St Giles Circus
St Giles Circus
With the arrival of the Elizabeth Line at Tottenham Court Road, a new public space is being created at St. Giles Circus. Situated at the base of the 385-feet Centre Point tower and designed by landscape architects Gillespies, this new plaza sits at the centre of a 25,000m2, £150m, mixed-use scheme bounded by Denmark Street, Charing Cross Road and St Giles High Street. New-build elements adjacent to the plaza include a new 800-seat ‘Outernet’ arena (designed by architects Orms), as well as offices and apartments.
Further shops, restaurants and apartments will be created through the adaptation and refurbishment of existing buildings on nearby Denmark Street. Here, we were appointed to provide strategic structural and heritage advice in relation to eight listed buildings. We wanted the mixed-use development to augment the cultural and physical heritage of the local area that encompasses Denmark Street - commonly known as ‘Tin Pan Alley’, an area with a rich musical history that was once home to ‘The NME’ and ‘Melody Maker’, as well as studios for The Kinks, the Rolling Stones and the Sex Pistols.
Working in collaboration with Orms and Ian Chalk Architects, we advised on the refurbishment of buildings along both sides of Denmark Street. The ‘Smithy’ and other former industrial workshops were carefully preserved as part of the scheme. Placed on a concrete raft and moved temporarily within the site, the Smithy was then returned to its original location to become part of the entrance to a second underground auditorium in a celebration of the rich cultural heritage of the site.
Our integrated approach between engineering and heritage joined-up thinking guided the repair and enhancement of this unique site, which includes some of the oldest terrace houses in Central London. The project involved highly complex issues relating to the construction of a new basement above an Elizabeth Line tunnel and beneath fragile listed buildings.
Client: Consolidated Developments