Livonia Street is the retrofit of an office building tucked away on a cul-de-sac in the Soho Conservation Area within The City of Westminster. Designed by R. Seifert and Partners in the 1960s, the building presented the opportunity for a sensitive but characterful refurbishment that respects the heritage of the existing building while creating a contemporary, flexible, low carbon workplace.

The project looks to retain as much of the existing structure as possible. The existing middle 3 floors are insulated externally and finished in a breathable lime render providing a natural, textured backdrop to the local context and accentuating the horizontality of the original window design. The natural render is offset by crisp powder coated metalwork and a play of scale and rhythm to new rooftop additions.

Livonia Street itself is improved with new ground floor units that address the street and the dark, uninviting passageway connecting Portland Mews to the north is improved through the introduction of wall art and lighting.

Roof terraces set within the Soho rooftops are created in response to the setback massing, with an extra large roof terrace at L05 creating a space for meeting, socialising and well-being.

The building adopts a passive ventilation strategy with opening windows and thermal mass to the existing floors. A beautiful maple parquet floor has been uncovered under the latex of more recent floor finishes which will be repaired to its former glory and give the floors a depth of quality only made possible through retention.