Channelling the momentum of COP26, we convened a group of clients and colleagues to share the key built environment outcomes of the Glasgow conference, and reflect on what’s next.
Here are the insights and takeaways from this important discussion, by Hattie Hartman.
Our recently completed sympathetic renovation of Cottam House, has been featured in Mix Interiors magazine and online oplatform.
Cottam House is a three storey, locally listed, Victorian warehouse building, which sits opposite Kings Cross Station on York Way. Its refurbishment involves a new glass entrance to the front of the building, reconfiguration of the common parts, and the infill of a rear recess at ground floor. There is a new stepped terrace to the rear with concealed platform lift, new cycle storage and all services.
We are very excited to announce that Broadwalk House has been shortlisted for the AJ Retrofit Awards in the Workplace £5-10m category!
This high impact refurbishment of a 7 storey building on the Broadgate Estate has upcycling and recycling at its core. It focused on light touch but transformative interventions to the main building entrance and reception, upper floor common areas and WC’s, half of the office floors with the other remaining in occupation through the works, and new occupier facilities in the basement.
Broadwalk House has previously been shortlisted to the NLA Awards under the Conserving category.
Herding a big team around central London is not an easy task! It’s been a while since we last took a team photo, and it’s clear to see why we were due a new one!
With new and ongoing projects, we have been working hard and the successes are easy to see, but this has also meant that our team has grown to a total of 49 members, our biggest number yet, WOW!
As we’ve always said, people first, so please join us in giving a warm welcome to our new members!
NLA’s Resilient London Report is a call to the built environment sector to take climate resilience as a serious and urgent matter!
It reviews the status of climate resilience strategies, the skills the built environment sector needs for building and designing for a changing climate, and the barriers that we face to implement effective resilience approaches.
We are incredibly proud to have 3 projects being featured in the report, for their demonstration of sustainable environmental approaches and consideration of climate resilience.
Jon has added to his list of judging roles and this year becomes an Architect Assessor for the Civic Trust Awards.
The Civic Trust Awards are unique in their singular focus on rewarding projects that offer a positive cultural, social, economic or environmental benefit to their local communities. I am sure this year the bar will be raised again with entries showcasing the very best in the built environment throughout Europe.
Team BG had another great day out at the JLL Property Triathlon.
Our biggest group of athletes yet, we took part in 1 swim, 1 duathlon, and 2 relay triathlons and we can’t wait for next year!
We have completed our refurbishment of the prominent 1970s building at 60 Charlotte Street, which has mixed the refinement of its Fitzrovia surroundings with the rawness of the original concrete structure.
We have completely transformed the existing entrance, doubling the size of the reception and creating a much better visual connection with the street. The office floors have been stripped back to their frames and now the original structure, as well as modifications made over the years, is on show. Exposed services help to celebrate the structure and retain a sense of height and space.
We have completed works at 1 Cavendish Place on Regent Street, where the new reception space has drawn inspiration from its context of classic materials including bronze, terrazzo, and oak. This creates a bright and welcoming contemporary space with a quality, high-end feel.
The entrance canopy has had a new lighting feature integrated to improve street presence and visibility from Regent Street. A phased programme of WC refurbishment has also upgraded the building.
Contemporary and stylish end of trip facilities have replaced underused basement retail and back of house space, providing modern amenity space for the users of this prestigious 350,000ft2 Midtown office building.
On the upper floors, we have created a large external amenity space for the occupiers on the previously under-utilised east side of the building, as well as slick and striking CAT A office fit outs over multiple floors, covering 3,000m2 of space.
We are pleased to announce that Barr Gazetas are in this years’ Architects’ Journal AJ100 list, which comes at a time of transformation for us. We have renewed our vision and focus as a practice, and can’t wait to share this with you all over the coming months. We strive to continue making spaces and places to make life better.
We’ve also been shortlisted for AJ100’s New Member of the Year Award, which is a brilliant place to be.
