No. 1 Poultry
No. 1 Poultry, City of London
We provided heritage advice as part of a wide-ranging refurbishment of this notable Grade II* listed building in the City of London.
No. 1 Poultry was designed by the acclaimed British architect James Stirling in 1986-88. Following Stirling’s death in 1992, it was not completed until 1998 by Michael Wilford & Associates.
It is a defining building of the Postmodern architectural style and is described by Historic England as “a highly significant and accomplished building by an architect of international repute, arguably the quintessential post-modern commercial building and public space.” For five years it was the youngest listed building in the UK.
No.1 Poultry was conceived, designed and executed as a speculative office building with retail at ground level. Within the context of competitive demands for floorspace within the City of London and rising tenant expectations for outstanding amenity spaces, making sure the building remained relevant and appealing to potential commercial occupiers was closely intertwined with upholding its heritage significance. To achieve this, worked closely with John Robertson Architects to advise on developing designs and consulted with Historic England and the Twentieth Century Society as part of the planning process.
The proposals included a refurbishment of the existing office spaces, the introduction of a new entrance space and main reception, as well as alterations to the retail spaces at ground level and the roof terrace and former restaurant unit. The scheme targeted BREEAM Oustanding; Well Core; and NABERS 5* certification. Much of our work involved demonstrating that despite the extent of the proposed works, the long-term interest of the heritage asset was in its sustained, optimum viable use and that the building was inherently flexible and capable of significant improvements in the quality of its lettable spaces.
At the point of the planning submission being made, Historic England publicly stated that “We support these proposals to reinvigorate and retrofit this landmark building so that it can continue to contribute positively to the local area and economy.”
Client: FORE Partnership/ IGIS Asset Management
Architect: John Robertson Architects