ReardonSmith gains planning consent for hotel conversion in London’s Soho

Posted in News on 5 September, 2017

The conversion of three buildings into a 69-guestroom hotel on one of Soho’s most prominent street corners has been granted planning consent by Westminster City Council. Situated at the crossroads between Broadwick Street and Berwick Street, the successful scheme will allow for the complete demolition of two 1980s office buildings, in Broadwick Street and Berwick Street, and the retention of an 1880s property in between on the intersection of the two streets.

In the heart of the Soho Conservation Area, the scheme seeks to seamlessly integrate the new hotel into the distinctive cosmopolitan fabric of Soho, complementing and enriching the mix of uses found in this area of London. The hotel will extend over eight floors above ground and three basement levels, with the 69 guestrooms occupying floors one to six, and the two top storeys of the building set back to reduce the massing and to provide a destination bar and restaurant. Bearing in mind the different townscapes of each street, the ‘dislodged’ nature of the existing corner building will now be rectified through design, sensitive detailing and materiality.

The design references both the Art Deco and the warehouse building styles typical of the area. To create a striking contrast to the existing London stock yellow brick banding of the retained corner building, the new façades on Broadwick and Berwick Street will mostly comprise dark coloured brick. Additional colour palettes include bronze, gold and silver, selected to provide a contrast with the dark brick and to emphasize the quality of the development.

Accessed via striking Art Deco-inspired glazed doors embellished with bronze and glazed detailing, the main entrance into the hotel will be located off Broadwick Street. Continuing the Art Deco theme, an etched glazed façade is planned to enclose the upper two storeys of the hotel, creating a jewel box-like feel to the destination bar and restaurant.

“We are delighted to have gained planning consent for a building which will add a great deal to the architectural grain of Soho while providing a hotel and restaurant with all the potential to become highly successful operations. The building is unashamedly decorative in its treatment, meeting the client’s brief and enlivening the streetscape in a way that is appropriate in this part of London,” says Patrick Reardon, Executive Chairman, ReardonSmith Architects.