GRAHAM appointed to fit out Ireland House at 10 Spring Gardens in London

GRAHAM's Interior Fit-Out division has been appointed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to fit out the new Ireland House at 10 Spring Gardens in central London, with work due to start shortly and run until summer 2027.

The building, part of The Crown Estate's West End portfolio, sits between The Mall and Trafalgar Square. GRAHAM said the fit-out covers the five floors that will make up the Ireland House premises. No contract value was published.

Once complete, the building will house the Embassy of Ireland, including its public-facing Citizen Services Office, and three state agencies: Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. A new main entrance foyer and reception will sit at first-floor level, approached from Carlton House Terrace.

Neil Dickson, Interior Fit Out Contract Director at GRAHAM, said: "The project requires the careful coordination of five floors of office accommodation, public-facing and event space, alongside the installation of new mechanical, electrical and public health systems."

The scope

GRAHAM will deliver office accommodation for each Team Ireland partner, including new workspaces, storage, kitchens, meeting rooms and event space. It will also install new mechanical, electrical and public health systems as part of the office fit-out.

The contractor said this is its first project for the Government of Ireland and adds a diplomatic building to its portfolio.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: "The participation of three state agencies reflects the importance of the UK as Ireland's most significant bilateral trading partner."

The department said the move to a newly refurbished building meeting modern design and environmental standards would promote collaboration between the Team Ireland partners and give Ireland a platform in central London.

The building

The appointment follows The Crown Estate's announcement on 4 October 2024 that the Government of Ireland had taken just over 30,000 sq ft in the refurbished 10 Spring Gardens development. The Crown Estate described the space at that time as set across the first, sixth, seventh and eighth floors plus part of the ground floor.

Martin Fraser, the Irish Ambassador, said at the time that Ireland House London would bring together the Embassy of Ireland with Irish state agencies, and that London is home to Ireland's biggest bilateral embassy in the world.

According to The Crown Estate, 10 Spring Gardens was built in 1975 for the British Council, which occupied it until 2021. The refurbishment is providing about 80,000 sq ft of workspace over ground floor, basement and eight upper storeys.

The Crown Estate appointed McLaren Construction Group as construction partner in November 2023, with refurbishment work scheduled to start that month, to a design by Orms Architects retaining more than 90% of the structure and façade. The Crown Estate said the building would target a NABERS 5* rating, EPC A and BREEAM Excellent. In October 2024 it said the refurbishment phase was under way and targeted completion in 2025.

The Crown Estate said 10 Spring Gardens, New Zealand House and 33-35 Piccadilly, its three West End developments, had a combined gross development value of more than £430m.

GRAHAM's recent work

GRAHAM pointed to recent completions including the refurbishment of six upper floors and a new ground-floor amenity space at London Business School's Regent's Park campus, a refurbishment at the Royal Automobile Club's Grade II listed Woodcote Park estate in Surrey, and the handover of 16,000 sq ft of workspace for an investment firm in Dublin.

At London Business School, GRAHAM Interior Fit-Out is main contractor for a job that was expected to start from the end of August 2025 and complete by mid-June 2026. At Woodcote Park in Epsom, it is principal contractor for the upgrade of 21 bedrooms and adjoining corridors on an estate that sits within 350 acres of Green Belt parkland.

Work at Ireland House is expected to start on site shortly, GRAHAM said, with completion scheduled for summer 2027.