90 Long Acre Building, London Building Revitalisation, Mixed-Use Redevelopment, Richard Seifert Icon

90 Long Acre in West London

7 Dec 2020

90 Long Acre Building

Architects: Gensler

Location: 90 Long Acre, Covent Garden, West London

Green Light for Gensler’s Revitalisation of 90 Long Acre Building

Gensler and Platform have secured planning approval for the repositioning of the iconic Richard Seifert building in the heart of London’s West End.

The project will deliver a repositioning scheme that revitalises the existing commercial office building. The work will see a refurbishment of the internal office space, whilst giving the building new relevance in its context, making it less defensive in its connection to its surroundings and celebrating the corner of Long Acre and Endell Street. A new internal experience at ground level will connect the building to the wider Covent Garden area and create a new multi-purpose volume for use by the public and tenants.

Improvements to the public realm and activation of the ground plane through the introduction of retail uses will reanimate the streetscape and turn the building into an exciting new mixed-use destination that echoes the vibrancy of Covent Garden.

Designed and completed in the 1970’s by R.Seifert & Partners, the building has been a Brutalist style landmark in Covent Garden for over half a century – but in recent years has become increasingly inefficient, dated, and in need of modernisation to fulfil the needs of today’s evolving workforce and tenants.

The design makes the building relevant again by transforming both the exterior and interior of the building delivering optimised office floorplates and addressing key wellness and sustainability items such as access to fresh air, addition of greenery, terraces, stairs, removal of car parking and maximised cycle parking. The façade will be transformed to incorporate some of the Siefert design.

The decision to reposition rather than rebuild will deliver a high-quality piece of urban environment, while retaining more than 80% of the existing structure. In this manner embodied carbon is minimized at less than 500 kgCO2e/m2 over the buildings 60-year lifetime, with disruption to the local area significantly minimised.

The design will also make use of the latest active / passive technology that will allow the building to operate beyond current sustainability targets and achieve both BREEAM Excellent and WELL Platinum.

Liam Bond, Platform commented:
“90 Long Acre is in need of significant repositioning to cater to the changing needs of future occupants. We’re delighted that Westminster City Council is supportive of the ambitious plans to transform the building into an exciting new mixed-use destination that echoes the vibrancy of Covent Garden”.

Valeria Segovia, Principal and Design Director, Gensler commented:
“We are delighted to be partnering with Northwood Investors on what we hope will become an exciting mixed-use destination in the heart of the West End. The main aim of the project is to work with the grain of the existing building. Respect it but heal it, make it inclusive to all and create a rich experience that takes the public all the way to the animated and revitalised heart of the building”.

The proposal aims to maintain as much of the existing fabric as possible, while taking maximum advantage of under-utilised opportunities. A number of selective ‘infills’ and full reconstructions will therefore be made within the modules of the existing building.

90 Long Acre will deliver a ground-breaking building by considering sustainability and wellbeing from multiple angles that enhance the experience of everyone that interacts with the building. This contributes to delivering outstanding building performance with minimal carbon impact coupled with positive social impact and will create jobs and opportunities, be efficient in its use of natural resources and comprise sustainable design and innovation.

Gensler on e-architect

Richard Seifert architect

About Gensler:
Gensler is a global architecture, design and planning firm with 50 locations and more than 6,000 professionals networked across Asia, Europe, Australia, the Middle East and the Americas. Founded in 1965, the firm serves more than 3,500 active clients in virtually every industry. Gensler designers strive to make the places people live, work and play more inspiring, more resilient and more impactful.

About Platform:
Platform leads and delivers property development across a range of sectors. Attuned to the needs and aspirations of their clients Platform’s team recognises that every development is unique, developing tailored strategies to meet the particular demands of each project from the outset.

Platform’s business model is to remain a small, hands-on and focussed organisation, maintaining their independence while forming a close association with clients with whom they share a reciprocal relationship: both parties can trust and rely upon one another. Established in 2010 Platform’s founders were part of the core development team that successfully delivered the award-winning More London development.

Images: Gensler

90 Long Acre London images / information received 071220

Location: 90 Long Acre, Covent Garden, central London, England, UK

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