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20 Rathbone Place

London, UK

º£½ÇÊÓƵ supported JP Morgan Asset Management to transform a piece of prime west London commercial real estate into office spaces that meet the demands of 21^st century working.

The redevelopment of the six-storey, 40,000ft² office building in Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, involves an extension of the existing core, new lifts, the creation of a new 5,000ft² roof terrace and a Category-A refurbishment of a portion of the internal floors.

The redevelopment of the 40,000ft² office building in Rathbone Place, off Tottenham Court Road, includes creation of a new 5,000ft² roof terrace.

The refurbishment puts the comfort and wellbeing of the building’s occupants at its core.

The current roof would need to be replaced with a more structurally robust surface to allow it to be activated as an accessible terrace.

Our MEP team planned a detailed strategy to achieve the successful relocation of the cooling plant on the roof.

Challenge

º£½ÇÊÓƵ was engaged to provide specialist design and insight around structural engineering and building services engineering (MEP systems). We worked closely with architect MoreySmith and the wider design team to enable this transformational refurbishment.

The early 20^th century medium-rise office building would need a comprehensive retrofit to reach its full potential as a 21^st century working environment. The refurbishment puts the comfort and wellbeing of the building’s occupants at its core, giving Category A office facilities at the heart of one of London’s most fashionable districts.

One of the key challenges would be the need to remove and replace the current roof with a more structurally robust roof surface to allow the roof to be activated as an accessible terrace. A structural pop-up will be created on the roof to give access to this landscaped terrace area. Existing, operational cooling plant on the roof will be relocated to another part of the roof, to provide a clear space for the new terrace. This would need to be achieved while the building remains occupied for the entire duration of the works.

Solution

The new roof terrace, designed by MoreySmith, will provide high quality amenity space for the building, further enhancing occupant wellbeing and comfort. Our structural engineers conducted initial technical analysis and developed structural strategies for the new roof to ensure the new surface can successfully balance the new load, which will include a garden and bar-style outdoor kitchen.

We also advised on the potential opportunities to reuse as much of the existing steelwork from the current roof as possible – minimising the carbon intensity of the project, but also maximising the client budget.

Our MEP team planned a detailed strategy to achieve the successful relocation of the cooling plant on the roof. Our experts developed a sequential transfer of the systems that will maintain the operability of the building’s cooling systems during the work. We devised a floor-by-floor-based approach to the logistics of the phasing, and have led on the liaison with existing tenants and their facilities management teams, to ensure a smooth transition and to understand the real operational demands of their systems. We created a series of options for the client to decide on the preferred phasing approach for the works.  

We also supported the client to retain and recommission the existing stairwell pressurisation infrastructure, which enables a safe evacuation route in the event of a fire.

Value

The project is transforming a 100-year-old commercial property into a Category A facility, with occupant wellbeing and happiness at its heart. The new roof terrace will provide a space for outdoor meetings, events and social gatherings, fully maximising access to the spectacular views across the capital’s skyline.

Our team brought significant value, both in verifying the structural capacity of the existing fabric, as well as advising on structural interventions and additions where necessary. Our MEP experts enabled the relocation of the existing rooftop plant in such a way to avoid the need to empty the building of its existing tenants during the works. The scheme received planning consent in Q2 2024 and will be developed later in the year.