Award-winning apartments on the border of Westminster and the City of London
On the border of Westminster and the City of London, occupying a richly historical site in the Strand Conservation Area, MWA’s client acquired this 6-storey office building with aspirations to redevelop it into luxury apartments. The site is located immediately adjacent to the Royal Courts of Justice and was due to be demolished when the courts were built in 1850. Due to escalating costs, plans were eventually scaled back and the East side of Bell Yard was left intact. MWA identified that the existing building, whilst surrounded by listed buildings of extremely high value, is low in architectural merit and represented an exciting opportunity to be replaced with something of much higher quality which contributes positively to the Conservation Area.
The predominance of brickwork with rich stone embellishment allows a contemporary interpretation of the ornate window surrounds found on the adjoining buildings. The proposed design is driven by its historical neighbours with the hierarchy, proportions and materiality all designed to enhance the street scene. The rhythm of the façade takes cues from its origin as four town houses.
The existing fourth floor mansard is replaced with a sheer storey and a new fifth floor is proposed increasing the GIA to 10,400sqft. Internally, the office space has been re configured to create 12 high quality apartments all of which enjoy views over the Royal Courts of Justice. Construction work is due to start on site in May with completion expected in summer 2019.
The project was shortlisted for the inaugural RICS Social Impact Awards 2020 in the Residential Category.
