15 Stratford Place

The project consisted of a full strip-out and refurbishment of an existing office building in a sought-after West End address. The rear elevation was enhanced with new, enlarged double-glazed windows and painted brickwork to provide an enhanced modern look. Two flat roof areas were repurposed into functional terraces, serving two of the office floors, with views over St Christopher’s Place. We replaced the HVAC plant almost in its entirety, retaining items which still had useful life, whilst upgrading the building to modern environmental standards with local controls. 

The building is situated within the Stratford Place Conservation Area and both its adjacent neighbours have been classified with significant listings. The building itself is not listed but its frontage onto Stratford Place is designated as an ‘unlisted building of merit’ and the rear is classified as ‘neutral’ impact. To the rear, the building holds a prominent position at the end of the vibrant and characterful St Christopher’s Place and stands as one of the tallest buildings within its context. 

The site was once home to Edward Lear, the poet famed for his cheeky limericks – including The Owl & The Pussycat.

Behind the beautiful Neo-Georgian facade was a bleak office environment with low ceilings and poorly integrated services. The 1980s rear extension was equally uninspiring and unrelated to its surroundings. However, this building’s proximity to Bond Street station, which was due to be linked with Crossrail, and direct access onto spaces with two distinct characters made this building an attractive investment opportunity.  

The building’s unique location drove the design concept for the refurbishment. The building bridges the gap between the illustrious 18th century buildings of Stratford Place and the fun-seeking eclecticism of St Christopher’s Place.  We developed a smart and contemporary internal finish while including subtle flourishes of delightful design reminding the building user of the building’s duality.  A noble purple was chosen as the feature colour, pairing closely with the image of St Christopher’s Place.  It was interspersed with the deeply coloured textures of leather and rich timbers to produce the distinct style which makes this building so special. 

The site is situated such that it forms a visual anchor at the top of St Christopher’s Place, connecting it with Barrett Street and, ultimately, the Selfridge & Co building on Duke Street. The Selfridge & Co former service entrance was undergoing a substantial refurbishment to provide a new entrance onto Duke Street and would hold a significant presence opposite.  The two key focal points now reflect the status of their surroundings. On the other side of the site, the facade on Stratford Place was already in fairly good standing, having been rebuilt sympathetically after near total destruction in the 2nd World War. The entrances and fenestration were cleaned, tidied and redecorated, with new brassware and soft lighting in keeping with its prestigious surroundings. 

To maximise ceiling heights, the services were carefully designed and coordinated using BIM software. Every millimetre mattered, so pipework was routed through existing concrete beams with the aid of ferro-scanning to avoid reinforcement bars.  BIM software was used to plan out every cable, pipe and duct route in 3D so the ceiling could be raised as high as possible. 

It would’ve been easy to strip the building out completely and begin from a bare shell, but every existing element was assessed for its potential. The main structure was retained and concrete downstand beams were carefully penetrated to allow higher ceiling heights. Of the existing services, the lifts were still functioning, and the relatively young main chiller plant was retained with several years of useful life ahead of it. Staircase and balustrades were redecorated, and handrails recoated to allow the building’s character to remain. 

Lucking + Clarke Consulting Structural Engineers – Structural Engineer

Chapman BDSP – Mechanical, Electrical & Public Health

Currie & Brown (formerly Sweett Group) – Quantity Surveyor & Contract Administration

Morgan Capital Partners – Client

Gerald Eve LLP – Planning Consultant

OD Solutions – Main Contractor