We are thrilled to have three of our projects featured in NLA’s new research ‘WRK/LDN: office revolution?’. The report examines the rapidly changing view of the workplace and how we must innovate, particularly post-COVID, to accommodate a modern workforce.
It’s a great accolade to have included three exemplary projects: One Heddon Street, 7 Holbein Place, and Battersea Studios 3.
Jonathan Allwood and Tom Jordan have been working at the University of Greenwich with MArch students in technical tutorials; Tom also covered construction detailing with BA students.
Meanwhile, since January Alistair Barr has been an Associate Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University every week, and has spoken at the University of Bedfordshire about interior architecture.
As part of our Spring Newsletter this year, we reflected on the last 12 months, which have been interesting to say the least. We are so glad to be coming to the end of that time, but we did enjoy having time for our hobbies and pastimes, with some of us taking up some new skills too.
Read all about what we’ve been up to since Christmas. We are very fortunate to have lots of exciting updates to share and are grateful to our team for their hard work. We can’t wait to get back in the studio and to see you all again.
We have kicked off an exciting residential project in Watford for Fruition Properties. The new build development utilises innovative modular construction techniques, creating c.40 units of high-quality homes, with associated private and communal amenity space.
We have completed our refurbishment of 2 More London at the More London Riverside development for St Martins Property Group, providing upgraded space, a new entrance, reception and additional building amenity. A new palette of light and contemporary materials creates a welcoming feel with new joinery, greening, signage, and lighting complementing the refresh.
The Department of Health for Property Week – our inclusive and experiential alternative to the redundant department store building. In the post-COVID world, the department store becomes The Department of Health: a central hub for community, fun, learning, hospitality, and living, as well as retail, all geared at nurturing our physical and mental wellbeing.
Alistair Barr hosted the Academy of Urbanism Hour about rapid urban changes in London. Scott Marshall from The Crown Estate discussed increased pedestrian access at Regent Street, while Esther Kurland from Urban Design London explained how lockdown ‘turbo-charged’ their ideas.
We are delighted to share we have completed on site at 6 Langley Street, an historic, listed six storey building that once formed part of the Woodyard Brewery in Covent Garden. It has been transformed through a series of sensitive interventions, including exposing structural beams and brick walls to create a consistent, strong design that celebrates its history.
We are hugely excited to be collaborating with Marstead Living to create their new masterplan to deliver a new model for independent senior living in London. The scheme will provide modern and thoughtfully designed homes for a retired generation who seek social engagement and an active lifestyle.
We’re delighted to kick off 2021 with planning consent for a new Grade A office refurbishment at 20-22 Berkeley Square, for client Astrea. The scheme is for retrofit of 22,000 sqft of workspace, a remodelled art-deco reception, new restaurant/retail space, and roof terraces overlooking the square.
It’s great to be part of the Grosvenor team leading the RetroFirst charge with 7 Holbein Place. The project will be operationally net zero and meet all of Grosvenor’s net zero targets for a more sustainable future.
“Offices are hugely important places, but they need to become healthier spaces.” Jon recently spoke with Work in Mind about the acceleration towards healthier workplace design as a result of the pandemic.
The London Society has gathered thoughts and ideas on #WhenThisIsAllOver. Alistair’s contribution argues that we need to return the West End to a place of real production and work.
We are delighted to have secured planning and listed building consent for the refurbishment of Kodak House, 65 Kingsway. The scheme, for Clearbell, creates unique workspace that modernises and restores London’s first purpose built open plan office space
Alistair has written a piece for the London Society Journal on the history of Regent Street and his ideas for its future. His study, Gorgeous Georgians, explores the boundary that the street created and how it could be reimagined into a more democratic space.
Tom is delighted and honoured to be names as a judge for this year’s AJ Retrofit Awards. Retrofit is a subject close to our hearts.
Jon presented at Futurebuild alongside Jane Wakiwaka, the Head of Sustainability for The Crown Estate. They discussed the WELL Building Standard in The Crown Estate’s portfolio and how we designed One Heddon Street to become the world’s first WELL co-working space.
