Daily Express Building, Refurbishment
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The entrance: restored to opulent splendour – in his novel Scoop in 1933 Evelyn Waugh recalled it as ‘the Byzantine vestibule’
Max Alexander (website) Download Original
Refurbishment and preservation of a 1930s Grade II listed, Art deco building by Sir Owen Williams, in London's Fleet Street, housing offices and conference space on five floors
One of the challenges faced by the architect was recreating the spectacular foyer, largely from photographs, and upgrading the facade without changing its appearance.
The client was receptive to the proposal that Williams' exposed profiled concrete office ceilings should be left uncovered, but it was clearly necessary to greatly improve the thermal and acoustic performance of the glazing – a single layer of glass in steel frames.
What Williams created was not strictly a curtain wall – clear glazing alternated black glass (vitriolite) panels, which were a facing on the concrete frame. Many of these panels were in a poor state and some had been badly repaired after the superficial war damage.
The building now has its own lift and central service core – the original, very narrow lift shafts have been reused as air vents – though the impressive oval staircase has been retained and restored (with original light fittings replicated and its bold colours reinstated) and extended to the fifth floor.
Data
- Begun: Feb 1998
- Completed: 2000
- Floor area: 57,750m2
- Sector: Office
- Total cost: £80M
- Funding: Private
- Tender date: Oct 1997
- Procurement: JCT 81
- Address: 120 Fleet Street, London, EC4A 2BE, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: Hurley Robertson & Associates
- Project architects: Andrzej Hewanicki, John Robertson, Sir William Owens
- Client: The Fleet Street Partnership
- Project manager: Gleeds Management Services
- Quantity surveyor: Gleeds
- Main contractor: Kajima Taylor Woodrow
- Planning supervisor: Gleeds Health & Safety
- Accoustics: Hann Tucker Associates
- Structural engineer: Arup
- Services engineer: Arup
Suppliers
- Terrazzo tiles: Cecconi Birmingham Ltd
- External cladding: Scheldebouw UK
- Feature Metalwork, Specialist Finishes: Trollope Colls Elliot Ltd
- Stonework: Szerelmey Ltd
- External Restoration: Plowden & Smith Ltd
- Services: Sulzer (UK) Ltd
- Roof Covering: Prater Ltd
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