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Title01WelcomeWelcome to the public exhibition for Great
Portland Estates plc (GPE) planning proposal for the existing West
End Delivery Office located between Rathbone Place and Newman
Street, north of Oxford Street.
GPE will shortly be submitting a planning application to
Westminster City Council for the redevelopment of this site.
We invite you to view the boards on display which outline our
proposals for the scheme. Members of the development team are on
hand to answer any questions you may have.
At the end of the exhibition we would be grateful if you could
complete a feedback form to let us know your views on the
scheme.
The site represents a unique opportunity to realise significant,
tangible improvements to this part of Fitzrovia.
The benefits of the scheme are:
Creating new east-west pedestrian routes to improve cross-site
permeability.
Providing exceptional new publicly-accessible open space.
Reinstating street frontages to Newman Street and Rathbone
Place, removing the blight of the Royal Mail building and car
park.
Creating a new retail environment which supplements the public
realm.
Creating new housing and office space.
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GPE and Make in Westminster 01
Make
Make is a studio of highly creative and talented architects and
designers who have acquired considerable professional experience
designing advanced, complex and iconic buildings.
The practice was founded by Ken Shuttleworth in 2004 and has
established itself as one of the UKs foremost architectural firms,
with studios based in London, Birmingham, Beijing and Hong Kong.
Make is engaged in a broad selection of projects worldwide, ranging
from large-scale urban masterplans to residential schemes.
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GPE
GPE is a FTSE 250 property investment and development company
which owns over 2.2 billion of real estate, with a proven track
record of delivering high-quality schemes across central London,
particularly in Westminster. GPE actively manages its property
portfolio and owns buildings that it can improve, using specialist
skills to create spaces in which people want to work, shop and
live.
01 60 Great Portland Street, Westminster (GPE) 02 95 Wigmore
Street, Westminster (GPE)03 Marcol House, Regent Street,
Westminster (GPE)04 Rathbone meeting, Make studio05 10 Weymouth
Street, Westminster (Make)06 7-10 Hanover Square, Westminster
(Make) 07 55 Baker Street, Westminster (Make)
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02 The site
Before the Second World War, the site was occupied by a
continuation of the residential terraces on Rathbone Place and
Newman Street, with a goods yard in the centre of the site. The
area was extensively bomb-damaged during the war.
In the late 1950s the current building was built by the Post
Office, who intended to build a telephone exchange on the Newman
Street car park, however this was never constructed. The existing
building sorts mail for delivery to Londons W1 and WC1 postcodes,
however this function is moving to Mount Pleasant later in 2013.
The West End Delivery Office will then become vacant. The existing
basements include a connection to the Mail Rail network.
In the wider area, Oxford Street to the south is undergoing
considerable change, with more due as Crossrail nears completion.
The western ticket hall of the Tottenham Court Road Crossrail
station will be located on Dean Street, opposite the southern end
of Newman Street.
The Rathbone Place site is specifically allocated within
Westminster City Councils Core Strategy as a strategic development
site for a residential-led, mixed-use scheme.
It is also identified as a key development site within the
London Plan and Westminster City Councils Tottenham Court Road
Opportunity Area.
The character of Fitzrovia
The proposals draw inspiration from the following observations
on the architectural character of Fitzrovia:
Building types in the vicinity are of varied character and
include terraced properties with narrow plot widths, larger
Victorian and Edwardian mansion blocks, warehouses and more modern
20th century buildings which combine multiple plots.
The architectural expression is diverse and includes a range of
styles, materials, heights and plot sizes.
There is a predominantly vertical architectural emphasis, most
noticeable in the projecting bays of the Victorian and Edwardian
mansion blocks. A secondary architectural emphasis is evident in
the form of cornice lines, parapets, fascias and building
bases.
A range of materials is evident in the area, including masonry
in the form of brick and stone; metal, most noticeable as a roof
material and a decorative feature on the balcony balustrades; and
timber, commonly used for doors, retail fascias and window
frames.
The buildings are clearly defined with a top, middle and bottom,
which are often expressed through changes in material and
architectural detail.
The building facades tend to have a high level of solidity,
punctuated with simple framed windows. Glazing tends to be
controlled, with a limited number of buildings composed of
floor-to-ceiling windows.
