to the building fabric include new windows, cleaned concrete cladding panels, and retrofitted insulation.
Future flexibility and adaptability have been baked into the project in a number of ways – not least through the use of lightweight internal partitions, which can be moved to accommodate larger or smaller hotel rooms if needed. These can also be removed completely, and the space returned to the original open-plan offices if desired.
Guests enjoy views of the Grade I-listed St Pancras Station. Credit: Timothy Soar
The decision to renovate rather than demolish is central to the scheme’s environmental approach, with more than 90 per cent of the existing structure retained. The lightweight rooftop extension minimises the quantity of steel strengthening to the existing structure. Temporary works were designed to become permanent, avoiding waste and ensuring optimum resource efficiency. Where possible, finishes have been pared-back to expose the original structure, such as the waffle slab ceilings in hotel rooms. A retrospective embodied carbon assessment report concluded that the whole life embodied carbon is 305 kgCO2e/m2.
Performance in use is also maximised by a wide range of passive and active environmental technologies, including low-energy lighting, ventilation, heating and cooling, heat recovery, greywater recycling, and a blue roof. The success of this project has provided a platform, enabling us to reach a wider audience, and advocate for the role of refurbishment in delivering sustainable developments without compromising on design.
Internal walls can be removed to create larger rooms.
