Recognised as one of central London’s finest twentieth century buildings, McLaren were awarded the complete and major refurbishment of New Bracken House. The extensive refurbishment project provides 280,000 sq ft office facilities, situated adjacent to St Pauls Cathedral.
The nine-storey building was designed by Sir Albert Richardson and opened in 1959 as the headquarters of the Financial Times newspaper. Its pink brick and sandstone exterior reflect the distinctive salmon pink of the paper on which the publication is printed. Redeveloped by the Obayashi Corporation, Bracken House has been completely refurbished and sees the Financial Times return after relocating to Southwark in the late 1980s.
Refurbishment works included a complete strip out of the building, with floor areas removed to link the central plate to the wings via new full-height, open-plan courtyards. The building’s entire outside façade was retained, including the elegant astronomical clock with the face of Winston Churchill featured at its centre.
The shell and core fit-out works were carried out to CAT A standard and 270,000sqft of Grade-A office accommodation was created. CAT B works featured full catering facilities, open-plan offices for over 1,500 desks, audio and video studio suites with live broadcast capability, and a TV studio.
Sympathetic refurbishment ensured that the canopy entrance, marble floors and other historic features were protected. The main reception hall is enlarged with new seating areas, and the new atrium roof has been modified to admit more daylight. The external wings were carefully refurbished and cleaned, and the roof reconfigured to accommodate a running track and a stunning roof garden and terrace overlooking the City of London.
The scheme was in a tight city centre location opposite St Paul’s Cathedral, requiring our team to develop a carefully considered logistics strategy to minimise disruption to neighbouring buildings and an adjacent construction site.