8
NEWS
HERITAGE & HISTORIC
Creative reuse of Victorian warehouse to workplace completes in Westminster
Creative reuse specialist London architecture studio SPPARC has completed Greycoat Stores, a “workspace-led restoration” of a Victorian-era warehouse in Westminster, London.
The 90,000 ft2 mixed-use scheme at 10 Greycoat Place spans seven storeys, including two new fl oors of penthouse workspace overlooking the Palace of Westminster, as well as 5,000 ft2 of leisure and retail at lower ground and ground level, and a 4,000 ft2 restaurant. First built in the 1890s, 10 Greycoat Place was one of several warehouses across Westminster commissioned in the late 19th century by the department store group Army & Navy, that began life as a co-operative society supplying goods to military offi cers and their families. Originally designed by architect Sir Reginald Blomfi eld, best known for his renovations of country houses including Chequers, the warehouse was primarily used for grocery storage and order fulfi lment before it was converted into offi ces in the 1950s. SPPARC has “revived the building’s
Victorian charm and attention to detail that was lost to renovation works in 1959,” said the practice. This includes reintroducing a
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distinctive red brick facade inspired by the 19th century original, with the building’s principal elevation hidden for over 60 years by a 1950s cement render. Inside, original steel beams and brickwork have been exposed to “nod to the site’s warehouse heritage,” and create an industrial feel. Standout features include new double-height oval windows with fi nely detailed bronze frames that span the fi rst to fourth storeys, allowing occupiers to benefi t from abundant natural light. Circular windows on the fi fth storey, meanwhile, demarcate a new zinc and glass roof extension housing the two penthouse workspaces across the sixth and seventh storeys. Stepped piers terminate as refurbished granite Doric columns at the ground level. Inside, curved timber sculptures “create a warm, welcoming entrance to the reception area, where the arched brickwork of the lift lobby continues the ornate pattern of the building’s exterior.” As well as other Army & Navy premises, Greycoat Stores’ surrounding built landscape includes the Grade II*-listed Westminster College and the Church of St Stephen. SPPARC’s sensitive restoration has “reinstated the building’s relationship to
this nearby heritage architecture, including through its use of fi ne brickwork detailing and craftsmanship,” said the practice. The BREEAM Excellent and WiredScore Platinum scheme retained over 80% of the building’s heritage materials, including the original internal primary steel and brickwork structure in their entirety. This achieved an overall 50% carbon emissions reduction compared to a rebuild. The all-electric building’s windows maximise natural light, reducing energy consumption in operation. Trevor Morriss, principal at SPPARC,
said: “This former warehouse has sat as a shadow of its former self for over six decades with restoration works in the 1950s stripping it of its historic visual relationship to wider Westminster, including the distinctive style of Army & Navy premises. Drawing on extensive research of both the building’s own architectural history and the area’s rich surrounding heritage landscape, our sensitive, yet ambitious restoration will allow Greycoat Stores to stand as a focal point on this important Westminster junction once again, creating seven storeys of innovative workspace and publicly accessible retail and leisure space that is fi t for the modern age.”
ADF JANUARY 2025
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