Most office buildings dating from the late-nineteenth century and early-twentieth centuries are not naturally suited to modern working practices. Externally, however, they add an important sense of heritage to the architectural wealth of our cities and many can be restructured to fit contemporary needs. Her Majestys Treasury is such a building. Situated between Parliament Square and Horse Guards Parade, it was completed in 1917 and is Grade II listed. In refurbishing and reorganise the building, the challenge was to transform a labyrinthine and frequently under-utilised set of spaces into an efficient and enjoyable working environment.
The existing building has a roughly symmetrical plan, with two halves linked by a drum-like courtyard. Each half of the building is punctuated by smaller courtyards and lightwells, which were hitherto unused. In an echo of the strategy deployed in the Great Court at the British Museum, some of the courtyards have been reclaimed and capped with translucent roofs to create five-storey-high spaces that now house a library, caf, training rooms and a new entrance atrium. Other courtyards have been landscaped with planting and pools to form recreation spaces for staff, while the central circular courtyard, hitherto used for parking, has been emptied of cars and landscaped to form a new public space for London. Internally, more than 7 miles of internal partitions have been removed from the offices to create open-plan workspaces. This radical reorganisation has enabled the entire Treasury staff, to be accommodated comfortably in the western half of the building, allowing the remainder to be used by other government departments.
Significantly, the refurbished building also sets new environmental standards in Whitehall. In addition to opening up the offices, the reconfigured lightwells help to ventilate the building naturally, forming thermal chimneys through which stale air from the office spaces is exhausted by vents at roof level. Fresh air is drawn into the building through the windows, which have also been upgraded to provide improved security. This natural ventilation cycle is assisted by fourteen windcatchers mounted on the roof. Heating, lighting, IT and communication systems have been similarly modernised, so that the building combines a sense of history with a reinvigorated and contemporary working environment.
Client:
Bovis Lend Lease, Chestertons, HM Treasury Exchequer Partnership, Stanhope PLC
Consultants:
Waterman Partnership plc, Hanscomb Partnership / Mott Green & Wall, JBB, Gustafson Porter Limited, Speirs & Major Limited, David Bonnett, Fielden and Mawson, Hann Tucker, Per Arnoldi