Royal Street

Situated in central London, the Royal Street project introduces a mixed-use development aimed at supporting a life sciences innovation district focused on medical technology. The project encompasses six building plots along with surrounding landscape. Cobe’s site, Plot E, serves as a key entry point for the area, as well as a backdrop to one of London’s most historic icons, the Palace of Westminster. Currently located on Plot E is a 1974 office building known as Becket House. Despite the building nearing the end of its expected lifespan, the design prioritizes its preservation, offering programmatic, carbon-saving benefits with the goal of minimizing intrusive structural work, reducing carbon emissions, and minimizing overall waste. A form follows mission design.

Becket House, built in 1974, is an office building with a simple extruded form. The structure features an in-situ concrete frame, two reinforced concrete core walls, two central columns, and evenly spaced perimeter columns integrated into the façade.

Research into Becket House suggests that the building is nearing the end of its theoretical lifespan. However, initial inspections reveal the structure to be in good condition, offering significant opportunities for carbon savings in both the basement and superstructure, as well as reducing construction waste, foundation work, and construction time. In addition, the building services strategy has been holistically designed to minimize fossil fuel use, reduce material waste, enhance operational performance, and plan for future reuse at the building’s end of life.

As a result, various materials and existing elements will be reused or repurposed in its transformation. The level of intervention has been carefully calibrated to enhance quality while preserving the superstructure. By building above and around the existing structural frame, the building will be revitalized and given a new life. Reusing the building’s superstructure significantly reduces the amount of concrete and steel required for construction, ultimately lowering embodied carbon by approx. 2,800 tonnes.

The new additions to Becket House will feature office spaces, lab-enabled floors for the adjacent St. Thomas Hospital, and a grand public ground floor with key entrance areas for visitors. The project will thus create both a diverse environment and an appealing workplace, particularly attractive to healthcare and research tenants. Despite the façade nearing the end of its design life, many components can be easily disassembled, recycled, and reintegrated into the new façade system.

As a result, the balmoral granite from the existing façade will be dismantled and incorporated as aggregate into the new precast façade elements. Each element will thus carry a piece of the original façade in a new expression. The subsequent design responds to the dialogue between old and new, conveying the intrinsic story of the building externally. All put together as a backdrop for the Westminster Palace and Elizabeth Tower.