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1 Appold Street

British Land and GIC

A 1980's office building in London's Broadgate reimagined to create a best in class workplace, prioritising sustainability and wellness.

1 Appold Street
British Land and GIC

The complexities of retaining and renewing the existing Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) designed building allowed us to embrace the language of hybrid structures: the intersection of old and new fabrics became a strong narrative element. The informality of revealing the old within the new articulates the project’s core sustainability principles, and is also deeply rooted in the context of the site at the transition point between the City and Shoreditch.

The facade was conceived as a series of horizontal strata, lifted above the ground plane and gently curving to address key views and approaches from Appold St, Exchange Square and Sun Street Passage. Planted balconies along the East facade provide covered outdoor amenity space at upper levels as well as a new green backdrop for Exchange Square. Fluted facade panels introduce texture and depth to the facade, drawing upon the nearby architecture of Liverpool Street Station and the industrial heritage of Shoreditch.

In collaboration with landscape architects at DSDHA, we explored the idea of the Exchange Square soft landscape flowing outward between buildings, creating an accessible meandering connection between Appold St and Exchange Square.

Sustainability and resilience have been central to the design brief from the outset, retaining the maximum amount of the primary structure whilst creating high quality new office and tenant amenity spaces. Extensions to existing floor plates and six new office floors are wrapped in a new energy efficient facade. An embodied carbon target of a conservative 477 kgCO2e/m2 (GIA, A1-A5) will achieve 36% reduction over the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge at RIBA Stage 2, with more potential carbon savings at later stages. The scheme is pursuing a NABERS UK DfP minimum 5.5 star energy rating meaning an opportunity for very low emissions during operational life, and a circular approach to strip-out, design and procurement.

Details

Client:
British Land and GIC
Location:
Exchange Square, Broadgate
Type:
Workplace
Gross Floor Area:
558,314 sqft
Stage:
Stage 2

Project Team

  • Adamson Associates, Executive Architect
  • OPERA, Project Manager
  • DP9, Planning Consultant
  • Tavernor Consultancy, Townscape Consultant
  • Core Five, Quantity Surveyor
  • AKT II, Structural Engineer / Façade Engineer
  • DSDHA, Landscape Architect
  • MTT Consultants, MEP Engineer (Stages 1-2)
  • Hilson Moran, MEP Engineer (Stage 3 - present)
  • OFR Consultants, Fire Engineer
  • Hilson Moran, Sustainability & Façade Access Maintenance
  • ARUP, Transport Consultant
  • Point 2 Surveyors, Rights to light / DLSL
  • SWECO, Vertical Transportation
  • Freeney Williams, Accessibility Consultant
  • Hoare Lea, Acoustic Consultant
  • Five at Heart, Cycle EOJ Consultant
  • Ramboll, Smart Consultant
  • Speirs Major, Lighting Design
  • RWDI, Wind and Microclimate
  • Greengage, Biodiversity

Credits

  • Studio Archetype
  • Piercy&Company