Proposed Alterations and Extensions to

131 Pavement London, EC2

DESIGN & ACCESS STATEMENT September 2016 Contents

1.0 Design Team 2.0 Introduction 3.0 Site Context and Analysis 4.0 The Existing Building 5.0 Pre-Application 6.0 Concept 7.0 The Proposed Development 8.0 Townscape Views 9.0 Sustainability 10.0 Access Statement

11.0 Appendix A - Area Schedule 12.0 Appendix B - Drawing Issue Register

1531_131 September 2016 02 Morrow + Lorraine Architects 1.0 Design Team

In 2015 the client, Royal London Asset Management, appointed the design team to advise on development opportunities for 131 Finsbury Pavement.

Architect Morrow + Lorraine Architects

Project Management Cyril Leonard

Planning Consultancy CBRE

Quantity Surveyor Stace

Structural Engineer Symmetrys

Services Engineer GDM Partnership

Rights of Light Consultant Delva Patman Redler

Building Control MLM

1531_131 Finsbury Pavement September 2016 03 Morrow + Lorraine Architects 2.0 Introduction

2.1 Summary of the Proposal The ambition of the team is to deliver a high quality building which, through well considered design, meticulous detailing and high quality This Design and Access Statement has been produced by Morrow + materials, will result in a substantial and positive contribution to the Lorraine Architects for Royal London Asset Management in support townscape. of their planning application for 131 Finsbury Pavement, London, EC2A 1NT. Pre-application meetings have been held with Ms Tanya Szendeffy, Conservation and Design Office, and Mr Tom Broomhall, Planning The holistic development proposals involve the following key Officer for Council. Feedback received has informed the elements: design process which follows. • Plant Consolidation and Rationalisation • Roof Level remodelling and extension to provide additional office accommodation (B1 use class) • Rear extension of level 4 to 8 to provide additional office accommodation (B1 use class) • Façade Improvements – Introduction of Stone Cladding and Coping • New Reception area and office entrance onto Finsbury Pavement • Incorporation of landscaping and planting features at roof level and within new office reception • Enhancements and provision of new office facilities.

Externally, the works involve alterations to the entrance to enhance the building’s prominence at street level and to create a better visual connection to the street. Extensions are added to the rear elevation and rooftop of the building to provide additional B1 office floor space. These new extensions have been designed to enhance the proportions of the existing building and to improve the relationship the building has with the surrounding townscape.

Internally, the existing office space will be modified with enhancements to the efficiencies, quality and facilities serving the office space. The ground floor reception will be reconfigured to create a more welcoming environment. A new stair will connect the reception area with new lower ground floor commuter facilities providing cycle parking, showers and lockers.

The proposal seeks to significantly improve on the existing design in terms of sustainability and achieve a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating. Concept Sketch - Design development of the proposed roof extension

1531_131 Finsbury Pavement September 2016 04 Morrow + Lorraine Architects Photograph - The Existing 131 Finsbury Pavement Visualisation - The Proposed 131 Finsbury Pavement

1531_131 Finsbury Pavement September 2016 05 Morrow + Lorraine Architects 3.0 Site Context & Analysis

3.1 Location

The building is located on the south-west corner of , at the junction of Finsbury Pavement and Chiswell Street. Finsbury Pavement is a key route through the , running north to Old Street, and south to and the .

3.2 Proximity to Public Transport

Moorgate rail and underground station is less than 200m away from 131 Finsbury Pavement. Moorgate is a key City of London station connected to the , Bank branch, Metropolitan, Circle, and Hammersmith & City lines.

05 lies to the east, serving the Central, Hammersmith

& City, and Metropolitan lines, London Overground and major National Rail 01 Chiswell Street services running in and out of London, by 2018 Crossrail will also service Liverpool Street station. Finsbury Pavement

These nearby transport hubs ensure Finsbury Square and the immediate vicinity are prime locations for commercial accommodation within the City of London; increasing the accessibility and lettable value of the surrounding area.

04 02 01 Moorgate underground station

02

03 Circle

04 Finsbury Square Garden

05 N 03

Aerial Photograph - 131 Finsbury Pavement in context

1531_131 Finsbury Pavement September 2016 06 Morrow + Lorraine Architects 3.3 Conservation Area

131 Finsbury Pavement is not listed, but the site falls within the Bunhill Fields & Finsbury Square Conservation Area, within the London Borough of Islington.

22.3 Bunhill Fields (owned by the City Corporation) and Wesley's Chapel are internationally famous sites. Finsbury Square and the playing fields of the Honourable Artillery Company are also ancient open spaces, now surrounded by late-19th century and early-20th century buildings. and Tabernacle Street, both running north connected by several cross streets, are lined with solid late-Victorian, Edwardian or more modern buildings, which are almost entirely commercial. Although buildings of quality are scattered, there is enough to give the area a cohesive character of Edwardian grandeur and Victorian commercialism which relates well to the spaces and streets because of their scale, materials and ornament. - Islington Council’s Bunhill Fields/Finsbury Square (CA22) Conservation Area Design Guidelines (December 2002)

The proposal will address the above considerations by improving upon the quality of the existing building at rooftop level and building with premium materials that compliment the original materials and those of the surrounding buildings. A sensitive design approach will maintain the scale of architecture around Finsbury Square and build on the special character of the area.

3.4 Constraints and Guidance

Of note, the site is located within the Central Activities Zone, Employment Priority Area (offices), Bunhill & Core Strategy Key Area, Finsbury Local Plan - City Fringe Opportunity Area, and the Finsbury Local Plan - Bunhill and Clerkenwell.