Retail frontages in the area tend to be narrow, even within the
larger buildings. These are often characterised by fine
architectural details such as stall risers, awnings and public
benches, giving the streets a strong rhythm and sense of place.
Architectural decoration is commonly seen in the area, giving
the streets a feeling of quality, care and custodianship.
New
man Street
Oxford Street
Rathbone Place01
0504
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01 Aerial view of existing site looking north02 Horwoods map of
London, 179203 Ordnance Survey map of London, 191404 View of
existing site from Newman Street 05 View of existing site from
Rathbone Place06 Site and local developments map07 Fitzrovia
character study photographs
Emerging local developments
Soho Street
Rathbone Place
New
man Street
Gresse Street
Eastcas
tle Stree
t
Oxford St
reet
Berners Street
Soho S
quare
Dean Street
Wardour Street
Tottenham Court Road
St Giles
Circus
Charing
Cross R
oad
Morti
mer S
treet
Charlotte StreetCleveland Street
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13 Tottenha
m
Court R
oad
tube and
Crossra
il
01 70-82 Oxford Street02 51-68 Oxford Street03 44-48 Oxford
Street04 16-28 Oxford Street05 103 New Oxford Street06 101 New
Oxford Street07 61-67 Oxford Street08 68-89 Oxford Street09 40-42
Oxford Street10 103-125 Oxford Street11 141-159 Oxford Street
12 163-167 Oxford Street13 70 Berners Street14 Fitzroy Place,
Mortimer Street
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1009
0807
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0304
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05
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The siteCrossrail developments
Development sitesWestminster boundary
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Berwick Street
Poland Street
Rathbone Place
Soho Street
Dean Street
Wardour Street
Berwick Street
Poland Street
Great Chapel St
Rathbone Street
Percy S
treet
Newman Street
Newman Street
Berners Street
Berners Street
Wells Street
Adam & Eve Court
Berners Place
Berners Mew
s
Eastcastle
Street
Oxford Street
New Oxford Street
Soho Squ
are
Hollen S
treet
Fareham
St
Gresse Street
Stephen Street
The proposal03
We propose the comprehensive redevelopment of the site to
provide new retail, residential and office space with a
publicly-accessible garden and pedestrian routes across this
currently impermeable plot. The scheme will provide the
following:
Central garden The new central garden will provide a green space
within the courtyard and a local public amenity. The space will be
accessible to all, planted with trees and soft and hard landscaping
including public seating, a drinking fountain, water features and
public art. The character of this garden will be reflected in its
high-quality materials, planting, seasonality and lighting, as well
as a management and maintenance strategy.
Covered routes These routes will provide a clear east-west
pedestrian connection between Newman Street and Rathbone Place. The
new entranceways have been carefully designed and will include
Westminster street signage, lighting, artwork and hard landscaping,
to ensure integration with the local pedestrian route network and a
clear public entrance to the new public garden within.
Retail Retail space will be located at ground level, arranged
around the central public garden and fronting Newman Street and
Rathbone Place, with some supplementary space at basement level
1.
The units will be open plan and capable of accommodating a range
of retailers through subdivision to create large and smaller
units.
A range of uses is proposed, including shops and a
restaurant.
Office The office accommodation is located to the south and east
of the site and is arranged over floors 1-6, with additional
floorspace at basement level 1.
It is accessed off Rathbone Place and Newman Street via the
central garden.
The upper floors are set back to increase daylight penetration
to the public garden and provide terraces.
The composition of the building carefully responds to the
character of the surrounding streets and townscape.
The office floorplates are designed to be subdivided, to provide
a range of sizes to suit market requirements.
There are 238 cycle spaces for office tenants located at
basement level 2 accessed off Newman Street via a cycle lift.
Residential The residential building is located to the north and
west of the site. Apartments are arranged over floors 1-8, with
additional residential amenity facilities located in basement level
1.
There are 142 private apartments and 20 affordable apartments.
Additional affordable apartments are provided off-site - see board
7.
The unit mix is broad, encompassing 1, 2, 3 and 4-bed apartments
arranged both laterally and as duplexes.
A residential garden is located at the north of the site. 79 car
parking spaces are provided through an automated parking system
accessed off Newman Street.
