Pelham Street

Located in South Kensington and commissioned by the Wellcome Trust, the scheme will deliver sustainable, flexible office space that is sensitive to its context whilst improving the site’s existing relationship with Pelham Street.

The scheme retains the two-storey basement of a compromised four-storey office block. Proposals create 114,250 sqft of high-quality office space and a community-focused gym over ground-plus-five storeys of accommodation.

The building’s side and rear elevations reference the brick details of the industrial Victorian railway infrastructure and robust housing stock found in the wider Kensington area. The primary street facade has a more refined architectural language, influenced by the ratios and proportions of the stucco-fronted listed buildings of Pelham Crescent and Pelham Place.

A simple rhythm of cast concrete pilasters frame arched openings along the Pelham Street frontage in a subtle reference to the surrounding architectural context. Variation in the scale of the arches articulate the key entrances to the building, which are further emphasised through recessed porticos. The proposals also widen the pavement, and incorporate new street planters and trees to improve pedestrian experience along Pelham Street.

Internally the core is positioned centrally in the building, it features a central spiral staircase that celebrates the movement of occupants ascending up the building and provides views across Kensington. Flexible and efficient floor plans allow the building to adapt to changing future use and requirements beyond the building’s design life.

The project targets net-zero carbon in construction and operation, BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ and 5 star Nabers UK rating. The scheme proposes air-source heat pumps to generate energy and includes blue-roof rainwater attenuation systems, photovoltaic panels, and a new planted terrace and green roofs to provide amenity space and enhanced biodiversity.