Make unveils plans for 13-storey extension to City of London office retrofit

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Architecture studio Make Architects has unveiled plans to add 13 storeys above an Edwardian building within a conservation area near Liverpool Street Station. The proposal, put forward by Aviva Investors, would see the top floor of the seven-storey building at 35 New Broad Street demolished to make way for an office-led extension, increasing the building's overall height by 11 storeys.

During public consultation on the scheme, Aviva said the site offers a rare opportunity to deliver one of London's most significant retrofit projects and to create a landmark sustainable building that establishes a vibrant public interface on one of the busiest streets in the City of London.

Old Broad Street is a narrow but busy thoroughfare, connecting Liverpool Street Station at one end with the City of London's main cluster of office towers around Bishopsgate at the other. By passenger numbers, Liverpool Street Station is the busiest station in the UK.

The existing building is not listed. Completed in 1907 as office space and originally named Egyptian House, its facade combines classical and Egyptian-style details, reflecting that heritage. By the late 1980s, the corner site and two adjacent blocks had been extensively rebuilt behind the retained facade, with all internal floors and walls demolished and replaced.

Currently, the building has a floor area of approximately 100,000 square feet, with retail space at ground level, five floors of office space above, and a plant floor at roof level.

Aviva noted that the existing building does not meet the standards required by modern tenants, with poor energy efficiency, inefficient floor plates, and inadequate accessibility. The developer also cited narrow pavements around the site, poor connections to surrounding public spaces, limited active ground-floor uses, and a lack of commuter end-of-journey facilities within the building.

Under the proposed refurbishment, retail space along Old Broad Street would be retained, while a new ground-floor cultural space and main office entrance would be added on the New Broad Street side. The rest of the building would continue to be used as office space, with multiple outdoor terraces and a rooftop plant floor.

Aviva said the project will target BREEAM Outstanding, Nabers 5-star, and EPC A ratings, operate on all-electric energy, and adopt circular approaches to materials during construction. The developer described the scheme as a high-quality, environmentally respectful design, arguing that the contemporary extension respects the New Broad Street conservation area and the historic streetscape.

The project team also includes: Third London Wall as project manager and quantity surveyor; Robert Bird Group as structural engineer; Townshend as landscape architect; L&P Group for MEP; The Townscape Consultancy for heritage and townscape; OFR for fire; Verte for sustainability; and SRD Culture Ltd as cultural consultant.