Basement uses There are 4 basement floors. Office, retail and
residential space at basement level 1. The majority of the
buildings plant is at basement floors 2 and 3. The Royal Mails Mail
Rail station is at basement level 4.
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04 05
01 Plan of proposed garden, public routes and ground floor
uses02 View of covered route from Newman Street03 View of central
garden04 View of covered public route from Rathbone Place05 View of
public route from Newman Street
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02
Key
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0304
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Office entrance
Retail
Dual use
Restaurant
Market residential entrance
Market residential garden
Affordable residential entrance
Car stacker
Loading bay
Public routes
View locations
Berners Place
Newman Street
Rathbone Place
Gresse Street
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Building Design04
The building design principles adopted by the proposed
development include:
Re-establishing a building frontage on both Rathbone Place and
Newman Street and repairing the street facade.
Establishing a high-quality public garden at the centre of the
development.
Providing public pedestrian routes into and across the site.
Providing a mix of uses across the site, including office,
residential (market and affordable) and retail.
Providing a private residential garden and childrens play
facilities.
Developing a proposal which will not infringe on the London View
Management Framework, but maximise the sites potential.
Re-using elements of the existing West End Delivery Office
basement.
Concealing all vehicle car parking and loading bays within the
basement and building, to free the street level for pedestrian
use.
Maximising the opportunity for roof terraces and gardens.
The design of the buildings facing Newman Street and Rathbone
Place has been informed by the immediate context and the concept of
the mansion block as a design precedent. The facades proposed will
have a strong vertical rhythm, responding to existing patterns on
the street. The facades will be textured with partially inset
balconies.The predominant material on the street-facing facades
will be brick, with a lighter colour used on the garden-facing
facades. Patinated metalwork will be used on the upper floor
facades as a unifying element at high level.
The internal layouts and requirements are an integral part of
the facade design. The internal uses directly affect the rhythm and
expression of each elevation, dictating the position of cladding
elements such as windows, balconies and terraces. The structural
grid, specific to each use, influences the bay widths and floor
heights.
The facades allow the buildings to clearly communicate their
intended uses. Office, residential and retail are clearly
identified through the design and choice of materials, which
respond to their use, aspect and context.
As the facade design has evolved, the team has investigated
opportunities to collaborate with an artist to design elements of
the facade.
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03
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01 View of residential facade - Newman Street02 View of office
facade - Newman Street03 View of residential facade - garden-facing
facade04 View of residential and office facade - garden-facing
facade
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05 Central garden
Central garden
A new publicly-accessible garden space is fundamental to the
vision for the site. Landscape architects, Gustafson Porter, have
been appointed to develop a garden design of exceptional quality
which allows views in from Rathbone Place and Newman Street.
The central garden will provide a valuable amenity and a place
of quiet relaxation, separate and distinct from the activity of
Oxford Street. Seating will be available for everyone to enjoy and
the garden, including its grassed areas, will be fully-accessible
for all age groups, with play opportunities and careful garden
maintenance and management.
The design carefully separates commercial activity from the
garden to ensure it has a public character. A separate, private,
residents garden will be provided to the north of the residential
building.
Sunlight
It is vital to ensure that the garden is an attractive place to
spend time, both for occupiers of the new buildings and the
existing community. To ensure maximum sunlight penetration into the
space throughout the year, the building mass has been carefully
designed. In the summer months, almost every part of the garden
will receive direct sunlight.
Operation and management
The garden will be accessible to the public without restriction
during the day. At night, it will be closed to allow maintenance
and discourage potential anti-social behaviour.
Materials and planting
A mix of hard and soft landscaping. Water features. A large,
gently inclined grass bank, perfect for sitting out in the sun.
Landscaped seating areas made up of distinct spaces defined by
raised planters.
Areas of semi-mature trees. An integrated lightwell is concealed
amongst the planting, to allow light to penetrate the office space
at basement level 1.
