New Waterloo. Transforming the Elizabeth House site

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1 New Waterloo Transforming the Elizabeth House site

2 02 Transforming Elizabeth House 03 Transforming Elizabeth House Transforming Elizabeth House This booklet has been produced by Chelsfield and London & Regional Properties to explain our regeneration plans for the Elizabeth House site in Waterloo. Following extensive public consultation in 2010 and 2011, it sets out the final designs that have now been submitted to Lambeth Council as a planning application. The proposals would: represent a 600m investment into Waterloo to create a new business district for London and attract major occupiers back to the area create a dramatic new public space in front of Waterloo station with a new Victory Arch Square as part of 10,000 square metres of public space running the length of York Road

3 02 Transforming Elizabeth House 03 Transforming Elizabeth House significantly improve access to Waterloo station London s busiest mainline station by replacing of high-level walkway with a new step-free access deliver a modern architectural solution designed by multi-awardwinning David Chipperfield Architects, and replacing the unsightly and outdated 1960s offices bring a major economic boost with around 8,500 jobs on the site, as well as 142 new homes generating an additional 11.8m spent in the local economy each year Lambeth Council are considering our plans. We anticipate that, following the granting of planning permission, work will begin in 2013 and will be completed in Left Current view along West Road Between the current Elizabeth House and the former International terminal Right Proposed view along West Road New public space and new access to the station

4 04 About the site 05 About the site About the site The Elizabeth House site sits between Waterloo station and Europe s largest cultural quarter at the South Bank, which includes the Royal Festival Hall, the Hayward Gallery, the British Film Institute and the National Theatre. The existing Elizabeth House is an outdated, run-of-the-mill 1960s office development, originally built as offices for British Rail. It runs alongside the west side of Waterloo station along York Road as far as Leake Street, parallel and adjacent to the now-empty former International terminal. The current buildings include a 16-storey tower which butts hard against the Victory Arch entrance to Waterloo station, effectively blocking off the possibility of improving access to the station itself, and between the station and the South Bank.

5 04 About the site 05 About the site Waterloo is London s busiest mainline station, used by 88 million people a year, and struggles with volumes it wasn t designed for. The Victory Arch entrance cannot cope with the numbers using it and does not have adequate provision for the disabled. The space in front of Victory Arch which is the main route to the South Bank (22 million visitors a year), the London Eye (3.5 million visitors a year) and St Thomas Hospital (5 million visitors a year) is almost unmanageable. It is difficult to navigate, creates conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists, buses and taxis, and is an eyesore. Planning history The site has had a long record of failed attempts at redevelopment, with the most recent application by a previous developer turned down after a planning inquiry in 2009, having been supported by Lambeth Council and the Greater London Authority. Known as the three sisters, these plans were for three tall buildings of 31, 28 and 21 storeys, which compared to our plans had a much more significant visual impact, as well as less public space. This therefore set an important context for the current designs to respond to, with the new plans including on only a single tall building of exceptional architectural quality and a more generous provision of open space and other benefits. Left Current view along York Road Current Elizabeth House on the right Current view of Victory Arch Butting against current Elizabeth House Top Right Previous proposal Main Right Map of area showing site location

6 06 A desire for change 07 A desire for change A desire for change Waterloo sits within a designated strategic location at the centre of London, on a principal bend of the River Thames, yet since the early 1980s the area has lost around 7,000 jobs, while in neighbouring Southwark jobs have grown by nearly 16,000. This loss of comparative growth is down to the lack of appropriate types of quality office accommodation, resulting in some businesses once based in Waterloo moving eastwards. The current Elizabeth House offices contribute to this problem. They are run-down, unsightly and no longer meet the needs of contemporary office occupiers. All these points have been recognised by policy makers. Waterloo is an identified Opportunity Area in the Mayor of London s London Plan, with the Elizabeth House site specifically identified by Lambeth Council as a Major Development Opportunity suitable for commercial and residential development.

7 06 A desire for change 07 A desire for change The Waterloo Opportunity Area Planning Framework also identifies the site as suitable for tall buildings and sets out a new vision for Waterloo: To give Waterloo a new Town Square that also serves as a public transport interchange space; to improve permeability to and within the area and provide new development principally in the area around and above Waterloo Station. The opportunity This is an opportunity to start transforming the Waterloo area into one of London s leading business districts in particular, to: create exceptionally designed offices that will attract contemporary business, and provide visually stunning buildings for Waterloo open up the station and its entrance with a brilliant new public space, enabling long-term improvements to the station and future redevelopment of the disused International terminal deliver a 600m investment into Lambeth that brings accommodation for around 8,500 new workers on site, boosts spending in the area, improves connections to surrounding communities and provides a transformed environment around the station be a catalyst for other new developments in the area, linking with the Shell site and Waterloo station, and integrating with Waterloo City Square Left Proposed view from north side of the river Right Close-up view of the proposed North Building

8 08 Proposals at a glance 09 Proposals at a glance Proposals at a glance Total floor space: 132,100 square metres Public space: 10,000 square metres North Building height: 29 storeys (118 metres) Office space: 62,000 square metres Homes: 142 South Building height: 10 storeys (52 metres) Office space: 23,700 square metres Small shops and cafés: 1,500 square metres Cycle spaces: 666 Car park spaces: 75 Construction period: 28 months Fit-out period: 8 months BREEAM Offices rating: Excellent Code for Sustainable Homes: Level 4

9 08 Proposals at a glance 09 Proposals at a glance View along York Road showing proposed buildings North Building on the left. South Building on the right

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11 12 Public spaces 13 Public spaces Public spaces At the heart of the proposals is a great new public space, totalling 10,000 square metres, making what is now a cluttered and tawdry area more open, more spacious and much greener. In front of Waterloo station, we plan to create Victory Arch Square: a new, seamless, step-free public area, giving the public the space they need to move freely, and allowing Victory Arch to stand proud with the space and exposure it deserves. Beyond Victory Arch Square, the new public space runs the length of the site from Mepham Street to Leake Street, connecting to York Road, and permitting free and easy access to the South Bank. The area between the two buildings is called Central Square.

