Waterman are delighted to see The Bower taking home the trophy for ‚’Best Completed Building – New and Old’ at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards in the beginning of December.
The prestigious awards are part of the world’s largest live, inclusive and interactive global architectural programme and festival. This year’s festival took place in Amsterdam, bringing together over 2,000 architects from across the world, with award winners selected by a jury panel of 26 experts.
The Bower is a mixed-use landmark located next to London’s Old Street roundabout. Designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) Architects, the scheme offers 320,000 ft2 of vibrant retail and restaurant space at ground level with three high-quality office buildings framing the mews; The Tower, The Warehouse and The Studio.
The Tower’s existing 14 storeys were previously used as a telephone exchange for British Telecoms. By removing the original 1960‚Äôs cladding and screeded floors, three additional floors were able to be included at roof level alongside staggered side extensions to create dramatic double-height ‘living room’ spaces for the tenants.
The Warehouse was completely refurbished and stripped back to expose the existing structure, increasing its overall floorplan to 122,000 ft2 across 11 storeys with the addition of both side and rooftop extensions. Private roof terraces were inserted on the fourth, eighth and ninth floors to complement the dynamic working spaces.
The new three-storey office building, The Studio, was constructed out of exposed reinforced concrete flat slabs and separated from its towering neighbours by a ramped pedestrian walkway that portrays Old Street’s urban history with a dramatic ‘art wall’. Waterman’s team were appointed by Helical Plc to carry out civil and structural engineering design services for the 320,000 ft2 scheme.
Charlie Scott, Director for Waterman Structures, commented; “We are thrilled to see The Bower being recognised globally through this prestigious award. It is a huge achievement for the entire project team. The Bower is a celebration of exemplar refurbishment and new build techniques in the heart of Old Street which are now home to some of the UK’s leading creative businesses.”
Congratulations to all the teams involved in this exceptional scheme.
The multiple-award nominated development recently won Refurbishment Project of the Year at the Building Awards.