01 Central garden landscaping plan02 Precedent, Treasury
Courtyard - landscaped seating areas03 Precedent, Treasury
Courtyard - planting 04 Precedent, Treasury Courtyard - seating 05
Lighting precedent06 View of public central garden
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04 05
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0405
12 06
0909
0701
02
02
04
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Reflective water table
Water feature
Sculpted lawn
Landscaped seating area
Main path of travel
Dense vegetation
Entrance garden / square
Secondary pathway
Ceramics passage
Gates
Garden cafe terrace
Basement opening
Drinking fountain
01020304050607080910111213
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01
Office
Retail
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06
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Floor plans06
01 Basement level 102 Ground floor plan03 Typical floor plan04
Roof plan05 North-south section
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Rathbone Place
New
man Street
01 02
Market residential The market residential building provides 142
flats arranged over floors 1-8 fronting Newman Street, Rathbone
Place and the private residential garden to the north-west.
These floors are served by two cores accessed from a communal
lobby, with the primary entrance on Rathbone Place.
Each apartment has a balcony to provide private amenity space.
Some upper-floor apartments have access to private roof
terraces.
Waste disposal is via refuse shoots located in each core and
waste will be removed from the basement via the loading bay.
An amenity facility provides a 24-hour concierge service,
residents lounge, screening room, gym/spa and swimming pool.
Affordable residential 20 intermediate tenure flats are arranged
over floors 1-4 fronting Newman Street and the communal residential
garden to the north-west.
These floors are served by a single core accessed off Newman
Street.
Each apartment has a balcony to provide private amenity
space.
Cycle parking A central facility at basement floor 1 provides
197 cycle spaces for the residential occupants, accessed via a
gully stair and a lift off Rathbone Place.
Retail occupiers will have access to 34 cycle spaces located at
basement floor 1.
Office tenants have a generous cycling facility at basement
level 2. 238 cycle parking spaces, changing facilities, showers,
locker rooms and drying facilities are accessed off Newman Street
via a cycle lift.
Residential car parking 79 car parking spaces and 1 car club
parking space will be provided. The automated system has 2 lifts
and makes efficient use of the below-ground space.
16 disabled car parking spaces will be provided.
Retail configuration Shop (A1) units are located to the north of
the site beneath the residential.
The restaurant (A3/A4) unit is located to the south of the site
beneath the office.
Most units have frontage to the public garden. All units are
serviced below ground from the loading bay, located at the southern
end of Newman Street.
Office configuration The office floors are accessed from a
central reception area with two cores, each with 4 lifts.
Entrances to the reception are off Rathbone Place and the public
garden.
The floorplates are capable of up to 3 subdivisions to
accommodate a range of requirements.
The offices at floors 4, 5, 6 and 7 benefit from external
terraces.
Roof Roof areas not in use for plant are covered by a living
green roof. Extensive coverage of photovoltaic cells contributes to
the buildings sustainability credentials.
Louvered plant enclosures mask the lift overruns from view. A
Building Maintenance Unit (cradle) for facade cleaning and
maintenance is housed out of sight when not in use.
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05
Office
Residential - market
Residential - affordable
Retail
Key
Brown roof
Accessible terraces
Photovoltaic cells
Key Plan
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Affordable housing07
Affordable residential is provided on-site, and at off-site
locations on Mortimer Street and Great Portland Street
The scheme viability supports a low level of on-site affordable
housing provision. To maximise the affordable housing offer, GPE
has identified other properties within its Estate for social rented
affordable housing.
The proposal therefore includes a combination of:
20 intermediate homes on site (1-bed units to meet Westminster
City Councils affordability criteria).
Approximately 18 social rented affordable units at 46, 48-50 and
51-55 Mortimer Street and 88 Great Portland Street. These sites are
within the vicinity of the proposed development site.
Planning applications for the off-site affordable housing are
being worked up in discussions with Westminster City Council and
will be submitted simultaneously with the Rathbone Place
application for the proposed development. The opportunity exists
for early off-site affordable housing delivery.
The combination of on and off-site affordable housing can
deliver more affordable housing than if it were entirely
on-site.
01
46 Mortimer Street48-50 Mortimer Street
35-50 Rathbone Place350m
500m
88 Great Portland Street
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01
02 03
01 Affordable off-site provision in proximity to the site at
35-50 Rathbone Place02 46-50 Mortimer Street off-site affordable
housing03 88 Great Portland Street off-site affordable housing04 51
Mortimer Street (Cavendish House) off-site affordable housing05
Intermediate affordable element at 35-50 Rathbone Place (red
outline) 04 05
Cavendish House51-55 Mortimer Street
450m
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Sustainability08
GPE believe that sustainable design is also good, efficient
design.By driving efficiency in all that we do, we reduce both
materialconsumption and long-term costs, making our assets
moreattractive to investors, purchasers and tenants and
consequentlyenhancing value to our business.
