Refurbishment and extension of the 1-5 London Wall Buildings. A significant grouping of Grade II Listed Edwardian buildings forming one quarter of Finsbury Circus in the City of London.

Situated in the heart of the City of London’s financial district, Angelo Gordon and Endurance Land’s major sustainability-focused refurbishment and extension will breathe new life into the five historic, interlinking, Grade II-listed properties which form 1-5 London Wall.

Sensitive interventions will add over 2,000 m2 of open plan workspace and 2,753 m2 of retail space will also be created. Ground floor areas will be enlivened by a new public walkway, linking Bloomfield Street with Finsbury Circus. At the top of the building, a double-mansard extension will add a new 8th floor with new terrace spaces offering outstanding views across the City.

A commitment to cutting carbon forms the foundation of the sustainability strategy, seeing the team minimise the use of new materials. Focusing on the retention of existing building elements, the design is underpinned by a philosophy of balancing embodied carbon with ensuring maximum future adaptability. Working alongside architects Carmody Groarke, Waterman provided specialist building services, structural engineering and environmental input for the scheme.

New M&E systems are designed to minimise impact on historic building features, whilst slashing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. By utilising heat pumps, energy-efficient lifts and LED lighting for the offices, emissions will be cut by half compared to pre-refurbishment levels. New floors will include high-performance façades to reduce heating and cooling loads.

The development will feature Underfloor Air Distribution (UFAD) throughout, helping achieve the CO2 reduction of 35% compared to new construction standards, whilst drastically reducing the quantum of building services materials used in initial installation and over the operational life cycle and building churn.

Wellness is central to this scheme, with occupiers able to control their desk’s local temperature using floor mounted UFAD terminals. Externally, green and blue roofs punctuate a variety of terrace spaces, offering nature-rich, climate change-resilient amenity spaces.