The Crown Estate appoints McLaren Construction Group to deliver refurbishment project in St James's, London

The Crown Estate, the landowner and custodian of an iconic portfolio along Regent Street and across St James’s, today announces its appointment of McLaren Construction Group as construction partner for the full refurbishment of 10 Spring Gardens. The office refurbishment scheme will be one of the first in a series of development projects for The Crown Estate within its prime London portfolio.

Nestled in a historic area of London between The Mall and Trafalgar Square with views over St James’s Park, 10 Spring Gardens was constructed in 1975 for the British Council and was occupied by the organisation until 2021. Now vacant, refurbishment work is scheduled to commence in November 2023, delivering around 80,000 sq ft of sustainable workspace, distributed over ground floor, basement and eight upper storeys.

Designed by Orms Architects, the refurbishment places a high priority on sustainable design and construction, retaining over 90% of the building’s structure and façade, minimising the use of new raw materials, whilst enhancing the quality of the office floor plates, amenity spaces and entrances. The scheme will include greening in and around the building, alongside the delivery of new trees to support biodiversity in the area, while new windows will enhance the thermal performance of the envelope, leading to greatly increased energy efficiency.

All of this activity will ensure that the building is designed to The Crown Estate’s Development Sustainability Principles and is targeted to achieve a NABERS 5* rating, EPC A and BREEAM Excellent.

Alongside these sustainability credentials, the building will also prioritise the wellbeing of its workplace customers, targeting a WELL Gold Certification.

Kristy Lansdown, Head of Development, The Crown Estate, said: “We are excited to be bringing forward our development pipeline and are committed to delivering leading sustainable design and construction within the historic West End. 10 Spring Gardens perfectly encapsulates this.

“The scheme and surrounding public realm highlight our commitment to delivering sustainable, accessible and inclusive spaces. The development will be testament to our placemaking priorities and vision to support the city’s renewal – ensuring it continues to be locally relevant and globally distinctive. We look forward to working with McLaren Construction Group to make this future a reality, and to welcoming progressive businesses to the West End soon.”

John Butten, Managing Director for Major Projects at McLaren, said: "The retrofitting of 10 Spring Gardens will see the building transformed into a modern office space, reducing the carbon footprint during construction by retaining the existing structure. It's more important than ever to conserve and recycle materials and McLaren will be supporting The Crown Estate in achieving high sustainability ratings for the refurbished space.

“We’re delighted to have been appointed by the client on such an environmentally considerate project, where our team will integrate circular economy principles, such as our glass recycling during construction. Working together with The Crown Estate we'll also create much needed apprenticeship roles during the scheme's delivery, building future talent who is trained in both construction as well as green economy skills."

The partnership between The Crown Estate and McLaren Construction Group is committed to delivering on social impact outcomes, including the creation of new jobs and apprenticeships for local young people. Those interested in finding out more about these opportunities should contact Steven Roberts at McLaren Construction Group at steven.roberts@mclarengroup.com or they can register their interest here: https://mclarengroup.com/apprenticeship/