The integrated design of the proposed development incorporates
best practice environmental measures, including low energy building
design, low emissions, water recycling and increased local
biodiversity. The provisions made will encourage waste separation
and recycling, deliver sustainable homes, places of work and public
amenity that exceed the environmental expectations of a
contemporary and future-proof city development.
Facade design Shading from deep window reveals and balconies
reduces solar gain and glare.
The facade balances the amount of solid and glass, providing the
building with a suitable level of insulation while ensuring good
levels of daylight.
Openable windows for natural ventilation of the residential
units. Double-glazing and insulation to the office. Triple-glazing
to the residential.
Central energy system Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant and
efficient chillers shared between the whole development, to improve
efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.
Space allocation to enable connection to future local energy
networks on either side of the development.
Photovoltaic panels on the roof.
Energy management Smart meters and energy monitors. High levels
of daylighting in the residential. Solar-control glass.
Ecology, biodiversity and ecology - gardens and green roofs
Improved on the site through green and brown roofs. Green roof
terraces create high-quality private amenity spaces. Planting in
gardens, terraces and on roofs will improve biodiversity.
Water management Rainwater harvesting for irrigation. Greywater
harvesting in the residential. Water attenuation from the
green/brown roofs, terraces and the central garden.
AAA-rated low-use fittings to reduce water consumption to the
residential. Low-flow fittings also specified in the office, as
well as water use monitoring and leak detection.
Waste Full separation of commercial waste and tri-separation of
residential waste.
Use of off-site prefabrication and modular design to minimise
construction waste.
Use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the design
process to minimise construction waste.
Diversion of resources from landfill during construction.
Construction materials Use of A-rated building elements in the
Green Guide for Specification, where possible.
Local and responsible sourcing of materials where appropriate.
Use of reclaimed or recycled materials where possible.
Transportation Cycling initiative with secure cycle storage for
office, retail
and residential. Excellent connections to public transport via
Tottenham Court Road Underground and Crossrail stations.
Environmental certification BREEAM Excellent minimum for the
office. Code For Sustainable Homes level 4 minimum for the
residential.
0101 View from Eastcastle Street looking east
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Site logistics and construction management09
During construction it is inevitable that there will be some
disruption to the local area. GPE has extensive experience of
managing this process and will work closely with its contractors to
ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.
A Construction Management Plan will be agreed with Westminster
City Council and the scheme will be registered with the Considerate
Constructors Scheme.
The core working hours of demolition and construction are
anticipated to be: 0800-1800 on weekdays. 0800-1300 on
Saturdays.
All work outside these hours will be subject to prior agreement
and/or reasonable notice to Westminster City Council.
Construction routes and highway capacity
Construction vehicles will access the site from both Newman
Street and Rathbone Place during the demolition and construction
phases. Although there will be slight changes in the level of use,
in general both Newman Street and Rathbone Place will be used
equally as entry/egress routes.
The majority of construction traffic is expected to approach the
site from the east and north. Activity associated with the
development will be carefully managed to mitigate impact on the
local road network and coordinated with surrounding
developments.
The management plan for construction will include measures to
deal with contractors vehicles, especially to avoid construction
vehicles parking or waiting on the public highway. Construction
routes will be clearly designated and contractors instructed to use
these routes.
Pedestrian routes will be maintained during the construction
process.
Programme
Submission of planning application May 2013
Anticipated planning committee dateSeptember 2013
Vacant possession of the West End Delivery OfficeSeptember
2013
Demolition February 2014
Completion of worksJuly 2016
G1
G3
Rathbone Place
Newman Street
Oxford Street
Gresse Street
Berners Place
Eastcastle
Street
Newman Street
Oxford Street
TC1
Crossrail
G2
TC3
TC1
Traffic flow
Maintained pedestrian route
Controlled access/egress
Tower crane position
Borough boundary
Building outline
Key
TC4
TC2
TC4
01 Site logistics plan02 Central garden view 02
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Thank youThank you for attending our public exhibition. We hope
you have found this information useful.
