Knight Harwood details double-height reception at 16 Old Bailey office refurbishment

Knight Harwood has published details of the double-height reception it built at 16 Old Bailey in London, the office refurbishment it carried out for developer Endurance Land behind a retained Grade II listed facade.

The contractor said the reception was designed to reflect the retained listed frontage and forms the centrepiece of its structural remodelling of the building. Oak joinery and soft seating create informal meeting areas, with terrazzo and Portland stone finishes, Knight Harwood said.

The building, known as The Bailey, sits at the junction of Newgate Street and Old Bailey, according to architect Orms. New London Architecture (NLA) records its address as Britannia House, 16 Old Bailey, London EC4M 7EG.

The floor area

Knight Harwood said the remodelling created 156,000 sq ft of flexible Grade-A office accommodation across ten floors. Endurance Land's own portfolio page describes the building as circa 115,000 sq ft of flexible Grade A office space over ten floors. The two companies do not say on what basis each figure is measured.

Endurance Land said planning permission for a comprehensive office refurbishment was achieved in September 2018 and the works were completed in February 2021. The developer lists Nan Fung Group as its investment partner on the scheme and classes it as an office refurbishment investment.

The pre-lets

Agreements to lease the entire building to IPG Mediabrands and Knotel were exchanged in February 2020, according to Endurance Land.

Law firm Mishcon de Reya, which acted on the deals, said IPG Mediabrands would lease 93,000 sq ft over the lower ground and second to eighth floors, with Knotel taking the remaining 21,000 sq ft on the ground and first floors.

Tenant	Space pre-let
IPG Mediabrands	93,000 sq ft
Knotel	21,000 sq ft

Edward Hughes-Power, a Partner in the Real Estate department at Mishcon de Reya, said: "This is our first deal on behalf of Nan Fung Group and Endurance Land."

Mishcon described Nan Fung Group as a Hong Kong based investor and Endurance Land as the developer, and said their strategic partnership was formed in late 2018. The firm said the completed scheme would benefit from a double height reception.

The building

The original building was constructed in 1912 as offices for the Chatham and Dover Railway, according to Orms. Endurance Land said the larger western extension, which accounts for about 90% of the building's total net internal area, was originally built in 1999.

Orms said the scheme retained 92% of the original structure, including the foundations, and 74% of the 1990s double-glazed unitised cladding. Two new floors were added on top of the extension designed by architects GMW, the practice said. NLA records the same retention figures.

Endurance Land said the refurbishment included a new central lift and stair core, services and WCs, with a duplex office suite on the top two floors. The developer describes landscaped terracing on four floors, while NLA describes nine landscaped outdoor terraces with views towards the City of London.

Endurance Land lists the building's environmental ratings as BREEAM Excellent and Wired Certified Platinum. Orms also said the building achieved BREEAM Excellent.

Recognition

The project received a judges' citation at the AJ Architecture Awards 2022, according to Orms, and NLA lists it as an entry in the New London Awards 2022.

Knight Harwood works across the commercial, hospitality, residential, education and heritage sectors, according to the contractor's website.