Queensberry House

Location: London, UK
Scope: Residential
Area: 1, 360 m²
Completion Date: Feasibility Study
Architect: Studio Seilern Architects
Client: CapInvest
Planning Consultants: Turley
Visualizations: Panoptikon

Savile Row 33, located in Mayfair, is bound by Savile Row to the east and Old Burlington Street to the west. The existing building, known as Queensberry House, comprises retail at ground floor level with entrances to the office floors from Old Burlington Street, and residential levels accessed from Savile Row. There are five levels of offices and eleven private residential duplexes on the upper two floors.

The project radically improves the residential areas, which suffer from having an unwelcoming entrance at Savile Row, inadequate access routes to all apartments on level 6, and vibration and noise caused by the existing office plant and low ceiling heights.

The proposal seeks to replace the existing mansard roof on level 6 and 7 with a new roof structure providing enlarged residential duplex units, with an additional floor allowing the possibility to provide a number of flexible duplex and/or penthouse options to suit current market demand.

The proposed apartments will enjoy better daylight and private amenity spaces while the existing office plant is proposed to be re-designed and replaced to eliminate any noise and vibration issues. We have ensured that the refurbished development will maximise the unit size  and the best views, in order to benefit from these additional values.

Characterised by its tailoring workshops at basement level, maintaining the character and function of the Savile Row Special Policy Area was crucial. Therefore, deliberate and careful design led to the set back of the 8th Floor addition, enabling daylight and sunlight levels to remain unaltered at street level so as not to affect the workshops.

Large windows span from floor to ceiling, designed to not only aid in ventilation but generate a light filled environment. The design of high ceilings also takes into consideration the flexibility and sustainability of the building, allowing for the possibility of the spaces’ use to be altered as and when needed.

The penthouse is designed as a sunken garden with a light structure of louvres and a skylight lining the perimeter which fills the space with natural light. The louvres not only keep the glass in position but allow for the possibility of integrating planters to be positioned at different heights.