100 Liverpool Street | Hopkins Architects

This refurbishment project transforms a former 1980s office building with deep floor plates into a high-quality, flexible commercial building fit for the 21st century. Its approach to reusing the existing building demonstrates clear strategic thinking, keeping what could be salvaged, unpicking what could not, and adding what was necessary.  

The building sits over several railway tracks and is next door to a bus station, so the complexities in the design and build process were manifold. The design retains the existing foundations and a large proportion of the original steelwork, as well as adding three new office floors with extensive terraces and rooftop gardens at upper levels. The cores have been moved to create a new elliptical atrium at the building’s heart, increasing the amount of retail and leisure accommodation and enhancing its quality. 

The original cladding has been replaced with a cleverly detailed, sinuous glazed façade. Since the budget did not stretch to curved glass, the flat facets have been masked by projecting fins, and topped with a shaped steel beam, giving the overall impression of a continuously curved façade. 

The enhancement to the public realm and improved permeability through and across the building is exemplary and has had a positive impact well beyond the boundaries of the site. There are impressive new connections across the building, including from the adjacent Liverpool Street Station. In the process, to facilitate level access, a 17-metre-high sculpture, Richard Serra’s Fulcrum comprising five trapezoidal propped steel plates, had to be lowered, which in turn enabled the insertion of an additional commercial floor.  

The building achieves a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating and is British Land’s first net zero carbon development.

The client and design team evidently worked together very closely – adjusting and nudging the brief on the way to produce the best outcome, which is a truly impressive project.

Internal Area 67,649.00 m²

Client British Land

Contractor Sir Robert McAlpine

Structural Engineers AKT II

Environmental / M&E Engineers Chapman BDSP

Interior Design Universal Design Studio

Landscape Architects HED

Lighting Design Speirs Major

Project Management M3 Consulting

Principal Designer & Transport Arup

Cladding Focchi

Quantity Surveyor / Cost Consultant Mace

Access Consultant David Bonnett Associates

Supporting Services Veretec

Facade Billings Design Associates

Sustainability Greengage

Facade Access Hilson Moran

BIM GRFN

Technology Cordless Consultants

Security QCIC

****

Awards
·       RIBA Regional Award
·       Regional/RSAW Client of the Year
·       Regional Award Short List
·       London South East

Jury Report
This refurbishment project transforms a former 1980s office building with deep floor plates into a high-quality, flexible commercial building fit for the 21st century.

Its approach to reusing the existing building demonstrates clear strategic thinking, keeping what could be salvaged, unpicking what could not, and adding what was necessary.

The building sits over several railway tracks and is next door to a bus station, so the complexities in the design and build process were manifold. The design retains the existing foundations and a large proportion of the original steelwork, as well as adding three new office floors with extensive terraces and rooftop gardens at upper levels. The cores have been moved to create a new elliptical atrium at the building’s heart, increasing the amount of retail and leisure accommodation and enhancing its quality.

The original cladding has been replaced with a cleverly detailed, sinuous glazed façade. Since the budget did not stretch to curved glass, the flat facets have been masked by projecting fins, and topped with a shaped steel beam, giving the overall impression of a continuously curved façade.

The enhancement to the public realm and improved permeability through and across the building is exemplary and has had a positive impact well beyond the boundaries of the site. There are impressive new connections across the building, including from the adjacent Liverpool Street Station. In the process, to facilitate level access, a 17-metre-high sculpture, Richard Serra’s Fulcrum comprising five trapezoidal propped steel plates, had to be lowered, which in turn enabled the insertion of an additional commercial floor.

The building achieves a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating and is British Land’s first net zero carbon development.

The client and design team evidently worked together very closely – adjusting and nudging the brief on the way to produce the best outcome, which is a truly impressive project.