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Bonhams.

Transforming the international headquarters of one of Britain’s great auction houses was a complex multi-stage project working not only within a constrained site but also directly above construction of a new Crossrail station.

Heavily constrained refurbishment project in central London for the renowned auctioneers

Location
London, UK
Client
Bonhams Auction House
Architect
Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands
Project Value
£25 million
Status
completed 2013
Expertise
Structures

We worked with architect Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands on the project for auctioneer Bonhams. Decades of piecemeal development around Haunch of Venison Yard off London’s New Bond Street were replaced by a four-storey, state-of-the-art facility.

Two existing elements have been retained: the Grade II-listed Blenstock House at the site’s northern edge, plus a Victorian house on New Bond Street; the latter gutted to create a new atrium entrance.

Phase 1 saw refurbishment of the 1,820 m2 Blenstock House, providing temporary accommodation for those displaced by subsequent demolition of the other existing buildings. The final stage was Blenstock House’s further refurbishment as staff and services were transferred into the new building.

Our biggest challenge was the scheme’s location directly above Crossrail’s Bond Street station box. This was constructed concurrently, necessitating constant liaison between both project teams. The effects of unloading the ground during demolition and subsequent reloading as the new building was constructed had to be modelled to demonstrate that the two projects would not impact detrimentally upon each other.

With a basement level, three storeys of double-height salerooms plus a further level of office space, the concrete-framed building could have resulted in unacceptably high loads imposed on the new station. We have optimised the structure to keep weight to a minimum while delivering the column-free spans required for the large auction spaces.

No piled foundations were permitted, so the building sits on an extra-thick concrete raft directly above the Crossrail station box to minimise any differential settlement across the site.

Awards.

2014 AIA London/UK Excellence in Design Award

2014 BCI Award

2015 RIBA Regional Award

2015 RIBA National Award

2016 Civic Trust Awards

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