The proposal will regenerate an area that has suffered from the
blight of the existing West End Delivery Office by providing a
mixed-use development that:
Creates new east-west pedestrian routes to improve cross-site
permeability.
Provides exceptional new publicly-accessible open space.
Reinstates street frontages to Newman Street and Rathbone Place,
removing the blight of the Royal Mail building and car park.
Creates a new retail environment which supplements the public
realm.
Creates new housing and office space.
Next steps
GPE will shortly be submitting a planning application to
Westminster City Council for the redevelopment of the site.
To ensure that we understand the views of the local community,
we would be grateful if you could fill in a questionnaire to let us
know your thoughts which can be left with staff or sent to us later
using the FREEPOST address.
If you have further feedback, this can be given via the
exhibitions website: www.GPErathboneplace.co.uk
If you have any questions or would like further information,
please contact Matthew Richards:
[email protected] 020 3023 9932
Westminster City Council will consult residents, businesses and
the local community. Westminsters officers will collate all
feedback from interested parties to form part of its report to the
planning committee. Any feedback given here will be passed to
Westminster City Council as part of the application.
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Previous RMG schemeRathbone Place
New
man Street
01 RMG ground floor plan02 Proposed ground floor plan03 RMG
typical floor plan04 Proposed typical floor plan 05 RMG render of
scheme from Gresse Street06 View of proposed public realm07 RMG
render of public realm08 View of proposed public realm
Berwick Street
Poland Street
Rathbone Place
Soho Street
Dean Street
Wardour Street
Berwick Street
Poland Street
Great Chapel StRathbone Street
Percy S
treet
Newman Street
Newman Street
Berners Street
Berners Street
Wells Street
Adam & Eve Court
Berners Place
Berners Mew
s
Eastcastle
Street
Oxford Street
New Oxford Street
Soho Squ
are
Hollen S
treet
Fareham
St
Gresse Street
Stephen Street
THE RESIDENTIAL TERRACE
The residential accommodation offering a mix of market and
affordable units is planned in a terrace which is set to the north
of Newman Place and the cross-route. The terrace completes the
urban block to the north of the site which is presently abruptly
truncated by the service yard. The terrace frames a new lushly
planted garden space which includes a dedicated playspace for the
children of future occupants.
The elevations of the residential wing draw on the traditions of
Fitzrovia with clear order defining a robust base, a masonry main
body to the faade and a recessed roof. The carefully detailed brick
faade is enlivened by external shutters that shade the residential
interiors against the sun. This energy efficient buiding faade
contributes to the residential achieving a Code for Sustainable
Homes level 4 accreditation.
Above: The residential reception looks into a garden spaceBelow:
The Residential TerraceView from Gresse Street looking west.
Residential gardenPrecedent: Gilbert Street, MayfairThe terrace
is set around a space that provides play space for children and a
variety of wildlife habitats.
The residential facade to Newman PlaceExternal shutters protect
the interiors against the sun.
The residential facade to the gardenBalconies are set around the
garden.
THE OFFICE BUILDING
The office building provides bright, open and flexible workspace
sought by occupiers in industries characteristic of the local
area.
The reception faces the cross-route providing oversight to the
route late at night. A central atrium provides excellent
daylighting to the office space which achieves a BREEAM excellent
sustainability rating.
Different elevational treatments to the office respond to the
changing character of its context and provide interest and variety
in local views. To the new square and on Rathbone Place the
elevations employ a traditional masonry construction graded from a
robust scale at the base to a finer level of detail on the recessed
upper roof storeys. At the centre of the faade facing the
cross-route the elevation is detailed with filigree metal and glass
to provide an element of colour at the very heart of the scheme.
The core is set on the south elevation which has a lower proportion
of glazing protecting the interior from unwanted solar gain. Both
the office and residential buildings incorporate photovoltaic cells
into their roofspace.
The cross-route: View to the office reception
Office building facade to Newman PlaceThe palette of natural
materials and elevational order reflect the best traditions of the
area.
Office building facade to the cross-routeA delicate elevation of
glass fins provides an accent of colour and light at the heart of
the cross-route.
The entrance lobby and atrium
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