‘Stand-out’ Central London office building undergoes major refurbishment works

Commercial property consultancy Hartnell Taylor Cook has today announced the practical completion of a major refurbishment at The Garage, a 26,000 sq ft building offering Grade A office accommodation in the heart of London.

Occupying a prominent location at 7-9 Rathbone Street, Fitzrovia, the building was first constructed as a two-storey car repair and maintenance garage in 1905 by Truman Stevens, and has now been transformed under the instruction of his great-grandson, Alex Stevens, to reposition the building as Grade A office space.

As part of the refurbishment, the building’s interior and exterior underwent a major overhaul, incorporating four new terraces alongside amenities including cycle storage and shower facilities as well as full-fibre connectivity services.

The creation of planted terraces and intensive green roofs adds to the biodiversity of the building and aligns it with London’s Wild West End network of green space, a project started between Central London’s largest property owners to encourage wildlife and biodiversity in the city.

Carbon-conscious design sat at the heart of the refurbishment, with the building’s existing structure retained and repaired, and any new materials used were required to have a high degree of recycled content and lifetime flexibility. The building has achieved an EPC A rating, and the existing plant has been replaced with new high efficiency AC systems.

Hartnell Taylor Cook worked alongside ISE, White Red Architects, Lamorbey Associates, London Structures Lab, Bigham Anderson Partnership and Bluebook to complete the project.

Robin Castle, Partner of Project Management at Hartnell Taylor Cook, commented: “When we discovered that the client’s great–grandfather built this building, we knew this would have to sit at the heart of the redevelopment and it has completely shaped the design and reinvention of The Garage.

“By exposing and celebrating the building’s original construction and identity, we were able to hit the sweet spot for retrofitting, providing a perfect example of sustainability goals marrying up with commercial objectives.

“Where possible, this is what the future of property redevelopment in a circular economy should look like, many thanks to all our partners who worked with us on the project.”

James Proctor, Head of Central London Offices at Hartnell Taylor Cook, added: “In today’s work environment, offices need to provide stimulating environments, and any new spaces coming to market need to ensure that they hit the mark in this respect. Stand-out buildings like The Garage proves that this can still be delivered in an increasingly challenging economic environment.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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