Retrofit specialists Morrow + Lorraine add a building-on-top-of-a-building to two high-tech office blocks completed in 1991 by Arup Associates led by Peter Foggo.
Retrofit specialist Morrow + Lorraine has completed a major extension for Gaw Capital, building over and connecting two existing buildings at 123 and 151 Buckingham Palace Road, directly above Victoria Station rail platforms. The original buildings, completed in 1991 by Arup Associates under Peter Foggo, were linked by a glazed canopy and stone colonnade. Morrow + Lorraine’s proposal retains 100% of the existing 527,000 sq ft buildings while adding over 100,000 sq ft of office space. The new, innovative structure oversails and links the existing buildings complementing Foggo’s high-tech aesthetic. New Grade A offices connect to a much improved public realm and upgraded retail accommodation at street level.
“We hope that the new extension quietly complements the old building rather than announce itself as something separate or novel” says Morrow + Lorraine director J-J Lorraine. “We tried to create a feeling that even though the size of the addition is vast, it is somewhat background in nature. By leaving room in its setting for neighbours it doesn’t overwhelm the context or shout too loudly for attention. Surgical precision was required to stitch this building into its urban context both at street and rooftop level. Bringing benefits of improved proportions, enhanced vistas and upgraded utility, our holistic vision to the site was achieved whilst barely touching what was there.” The project is the practice’s most complex project to date.
The new Grade A office building, known as ‘Sky HUB’ has its own dedicated entrance and circulation core. It offers flexibility (it is divisible for up to twelve tenants) and stunning panoramic views across London. Tenants will enjoy views over, and the use of, two large outdoor terraces at level six – one facing north and one facing south. Landscape design by BBUK adds year round colour and movement featuring native and meadow plants that promote wildlife. Continuing the planting scheme at ground level all the way up to the roof, including bird boxes, has significantly improved the ecological value of the site.
Accessibility, legibility, and daylight levels within the public walkway along Buckingham Palace Road have been transformed by the removal of the glazed canopy and new hard and soft landscaping. The project retains the existing stone screen which provides an effective barrier to the busy traffic along Buckingham Palace Road, but newly enlarged retail units, previously hidden behind the stone colonnade, are now exposed, introducing activity and vibrancy at street level.
Two large landscaped terraces with lawns and native planting provide fabulous outdoor amenity space and panoramic views across the city. Photograph by Sam Stephens.
McLaren led the construction works over a 42 month period, with the commercial floors at 123 Buckingham Palace Road remaining occupied throughout, creating technical complexity unusual for a project of this size. A comprehensive Construction Management Plan was developed and agreed on by all parties prior to starting work.
Sustainable design principles were employed, with the all-electric Sky HUB achieving BREEAM Excellent and expected emissions 61% below the London Plan’s baseline. A new brown roof has been designed to reduce urban heating, and photovoltaic panels introduced to produce over 27,000kWh/yr, reducing the building’s overall reliance on the grid. Prefabrication, waste reduction, water and energy saving technologies have been implemented throughout the project.
Photovoltaic panels on the new roof will produce 27,032kWh/yr solar energy. Photograph by Surface2Air.
New facades are a unitised system constructed off site, in a stringent factory setting meaning better quality control and less wastage. The unitised system allows for greater building movement than a stick system, making it ideal for a building that connects two existing buildings. The building deflection has been carefully designed into each unitised panel so all areas of the building allow for varying amounts of deflection, this makes the whole façade resilient, long lasting and robust.
Section
Level 6 plan
Ground floor plan
Credits
Client
Gaw Capital
Architect
Morrow + Lorraine
Contractor
McLaren
Project manager
Buro 4
Structural engineer
Peter Dann
MEP services and sustainability consultant
Mecserve
Cost consultant
Gardiner and Theobald
Landscape design
BBUK
Planning consultant
Gerald Eve
Facade engineer
Infinity facade consultants
Fire consultant
Jensen Hughes
Lighting designer
Studio Fractal
Signage and way finding
Badrock Design
Access and maintenance consultant
D2E
Principal designer
Shore
Ecological and acoustics
Waterman Group
Heritage consultant
Tavernor
Community engagement
Comm Comm UK
Servicing strategy
Icon
Lift consultant
Tony Warren
