Conservation Area site maximises commercial opportunities while introducing sustainable measures
MATT Architecture for Threadneedle Asset Management (Columbia Threadneedle)
Contract value: £12.17m
GIA: 4,118m2
Cost per m2: £2,956
The brief for the site, in the Wimbledon Hill Conservation Area, was to maximise its commercial opportunities. Long leaseholds on the ground floor units and a desire to retain maximum embodied carbon saw the building stripped back to its concrete frame – retaining 80% – then re-wrapped in a new high-performance envelope, doubling the overall net area and improving environmental performance. Lifts and toilets were made accessible, natural lighting was enhanced, an underfloor ventilation and heating system installed and measures such as bird boxes and a sedum roof introduced.