Camden Council unanimously voted last week (7 August) to grant permission for the Morgan Real Estate and BNF Capital-backed transformation of the office space in 19 Charterhouse Street.<\/p>\n
The plan will retrofit a five-storey office block, which was built in 1991 and forms part of the De Beers diamond campus. The \u2018high-quality, low carbon\u2019 scheme will retain much of the building\u2019s existing structure.<\/p>\n
An extension will take the block\u2019s height from five to ten storeys, and increase total workspace by 2,780m\u00b2, taking it to 12,800m\u00b2. Roof terraces will step back at the seventh, eighth and ninth floors, and will feature green planting and views of St Paul\u2019s Cathedral.<\/p>\n
The stone-clad and \u2018fortress-like\u2019 fa\u00e7ade of the original building will be replaced with Portland stone cladding, a fluted zigzag profile at the top and bronze-coloured windows.<\/p>\n
This new \u2018high-performance envelope\u2019 is intended to be \u2018built for the long term\u2019 with \u2018improved thermal performance\u2019 alligning with its target of a BREEAM Excellent target. The practice also says the entire project will be \u2018car-free\u2019.<\/p>\n
Particular emphasis is placed on integrating the area\u2019s historic jewellery industry, in particular through a \u2018thoughtfully designed, affordable jewellery workspace\u2019.<\/p>\n
But while local policy for Hatton Garden stipulates that 50 per cent of new commercial space over 200m\u00b2 should be affordable jewellery workspace, the scheme only allocates 520m\u00b2\u00a0 for this purpose in the scheme, amounting to 19 per cent.<\/p>\n
However, all the new jewellery workspace will be offered at the discounted, peppercorn rate, and the final figure was agreed with the council\u2019s inclusive economy team.<\/p>\n
DSDHA director Deborah Saunt said: \u2018This significant project will go far beyond delivering an exemplary mixed-use retrofit scheme by acknowledging the site\u2019s overlapping infrastructures \u2013 from transport to commerce, creative to ecology, and heritage \u2013 and will use architecture to maximise social, townscape and ecological benefits.<\/p>\n
\u2018The scheme will deliver much-needed biodiversity on to the site of the River Fleet and promote local cultural sustainability of the jewellery trade of Hatton Garden.\u2019<\/p>\n
Saunt added that the project was intended to \u2018unlock wider urban benefits that could herald the growth of the \u201cCity Halo\u201d, helping to soften the City\u2019s edges\u2019 by better connecting these edges with neighbouring boroughs.<\/p>\n