Issue 37 Spring 23 WEB - Flipbook - Page 7
Historic art deco icon,
transformed into a flexible
workplace for the future
Recently completed for Strandbrook Ltd, the contemporary and complementary additions
to the iconic Grade II Listed Art Deco ‘Shell-Mex House’, have transformed this London
landmark into a vibrant and flexible multi-tenanted space to meet the needs and desires of
the modern worker..'
Originally designed in the early 1930s by architects Messrs
Joseph, the building had served as Shell-Mex and British
Petroleum’s headquarters until the companies vacated the
premises in 2020. The building holds a commanding position over the River Thames with the southern elevation
home to the UK’s largest clock face, making it instantly
recognisable. The building historically had no street
frontage on the Strand, with access gained via an archway
through, what was previously, the Cecil Hotel (the back
of which was demolished to make way for Shell and BP’s
new HQ). Previously used as the trade entrance, a key
change has been to create a landmark arrival experience,
transforming the entrance and public areas to connect
right through to the Strand and reposition this river icon
as a Covent-Garden-connected, healthy and desirable
place to work.
Architects, PDP London, developed the design from
detailed concepts and drawings prepared by architect
Duncan Mitchell, structural engineer Simon Bennett,
Above, the contemporary Strand entrance pavilion takes cues from the Art Deco motifs of the existing building
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Conservation & Heritage Journal
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