We are proud to be on the list of supporters of RetroFirst, the campaign by Architects’ Journal. We are very lucky to work with clients and consultants who champion sustainability and we enjoy working together for the future of the built environment
We are delighted that Quadrant Arcade is a Regional Finalist in the 2020 Civic Trust Awards.
The awards celebrate the best architecture, planning and design making positive cultural, social, economic or environmental contributions to the local community.
Alistair took part in a seminar discussion, ‘Creativity: Tuition or Intuition’, organised by and featured in FX Magazine this month. The topic threw up many interesting questions, including where does creativity come from, who is creative, how can it be useful, and what counts as creativity?
Two of our recent projects for The Crown Estate featured in the NLA on Location: Westminster conference on the 19th November 2019.
We showed attendees around Quadrant Arcade and One Heddon Street as part of the route taking in Oxford Street, Regent Street and their surrounding areas.
This year we have entered two artworks into the 10×10 London auction to raise money for Article 25.
Sydne took inspiration from the bands of colour and pattern within the Isle of Dogs and Alistair featured some mudlarking finds from Greenwich Reach at Low Tide.
Architects E17 held their fifth Chit Chat PechaKucha event on the subject ‘Walthamstow: What’s Next?’
Tom Barton took part and presented our work with Making Places and Truman’s Brewery.
Rebranded into ‘The BGs’, Alistair’s band with Canary Wharf Contractors took part in the 2019 Construction Rocks battle of the bands competition this October. The band won the best fundraising prize, raising over £2000 for The Lighthouse Club – the construction industry charity.
Quadrant Arcade was a finalist in this year’s FX Awards. We were up against very stiff competition in the Retail Space category. The awards have a focus in interior design and saw entries from all over the world so we are thrilled to have made it so far.
The CPA hosted their Autumn Reception at Riverscape, our project with Aukett Swanke for Knight Frank.
Guests were treated to amazing views of the London skyline at sunset and a speech from Alastair Moss, Chair of the Transportation and Planning Committee at the City of London Corporation.
Our latest newsletter is out! Read all about what we’ve been up to since January
We are absolutely thrilled that Quadrant Arcade, our project for The Crown Estate has won the Hotel, Retail & Leisure category at this year’s AJ Retrofit Awards.
Architects Data File have a project focus this month on One Heddon Street, our flexible workplace for The Crown Estate. Jon Eaglesham speaks about how the project came to be and how we worked with The Crown Estate and the rest of the project team to create the world’s first WELL-accredited co-working space.
UK Architects have declared a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency and we have signed the Architect’s Declare pledge. We will continue to push for sustainable methods in our industry and in more directly in the project teams of which we a part.
Jon Eaglesham, our Managing Director, has been elected to the BCO Board of Management.
He is looking forward to engaging with the members and finding out how the BCO should continue to promote the best in class around all areas of influence.
Our MD Jon enjoyed being a juror for the BCO judging panel this year. The awards are a valued showcase of the best workplace designs in the UK, and it’s great to be part of the process.
Congratulation to the winners and well done to all who entered.
Following an invited competition win in early 2016 we are delighted to be working with Dulwich College to restore the three Charles Barry Jnr. buildings. We have received consent from Southwark Council for our proposals and the Dulwich College Board of Governors has given approval for the projects which will further enable an environment in which pupils, colleagues and the wider community can thrive and learn.
Tom Barton, our associate who worked on the Royal Academy, features in BD Online to make the case for executive architects, a role that is too often misunderstood and undervalued in our profession.
We are thrilled to have been selected as finalists in three categories at this year’s AJ Retrofit Awards:
· Listed Building – Quadrant Arcade
· Hotel, Retail & Leisure – Quadrant Arcade
· Offices – One Heddon Street
Plus, Royal Academy of Arts, where we served as Executive Architect, is a finalist in the Cultural Buildings category.
We are thrilled that Quadrant Arcade, our project on Regent Street for The Crown Estate, has won a New London Architecture Award!
