JRA reworks City office building it first designed in 1998
Almost 30 years after its original completion, One Great St Helen’s begins a new chapter in the heart of the City of London’s Eastern Cluster.
Originally designed by John Robertson Architects and now sensitively retrofitted by the practice, the building preserves its distinctive curved façade while being transformed into a premium, future-ready workplace. The refurbishment delivers nine renewed floors of office space, a boutique hotel–style entrance, flexible ground-floor uses, state-of-the-art end-of-trip facilities, and a new level 10 winter garden and landscaped roof terrace with panoramic City views.
With a retrofit-first approach that significantly reduces embodied carbon, improves daylighting and ventilation, and achieves an EPC A rating with a BREEAM Excellent target, One Great St Helen’s demonstrates the enduring quality of the original design and the clear value of a low-intervention, sustainable retrofit, extending the building’s life while maintaining its appeal and relevance for today’s tenant market.
