80 Charlotte Street, London

Opportunities to develop a building of this size, in such a prominent central location, are few and far between. But it is fair to say that the 80 Charlotte Street team grasped this unique opportunity magnificently to deliver 322,000 sq ft of offices, 55 new flats, a café, a restaurant, and the new Poets Park. The design successfully encompasses the townscape and overcame the challenge of knitting in the retained and new facades.

In the heart of Fitzrovia, the main block is characterised by varying external treatments, setbacks, and terraces with retained portions of the original brickwork. Unitised concrete cladding wraps half of the block, with new grey and black brick elevations completing the rest. The main entrance is framed by a vast weathered steel structure.

On entering, the generous reception makes an immediate impact as you are hit by the light from one of three full-height atria inserted into the heart of the block. Staff and visitors enter through a double-height threshold into the main foyer, with its Danish oak timber flooring and custom leather seating.

This central trio of atriums, built into the former courtyard, bring natural light to each level of the development. A sequence of clear, uncluttered spaces are vertically and horizontally connected. Throughout, the building’s engineering is celebrated with exposed structural beams, columns, and services.

The all-electric workplace sets a benchmark for sustainability and has achieved BREEAM Excellent and LEED Gold. Air source heat pumps and solar panels on the roof provide heating and cooling, and hot water. All other electricity is purchased from ringfenced renewable sources. Air conditioning in perimeter areas automatically switches off when windows are open. The reception and atria are naturally ventilated, pulling in outside air, and distributing it around the floors.

Additional features to enhance operational efficiency include ‘glass in the right place’ façades that allow more daylight to flow indoors while minimising solar gain. High air tightness levels will improve energy performance and smart-enabled analytics will give insight into the building’s performance.

The quality throughout 80 Charlotte Street is encapsulated in areas such as the lift lobbies and cores which are beautifully crafted. This attention to detail combined with the hybrid workspace, the glorious bar, and roof-top terrace make this an exceptional development.

80 Charlotte Street, London

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Three Snowhill, Queensway, Birmingham

Winner of the Commercial Workplace category, Three Snowhill in Birmingham is a visionary Grade A development and part of the largest ever speculative city centre office scheme built outside London. The BCO judging panel commended the building for delivering an exceptional working environment with an exemplary range of facilities for its occupants and visitors. Particularly, praising the emphasis has been placed on wellbeing facilities, including a gymnasium, treatment rooms, sauna, showers and clothes drying facilities for cyclists, along with cycle storage and electric bike and EV charging points. It is complemented by an impressive arrival experience and office floor plates with excellent views over the cityscape. The project chose to reuse the basement area designed and built for a previous scheme and overcame significant technical challenges to realise substantial cost and embodied carbon benefits. The design and construction performance was carefully and comprehensively measured, achieving BREEAM Excellent, EPC B and WiredScore Platinum 100/100.