12 12 Public spaces 13 Public spaces Gallery space In addition, the plans propose a new front room for Waterloo. The ground floor of the North Building along York Road will include a double-height glass-fronted gallery space. Similar to the foyer of the Festival Hall, this area will be open to the public with sofas, good coffee, small retail kiosks and Wi-Fi providing a dramatic space in the heart of Waterloo that will also host exhibitions and artwork to bring some of Waterloo s cultural heritage to the station. Proposed view of the new Victory Arch Square Image on previous page Proposed view from Charing Cross Doon Street building consented, but not yet built

13 14 Public spaces 15 Public spaces Public spaces New access to the station The plans deliver significantly better access to Waterloo station. We will replace the current high-level walkway with step-free access into the main station concourse, accessed via the new public space. The development also enables future additional access to Waterloo station through the former International terminal, which has already been identified as a major development priority for London. The open ground level creates vastly improved movement between Waterloo station and the South Bank, London Eye and St Thomas Hospital, and facilitating improved connections with Lower Marsh, allowing it to become more easily accessible from the South Bank.

14 14 Public spaces 15 Public spaces Proposed view of new access to the station Central Square between North and South Buildings

15 16 Architecture 17 Architecture Architecture Our proposals fit into and add to the urban fabric of the Waterloo area. The plans have been prepared by David Chipperfield Architects. Sir David Chipperfield, one of the world s leading architects, is a former Stirling Prize winner and the recipient in 2011 of the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects. Elizabeth House is his first major project in London. The proposals represent the integration of three concepts fitting into and adding to the townscape of the South Bank; providing a new face for Waterloo station; and creating a series of public spaces that reconnect previously disparate areas at the heart of Waterloo. They take the form of two new buildings, within 10,000 square metres of a new public area running the length of the site.

16 16 Architecture 17 Architecture The North Building is a stacked form a series of volumes that build up to form a tall building at the head of the site, adjacent to Victory Arch. These volumes are clad with a translucent white glass façade and create a simple, calm, yet finely articulated, architectural surface. The result is an elegant building that will take its place in the skyline of London, and reflect the prominence of its location adjacent to the South Bank. The South Building responds more closely to the scale and materiality of its surroundings low-rise, ground-bearing and featuring colonnades, it establishes a clear relationship with the adjacent buildings of County Hall. Engineering and sustainability The new public space is partly created by, in effect, lifting the whole North Building off the ground via a 12-storey-high bridging structure spanning 108 metres, with its supporting structures visible through the building s glazed façade. This solution responds to the position of the four Underground tunnels below, which limit the location for foundations, and creates a two-storey-high public space shaped by its proximity to the station. The whole project aims for very high levels of sustainability, in both its office and residential spaces. The proposals achieve an excellent rating in the BREEAM Offices 2008 assessment scheme, and a level 4 status in the Code for Sustainable Homes Left Proposed view of the gallery space Along York Road Right Proposed view of South Building Along York Road

17 18 Economic boost 19 Economic boost Economic boost The proposed Elizabeth House development will be the largest mixed-use investment in Waterloo for 40 years. It will directly deliver: around 8,500 jobs on the site currently there are only 2,400 people employed on the site the equivalent of 460 full-time construction jobs a package of employment and training support measures to be delivered with Lambeth and other stakeholders to ensure local businesses and workers benefit from the new opportunities an additional 11.8m spent in the area each year by office workers and new residents boosting the local economy and supporting 650 new jobs within the local community

18 18 Economic boost 19 Economic boost through the lifetime of the buildings, further measures to encourage local procurement, and benefits to local businesses and workers 1,500 square metres of new shops and cafés to serve office workers far less than the current amount, to avoid undermining the Lower Marsh commercial area 142 new homes a range of one to four-bedroom apartments, bringing new residents to the area in a highly sustainable location New business district Waterloo is perfectly placed to benefit from the creative clusters in the South Bank and the West End. With this new development, Waterloo can become the home for major contemporary businesses, such as advertising, media, professional services and technology firms, together with their huge supply networks. The development will also help signal a change in perceptions of Waterloo, support further investment into the area and significantly improve the redevelopment potential of the surrounding area including Waterloo station, the disused International terminal, the Shell Centre and the IMAX Theatre roundabout (City Square). As such, it is key to achieving the aims of the Waterloo Development Framework, which seeks to make Waterloo an important business district and an attractive place to live, while also reinforcing its character as a cultural quarter of international significance. Proposed view of gallery space in the evening Along York Road

19 A better Waterloo for everyone This booklet sets out proposals to transform the Elizabeth House site, between Waterloo station and the South Bank. This development brings a 600m investment into Waterloo, creating a new business district for London. The plans create a dramatic new public space in front of the station and along York Road, and significantly improve access to the station. These proposals are a modern architectural solution, designed by multi-award-winning David Chipperfield Architects. And they bring a major economic boost to Lambeth, with around 8,500 jobs, 142 new homes and an additional annual spend in the area of 11.8m. For more information contact us at [email protected], or visit our website Cover image Proposed view of the new Victory Arch Square