Steel creates Outstanding refurbishment

Aiming to achieve a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating, a City of London office block at 25 Moorgate is being refurbished, extended and reconfigured with the aid of steel construction.

Working on behalf of Barings Real Estate and main contractor Blenheim House Construction, HBE Services is fabricating, supplying and erecting 200t of steelwork for the project.

Designed by architects Morrow & Lorraine, the project involves adding two new floors to create a nine-storey building, reconfiguring the core, strengthening works to the existing frame as well as various additional steel elements to the façade and in the basement.

Before the steelwork programme started, some demolition work had to be undertaken. This included removing a rooftop plant deck and the partial demolition of the centrally-positioned steel-braced core.

As the new building will have dual-access, from Moorgate and the adjacent Coleman Street, the four lift shafts have been rotated by 90 degrees within the reconfigured core, creating a more efficient ground floor lobby.

On levels five and six, the existing floorplates have been enlarged into the terraces, with a couple of extensions. Matching the mansard design of the building, these extensions have been formed with the installation of new steel columns and connecting beams.

The two new uppermost levels will accommodate offices and plant, arranged around generous outdoor areas. As the two-level plant deck will be exposed to the elements, it has been formed with galvanized steel members.

25 Moorgate is due to the complete by mid-2025.