75 York Road

75 York Road, adjacent to Waterloo Station in London, is a major refurbishment, including extensions to the office floor plates at the lower levels, and an additional residential floor at the top of the building. Adjoining the listed former Lying-In Hospital, the existing building was structurally sound, but in need of replacement services and cladding.

The initially modest refurbishment proposal was succeeded by a radical mixed-use approach to respond better to the brief. The two storey podium was replaced by a five storey base, aligning with neighbouring buildings.

Offices occupy all levels up to the 10th floor and the new steel-framed top level contains five serviced apartments with external terraces.

The cladding panels incorporate black anodized aluminium spandrels and frames, which feature floor to ceiling window elements, and contrast the smooth white render for the building’s solid surfaces. The existing stair and lift core was retained, with one extra lift added, and treated in dark grey render. The atypical 3m planning grid allowed for large expanses of glass, uninterrupted by mullions. The use of 12 mm thick glass produced a smooth appearance all too rare in glazed facades.