BDG architecture + design has undertaken a daring refurbishment of London office building Citypoint, bringing new lease opportunities for developer Brookfield Properties. Citypoint was originally built in 1967 in a modernist style. The building, originally known as Britannic House was constructed in 1967 in a modernist style and was the first in the City of London to exceed the height of St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was refurbished and extended at the turn of the turn of the twenty-first century, given additional floors and a podium building and renamed as Citypoint. The building currently offers over 60,000 square feet of retail including the largest health-club in the Square Mile operated by Nuffield Health and over an acre of public realm. The new refurbishment offers more than 130,000 sq. ft. of continuous space and more than 7,000 sq. ft of terrace space
The creation of the podium building lead to greater floor space but also meant lengthy routes to circulation cores. BDG’s analysis of the space demonstrated that targeted interventions would provide greater connectivity across the floor plates bringing unity to the earlier extension through adding multi-storey bridges and terraces across the internal atria on four levels of the 36 storey landmark tower.
The provision of the new floor space also provides tenants with significantly improved amenity and increased views both internally and externally. The cores were completely redesigned, in some instances reconfiguring the facilities within the existing space to provide comparable facilities with new developments. BDG undertook the design with the client before being novated to the prime contractor to enable coordination and completion of the technically demanding project.
The new floors were stripped-back to reveal the original structure, completely transforming the look and style of the space. Mass concrete columns together with an exposed slab and dramatic lighting create a flexible environment that a variety of tenants can adapt to their business. This has been achieved with existing base-build plant and primary service cores maintained, demonstrating further how existing building stock can be evolved.
Sustainability was essential to the project. Energy efficient materials and having a stripped-back aesthetic actively supporting the reduction in componentry for the refurbishment. Citypoint is a case in point for transforming existing building stock, irrespective of the original construction and complexity to minimise the environmental impact as BDG Technical Director Clive Hall explains, “This latest refurbishment at Citypoint demonstrates how new life can be breathed into existing buildings creating a dynamic work space without costing the Earth.”
For further information contact Anna King EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: +44 (0) 7780 956 291