St John Street

City of London, United Kingdom

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St Paul's House

St John Street

City of London, United Kingdom

Firm

Ben Adams Architects

Type

Commercial › Office Showroom

YEAR

2012

The striking black metal clad building shows little evidence of the drab, unremarkable 1970s office building it was just 2 years ago.

Our brief was to look at breathing new life into this tired office building and to significantly raise its visual presence in the neighbourhood, providing new lettable floor space to let at roof level – all to an extremely tight budget.

In lieu of expensive curtain walling, a site specific solution was developed at a fraction of the price. To do this, existing profiled cladding to piers and slabs were removed, and new more slender black profile caps with integral insulation were made that could clip into the old positions.

Window sills were dropped to slab level maximising natural day lighting and significantly enhancing the open feel of the office space beyond like a new curtain-walling system. This improved outlook from within and significantly enhanced the overall appearance of the building from the street.

Dramatic floor to ceiling glazing and doors replaced a timber framed mirrored glass shopfront and a solid garage door at ground level. Where the building previously turned its back on the street, giving no indication of the space beyond or its use, its presence was transformed creating more welcoming entrances. This simple change improved lettability of the ground floor and provided a new active, animated street front which positively contributes to the surrounding urban realm. The fact that Royal Mosa, a high-end tile manufacturer from the Netherlands made this space their London showroom is a clear testament to the success of the building refurbishment.

Sweeping views across the neighbourhood rooftops are afforded by a simple standing seam, black patinated zinc clad roof extension. This provides an economic addition of 100m2 of new high quality office space surrounded by a dramatic cast-stone finished terrace. A panoramic window on the south façade frames views of St Paul’s Cathedral and beyond, while minimising solar gain.