The £72 million refurbishment of the City of London’s first steel frame building is well under way.
Galliford Try was appointed by St Martin’s Property Investments in July to renovate Grade II listed Adelaide House on the north bank of the Thames.
At the time of its construction on the site of the original London Bridge in 1924, it was also the tallest building in the city (43 metres) and the first office block in the UK to have central ventilation and telephone and electrical connections on each floor. .
It also had a roof garden that included an 18-hole putting green, rockeries, fruit trees and beehives.
The redevelopment will see the landmark nine-storey building refurbished to Category A office standard, offering 129,000 sq ft of workspace, as well as a business lounge in the ground floor reception area and a communal roof terrace with river views.
The design, drawn up by Scott Brownrigg, aims to improve facilities and accessibility while respecting the historic elements of the building.
As part of the refurbishment, the main entrance will be reconfigured, the east lightwell will be modified and the roof plants will be replaced, while the parking space will be replaced with a landscaped amenity area .
Aiming for a BREEAM Excellent rating, the scheme will also provide double the number of cycle and cloakroom parking spaces currently recommended by the British Council of Offices.
John F Hunt has now completed the dismantling and demolition work and the building is expected to be completed in early 2025.
Earlier this year, Galliford Try was awarded a £75m contract to deliver a residential rental building at the Brent Cross Town mega-development in north London.
It has also secured places on the £8bn purchasing partnership framework and Sheffield City Council’s £355m civil framework.
