The airbase at RAF Bicester essentially dates from 1925 until 1994, when the final United States Air Force personnel stationed there vacated. In 2008, many parts of the site were designated a Conservation Area; including the technical site, airfield and defence structures, which Bicester Heritage then acquired in 2013. Overall there are more than 60 … Continued
St. Swithins Lane is a busy City pedestrian thoroughfare – a prime link between Cannon Street station and many parts of the Square Mile. It is a historic and narrow street, a legacy of its medieval origins, so most views of the buildings either side are oblique. Creating a high profile entrance to a new … Continued
St James Square contains some of central London’s most valuable real estate. No 31 is significant by virtue of its history (it was previously the site of the Duke of Norfolk’s royal residence, and its 1938 replacement, though unloved, became Eisenhower’s HQ during WWII) and by the fact that it is ‘L -shaped’ on plan, … Continued
Savoy Hill House was originally constructed as a late Victorian apartment building, but was acquired by the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET) in 1909 to form their central London staff facilities. Each end was rebuilt after wartime bombing (interestingly, from both world wars) and the original brick crosswall construction became inter-laced with a mixture … Continued
The project brief focused on careful and elegant detailing that would be executed to the highest quality and a design that provided elegant, comfortable and functional space that addresses occupier’s needs. The client desired a quality office refurbishment to a Developers Category A fit-out at a cost of no more than £100/ft2. We were able … Continued
Gaunt Francis’s connections with the Institute of Engineering & Technology (‘The IET’) go back a long way. In 2008 the practice was commissioned to renovate and overhaul Savoy Hill House, which was originally intended to provide staff accommodation and to connect to the IET HQ in Savoy Place. However, at completion this scheme was independently let … Continued
Although now an icon of 1960’s pop art, Centre Point had previously suffered from inadequate reception space, poor access and its open undercroft had harboured a multitude of antisocial problems. Our completed works wrapped the base of the tower in a glass envelope to create a new reception area at ground floor level improving access, … Continued
Crossrail’s alterations to the famous Centre Point pool and plaza (to form the new Tottenham Court Road tube stations) necessitated the temporary closure of the main entrance. Our alternative entrance ‘Pavilion’ provided a new point of entry and acted as a reference point and signal from Oxford Street.
British Council Wales commissioned Gaunt Francis Architects to design the fit out for their new offices in Central Cardiff. British Council Wales chose the location after GFA completed a separate commission to analyse all the top-grade commercial office space available for lease in the centre of Cardiff. This included the sustainability credentials of each building. … Continued
The brutalist behemoth that overlooks Piccadilly Gardens has been the subject of a series of conversion and upgrade proposals by various owners over the last few decades. The upper floors of its eastern end were converted and extended in the 1990’s to provide extensive space for a national health and fitness chain, but never occupied. … Continued
