Devonshire Square Masterplan, London EC2

Aerial view of model of estate
A man in a suit walks past a tall brick warehouse with large arch windows
A brown furnished lift lobby with glass pendant lighting
Aerial view of the masterplan site encircled in red
A large CAT A floor with exposed services
interior image with windows

A masterplanned campus, reimagining rich history for today’s City.

Workplace, Retrofit, Heritage
Devonshire Square Masterplan
Location: Devonshire Square, London EC2
Client: Blackstone
Size: 20,234m2 site

Fresh Thinking

JRA carried out masterplanning for the repositioning of the Devonshire Square Estate for Blackstone.

Devonshire Square is a large mixed use estate located in the eastern edge of the City of London that comprises a combination of Grade II Listed and 1980s office buildings. The masterplan included the rolling refurbishment of several of the buildings on the estate to deliver a destination workplace with benchmark estate facilities. JRA was responsible for the refurbishment of The Pepper Store, DSQ9 and The Spice Building. In addition, JRA improved the public realm and entrance to the estate, enhancing connectivity across the site and integration with the local area.

Greyscale location map with estate highlighted red
Location Map

Acres of History

Following a varied history as a residential and later commercial site that was destroyed in the 1666 Great Fire of London, the five acre Devonshire Square Estate was redeveloped in the 18th century by the East India Company (EIC). EIC built a number of warehouses on the land to store goods including fabric, tobacco, and spices arriving on the River Thames from India. The buildings were later bought by the St Katherine’s Dock Company and then in 1978, refurbished as offices by Richard Seifert and Partners, who added several new buildings and courtyards. The 12 buildings had received a programme of ongoing maintenance since but required a holistic approach to reimagine the campus and bring each of the office buildings up to contemporary commercial standards.

A historic photo of the original site
Historic Photo
Historic map outlining the original site
Historic Site Map

The Pepper Store

The Pepper Store at Devonshire Square is a grade II listed, converted East India Company warehouse dating back to the 18th Century. Following its conversion to offices and retail in the 1980s, JRA introduced designs to bring the building up to modern tenant standards, adding value by increasing the NIA to provide more lettable space, whilst making sensitive use of the original heritage features.

Key features include the concrete trough soffits and 18th century brickwork, which have been exposed and enhanced with inset lighting and complementary wall finishes. On the top floor, the existing suspended ceiling has been removed to reveal the steel roof trusses and the newly added exposed services. On floors one to four, the ventilation system has been changed from a ceiling mounted strategy to an underfloor air displacement ventilation strategy, allowing increased floor to ceiling heights and showcasing the exposed original architecture.

At ground level, we created a large reception and lobby area, fit out to designs by March and White Design. Luxurious materials such as marble and brass have been used and these are accompanied by polished brass and leather panelling to create a post-industrial warehouse style. To provide a greater connection between the reception and lobby and the rest of the estate, the glazing between the arches at ground level was replaced with more elegant and simple frames, removing the transoms and other redundant details. External uplighters in the arches emphasise these elements and aid wayfinding.

An improved MEP plant, upgrade to the roof insulation, new double glazed windows and improvements to the building fabric and air tightness have contributed to the building producing 27.7% less C02 emissions per m2 annually and achieving BREEAM Excellent.

corner image of building
Exterior 
 
outside of brick building
Exterior 
 
reception of building
Reception 
 
CAT A office interior
Office space 
 
Exposed warehouse brick close up
Original Brick Detail
View from an upper office window across surrounding buildings
Window Detail
Recessed lighting in retained ceiling soffits
Soffit Detail
A mix of painted and exposed brick
Wall Detail

DSQ 9

DSQ 9 is another grade II listed 18th century warehouse office building and spans 7,300m2. JRA refurbished the building for JVCo. Key interventions include bringing the office accommodation up to CAT A standard across levels one, two, three and five, and upgrading the building’s connectivity to WiredScore Platinum rating. The designs for the office floors capitalised on the original brickwork and period warehouse features, taking cues from the building’s 18th century heritage and the wider estate. For example, the original vaulted ceiling was exposed and restored at level five, and on other floors, the original concrete ceiling soffits were enhanced with contemporary inset lighting. New, larger windows, with updated glazing have been installed across the whole of the building, which helps to maximise the amount of natural light entering the workspaces and improves the building’s efficiency, in line with its new building services strategy. The project achieved BREEAM Excellent.

At ground level, JRA created a new, boutique reception that features a rich palette of materials and bespoke artwork. The reception’s focal point is a one of a kind lighting installation entitled ‘Flame’ designed by Stuart Haygarth for Acrylicize. The piece is comprised of vintage amber glassware arranged into a chandelier above the lobby seating. The rest of the space uses brushed metalwork with full-length metal lattices on the lift surrounds, fumed oak, ceramic tiles and iron to reflect the building’s industrial heritage.

A basement floor plan of DSQ9
Basement Floor Plan
A ground floor plan
Ground Floor Plan
Typical floor plan
Typical Floor Plan
A stone arch doorway
Entrance
Reception lift lobby with exposed brick and seating
Lobby
A brown reception desk with accessories and plants
Reception
interior of CAT A with window
Typical Office Floor
A CAT A floor with exposed brickwork and soffits
A CAT A floor with exposed brickwork and soffits

The Spice Building

The Spice Building, Devonshire Square is a nine-storey office building originally designed by Richard Seifert & Partners and constructed in 1978. JRA repositioned the building, upgrading the office floors to grade A accommodation and maximising the existing space by converting the ninth floor to provide additional work space. The services, lifts and lobbies were brought into line with contemporary standards and JRA introduced a new terrace at roof level, providing a tenant amenity with breathtaking views of the City.

The team completed the redesign with a new high quality entrance. The façade at ground level has been activated using double height glazing inset in a brass canopy with feature lighting. In the reception, the industrial aesthetic of the estate is carried through in the exposed soffits and polished concrete walls and elevated by accents of marble and gold.

The Spice Building achieved BREEAM Excellent.

trees and building exterior
Exterior
People stand on a terrace overlooking the City of London
Terrace
A glass double height entrance with circular drum doors
Interior

Campus

JRA was appointed to improve the public realm around the buildings to enhance the quality of the refurbished spaces and connect Devonshire Square to its wider area. To do so, JRA created an estate wide lighting strategy highlighting access routes, the removal of redundant street furniture and a new treatment to the main gate in Cutler Street. In addition, wayfinding has been redesigned to influence the perception of permeability of the estate within the City, drawing attention to the generous offering of restaurants and bars, a fitness centre, and attractions on the site. JRA introduced new hard and soft landscaping to create areas for relaxation for tenants and the public, and has provided ramp access to new centralised end-of-trip facilities in the basement, including 560 cycle parking spaces, 452 lockers and 23 showers.

A lawn and raised planting on campus
Landscaping 
 
tress and exetrior building
Exterior 
 
public realm campus
 
 
campus entrance
 
 
green wayfinding interior campus
 
 
green wayfinding
 
 
Cycle racks in a basement
End-of-Trip 
 
White, green, and blue lockers in a changing room
End-of-Trip 
 

Awards

2017 - Architects’ Journal Retrofit Awards