Note
The client wanted to explore development options for this existing residential and commercial building on Great Portland Street. The site represented a rare opportunity for a central London building with 3 street frontages. The feasibility consisted of 9 luxury residential units with Commercial space on the Ground Floor, with the existing frame retained and the residents tenants on the top floor remaining whilst the works were completed.
The existing building was of little Architectural merit and was deemed of negative impact on the Conservation area. The traditional hierachy of a dominant ground floor, formal middle and subserviant top floor, was inverted in a top heavy example of modern architecture. Our intention was to overclad this existing frame, with a architectural device which corrected this language.