Location: London, United Kingdom.

Architect: Conran and Partners.

Centre Point Tower, a 34-storey office tower in London, was left neglected and largely unoccupied despite being given Grade II listed building status in the mid-1990s. In 2010, Almacantar commissioned Conran and Partners to restore the tower and repurpose it for residential use. Mica Architects were also enlisted to develop the surrounding buildings and transform the public realm to regenerate the area where Tottenham Court Road meets Oxford Street. As part of the repurposing, Conran and Partners redesigned the way in which the tower meets the ground and engages with the sky. The heroic external staircases were relocated inside the building to create simpler and more welcoming approaches. The glazed envelope was entirely replaced and the new envelope on the ground and top floors follows the spirit of the original design. The interior design has been influenced by the substance and rhythm of the elevations, and the finishes palette is intended to appear effortless and work with the spirit of the building. The common areas allow the use of more dramatic materiality, such as the entrance hall which graphically expresses the tone of the building. The tower now features a selection of one to four bedroom apartments supported by world-class amenity spaces, including a 30-metre swimming pool and gym, luxury spa and club lounge. The aim of the project was to work with the spirit of the architecture and successfully reinvent the iconic building from a struggling, outmoded office tower into a vibrant residential building that responds to the changing requirements of twenty-first century London. The project materially unblocks this key location at the heart of the city.

Photo credit: Patrick Williamson, Luke Hayes, Mark Luscombe Whyte.