42 Wigmore Street

Key features

The refurbishment combines high-quality design, ambitious sustainability goals, and careful planning to deliver a premium workplace.

The building now boasts a welcoming reception area, designed to make a strong first impression with high-quality finishes, a terrazzo desk, and suspended linear lighting that integrates planting for a refined aesthetic. This is complemented by luxuriously detailed washrooms, offering a consistent premium standard throughout the development.

In support of healthy workplace practices, the scheme incorporates comprehensive end-of-journey facilities, including showers, lockers, secure cycle storage with a tyre pump, and fully accessible changing and washroom provisions. These amenities promote active travel while ensuring inclusivity and convenience for all occupants.

Structural works

A central component of the project was the complete removal and replacement of the existing staircase, alongside alterations to extend the atrium. As this was the building’s only permanent means of vertical circulation, a temporary scaffold staircase was installed externally to maintain safe access during construction.

Once the original staircase was demolished, structural interventions were carried out, including demolition, infills, and reinforcement to accommodate the new design. The installation of the new staircase demanded precise coordination to maintain programme momentum, ensure stability, and comply with building and fire regulations, while minimising disruption to other trades.

Landscaping and ecology

The building benefits from a series of landscaped terraces and a reimagined central courtyard, designed to soften the urban environment and provide amenity space. A living wall in the courtyard creates a vibrant focal point, while sedum and wildflower planting across the terraces enhances biodiversity. These features are sustained by discreet irrigation systems for long-term resilience.

To mitigate disturbance to neighbours, acoustic screening was installed on terraces, protecting both privacy and comfort for surrounding properties. Additional ecological features, such as insect hotels and log stores crafted from reclaimed site materials, underline the project’s thoughtful approach. Collectively, these measures not only met planning obligations but also contributed to BREEAM ecology credits and supported the mind and nourishment criteria within WELL.

Managing relationships

Neighbour engagement was a central focus throughout the build. With Wigmore Hall hosting regular lunchtime concerts, the programme was carefully adapted to pause noisy works during performance times.

Regular communication through newsletters and meetings helped reassure neighbours, while flexibility in scheduling allowed the team to accommodate important events and showroom visits in the surrounding area.

This proactive and considerate approach, combined with permanent acoustic interventions, helped maintain positive relationships in what was a highly sensitive location.

A sustainable approach

Sustainability lay at the heart of the project, with ODGroup targeting its most ambitious set of accreditations yet: BREEAM, WELL, RESET, Active Score, WiredScore, SmartScore, and NABERS.

These aspirations were embedded throughout the programme, supported by regular sustainability coordination meetings and the appointment of sustainability managers by each subcontractor. Environmental planning conditions were also addressed, with solutions such as automated blinds to reduce light pollution and acoustic screening to protect neighbours’ comfort.

See how we’re turning our sustainability vision into action here.