London – 18 April, 2023 – Property developer Endurance Land has submitted a planning application to London Borough of Islington for the transformation of an outdated 1990’s office at 99 City Road. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), the scheme will provide high-quality workplace, significant improvements to the public realm and a landmark building at the heart of London’s Tech City.

The proposal greatly improves the pedestrian experience through widening the pavement, removing key pinch points, and providing a new public square on City Road/Old Street to create an ‘arrival’ that complements the new Old Street station. The publicly accessible, permeable ground floor has been designed for public benefit, with dedicated spaces for free community use, cultural programming, and curated events.

The existing building was constructed in the early 1990s as the headquarters for Inmarsat. Inmarsat is set to relocate next year, providing an opportunity to deliver a building that better interacts with its surroundings and delivers meaningful benefits to the local community. The planning application covers alteration, extension, and refurbishment in addition to significant improvements to the immediate area, including 274% increase of the public realm.
A new core will be inserted and additional floors added to create a hybrid old/new structure, providing high-quality workspace. A minimum of 10% of the GIA office uplift area will be offered as affordable workspace – effectively doubling the current provision across the Borough.

The majority of the existing building’s structure will be retained, including the foundations and basement. This approach has been adopted to provide a workplace that is adaptable to future needs, minimises the environmental impact of the project, and reduce construction traffic.

Inspired by the materiality of nearby Victorian architecture, the serrated facades incorporate natural ventilation, improve shading performance, and create a dynamic aspect to the exterior design. Distributed plantrooms allow maximum space for roof gardens and terraces. A compositional design of folded planes responds to context and mitigates environmental impacts. The design creates a distinctive building marking Old Street “Square about” and brings new adaptable workspace to Islington.

The proposed 34-storey (plus ground floor) building will be 153.215 AGL and 64,873 sqm. The building aims to achieve some of the highest sustainability standards, targeting embodied carbon <600kgCO2/m2 as well as BREEAM Outstanding, and WELL Core Platinum certifications.

Jonathan Fletcher, CEO of Endurance Land: “From the beginning, the main objectives of the redevelopment have been to upgrade and modernize the existing building through its design, sustainability credentials, and connection to the local community. The submitted proposal unlocks the potential of the site by delivering a world-class, landmark office building that’s tailored to Islington and Old Street.”

John Bushell, Design Principal, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates: “99 City Road is an ambitious scheme with many community benefits and the latest in a series of KPF transformation projects. The massing and materiality of the design was informed by the local context. Working closely with AKT II, the structural engineers, we’re retaining as much of the existing structure as possible, and significantly increasing the GIA. Improvements to the public realm and the provision of affordable workplace and community space will deliver a real benefit to the Borough.”

The planning application will be reviewed by London Borough of Islington’s Planning Committee in summer 2023.

ENDS

About Endurance Land

Endurance Land is a commercial property company that specialises in the active management of buildings that require refurbishment or development, primarily within Central London. The company’s mission, through its experienced management team, is to be an industry leader in sustainable and technology driven development and property investment in the UK market.

About Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) is one of the world’s preeminent architecture firms, providing architecture, interior, programming and master planning services for clients that include some of the most forward-thinking developers, corporations, entrepreneurs, and institutions around the world. The firm’s extensive portfolio spans more than 40 countries and includes a wide range of projects from office and residential buildings to educational projects, civic buildings and cultural spaces. Notable KPF transformation include Unilever Headquarters, South Bank Tower and 81 Newgate Street in London; Hudson Commons and One Madison Avenue in New York.