133 Park Street and 105 Sumner Street, London Borough of Southwark

The Challenge

Regenerating and promoting an underutilised site containing a tired 1980s warehouse and office building within the Bankside Opportunity Area, behind the Tate Modern, while negotiating the varied heights, forms and access arrangements in and around the site. The site sits within a protected viewing corridor and is in close proximity to several listed buildings and the Bear Gardens Conservation Area so a key challenge was how to bring forward a significant uplift in office floorspace, improve on the public realm and permeability through the site while respecting and positively contributing to Southwark’s rich architectural heritage without harm to the amenity of nearby residential properties.

The Solution

Piercy & Co Architect’s solution celebrates the rich industrial heritage and character that the area is well known for, taking a cue from the site’s former use as a bronze factory and the steel and iron structures such as the nearby Tate Turbine Hall. A range of different sized, flexible office floorplates will suit a range of small and medium sized businesses, adding to the diversity of the workplace offer in SE1. The two buildings, at nine and ten storeys, are arranged around a central courtyard, providing valuable amenity space and permeability through the site, and new discoverable routes that are characteristic of the area.

The Results

We secured planning permission for Landsec, adding over 18,000 sq m of Grade A office floorspace to its South Bank / SE1 portfolio and representing an uplift of over 16,000 sq m on the existing site. Over 1,000 new jobs would directly arise from the development. The scheme achieves the highest architectural design and sustainability credentials.