3.5 Current Use

The building is currently used as offices (Use Class B1), by a range of established commercial companies, most notably Charles Stanley & Co. which occupies four floors of the building. Half the ground and lower ground floor levels are let to All Bar One (Use Class A4). Site Plan - The Bunhill Fields & Finsbury Square Conservation Area Aerial Photograph - Along Finsbury Pavement looking north

1531_131 Finsbury Pavement September 2016 07 Morrow + Lorraine Architects 3.6 Analysis of Recent Roof Extensions in the Surrounding Area View from 131 Finsbury Pavement 8th floor level

Finsbury Pavement has been subject to contemporary additions at roof level in recent years contributing to a distinctive character at high level, relative to the consistent, uniform stone frontages at street level.

Most notably, light-weight, high quality metal and glass extensions dominate the skyline in various shades and tones. These modern additions are often in high contrast to the more matt and heavier materials of the original buildings below.

Green roofs and high-level planting feature heavily on the recent roof extensions and complement Finsbury Square below. These areas are often seen from the square below, indicating activity and inhabitants at roof level, which contribute to the vibrancy of the buildings surrounding the square.

Plant screens at rooftop level are most effective when concealing all services and cleaning cradles, ensuring a clean and tidy roofscape. 10 FINSBURY SQUARE THE ALPHA BETA BUILDING 26 FINSBURY SQUARE 33-37 FINSBURY SQUARE

Application No.: P102295 Application No.: P2013/0916/FUL Application No.: P070830 Application No.: P102727 Decision Date: 21/02/2011 Decision Date: 28-03-2013 Decision Date: 22/08/2007 Decision Date: 31/08/2012 Decision: Appeal details found below Decision: Approve with conditions Decision: Approve with conditions and legal Decision: Approve with conditions and legal Description: The demolition of the existing Description: Demolition of existing 9th floor agreement agreement building and construction of a ground plus eight- structure. Creation of new aluminium clad Description: Refurbishment and renewal of Finwell Description: Two additional floors at 6th and 7th storey building and two basement floors with a plant enclosures on 9th floor; new additional House including demolition and rebuild of the levels for office (B1) use; change of use of lower total of up to 19,456 sqm (GEA) of floor space. B1 office structure to 8th floor on north and Christopher Street frontage and the two upper ground levels to A1,A3 or D2 use at 33 Finsbury Comprising up to 17,022 sqm (GEA) of class B1 south elevations; re-cladding of existing 8th floors, to create a building of two basements Square, plant level at 8th level. office floorspace at basement and floors one to floor structure. Also Conservation Area consent levels, ground and nine upper storeys (with a eight and up to 2, 434 sqm (GEA) of flexible mixed submitted LBI reference P2013/0918. This double height reception), providing a commercial use floor space (Class B1 and /or Class A1 and/or application may affect the character and area of 11055 square metres (GEA), and including Class A3 and/or A4) at lower ground and ground appearance of the conservation area. Town an extension of the building line forward by 2.8m. floor levels. A new service access from Finsbury and Country Planning (Listed Building and Retention of existing car park building of 657 sq m Square; green roof and landscape terrace; and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (as amended); to the rear of the site. ancillary plant and equipment. section 73. Approved on Appeal ref: APP/V5570/E/11/2148054 dated 5 July 2011

1531_131 Finsbury Pavement September 2016 08 Morrow + Lorraine Architects 10 Finsbury Square, Sheppard Robson, 11,800m2, 2014 AlphaBeta, Studio RHE, 24,000m2, 2016 26 Finsbury Square, ORMS, 9000m2, 2012

3.7 10 Finsbury Square 3.8 AlphaBeta 3.9 26 Finsbury Square

10 Finsbury Square is efficient, practical and visually distinctive. Architect, AlphaBeta is the contemporary reactivation of a substantial landmark An ORMS project in the City of London involves an £18m refurbishment Sheppard Robson, has given it visual appeal but not at the expense of building. and extension, including redesign of the facades at 28 Finsbury Square, functional effectiveness. This is a 150,000 ft2 Grade A office building that a ten storey existing building on a prominent corner site for Freshwater has been designed to be sustainable, complement the landscape and give Driven by high-grade technical performance, materiality and sustainability, Property London. occupants the space and services necessary in order to grow. the approach nurtures the building’s proud heritage. At the heart of the design is the belief that the best working practice stems from interaction, Built in the 1950s on the corner of the square and modified in the 1980s, Genuine environmental credentials are fundamental to the design, play and chance encounter as well as quiet concentration. its frontage has been demolished, interior space expanded by 20 per cent offsetting the majority of heating energy consumption and saving over and upper floors rebuilt. 21 tonnes of CO2 pollution per year. 10 Finsbury Square has achieved a At nine storeys high, a dramatic central atrium shapes the dynamic lobby. A BREEAM rating of excellent. network of meeting places that create opportunities for chance encounters The reworked reception area features large scale artwork by Turner Prize- and informal meetings outside the office, are situated off-lobby. The glazed nominated artist David Tremlett. It has a green roof of sedum and other native species enhances its occupier meeting rooms that cantilever out into the atrium at various levels contextual link to both Finsbury Square and Bunhill Fields. offer privacy without a sense of isolation from the building’s community. The design offers a variety of spaces and features, from the atrium cafe overlooking the ride-in cycle ramp, to the eighth floor terrace that provides panoramic views across the capital.

1531_131 Finsbury Pavement September 2016 09 Morrow + Lorraine Architects