Award-winning architectural practice gpad London and Tellon Capital have secured planning permission to progress with the rooftop extension and refurbishment of 16-18 Eastcheap, a late Victorian building in the heart of the City of London’s insurance district. The interior will be sensitively refurbished and when complete the building will boast 36,000 sq ft of prime workspace over six floors.
The ambitious project will deliver an enhanced street presence, remodeled reception area and premium workspace throughout. The existing roof level will be replaced with a new sixth floor mansard roof and a terrace. The ground floor façade alterations will allow for retail units.
The site has an interesting history as it is where St Andrew Hubbard Church burnt down in the 1666 Great Fire of London. Before its use as commercial offices, the current building was a financial institution. The building has Northern Renaissance style detailing on its symmetrical Portland Stone façade which has three defined zones.
Inside, the design highlight will be a duplex office within the roof extension. Connected by a bespoke folded steel staircase, the new sixth floor and rebuilt fifth floor form a double height space under the mansard roof. Clerestory windows will afford natural light and views north towards the City Cluster. The extension culminates in a new roof terrace, with views to the South along the Thames, from Tower Bridge to Monument.
As part of the proposed design, the ground floor will be converted to accommodate retail and hospitality use. To facilitate the change gpad has enlarged the ground floor window openings to make for a better shopping environment and a less fortified appearance. The amount of stone in the façade has been reduced and metal has been incorporated, adding an elegant aspect to the street.
The refurbishment will include a new reception, lifts, updated staircases and totally refreshed office accommodation with showers and cycle storage.
Amy Jones, Head of Planning at Tellon Capital, says: “This is an elegant and unusual building in a thriving part of The City of London. Through extensive refurbishment, we will deliver the kind of spaces today’s occupiers want, while also enhancing the local environment.”
Charlotte Docherty, Associate, gpad london, comments: “Current development in the City of London is eclectic and shows how the area is at the front of changing workplace practices. Eastcheap is an iconic City street which is bustling and in a conservation area, thus our proposals had to enhance both the street and the lives of those working in the building.”
KEY BUILD FACTS
Location: 16-18 Eastcheap, EC3M 1BD
Type of project: Refurbishment and extension
Client: Tellon Capital
Architect: gpad london ltd
Planning consultant: Tellon Capital
Structural engineer: BJB Consulting
M&E consultant: Silcock Dawson
Fire strategy and BCO: MLM
Heritage consultant Heritage Collective
Daylight/Sunlight Consultant: Point 2
Party Wall: Point 2
Proposed net internal floor area: 36,000 sq ft
