In the build up to the Retrofit Summit, we will be bringing together an article series from across the built environment industry to showcase the potential of adaptive reuse.

Derwent London Group Architect Tim Hyman, details the sustainable refurbishment of historic Victoria village buildings, transforming them into adaptable, eco-friendly workspaces.

Within our Victoria village we own an island site comprising four buildings - Greencoat House, Gordon House, 6-8 Greencoat Place and Francis House. Built as warehouse buildings for the Army and Navy stores in the late 19th century we have enjoyed their curation since our ownership in the 1990s with our architects Squire & Partners.

Adjacent and sometimes interconnected the enduring architecture and the requirements of today and tomorrow create characterful places to work.

The buildings have been rejuvenated and reinvented over the years. Loading bays becoming split level entrances, a double basement has become a gym, the old generator and boiler rooms have become duplex double-height office space, the internal lightwells have been activated by balconies and planting for breakout spaces. 

The lightwells are also fresh air chimneys for natural cross ventilation, our approach being to maximise the use of passive ventilation to reduce mechanical intervention as much as possible, to enable the buildings to breathe naturally. Always mindful of carbon in-use we are moving towards all-electric buildings in line with our Net Zero Carbon 2030 targets.

6-8 Greencoat Place was comprehensively refurbished in 2021. Damaged during the second world war it was rebuilt in the 1950s. Our refurbishment included fabric repairs and insulation to increase thermal performance, new openable windows and a new services strategy of efficient fan coil units with an air source heat pump coupled with a mixed mode ventilation with an eye always to operational carbon. The surviving Victorian fish and meat halls were further revealed in the refurbishment and are now used as amenity space within the building.  

 A year later in 2022 we completed the refurbishment of Francis House.  Again the building benefited from new openable windows and a servicing strategy.  We discovered and revealed the original ‘cage’ lift shaft enclosure and opened up the building’s magnificent internal staircases. An array of double-height spaces and vaulted soffits are dramatic and intriguing. 

Both buildings are let to single occupiers and are fantastic canvases onto which our tenants have written their own story. 

Continuing the journey, the refurbishment of Greencoat House and Gordon House are on the drawing board. We will be applying the same rational of sensitive, lean and carbon considerate refurbishment, using their form to inform a passive first environmental solution, using highly sustainable materials such as recycled plasterboard and glass, even cork which echos the beer, port and wine stores of the original use of the buildings. 

What were once stores and warehouses are now adaptable, intelligent and carbon considerate creative places to work. Celebrating the best that buildings have to offer and enabling them for today and their future life.