Shortlisted in the RETROFIT category and for the ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE   

HYLO is now the most pioneering tall-building retrofit in London. The project absorbs the former, mid-rise Finsbury Tower office building within the delivery of a modern, high-rise mixed-use development, which now capitalises on the building’s positioning at the intersection between the historic City and the neighbouring ‘Silicone Roundabout’ innovation district. The scheme delivers modern, flexible workspace together with 25 units of affordable housing. It also introduces a new public arcade, with shops, cafes and restaurants that will now transform the locale. The original building dates from the 1960s, but had since become outdated and vacated; it’s now saved and integrated within London’s contemporary urban life. This solution doubles the site’s leasable area, from 12,000 to 25,800 square metres, while saving 35% of the ‘up front’ embodied carbon in comparison with an equivalent new construction.

Vote for this project in the ‘People’s Choice Award’. The voting deadline is 1 November 2022.

The project extends an existing 16-storey tower by 13 storeys, and doubles the height of the existing three-storey podium, all while retaining and reusing the existing RC frame, basement and foundations. When complete, the tower will provide increased office space, including affordable workspaces for small- and medium-sized businesses, as well as social housing, retail space, and parking space for 500 cycles. The scheme has transformed a dated, unfit-for-purpose office block to become a modern mixed-use development, while concurrently delivering a 100 per cent increase in gross area.
Height: 124m
Number of storeys: 28