Arundel Great Court
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General view of main upper area
Michael Reid Download Original
Office development with shops on the Strand frontage and an hotel on the river frontage to replace the old Howard Hotel
The brief was for the comprehensive redevelopment of the whole of the site including office development with shops on the Strand and a hotel frontage to replace the old Howard Hotel.
The site lies between Somerset House and the Inner Temple and is a long rectangle shape of 1.21 hectares. This suggested that the buildings be arranged on the perimeter of the site to form an architectural space in the form of a garden court.
The five office blocks are linked together to form one U-shaped building, facing the Strand. While each block is self-contained they can be combined to form a wide variety of building types. The hotel comprising of 141 bedrooms is placed on the centre of the river frontage to maximise the views.
The design of the building is kept minimal with a limited materials palette of Portland stone and bronze finished aluminum windows and a simple architectural form repeated across the building.
Data
- Begun: Aug 1972
- Completed: Apr 1976
- Floor area: 54,905m2
- Sectors: Office, Hotel, Retail
- Total cost: £8.9M
- Tender date: Jul 1972
- Procurement: 1963 private edition JCT
- Address: The Stand, Arundel Street, London, WC2R 3AZ, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: Frederick Gibberd and Partners
- Project architects: J. B. Forrest, M. G. Ellison, M. H. Coombes, M. R. Legg
- Client: Capital and Counties, Legal and General, Trustees of Norfolk Family Estate
- Quantity surveyor: A. E.Thornton-Firkin
- Structural engineer: Bylander Waddell Partnership
- Services engineer: Carrier Engineering Co Ltd
- Acoustic consultant: Hann-Tucker Associates Ltd
- Drainage consultant: R. F.Joyce
- Main contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine & Son
Suppliers
- Portland stone cladding: The Stone Firms Ltd
- Windows, screens and revolving doors: Stelwin Construction Ltd
- Marble for the offices: W. P. Bannocks Ltd
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