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DLG COMPLETES PRESTIGIOUS CITY REFURBISHMENT AT 14 CORNHILL

DLG Architects has completed a major £60 million refurbishment for 14 Cornhill, the former Lloyds TSB headquarters at Bank in the City of London, on behalf of its client IVG Development (UK) Ltd.

IVG Development (UK) Ltd acquired the Grade II* listed building upon relocating Lloyds TSB to new premises in nearby Gresham Street, in 2001. IVG Development (UK) Ltdcarried out a rigorous design competition. DLG Architects was selected due to the strength of their proposals and their track record of delivering innovative solutions to sensitive and complex buildings, such as the award winning Windsor Royal Station and Light development in Leeds.

In redesigning the internal layout of 14 Cornhill, to provide commercial accommodation more suitable for modern day use, DLG were faced with a number of interesting challenges, not least because of its Grade II * listing.The building is located in the Bank conservation area and contains what is acknowledged to be the finest banking hall in the City.

“Due to the historic importance of the interior of the building, it meant that a façade retention and new build scheme were out of the question from the start.”Says Gareth Gerner, Partner at DLG Architects (London).“We applied ourselves to the challenge of transforming the building into a grade A office building that could compete with the latest generation of new builds planned for the City”.

The retention of fine paneled directors suites at fifth floor level and an impressive ‘Imperial Staircase’ connecting them to the banking hall at ground level meant the existing floor slabs had to be retained.Numerous 750mm square columns located to suite cellular space of banking operations of 1929 do not suit modern requirements, which dictate minimal visible intrusion into open plan office space; he continues:

“In collaboration with structural engineers Ramboll WhitbyBird, we developed a unique solution to reconcile the modern office requirements by surgically replacing the large original columns with slender circular solid steel columns of only 200mm diameter.

Combined with the long span new structure that created two additional floors over the banking hall our solution has created a very high quality office space with large uninterrupted floor plates, which are always at a premium in this central location” states Gerner.

DLG also took the opportunity to re-plan the entire building creating a new entrance hall and access to the office core within an adjacent smaller building.The central atrium that connects the new core to the rest of the building contains the ‘Imperial Staircase’, which has become a key centerpiece and gives a new relevance to an important element and ensures all existing floors maintain a sense of continuity with the history of the building.

Two extra floors and plant deck were added to the top of the building taking the total of redeveloped accommodation up to 170,000 sq ft and providing spectacular office space with unrivalled views across the City.Hung from large trusses supported on just six ‘mega columns’, which carry the loads down through the twelve floors of the building to new foundations at third basement level, the modern structure avoids surcharging the existing building frame.

14 Cornhill was unveiled via a highly successful and popular BCO Technical Tour at the end of last year as a mixed use development containing shops, restaurants and prime open plan office space built around a spectacular atrium, maintaining and celebrating the historic qualities of the building and making it unique among City developments.

The majority of the office accommodation was pre-let with Russian bank VTB occupying 68,000 sqft, wealth management company Vestra Wealth taking 18,000 sq ft and Aviva Investors occupying 17,000 sq ft.Gymbox has also taken 23,000 sq ft in the basement.