The judges commented that, “from a design perspective, the arcade is very beautiful” and that it “transformed a somewhat unloved part of Regent Street and created a new link through at the same time”, providing “long-term investment in the city.”
We are delighted to have been shortlisted for three New London Awards.
Quadrant Arcade: Retail
One Heddon Street: Workplace
One Heddon Street: Wellbeing Prize
Fingers crossed for the ceremony at The Guildhall on 3rd July.
Our artwork, Wish You Were Here, envisioning the future of electric transport in five iconic buildings, was included in the RA Summer Exhibition.
We took the whole office on a trip to see our piece and also show new staff the work we did as executive architects on the new extension.
Alistair Barr has showcased his mews home, Sun House, in The Modern House.
He explains how he made the period building energy efficient and gives insight into his house style.
Our project with RDI REIT, 127 Charing Cross Road, has received planning permission.
We have designed a three-storey extension to the building, increasing the its floor space by 47% and taking it to circa 60,000ft2.
Our work on Tower House in Lewisham has been profiled in Architecture Today. The article explains the history of the building and how we approached the conversion and extension.
BD Online has featured our work on Tower House, an old department store in Lewisham that we have converted in flats for MHA London. The project “could become a model for how to breathe new life into abandoned department stores.”
We continued our annual participation in the JLL Property Triathlon this June.
Gemma took part in the Property Swim (2.2km of Dorney Lake) and Iain took part in the Duathlon (5km run, 22km cycle, 2.5km run)
Our recent success achieving planning permission for Drury Lane has been featured in BD Online.
Our scheme is conservation-led in contrast to previous schemes which were more demolition-led.
We are really excited to be working with Truman’s to design a new brewery destination in Walthamstow. The site will feature a brewery tap room, immersive visitor experience and brewery tours, as well as a street food market, performance space for live music and artist studios for the local creative community.
This renovation of a 1930’s building in the heart of Fitzrovia for UK & European is currently on site. The existing building will be remodelled with the addition of rear and rooftop extensions providing increased office space, restoration of the historic Art Deco facades, premium tenant facilities and fantastic CAT A office space.
Barr Gazetas have been shortlisted in this year’s BD Architect of the Year Awards in the Interior category. We have worked on some really exciting interior projects over the past few years so thank you to everyone for giving us the opportunity to show off the talents of our team.
Our transformation of Quadrant Arcade appears in Architecture Today. The arcade, which is the only one on Regent Street, has been restored throughout.
We have changed the Regent Street entrance to increase visibility and worked with Jason Bruges Studio to create a contemporary light features which runs the length of the arcade.
We are delighted that our Drury Lane project with Savills IM has achieved planning permission.
This heritage-led project, falling in part within the Covent Garden Conservation area, will combine four buildings to provide 23,000ft2 of flexible retail, restaurant, and gym uses on the ground floor and basement level, with 66,000ft2 of office space on the upper floors.
We are delighted to be shortlisted for this year’s BCO Awards. One Heddon Street, the new flexible workplace that we have created for The Crown Estate, is competing in the Fit Out of Workplace category and we enjoyed showing the judges around last week.
This year Jon joins the RIBA Awards judging panel for London North.
He will take on the role of Sustainability Specialist and enjoys championing sustainability within the Practice for our staff and projects.
One Heddon Street, the first flexible workspace from The Crown Estate, designed by Barr Gazetas, has launched!
It will be the first co-working space in the world to be WELL-accredited.
Our latest newsletter is out! Read all about what we’ve been up to since last summer
Jon Eaglesham, our Managing Director, and Duncan Walker, the Managing Director of Skyports, appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live on Phil Williams’ evening show on the 3rd October discussing what drones will mean for the future of London’s transport system and skyline.
Jon Eaglesham, our Managing Director joined Jaguar design director Ian Callum to present a joint vision for what the urban future of automotive electrification could look like at an event in the Stratstone Mayfair Jaguar dealership in central London.
Alistair, along with his band members from Canary Wharf Contractors, won the Best Performance Award at this year’s Construction Rocks.
