Gun Wharf, Chatham
Gun Wharf, Chatham
We produced a Statement of Heritage Significance for Medway Council to understand the heritage significance of the Grade II listed Gun Wharf building in Chatham, Medway.
The building was designed by Arup Associates as the headquarters of Lloyd’s of London, opened in 1978 on the formerly dense naval site containing a naval ordnance depot and Royal Marines barracks. Gun Wharf implemented Arup Associates’ innovative ‘tartan’ grid modular system comprising a repeated grid of 7.2m² structural bays. These were arranged as precast pyramidal soffits surmounting cruciform concrete columns. The large triangular voids created between these soffits were ingeniously designed to house the building’s plant without intruding into the office space below.
The building was subsequently bought and occupied by Medway County Council. The discovery of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in the building’s roofs following an investigation prompted the Council to consider the future and development potential of the building.
We set out the building’s significance its capacity for change, arguing that the building was designed to be altered internally and that there was considerable scope to do so, following the principles Arup established. We also identified that the landscape is a significant element of its contextual design, contributing to the setting of the church and Command House.
Client: Medway Council