+ A NEW CIRCULAR WORKPLACE +
NORTH CRESCENT, MORRIS+COMPANY, RECEIVES PLANNING CONSENT
A new archetypal workplace formed by interconnecting three buildings in the Bloomsbury Conservation Area by Morris+Company for Schroders Capital UK Real Estate Fund (SCREF) with development partner Stanhope PLC , received planning permission at a Camden Planning Authority Committee on 4th May.
Located on Chenies Street, and working with listed and locally significant buildings, the project will provide future facing, high-quality office space, utilising carefully curated methods of modification, adaptation and extension to sensitively elevate the existing fabric with a sustainable methodology at its centre.
Minerva House (Grade II listed and originally designed by George Vernon to house Minerva Motor Cars), Fitzroy House and Telephone Exchange (both highlighted as locally significant) all built in 1912, form the North Crescent along Chenies Street which wraps the Eisenhower Centre, (a deep level bomb shelter built in 1942 which sits immediately in front), and bookends Albert Place, which is mirrored by the South Crescent on Store Street.
In approach, the key consideration has been given to the existing fabric on site and the proposals prioritise restoration, repair, and refurbishment to sustainably future-fit the buildings thus aligning them to London Borough of Camden's 2025 vision and beyond. Working closely with the client and a pioneering project team including Heyne Tillett Steel Eckersley O'Callaghan and Thornton Reynolds Ltd , a holistic project strategy resulted which balances the sites’ heritage aspects, sustainable construction and optimum future operations through ‘Sustainability+Placemaking’, ‘Design+Community’, and ‘Employment+Growth’; each consideration carefully balanced with to the other to create a truly circular proposal, from low embodied carbon materials to refurbishment and preservation of existing fabric to reduced energy usage via fully electric proposals.
The architectural approach draws upon the Morris+Company Office+ principles employed in the design and conception of future thinking workplaces, namely;
+ WELLBEING
Both during and post-pandemic, office space is being reconsidered, questioned and reconfigured to meet the needs the ‘new’ world. Adaptability and flexibility of space are at the forefront, in tandem with health and wellbeing of individuals who use these spaces. North Crescent intends to meet and surpass these needs by incorporating user experience into the base build design. This is achieved through openable windows/natural ventilation throughout; provision for amenity spaces; healthy materials specified; increased biodiversity; and increased digital and physical connectivity. Office space can no longer be a place for which people simply come to work; office+ is a chance to incorporate serendipitous meeting points between industries and provide a healthy environment to encourage and increase productivity.
+ SUSTAINABILITY and HERITAGE
The existing fabric on site provides both an opportunity to propose a more sustainable approach to building but also a chance to secure and celebrate existing assets within the borough. By retaining and repairing first, the existing assets are elevated to meet current needs and preserve their existence through use in an ever-developing city. The North Crescent project has explored the site's history and interwoven the crescent language and traditional formation of the terraced houses once present, into the architectural expression. Crescent forms are expressed throughout in multiple methods: scalloped façade modules, scalloped panels and scalloped metalwork detailing. The project underwent a detailed façade analysis over 60- and 100-year life cycles to assess 7 different potential façade materials to determine an optimum solution in terms of carbon and context.
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+ CIRCULARITY and WHOLE LIFE CARBON
The North Crescent project has prioritised an ambitious and vital sustainability agenda in direct response to the climate crisis worldwide. The project considered sustainability from a holistic perspective including retention of fabric, carbon targets, reduced energy use and green transport. By retaining 84% of the existing facades and 80% of the existing structure, the embodied carbon is significantly reduced through material re-use and reduced construction. Furthermore, this supports the protection of heritage and valuable fabric to the conservation area. As well as fabric retention, all proposed materials and structure have been considered carefully through a Whole Life Carbon Assessment. As well as WLC, the project is also a NABERs pioneer and is targeting WELL Gold and BREEAM Excellent accreditations.
www.morrisand.company team
Theodora Paschali
Alejandro Londono