“Originality has become the imposed ambition for architecture students, but we should all embrace the exhilarating possibilities of creative copying” – Alistair on how we should change our approach to copying in our quest to be creative
Our work getting passenger drones to London has been featured in The Times. Together with Skyports, we continue to find new sites for rooftop vertiports and are getting ready for the future of urban air mobility.
Last week we sponsored and took part in our very first IBI Construction Cup. Tough competition stopped us from getting past the group stages but it was a brilliant afternoon in the sun and we are looking forward to getting on the pitch again next year.
Architects Journal feature Barr Gazetas work with Skyports, UK’s first drone ports, and asks why architects should seize the opportunity to create infrastructure for the vehicles that will soon be ‘filling our skies’
Great news! Our proposal for an extension to Camden Wharf has received unanimous planning consent. We will be sensitively extending an iconic building designed in 2000 by CZWG on the Camden canal side with a new rooftop restaurant hidden behind a layered glass and metal façade and careful public realm enhancements.
Our latest newsletter is out! Read all about what we’ve been up to since February.
Our search for London rooftops to host vertiports has been featured in Dezeen. Our collaboration with Skyports sees us take on the design aspect of the process.
Our ‘invisible’ work on the recent expansion of The Royal Academy of Arts features in this profile in Blueprint Magazine.
We took on the role of Executive Architect for David Chipperfield’s design, ensuring that the quality of their design and the heritage of the building came through in the construction.
Barr Gazetas is working with Skyports to integrate cutting edge transportation facilities within existing and new buildings in London. Skyports operates vertiports – landing pads and facilities for cargo and passenger carrying drones, and we are part of the team creating a network of sites across the UK and beyond.
Alistair Barr has contributed to Creative Superpowers, a new book looking into creative problem-solving. With contributions from people all over the creative world, the book covers the superpowers of Hacking, Making, Teaching and Thieving. Alistair discusses thieving and argues that, with modern technology and resources, architects should be encouraged to copy widely and freely.
Well done to our Mike Owens who completed in this year’s JLL Property Triathlon. He took part to raise money for The Favela Foundation. The foundation was set up by our own Kanav Gupta to raise money for educational and social welfare projects in Brazil's favelas.
Only this month we received the good news that our concept for Waltham Forest Council’s Making Places initiative has been selected as one of the winners. Our Albert Crescent Long Table scheme envisages a new piece of public realm providing a colourful focus for community and events and gatherings.
2018’s Article 25 10×10 art auction covered the route of the Elizabeth Line from Paddington to Whitechapel. Alistair Barr was delighted to take part for the third year running, and painted the square that includes Heddon Street.
His entry (above) revisits our Hidden Heddon event from 2017 and includes Snow White, the golden calf, and David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust album cover.
Associate, Hannah Chalmers-Stevens completed her first ever London Marathon, raising money for Centrepoint charity. Hannah is a keen runner and has completed four half marathons and many 10k events in her 10 years at Barr Gazetas. Her mission was to train and complete what she calls her ‘biggest running challenge to date’ before her 40 year milestone – and she smashed it.
Phase 1 of the Power Road Studio’s masterplan completed in October 2017 with great market feedback and letting success. Studio 1, the first of five buildings to be remodelled, provides a new campus anchor and sets the standard for the next stage of the masterplan.
Alistair has become a mentor for the UK-GBC Future Leaders. It is a five-month programme to develop careers while also talking issues close to the UK-GBC cause.
His mentee this year, Clare Murray from Levitt Bernstein, talks through her experience of the course.
Our latest newsletter is out! Read all about what we’ve been up to since last summer.
Our fit out of the Anomaly offices in 25 Charterhouse Square has been profiled in this month’s FX Magazine.
The design takes in the views and history of the area while providing a distinctly ‘Anomaly’ office to fit alongside their other spaces globally.
Alistair has submitted a watercolour depiction of ‘Ted’s Veg, West Park Walk, Stratford’ for this year’s 10×10 London auction. This year’s theme is Stratford and the auction raises money for Article 25.
