Buckingham Green

The rare opportunity to alter a part of a typical London district with its fascinating mixture of buildings and uses and to integrate it into the complicated road network around the St. James' Park arose in Buckingham Green. The project consists of a redeveloped tower (the so-called Rolls-Royce tower) and two new buildings with offices, retail trade and 65 apartments. The area contains 0.25 hectares of public space on which a new pedestrian friendly space has been created. The project designed by Fletcher Priest Architects uses the core of the existing tower on the premises for no. 1 and no. 2 Buckingham Green with two new buildings - no. 3 Buckingham Green and The Gate House - and offers additional space in keeping with the historical environment of the area. The redesigned 16-storey tower has both residential and office space with separate entrances for residents and office users. No. 1 Buckingham Green has luxury rented apartments in the upper 10 floors. Every house has a unique floor plan and a remodelled interior.

Buckingham Green sets new standards for the public space on these grounds which lie nearby Parliament and Westminster Abbeys. Thousands of people who go between the underground station and their jobs pass attractive, high-quality businesses and restaurants which transition into sunlit spaces and capture the noon and setting sun.

Before the redevelopment, the area was disfigured by a dark lane with small businesses and hoist shafts which did not do justice to the charming urban context of the late Victorian, decorated brick buildings with an old tree population. The architects' draft reflects the character of the area with richly jointed red bricks and a new public passage "Buckingham Green".

The design embeds the tower location in its environment more comfortably with a fully glazed lobby, a reduced and optimised core made of fine marble and innovative black anodised windows which sit in a steel frame. The building will be 80% more energy efficient. The tower has four storeys with offices and 12 storeys with rented apartments above that.

GU solution: Facade technology