LOM Architecture and Design has completed its retrofit of NatWest Group’s 250 Bishopsgate headquarters building in the City of London.
The practice’s transformation of the 11-storey steel-and-glass structure – designed by EPR Architects in the late 1990s – was carried out over multiple phases during and after the covid-19 pandemic, with the building remaining in use throughout.
LOM’s brief was to radically improve space, facilities and sustainability at 250 Bishopsgate and the project includes a new 300-seat conference centre, meeting galleries, a co-working floor, an atrium garden, a café and board facilities. There is also a new NatWest Bank branch.
Ceilings, storage, desks and chairs were repurposed to create a completely new working environment. The practice has employed recycled desktops, mobile furniture and moveable walls to create adaptable zones for teamwork, collaboration and events.
Source: Nicholas Worley
Office floors at 250 Bishopsgate
The previously inaccessible 9th floor roof terrace at 250 Bishopsgate has been converted into a spacious and useable garden with views across the City. It includes mixed plants, fruit trees and herbs.
Basement-level car-parking space has been converted to provide space for cyclists with storage for bikes, maintenance facilities, changing rooms and showers.
The cycle hub at 250 Bishopsgate
LOM director John Avery said the practice had looked to turn traditional corporate design “on its head”, creating a more flexible and sustainable building with an extended life.
“We focused on fluid layouts that facilitate collaboration and promote wellbeing, while providing additional space within the existing structure without compromising users’ experience and wellbeing,” he said.
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