18th November 2018

International Property Award win

With an eye-catching suspended staircase, a 3,000 sq. ft. roof terrace boasting 360° views of London and details which nod to its Victorian heritage, Seven Dials Warehouse is not your typical office space. Its sensitive refurbishment and striking design have led to CBRE Global Investors winning an International Property Award in the Office Development category.

When Thomasons was commissioned to lead the structural engineering elements of the refurbishment, the brief was to create a design that would attract global companies to the Grade II listed building in Covent Garden. Used as a brewery in Victorian times, the owners wanted to establish a ‘warehouse feel’.

To optimise the internal space, it was stripped back to its original structure and the staircases were re-orientated. The result is visually striking, including a suspended staircase and vast spaces with an industrial-luxe aesthetic.

The immense roof terrace, offering panoramic urban views, is a highlight of the warehouse. Thomasons designed the terrace’s steel frame, ensuring that the load could be supported by the existing roof structure without further strengthening works.

Thomasons’ work on the heritage building included extensive surveys and careful investigation of historic structural statements. They subsequently obtained the required permissions from the local authority heritage officer and other interested groups in the local area.

Alan Lace-Evans, technical director at Thomasons, says, “Historic buildings always need careful handling, especially if they’re considered of national importance. This isn’t necessarily a barrier to making significant additions, provided they are of design merit and sensitive to the original building. The creation of a viewing deck accessed by a seemingly floating folding steel plate staircase is both wonderful and useful.”

Seven Dials Warehouse will now have the opportunity to be chosen as the ‘World’s Best’ as it is automatically put forward for re-judging against winners in other parts of the world including Asia Pacific, Americas, Europe, Africa and Arabia. The international winners will be announced in December.

To find out more about Thomasons’ structural engineering services, click here.