A new riverside office block is being planned to replace, what I suspect many passers-by would have assumed is a block of flats, but is actually a 1980s office block.
The development, Red Lion Court would see the existing building replaced with a conventionally modern cubed office with glass walls and roof terraces, and brick finish on the outside.
Existing site (c) Landsec / BIG
Proposed development next to the already approved former-FT building (c) Landsec / BIG
To win over the planners, they say they will widen the riverside path in front of the new office, create a new pocket park to the rear of the new development, and open up the closed path between the office block and the former FT building it sits next to.
The currently blank frontage of the building facing the river would also be opened up as a retail (aka, cafe/restaurant) space.
Part of the argument for demolition is that they expect to achieve a ‘whole life’ carbon impact that is the same – or lower – than would be the case in a comprehensive refurbishment of the building
There’s a consultation about the plans here.
The developer is Landsec, and the design has come from the architects, BIG.
Well I needed a laugh in these straitened times. The consultation site is rife with architect-speak. Well it would be.
“Sophisticated architecture” trumps a headline. Hmm. Looks like concrete cubes with a sheet of glass plonked in the middle to me. This is a result of “finding inspiration in successful façade designs” it says. Successful in winning planning permission maybe more than successful in advancing the built environment I’d argue.
Then “finding inspiration in the character of the area” headlines shots of wharves, Butler’s Wharf especially. Perhaps they had their eyes closed.
They bang on about respectful massing. Then there’s an image of the building hovering over the pub next door on the riverbank.
I appreciate that commerce will out and not every problem can be resolved but it’s a bit rich using the terminology they do. But as I said, that’s the way of things at the moment. Time for a change.
This hideous unrelieved slab-sided proposed “design” is reminiscent of Fore’s approved (but currently delayed) obliteration of the polite po-mo Tower Bridge Court at the South end of the bridge, which it so cleverly echoed with subtle gothic flourishes.
Additional floors, out of scale, looming over adjacent conservation areas. Philistines.
The current building is where the Trotters stand and clink their champagne glasses after they win the lottery and become filthy rich…
Yes, I was working in the building that weekend when they were filming on a floor that was being renovated. Never saw any of the actors but I did wonder why there was loads of film crew around. We (the staff) weren’t told it was happening.
A former Lloyds Bank IT building, worked there on and off between 1994 – 2017. Apparently it was originally designed and built to be flats but was converted to office space and opened in the early 90’s as offices following the property crash of that era. Hence that’s why it looks like flats with the balconies. Lots of good memories of the building.