Cavell House

A sensitive but ambitious proposal to restore the civic and commercial value of Cavell House, the Grade II listed former Westminster City Hall.

Client Confidential
Sector Workplace
Size 4,150m²
Location Westminster, London

Cavell House is a prominent building with a rich history – including its role as the original Westminster City Hall – located at the southern end of Charing Cross Road, facing the National Portrait Gallery and the eastern flank of Trafalgar Square.

Although the classical Portland stone façade is Grade II listed, behind it lies a 1980’s office redevelopment. The compromised building has been suffering from a blank street frontage, an inaccessible entrance, poor-quality workspaces and limited amenities – falling well short of modern expectations.

We were approached to develop a scheme to address these challenges, explore options to create additional area and establish a unified building with an improved relationship with its prime location.

View from St Martin-in-the-Fields

Establishing a cohesive identity

We set out to create a unified whole through the application of a common design language across existing elements and new interventions.

Our retrofit approach enhances the scale and presence of the heritage building’s entrance, and activates the curved section of Charing Cross Road by lowering window sills and introducing retail/restaurant uses.

Three central bays open onto a double-height external atrium set back behind the existing building frontage, creating a more generous approach from the street.

Feature metal linings and ornamental gates drawing on historic motifs from the original building reinforce the visual prominence of this new workplace entrance.

Adding a contemporary roofscape

Clearly distinguishing itself from the existing building, a new roof form draws on historic references to create a contemporary crown.

Two remodelled upper floors replace a poor-quality 1980’s mansard with a crafted roofscape that celebrates the building’s historic character, unlocking additional floorspace and creating a terrace with iconic city views.

Two slender turrets are introduced at each end of the building curve, each addressing a different flank condition and topped with a contemporary ‘crown’ referencing the ornate roofline of the original St Martin’s-in-the-Field Vestry Hall on the site.

Clad in zinc, the roof is expressed with standing seams tracing the vertical lines of the turrets and dormer windows with crisp detailing acting as a counterpoint to the ornate stone façade.

Dark metal linings to dormer windows are repeated at roof level to create a continuity of detail with the street-level interventions, and clearly distinguish between old and new parts of the building.

From street level to the rooftop, our proposed scheme draws on the building’s history to establish new purpose and a rich identity, restoring Cavell House as an asset to its prominent location.

Roof openings

Internally, the arrival spaces continue to build on contemporary civic heritage references with a warm palette including bespoke timber panelling, local design motifs and selected furniture pieces.

Reconfigured layouts and enhanced end-of-trip facilities elevate the workspace offer, with a re-arranged core delivering efficient floorplates and improvements to accessibility and fire safety.

Interior palette

Sustainable retrofit-first approach

Our design approach was to adopt a retrofit-first design which would enable the ongoing use of this distinct local building with historical relevance.

We were keen to maximise the functional life of Cavell House to avoid waste and cost through premature replacement, recognising the significant embodied energy held with its modern 1980’s redevelopment.

Our proposed scheme retains 90% of existing floorspace whilst adding an additional 375m² – an uplift of 14%.

The current energy assessment identifies a 39.4% overall reduction in regulated operational carbon emissions across the whole building at the ‘Be Lean’ stage, increasing to 42.9% following the full ‘Be Green’ strategy.

Modelling for EPC performance is currently estimated to significantly improve the building’s existing C rating to an A. BREEAM pre-assessment calculations have predicted a score of 75% Excellent, with a stretch target of Outstanding.

Re-imagining the heritage facade

Credits

Architect Fathom Architects
Interior Designer Fathom Architects
Development Manager CBRE
Planning Consultant Newmark
Project Manager Turner & Townsend
Structure London Structures Lab
Services Hoare Lea
Heritage & Townscape Consultant HCUK
Cost Consultant Gardiner & Theobald
Rights of Light GIA
Transport COn TTP Consulting
Fire The Fire Surgery
Acoustics Hann Tucker Associates
Ecology Arbtech
Communications Consultant Kanda
Building Control Bureau Veritas
CDM Principal Designer SWECO

Project Information

Credits