Arundel Great Court

Frederick Gibberd and Partners, London, 1976

 

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General view of main upper area 

Michael Reid     Download Original

  • General view of main upper area    
  • View from office of internal courtyard showing balcony detail    
  • River facade from Waterloo Bridge    
  • The Embankment elevation    
  • Street context showing Australia House on the right    
  • View through security grille     
  • Side elevation    
  • Side street showing distinct forms of elevation    
  • Planting troughs and seats built from York stone    
  • View of the lower public area of the court    
  • Entrance to office block    
  • Visible staining to the roof    
  • Hotel foyer    
  • Brighton Pavilion Bar with garden court    
  • Location plan    
  • Site plan    
  • Level two floor plan    
  • Level three floor plan    
  • Level four floor plan    
  • Level five floor plan    
  • Section through courtyard    
  • Sectional perspective showing the court as a roof garden    
  • Aerial view of the old site    
  • Detailed section through external wall    
  • Section and details of sunken garden wall    

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

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