£40 Million Scheme At No.1 Kingsway completed by ISG

A challenging £40 million mixed-use project for developer, UK & European Developments, at the prestigious No.1 Kingsway address in London’s West End, has been successfully completed by ISG . The technically complex programme saw the demolition of much of the existing building with the retention of just the Aldwych and Drury Lane elevations and the addition of two new floors of accommodation – achieved without an increase in the building’s overall height.


The original eight-storey building, in a conservation area close to Holborn, was actually two structures grafted together creating accommodation with inconsistent floor levels throughout. ISG’s brief was to increase the overall gross internal area of the building, without extending upwards, to deliver high specification retail, commercial office and residential accommodation.

Retaining the two façades of the imposing building and carefully demolishing the remaining structure, ISG employed a post tensioned internal concrete frame structure, resulting in slender floor slabs that achieved greater spans than other methods and enabling the creation of the additional two-storeys of accommodation. The existing basement was rebuilt and reconfigured to form a residents’ car park, complete with a car lift to ground floor level. The remainder of the basement has also been transformed into back of house and kitchen facilities for Delaunay, a European style brasserie on the ground floor of the building, a sister restaurant to the iconic Wolseley restaurant in Piccadilly, covering more than 13,000 sq ft.

A key element of the project was enhancing the sustainable credentials of the building and No.1 Kingsway has recently been awarded a BREEAM excellent environmental performance rating. The use of high performance building materials, allied to a state-of-the-art building management system and highly efficient mechanical and electrical services have all contributed to this excellent environmental standard.

ISG has delivered 105,000 sq ft of open plan office accommodation over eight floors, fitted out to a Cat A standard and with a grand reception area at ground floor level. At the eighth floor slab level, a two-storey Portland stone rotunda that was previously dismantled, repaired off site and stored, has been reintroduced to the building and now forms a three bedroom luxury apartment. A further six apartments have been created around a landscaped central courtyard area – all affording breath-taking panoramic views of London.


ISG’s Stuart Deverill, managing director - London, said: “The successful delivery of this project is testament to the skill and expertise of our experienced project team, especially given the technical complexities, tightly constrained and busy nature of the site. The building is an outstanding success and we are justifiably proud of our hard work bringing this development to fruition alongside all our project partners.”