Practice working with Farrell’s son Max Farrell on plans to reimagine 1 Emabnkment Place
Hopkins has unveiled its plans to transform Terry Farrell’s 1990s office block above Charing Cross station as part of a wider urban realm upgrade around the central London site.
The practice is working with Farrell’s son Max Farrell, founder of LDN Collective, on a refurbishment of 1 Embankment Place, which currently serves as the headquarters of PwC.
Designed for developer Bridgemont, the proposals would retain around 90% of the existing PoMo building, including most of its facade, while improving its energy efficiency and operational carbon usage.
Bridgemont said the refurbishment would retain the ”distinctive character and design intent” of the 15-storey block, which was completed in 1991 and occupies a highly prominent position on the curve of the river Thames which is visible from across central London.
A second public consultation on the scheme launched this week has also set out aims to transform the narrow streets which surround the building and, in collaboration with Network Rail, improve the arrival experience within Charing Cross station.
The scheme includes improvements to street-level frontages on Villiers Street, Embankment Place and the arches beneath the railway viaduct, and enhancing Victoria Embankment Gardens, a small riverside park, as a “vital oasis of nature and calm on the Thames”.
Max Farrell’s LDN Collective is working with Hopkins to ensure the “essence of the original design is respected and intelligently adapted for a contemporary city context”, according to the project team.
Farrell said: “It’s a privilege to help carry forward my late father’s vision for 1 Embankment Place, preserving the bold spirit of the original design while enhancing it in a way that reflects today’s needs and values.
“Hopkins and the wider project team have shown care and dedication to shaping proposals that honour this ambition, and I’m very supportive of the work so far.”
Hopkins principal Mike Taylor added: “Our detailed designs build on the principles set out last year but now go further in responding to early consultation feedback, and in strengthening how the building meets the city around it.
“We remain committed to evolving Sir Terry Farrell’s original vision with care – enhancing 1 Embankment Place’s relationship with Villiers Street, improving daylight and openness, radically overhauling the sustainability performance, and ensuring the building continues to serve commercial occupiers and the public for decades to come.”
The public consultation is open from 25 March to 19 April. Two public exhibitions will be held at the Clermont Hotel in the Adam Suite, Charing Cross on 25 March at 4 - 7.30pm and 26 March from 4 - 7.30pm.
Terry Farrell, who died last year aged 87, was one of the leading figures in British postmodernism during the 1980s and 1990s. His other major projects include the MI6 headquarters in Vauxhall.
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