With up to 40 per cent of carbon emissions coming from the construction industry, the profession needs to find ways of adapting the type of buildings it designs, and fast. The default option for any project should be to adapt and re-use an existing building, one of the key demands of the AJ’s RetroFirst campaign.
Our ongoing series seeks to celebrate the projects that save buildings from ruin or give them a brand new life.
Today we hear from Damion Burrows, founder of Damion Marcus Burrows Architects, about his practice’s recently approved plans to transform of a 135-year-old commercial building on London’s Charing Cross Road into new office space – saving 763 tonnes of carbon compated with an equivalent new build.
Tell us about the project
Source:Jeremy Freedman
Damien Burrows. Source: Jeremy Freedman
Flitcroft House will see the transformation of an existing five-storey Victorian building into 15,662 sq ft of restored and retrofitted grade-A office space on Charing Cross Road.
The highly energy-efficient and net zero-ready headquarters-style building aims for an EPC A rating and will be fossil-fuel free. This approach is set to save 763 tonnes of carbon compared with demolition and new build.
Flitcroft House sits directly across from the world-famous Foyles bookstore, adjacent to the Grade II-listed Phoenix Theatre at the heart of London’s bustling Charing Cross Road. The building has a long history at the centre of ‘Tin Pan Alley’ next to the musical instrument stores of Denmark Street, once hosting engravers, instrument makers and creatives.
The site’s geometry is dramatic, creating a sharp fold in the streetscape as the building rises to its current height of five floors. DMBA and Estate & Agency Group’s immediate response to the site was to consider this to be London’s very own Flatiron Building, and as such, the existing building should be restored and extended skywards.
What were the challenges of the existing building?
The existing building is long and narrow in plan, comprising what was originally two buildings with unaligned floor levels. This form, along with inefficient core arrangement and poor circulation, was holding the building back. The challenge was rationalising the vertical circulation and creating additional floor space, transforming an awkward internal arrangement into a modern and flexible office space, while retaining and celebrating the existing fabric.
Upgrading the load-bearing masonry fabric of the building to achieve an EPC rating of A while retaining as many of the original features as possible presented multiple challenges. Similarly, strengthening the existing building to accommodate an additional two floors, plus an extensive roof terrace, while retaining and restoring the current façade was a delicate balancing act.
The building had also been painted several times over the course of its history, and most likely for good reason. Our challenge was to strip this back to highlight and celebrate the building’s original features.
Had demolition or partial demolition ever been considered?
Our client, Estate & Agency Group considers themselves the custodians of their buildings and views them as long-term assets, an approach that seamlessly aligns with our own. Of course, the numbers are always reviewed and financial models appraised, but at our core, we both believed this was a building that had to be reborn and reused.
The practicalities of demolishing and rebuilding a structure in this location are the stuff of nightmares, and for what? Flitcroft House represents a moment in time, one which people look back on fondly. Two buildings grafted together, and now a third lateral addition, the next chapter is evolution.
Aside from retaining the original fabric, what other aspects of your design reduce the whole-life carbon impact of the building?
With the varied knowledge of the design team – myself, associate Guy Adams and Part II architectural assistant Michael Bridgeman – we analysed all potential areas to take a retrofit first, whole-life carbon approach. An optimised thermal envelope in conjunction with an all-electric and highly efficient heating and cooling system will dramatically reduce the operational energy. This ultimately reduces the whole-life carbon impact of the building and, in turn, will ready the building for the de-carbonisation of the National Grid.
Part of the challenge of a retrofit like this is working within the structural constraints of the existing building to minimise the strengthening required. This has the favourable consequence of guiding the design team towards lightweight solutions for the structure and façade of the upper storeys, which has resulted in reduced material use and the avoidance of carbon-intensive cement-based products.
Were the planners supportive of the proposals?
The planners were very supportive. and we feel that particular kudos should go to Camden Council in many ways for having the confidence and design capability to push us to be bold. No ‘respectful setbacks’ here; Camden demanded something striking that used the whole footprint, a new ‘Flatiron’ for Charing Cross Road. The result was a better commercial outcome and a better, future-proof building for Camden.
What have been the main lessons from the project that you could apply to other developments?
Almost every building has the potential to shine again. Our client and its tenants cherish and appreciate period buildings with contemporary reimagining that make ideal headquarters buildings. It’s hard work, complex and financially challenging to pull off at times, but the results are worth the effort.
Is your approach to retrofit and the way you talk about it with clients changing?
Our starting point must always be viability. If a scheme is not viable, it won’t be built. But once the parameters have been established, we can curate a design which achieves the necessary area increases with more efficient core arrangements, which allows deep retrofits to make sense. We are confident that the approach taken at Flitcroft House in this Central London area will be a catalyst to encourage retrofit approaches in planning guidance and regulations.
Estate & Agency Group is a wonderful client to work with; they trust our judgement, and through that trust, beautiful buildings are created. Our clients are cognisant of the challenges we all face as a society and an industry. To a degree, as architects, we are now pushing on an open door and the conversation is in full swing.