Central St.Giles Court

Central St.Giles Court

The complex of residences and offices rises where the headquarters of the British secret services were located. The design of the complex is born from the gaps left by the demolition of the pre-existing building, so a 22-faced jagged polyhedron is drawn. The space was complex for the geometry of the urban fabric, and so there was a combination of changing façades, each different in height, orientation, color, and relationship with light. The mass is so lightened and fragmented, composed of so many pieces of different colors connected to each other. The facades stop from 4 to 6 meters from the ground, making the site accessible and transparent, an invitation to converge into the inner square where shops and public activities are concentrated.

Project data

Design

2002 - 2006

Construction

2006 - 2010

Total floor area

Offices: 39000 m2 (10 piani)

Residences: 800 m2 (14 piano, 109 appartamenti)

Restaurant, commercial spaces on the ground floor: 2137 m2

Public square: 2044 m2

Site area

7082 m2

Credits

Client

Legal & General with Mitsubishi Estate Corporation Stanhope PLC

Architect

Renzo Piano Building Workshop, architects in collaborazione con Fletcher Priest Architects (Londra)

Consultants

Arup (structure and services); Davis Langdon (cost consultant); Bovis Lend Lease (pre-construction advice); Emmer Pfenninger & Partners (façades); P.Castiglioni / G.Bianchi (lighting); PRP (fit-out for affordable residential); Charles Funke Associates (landscaping)