new apartments, conservation area

Work is underway on 900 sq m of new serviced apartments with retail below, within the Lovat Lane Conservation Area in the City of London, replacing a discordant 1970s office building. The new building increases the number of floors from 6 to 9, but by stepping back the upper floors in ziggurat formation, rights to light are maintained to surrounding windows and the apparent mass is reduced, being barely visible from street level. In the lane, a generous shopfront and sensitive use of materials such as stock brick, together with aligning the front parapet, bring a contemporary, high quality character back to the Conservation Area, and connect the building with the street. Rigorous spatial planning will achieve 22 apartments, including a penthouse, thus delivering the critical mix of units which, together with the construction strategy, using prefabricated elements to overcome the difficult site access, makes the development viable.