Squire & Partners completed the sensitive refurbishment and extension of 78 St James’s Street for BentallGreenOak in 2022.
Situated at the corner of St James’s and Little St James’s Street in the heart of Westminster, the former members’ club and subsequent private HQ building has been transformed into 100,000 sq ft of prime multi-tenant workspace, with 10,000 sq ft of state-of-the-art amenities, wellness facilities and rooftop terrace.
The existing building comprises two elements: a Grade II* listed Victorian structure on St James’s Street built in the 1840s, and a rear building added to the west of the site as part of a redevelopment to provide modern workspace accommodation for a single tenant which was undertaken by Squire & Partners in 2001.
Twenty years after this initial intervention, BentallGreenOak approached Squire & Partners with the brief to reimagine and transform 78 St James’s Street into a highly collaborative, clubhouse-style working environment with a variety of spaces that can be used twenty-four hours a day.
A building restructure has enhanced connectivity between the heritage element and the west wing extension, enabling the client to multi-let the development in line with current market demand. The reception has been doubled in frontage, and a rooftop pavilion and garden have replaced inefficient plant space. Internally, finishes have been meticulously considered. Generous, state-of-the-art amenities have been sensitively incorporated into Grade II* listed areas, offering tenants an exclusive experience and reinstating the remarkable spaces the building was originally designed to offer.