• Client: WPP Real Estate
• Architect: BDG Architecture & Design
• Photography: Agnese Sanvito
• Completion: 2022
• Size: 18,580m²
• Expertise: Structures

The refurbishment and extension of Rose Court refreshes a 1980s RC framed office building which has the scheduled ancient monument of the Rose Theatre, the first Shakespearean bankside theatre, at the lowest level of the building. This was as a key constraint to the development of the scheme.

The structural works involved adding storeys to the top of the existing building and constructing new propped multi-storey extensions to the front and back elevations of the building. These were all achieved by assessing and maximising the utilisation of the original design capacity of the structure, enabling the works to be completed without the need to install additional foundations or significant strengthening of the existing frame.

We established the structural principles of the original design in the early stages of the scheme’s development through a review of the record information available, visual surveys and building surveys. This research was later validated through intrusive surveys to validate our understanding of the building. Taking this approach enabled us to collaborate with the rest of the design team to guide the scheme towards the most viable ways to achieve the additional floor areas and modifications desired with minimal structural intervention.