Our co-working scheme in Camden, LABS Atrium, has been shortlisted for the FX Awards, in the Small Workplace Environment Category. Atrium is aimed at start-ups and creatives, and the design looks to foster a more collaborative approach to co-working with a clever mix of working styles. We were tasked with the design of a community – and this quickly became our single most important principal.
Barr Gazetas are thrilled that our bespoke lighting design COPPA continues to delight. Designed by in-house Architect Savvas as part of the Crown Estates Mezzanine fitout, the compact LED light brings life a flexible space that showcases The Crown Estate’s diverse property portfolio in a world class destination.
Our latest newsletter is out! Read all about what we’ve been up to since April.
Delighted that our new-build and refurbishment scheme for Power Road Studios is featured in World Architecture News.
In June, Barr Gazetas teamed up with the London Society to host a tour of our co-working scheme in Camden. Interchange Atrium was created in a building that had stood empty for 7 years. It provides over 30,0002ft of creative working spaces for 600 people, with three floors of alternative work style space being offered; private, hot-desking and breakout spaces.
Heddon Street may only be 100m long but under the surface there are many layers of history. ‘Hidden Heddon’ will recall the rich memories of this street, in particular three notable mysteries, through installations, live music performances and Barr Gazetas opening their studio for all. Come along and explore these mysteries on a treasure trail, visit bars and restaurants for related events and discover Heddon Street in the present and past.
Serious results for Kanav and Mark who took part in the JLL Property Triathlon last week. It’s great to be part of the wider property network and we’ll be back next year with a few more challengers.
We’re excited to announce that Air Street has won another award at this year’s Energy Awards, winning ‘Commercial Building Energy Project of the Year’!
We’re really thrilled that one of Mayfair’s newest and most prestigious developments, The Crown Estate’s 7 Air Street, has won Sustainability Project of the Year at the Building Awards 2016.
Promoting sustainability is at the heart of what we do. In 2016 Barr Gazetas became accredited under ISO 14001 and we are committed to continual development of our environmental performance. We have a comprehensive Environmental Policy and Management System and are always finding ways to reduce our environmental impact at every stage of our design process.
The Atrium, a vibrant co-working business building in Camden Market, designed by Barr Gazetas with interiors and lighting in collaboration with Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studios features in On Office.
The UK Green Building Council is refurbishing its London headquarters, with a design team drawn from its membership and the aim of challenging industry thinking as to what is achievable in a small scale fit out. Sweett Group, Cundall and Sturgis Carbon Profiling join architectural practice Barr Gazetas in working closely with the client and leaseholder, The Building Centre, on refurbishing the 162.4m2 space.
The Camden Interchange flagship Atrium building designed by Barr Gazetas with interiors in collaboration with Design Research Studios features in Wallpaper
Dexigner feature our work on Atrium, the new flagship building of Interchange’s three available office spaces in Camden. We worked in collaboration with Tom Dixon’s by Design Research Studio on the interiors. Opened in October 2015, Atrium and other site Utopia provide larger office space for growing and established companies.
The February MIPIM Preview features our work recently completed on the office eco-retrofit of 7 Air Street in the Westend entitled ‘Building for the Future’.
Our Practice of the Month for July are Barr Gazetas who are based in Fitzrovia. We asked the practice to tell us a bit about themselves.
Building Design magazine have featured Barr Gazetas’ planning win for the redevelopment of the historical Greenwich Market. Our scheme enhances the historic assets of this town centre by restoring it for the future.
We’re pleased to see our new office building for Bishopswood Estates has started onsite. This 11,000 ft2 scheme is due for completion in July 2015. It replaces their existing headquarters and overlooks the Wembley regeneration project.
Brooklyn Bowl is a 32,000 ft2 entertainment venue comprising a live music arena, a bowling alley, three bars and a Blue Ribbon Restaurant run by American chef, Bruce Bromberg. Located within The O2 in North Greenwich and supported by the venue’s owners AEG, it is the second Brooklyn Bowl to open globally and the first in Europe.