fletcher priest architects london + koln + riga

10 20 30 Eastbourne Terrace

Following the success of 40 Eastbourne Terrace, Land Securities appointed the practice to renovate a group of adjacent buildings of the same 1960s vintage. The existing18-storey office tower and two lower wings are highly visible from the neighbouring conservation area. A number of cladding solutions were reviewed, including a terracotta screen to shade the areas in direct sunlight. A glazed solution was developed with silk-screened fritting to protect against solar gain and to reduce overlooking, following consultations with residential neighbours.

The external cladding is conceived as a glass veil draped over the existing structural frame with a subtle opaque pattern to vary the transparency of the façade. This avoids a challenge experienced at number 40, of installing cladding between existing and varying structural bays.

Reduced car parking provided an opportunity to extend the office building and to create a new landscaped park between the offices and the residential properties. Redundant fire-escape terraces on the lower blocks were removed and replaced with an additional floor, and the frontage to Paddington Station is reconfigured in slate and glass. The new buildings are part of the grouping of projects by the practice along Eastbourne Terrace, which includes Rio Tinto's new headquarters and 50 Eastbourne Terrace.

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