A contemporary refurbishment at one of the City’s leading commercial addresses.

Finsbury Square is a historic green space on the fringes of the City of London. The immediate area has become popular for development in recent years not only due to its proximity to the core financial district but also to Shoreditch, the lively media and creative hub immediately to the north. Office space here is therefore at a premium, and the refurbishment of 26 Finsbury Square aimed to maximise the commercial value of an existing1950s building, further modified in the 1980s, by increasing the floor space by 20% and refreshing the architecture inside and out.

Orms’ approach drew from the distinctive architectural language of the square, which has recently seen several distinctive contemporary interventions. The front section of the building has been rebuilt to a larger footprint, with the lower two levels set back to form a colonnade at street level. The elegant Portland stone-clad facades are punched by areas of clear glazing which open up views into the double-height reception hall and workspaces above. The Mayor’s Energy Hierarchy was adopted throughout to reduce energy demand through efficiencies in the building’s design, and to incorporate resources such as a heat recovery system, solar control glass and a variable volume pumping system.