Landid and Elwood Fund Management have secured planning consent for the transformation of the 44,000 sq ft office building at 38-44 Gillingham Street in Victoria, London, into 100,000 sq ft of flexible office space.
Acting as development managers on behalf of Elwood, Landid intends to convert the former cash depository building, which was built in 1975, into eight floors of Grade A space, with a 1,076 sq ft café at ground floor level and four roof terraces.
Landid is working with architecture and design practice tp bennett and sustainability experts Atelier Ten, to ensure 60% of the structure area and 70% of the structure volume of the existing building, is retained to keep embodied carbon to a minimum. A lightweight frame will also be added to connect two buildings at the front and rear.
The existing glass façade will be replaced with new brick façades to improve operational efficiency and the cooling and water recycling systems in the building will help to achieve a 17% reduction in operational carbon emissions. Landid is targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating for the all-electric scheme.
James Silver, executive director at Landid, said: “Gillingham House goes beyond a standalone Victoria office building. It presents an opportunity to expand into the broader Victoria market to epitomise all that the area has to offer. Our retrofit-first approach will create a characterful and quirky workplace that will entice tenants in five days a week, while also creating a whole new destination for the wider community.”
Russell Black, head of asset management at Elwood Fund Management, added: “Gillingham House is an exciting low carbon led refurbishment that is being carefully positioned to capitalise from the flight to quality that currently prevails within the London occupational market.”
Sam Watkins, director at tp bennett, said: “Gillingham House presents an exciting opportunity for reuse of the existing structural frames that are united by placement of a new core into a coherent, modern workplace. By embracing the character of the existing buildings and local context, the team has designed a characterful, sustainable, low carbon workplace that will stimulate creativity and promote collaboration.
“The existing service access and ground floor parking is repurposed into a place for people providing public amenity including a cafe and pocket park that will be open to the local community. All of the office floors are naturally ventilated and have access to landscaped roof terraces with outstanding views of Victoria and beyond.”
